Sportsman Club
Creating lasting memories on the water with family is time well spent. Guide Simon and a father and son team, after another great morning catching their limit of coho/silver salmon.
Long time guest David has many stories of his 20 years of fishing adventures with us. Here is one of them ....
"After many years of coming to the Sportsman's Club on corporate trips, a number of us from the company put together a father/son trip. My son Jeff was a raw rookie, but a quick study, and by noon on our second day we had a good day's catch in the box and had already released a number of very nice coho and a couple of smaller chinook. We were getting close to our limit for the trip and becoming more selective for our few remaining quota.
After lunch back at the lodge, we decided that we were going to try something different. So we headed up the inlet to Drainy Narrows about a 15 minute run from the lodge. We were hoping to find that monster "slab" and not be part of the pack that typically fishes the main fishing grounds minutes from the lodge. It was a cloudy afternoon with a light drizzle, perfect boating weather. No sun means no afternoon sea breeze and you can cover lots of ground fast when the water is flat. The sun was occasionally peaking through the clouds and the dark, light contrast with the background of the tree covered snow capped 5,000 ft. peaks
was something akin to an Ansel Adams photograph.
As we charged up the inlet to the mesmerizing drone of our 4 stroke motor amidst the majesty of the place, it became very evident to Jeff that this fishing trip was so much more than about catching fish. Drany is a special zone where 16 mile long Drany Inlet connects through a narrow gap into the main 35 mile long Rivers Inlet. As the tide goes up and down each day the mass of water has to squeeze through a narrow gap. When the tide is running hard it looks like a rushing river with giant whirlpools that could easily swallow you up. This turbulent water also attracts the salmon who feed on the baitfish that congregate here.
We arrived at Drany, dropped our lines and immediately took up where we left off on our philosophical conversation from the morning fishing. One of the beauties of this pass-time is that you can solve all the world's problems and fill your freezer at the same time! It was not long before we had a huge bite, the rod tip buried into the water and the fish was off and running with the line screaming out of the reel.
We thought we had hooked into a monster! We sprang into action quickly reeling in the other line and following the fish with our boat. This fish was crazy, taking long runs on the surface then diving down and 'sulking' on the bottom only to come screaming back toward the boat and clearing the water as it took another dive. This is where the team work comes in navigating through the tide, current and kelp beds. During one these runs at the boat the fish dipped under the bow and the rod snapped in half on the gunwale when Jeff didn't react fast enough.
We weren't sure what to do, but another half hour of fighting the fish with a broken rod, we managed to still get it next to the boat and quickly scoop it up with the net.
Once it hit the deck we realized that it wasn't the giant slab that we had anticipated but a 22 pound chum salmon. Chum are renowned for the spirited fight and this fish had given us the best fight that I have ever been witness to.
The battle was better than any 40 pounder I have ever caught and the most memorable fishing experience I have ever had. Jeff was awarded the 'best fish of the day' prize and given the broken parts of the rod during the daily ceremony. His picture, broken rod and all, still graces the walls at the camp and are part of the Sportsman's Club fishing lore."