Saltwater Cowboy
Active Member
It had to be close to 100 degrees outside as I sheilded my eyes from the glare coming off the water, I thought to myself where the heck am I? This couldn't possibly be the Queen Charlotte Islands. The stories and pictures I've seen are of large seas and pouring rain. I decide that I might as well enjoy it while it last as this is B.C and the weather could change any minute. So my guide "Cowboy" at West Coast Resorts Tasu Sound tells us to throw our gear in our room, grab a cooler with some snacks and bevies and let's get the show on the road.
We all pile into the brand new 18' welded aluminum boat and roar off for the fishing grounds. First stop Sunday point. We make the turn past "the wall" and hit open waters for the first time, and even though it's calm there are some nice gentle swells that are spaced just perfectly for "Cowboy" to live up to his name and hit each swell perfectly to get the prop out of the water and maintain our 35mph. 45mins later we are at the fishing grounds as we've decided to go for springs first.
I grab my 10'6" mooching rod and cut my herring just right to give it a dead slow roll my favourite. Cowboy says drop it down 14 pulls and I quickly obey. All three rods are in the water for but five mins and Aran (my youngest brother) yells fish on and he is matched in battle with a scrappy mid range chinook. I start to reel my gear up when Cowboy snaps at me keep your gear in the water this is double header fishing up here. With no downriggers I figure sure I'll try it. 20 mins later aran has landed a nice 25lb chinook and I have a 10lb coho in the box as well that came right to boat for easy netting! I start thinking to myself this is great 30 mins on the water and 2 fish in the box. We re bait and this time I go to 21 pulls as he calls it. Not one minute goes by when Cowboy yells at me bait school right on the bottom drop er down. I immediately drop the bannana weight and cut plug straight to the bottom and then reel up a couple feet.
My nerves are jangling around as I anticpate a big strike, then BOOM my rod tips burries in the water and the islander MR2 starts sreaming at me fish on moron! I jump up and grab the reel a quick hook set and I'm in for the fight of my life, Cowboy starts yelling at the couple other guide boats "HOG" which means get the hell out of our way we can't stop this one. His first run was majestic all the way to the backing without so much as slowing down. But I knew what was coming next a 400ft run straight at the boat. I thought I could reel as fast as anyone, but right now anyone didn't matter it was can you reel as fast as this fish swims!!! Dam my arms burning I say as I fight through it with a giant smile on my face. Oh thank god he stops and heads straight for the bottom. I can't stop thinking is this my fisrt 50lber, the one I've lied awake every night before a day of fishing and drempt about! I WILL NOT LOSE THIS FISH I SAY TO COWBOY! He lies on the bottom fo a few minutes as i try to gain some line he'll barely budge. Now my back is burning and my arms, and we're only 25mins into this thing. Like a rocket he heads straight for the surface and I reeling like hell "don't lose him, don't lose him" I'm chanting to myself! He breaks the surface like a freight train, at least 6 feet in the air and then bam full speed back to the bottom! Cowboy yells at me did you see the size of that thing, I'm to stunned to talk and I just look at him and drool a little, duh.... I hear Aran beside my yelling at another boat that this thing is huge! I'm trying to process what I just saw was he really that big or was it the angle I saw him at, cause he's 50+ easy! 25 more mins pass and I'm wiped I'm sweating and aching and just flat out loving it!!! I say to Cowboy I want this fish but I don't want the fight to ever end! he just smiles as he knows what this means to me and he's glad he could guide me in to it. Another few short runs and we start to see the end in sight, he's now in the slow head shaking sulk as he continuously cirlces the boat about 10 feet down. He's at least 55-60lbs Cowboy yells, I've never seen one that big! I can already imagine him on my wall as a replica and the stories I will tell. Another 10 mins pass and then he comes to the surface and just rolls to his side! I've won I think to myself! But right as Cowboy slips the net in the water he thrashes full speed ahead and snaps the 30lb leader like nothing! But wait he's so tired he's just floating under the surface reviving himself a desperate attempt with the net but he's to deep now and then he turns and swims away! I look at Cowboy and I think what the hell just happened here. The look on all three of our faces as we look at each other in disbelief we realize that we still have a great story to tell if of course they will believe our fish story!
If you hadn't noticed by his call name "COWBOY" is my younger brother and one hell of a guide. The rest of the day and trip produced our limits of coho, to 15lbs, chinook to 37lbs, halibut to 61 lbs, snapper and ling cod. What a lodge, what a trip and "What a family I'm blessed with"
SWC
Now lets' hear your stories good or bad!
I do the Fishing, God does the Catching!
We all pile into the brand new 18' welded aluminum boat and roar off for the fishing grounds. First stop Sunday point. We make the turn past "the wall" and hit open waters for the first time, and even though it's calm there are some nice gentle swells that are spaced just perfectly for "Cowboy" to live up to his name and hit each swell perfectly to get the prop out of the water and maintain our 35mph. 45mins later we are at the fishing grounds as we've decided to go for springs first.
I grab my 10'6" mooching rod and cut my herring just right to give it a dead slow roll my favourite. Cowboy says drop it down 14 pulls and I quickly obey. All three rods are in the water for but five mins and Aran (my youngest brother) yells fish on and he is matched in battle with a scrappy mid range chinook. I start to reel my gear up when Cowboy snaps at me keep your gear in the water this is double header fishing up here. With no downriggers I figure sure I'll try it. 20 mins later aran has landed a nice 25lb chinook and I have a 10lb coho in the box as well that came right to boat for easy netting! I start thinking to myself this is great 30 mins on the water and 2 fish in the box. We re bait and this time I go to 21 pulls as he calls it. Not one minute goes by when Cowboy yells at me bait school right on the bottom drop er down. I immediately drop the bannana weight and cut plug straight to the bottom and then reel up a couple feet.
My nerves are jangling around as I anticpate a big strike, then BOOM my rod tips burries in the water and the islander MR2 starts sreaming at me fish on moron! I jump up and grab the reel a quick hook set and I'm in for the fight of my life, Cowboy starts yelling at the couple other guide boats "HOG" which means get the hell out of our way we can't stop this one. His first run was majestic all the way to the backing without so much as slowing down. But I knew what was coming next a 400ft run straight at the boat. I thought I could reel as fast as anyone, but right now anyone didn't matter it was can you reel as fast as this fish swims!!! Dam my arms burning I say as I fight through it with a giant smile on my face. Oh thank god he stops and heads straight for the bottom. I can't stop thinking is this my fisrt 50lber, the one I've lied awake every night before a day of fishing and drempt about! I WILL NOT LOSE THIS FISH I SAY TO COWBOY! He lies on the bottom fo a few minutes as i try to gain some line he'll barely budge. Now my back is burning and my arms, and we're only 25mins into this thing. Like a rocket he heads straight for the surface and I reeling like hell "don't lose him, don't lose him" I'm chanting to myself! He breaks the surface like a freight train, at least 6 feet in the air and then bam full speed back to the bottom! Cowboy yells at me did you see the size of that thing, I'm to stunned to talk and I just look at him and drool a little, duh.... I hear Aran beside my yelling at another boat that this thing is huge! I'm trying to process what I just saw was he really that big or was it the angle I saw him at, cause he's 50+ easy! 25 more mins pass and I'm wiped I'm sweating and aching and just flat out loving it!!! I say to Cowboy I want this fish but I don't want the fight to ever end! he just smiles as he knows what this means to me and he's glad he could guide me in to it. Another few short runs and we start to see the end in sight, he's now in the slow head shaking sulk as he continuously cirlces the boat about 10 feet down. He's at least 55-60lbs Cowboy yells, I've never seen one that big! I can already imagine him on my wall as a replica and the stories I will tell. Another 10 mins pass and then he comes to the surface and just rolls to his side! I've won I think to myself! But right as Cowboy slips the net in the water he thrashes full speed ahead and snaps the 30lb leader like nothing! But wait he's so tired he's just floating under the surface reviving himself a desperate attempt with the net but he's to deep now and then he turns and swims away! I look at Cowboy and I think what the hell just happened here. The look on all three of our faces as we look at each other in disbelief we realize that we still have a great story to tell if of course they will believe our fish story!
If you hadn't noticed by his call name "COWBOY" is my younger brother and one hell of a guide. The rest of the day and trip produced our limits of coho, to 15lbs, chinook to 37lbs, halibut to 61 lbs, snapper and ling cod. What a lodge, what a trip and "What a family I'm blessed with"
SWC
Now lets' hear your stories good or bad!
I do the Fishing, God does the Catching!
