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Rivers Inlet Sportsman's Club
Rivers Inlet 2015 Summer Fishing Report
Phil & Arlene are all smiles with their derby winning 38 pound chinook/king, guided by Simon at Cranstown point.
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Rivers Inlet Sportsman's Club
Rivers Inlet 2015 Summer Fishing Report
Chris W (front centre) with the largest Chinook/king salmon of the season weighing 43 1/2 lbs, and the rest of the "car guys" were right behind him!
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Rivers Inlet Sportsman's Club
Rivers Inlet 2015 Summer Fishing Report
Davon F. has become quite the seasoned (bare foot) angler after years of father/daughter trips & was rewarded with the biggest halibut of the summer weighing 130 lbs.
Rivers Inlet Sportsman's Club
Here is a summary of the biggest fish caught in the 2015 season:
- Chinook/king - Chris W - 43 1/2 lbs
- Coho/silver - Devin Y - 17 lbs
- Halibut - Davin F - 130 lbs
- Lingcod - Scott M - 24 lbs
This summer, the most consistent & overall best fishing was only minutes away from the lodge. This reminded us of why we located the Sportsman’s Club in our tranquil bay in calm waters at the ocean end of Rivers Inlet.
The chinook/king salmon fishing was nothing short of spectacular all season long so it was a record setting summer. The coho/silvers showed up nice & early in late June & were steady right to the end of August.
The two hottest spots all season were Kevin’s Corner & The Bluff, which are literally just around the corner and only minutes from our docks. This made for less travel time & more fishing time. The Wall, which is always a consistent producer, was steady as always & so was the nearby Dome Rock.
Strangely, nearby Cranstown Point never really turned on. Having said that, I did guide my biggest fish of the season there, a 37 ½ pound beauty that gave us a spirited fight. I was out with longtime guest Phil M. & his wife Arlene & our success was the result of classic “big fish discipline”. We had only a couple of light bites & then we made “one more pass” & wham FISH ON! We fought it until well after sunset & came back to a raucous crowd at the lodge. There was a derby on & there were rumours swirling that we had boated a “monster”. Phil ended up winning the derby & showed his usual generosity by donating his $2,000 winnings back to the staff as a tip.
Calvert Island was okay but not really worth the 20 minute boat ride when the fishing was so hot locally. We did get some good days over that side of the Sound but not as many as in past years, as we just weren’t fishing there much.
The stretch between The Bluff, up Rivers Inlet towards Drainy Inlet & Wadhams Point, was a solid producer this season as well. We did make a few trips 35 miles up to the head of Rivers Inlet where the rivers meet the sea & salmon often “hold” until they make their journey up-river to spawn. As usual, we had a few good days but it was hit & miss and not really worth the long boat ride when they were biting a few minutes from the lodge.
Halibut was just okay & as a result it became a “self fulfilling prophecy” because if guests don’t get them the first time they go out they often don’t try again. Angler effort was way down & so were our catch numbers. We still had some good days & some nice halis were caught, including a 130 lb behemoth caught by Davon F.
Instead, many of our guests turned their attention to lingcod fishing & they were very successful. There were good lingcod to be found along the kelp beds just past Dowling Point on the way to Open Bight & Cranstown Point. However, the kelp beds near Clarke Point on Calvert Island were the new “killing fields” & new guide Duncan (aka Red Beard) led the charge. His very successful technique was mooching (slow troll) with herring & a 6 oz. weight just off the kelp-laden shoreline.
All in all it was an incredible season of catching for all target species.
Rivers Inlet Sportsman's Club - Fly-in trophy salmon fishing lodge, Rivers Inlet, BC. Phone 1-800-663-2644, email: info@riversinlet.com