Ham

2 1/2 freaking days ; I’ll shut my pie hole and quit complaining.

I’m stuck in a travel nightmare. I was scheduled to fly out of Vancouver to DFW then to LR:. I was originally schedule to get to LR about 4 and then the 3 hr drive. I’ve changed flights multiple times. I am now scheduled to hop aboard a plane leaving Dallas for LR at 8:42. Head home in the truck about 11 pm. Get home about 2 AM after a jacked up 21 hour day. pretty bad aftertaste to this drink.

I really need to hire @Johnsfolly to go with me and keep me straight on fish ID’s and in general keep me from being dumb. I caught what was a really nice sized Arrowtooth Flounder yesterday morning and in my haste assumed it was a small halibut and tossed it back and got my larger halibut next drop down. This is the only picture I have. ☹️

I’m chilling in Vancouver tonight. I’ll head to the airport at 0415 and plane departs at 0600. I did not die. I got my legal limits on all the fish I targeted. I caught 15 species, I think I had 7 Lifers, and 7 Flyfers. I had a Hunter Biden level Good Time minus the hookers and blow. There were a couple of brief windows to fish the West Side of the Island I missed them, but I caught most of the fish I would target over there anyway. I love that place and I may very well never visit again #sadface

The amount of spring fed water in the Current River keeps the smallies biting deep into Winter. I assume they stay active all summer too.

That’s the trouble with these Rockfish showing so much variation in colors. This is my Lifer China Rockfish. They don’t get a lot larger than this one. Quillback can get pretty big

I did!

This trip was originally planned for 2021. Covid shut everyone down. The guy that was going with me opted to do other stuff and not re-book. I had two other guys 1/2 way commit to going, but then decided not to go. It is an expensive trip, but really, really nice. it would never be my choice to do this solo.

So, I was up until 11:30 after trying for Ratfish off the dock. I knew it was a long shot, but I had to try. I caught a Copper Rockfish and another Pacific Cod while trying. I woke with leg cramps multiple times and gave up at 0400 and mostly packed up. I hopped in The boat at 0530 when I was given the green light to go. Really nasty on my spot this morning. I hung in there. I got my last keeper Coho at 0553. He hit while I was rigging my second rod. started trying for Hally. It was super tough in 5 foot swells. I got a Big Quillback. Then a dang salmon ate my swimbait. Then I got my Lifer Yelloweye Rockfish. Nice pull, but a lot of work from 259 foot of water. The descending device is awesome, but sucks to wind in. I changed spots and found much better seas. And caught another Coho while trying to drop the swimbait. I got my first Hally and decided I rather do without them keep one that small. Next drop I got my keeper Hally. Choosey Mom’s choose Jif, but today I could not be choosey. I’m glad I filled my limits. I headed in and got my stuff squared away for the flight out. Lots more I want to say about the trip and the lodge, but I gotta jump on a helicopter

I have a 300 grain full sink. It wasn’t anything close to enough.

Sure, I guess. I think Dave had a list of all the non fish stuff he has caught on fly. Word on the street is that no species of aquatic turtle is safe and that Box Turtles better sleep with one eye open if they are near water.

I had the Best Afternoon. I was kinda giving up on my dream of catching 5 species on fly. It was pretty frustrating trying to deal with current/depth/wind and boat control. I devised an evil plan to add weight to keep my line down and it freaking worked like a charm. I tried a spot that did not work at all and then hit the spot where I got my Lingcod this morning. I really wanted a Lingcod on fly. First freaking drop! Flyfer Copper Rockfish, Second Drop! Freaking Flyfer QuillbackNow understand the wind was blowing pretty hard and I had to motor and reset boat position after every fish. Third Drop! Freaking Flyfer! I think it is a female Kelp Greenling, but I have not confirmed. after that the Black Rockfish got turned on and I caught big one after big one and I was trying to keep it away from them when I could. I tried another little spot and could only wrangle more Black Rock fish and one for @FishnDaveSea Urchin I got a second Copper Rockfish. And the Black Rockfish are like catching 3-5 lb Largemouth Bass. I relocated to try for Salmon. I caught a Coho and my second King Salmon on cut plug herring. When I got my King, I put the mooching rods away and grabbed the fairy wand again. I had a place in mind to try to make some magic. Abracadabra !!!In just a couple of minutes, I hooked my Flyfer Lingcod. He rolled himself up like a burrito in the net. I thought I’d never him out. So, I’m never satisfied.so I caught another one! I’m thrilled with results and with finding a way to make it work. One more brief window of opportunity tomorrow. And then the arduous journey home begins.

Quick Lunchbreak. The Fishmaster went out with me again this morning. I am an easy client. I want to catch anything and it doesn’t have to be big. started trying for King Salmon. This guy tried to eat a cut plug herring. I had those flounder trying to get a herring too. Derrick suggested a spot for me to try the swimbait for a lingcod. Literally, the first cast on that spot. That 8 inch swimbait has been one of my Big Ideas that actually worked. More Black Rockfish on Fly. More Cohos. More Quillback. More Lingcod. I lost a Big Coho that I would have kept. i still need two Salmon and a halibut to round out my license.

So after fishing all day and a fabulous supper, I hit the dock with fly trying for juvi Ling Cod which sometimes are there. I didn’t find any, but I caught 13 Pac Cod and Black Bombers trying. First fly was too small. It’s a Marty pattern I call the Salt Water Taffy wooly.I didn’t even know these little guys where there.I swapped over to one of @FishnDave little flys and got my Biggest Pac Cod. I had to go to bed. 4 or 5 20 hour days start to wear on you.

Thanks KJ! I am limited a little as to when the lodge will let me take a boat out. I’ll definitely try trolling a fly for Coho. Did you have any guess at speed? There are only a couple guys that fly fish. No flys to purchase and very limited intell. I did some pre trip stuff, but man there isn’t a lot out there. getting you fly down to where it would eaten by everything is almost impossible given depth involved, wind, and current. Still, I’ll go all Don Quixote on them and try to make it work.

So, today was the day I went out with a Guide, but it was Super Low key. We started out trying for King Salmon. I caught a Black Rockfish before we could get a second line in. We caught Pink Salmon and a Coho, but then moved on. Next spot for salmon was a little slow so he said let’s drop for Halibut. 300 plus foot of water dropping a 12 oz Butterfly Jig sweeter with a couple of Herring. Usually got eaten pretty quickly, but then the long fight up. Got Ling, Hally, Quillback, and that Pacific Sole. Slow trolled for Salmon and I slung the fly around for salmon. Took a break at Lunchtime and I had a really good burger and fries. Then back out. Weather had gotten pretty sloppy. I’m not saying I’ll never get seasick, but I’ll argues to my dying breath that I don’t get seasick easily. I missed a good chance to get seasick today. I got a couple good Koho this afternoon and another Lifer. Bococcio Rockfish.Another fish from almost 400 foot. I was trying for an adult Pacific Cod finally made a move to another Spot. I got more Coho, Pink Salmon, and Halibut. called it a day at 6 PM, we had started at 0600 and took like an hour for a midday break. Derrick my guide was Super knowledgable and Can multi-task so well. Ir was very educational and humbling. I do so much stuff wrong l, but I still manage to catch a couple. Another great day on the water. I am worn out, but I am contemplating going back to fish off the dock for juvenile Ling Cod on fly or for Ratfish.

The Pink Salmon are smaller. They do ok, but they are smaller. The Rock Sole pulled like a halibut. Apparently, that was a really big one. The Big Koho and King Salmon are beasts.

More fish caught this morning. Pink Salmon, Coho, Ling, Quillback, Black Rockfish, and a Lifer! Rock Sole

Well, I had a Great Day. No more fish were kept in the afternoon session. I caught a lot, but not the size I wanted. Lingcod love a swimbait. I caught some Cooper Rockfish. This massive Quillback. The Black Rockfish were out of control. They made me catch some on a surface fly. Lots of Lingcod but I wanted one over 10 lb. I got a visit from the Taxman. I have not lost a fish to them this trip. and watched the Humpback feed. Really hard to fish and get a good pic of a whale. I’m here to fish.one of the guys working the dock was nice enough to tell me about the juvi Pacific Cod around the dock. Lifer/Flyfer on the tenkara from the dock after Supper. fingers crossed, I’m going to have a guide tomorrow. Maybe I can get a Coho on fly. Maybe I can get a lifer Rockfish. Maybe I can finish my limit on Lingcod or Halibut. Stay tuned!

I had to come back to unload fish. Ive been putting the Big Z man Swimbaits to work. Even the salmon won’t leave them alone. did some deep drops. I tried to have a Salmon rod out too. Bad idea. I had fish on both rods. i have two of the three Ling Cod I allowed to take home. And an 80 CM Halibut. I am allowed one more halibut 89 cm or less. I also caught a couple of Quillback.

Quick Morning Update. I deep hooked a couple of smaller Coho (5 and 7 lb). I didn’t want to keep them, but I wasn’t gonna throw them back to die. so I got my Lifer Pink Salmon. and followed that up with a Flyfer Pink Salmon. The Photos are crap. Wet hands/wet phone. Trying not to kill the fish I moved closer to shore and got some larger Black Rockfish on fly made me glad I had a 9 weight. And then moved to a different point and caught this sea monster.thing was croaking at me and had zero good places to hold him. Strong fish. I think it’s a Cabezon. Lifer whatever it is. Tweaking clothing and headed back out.

So Today started for me at 0400. Showered through gear together and headed downstairs. Grabbed a cab and got to the South Terminal before they opened. Over correcting for yesterday. chartered Jet Service to Masset. from Masset you take a Jet Helicopter to the Lodge. the helicopter ride is interesting. After a delicious lunch and Orientation/Safety Meeting, I set out. here’s my boat for the week.I started out really struggling. I could see Pink and Silver Salmon feeding on the surface, but wind, boat control issues, and ignorance held me back. I stayed the course. Switched fly line and flys. Decided to get a Black Rockfish to settle my nerves. the Z Man Swimbait gets eaten. I was missing a bunch though. Got whacked by this Dude. They are delicious, but I can only keep 3 and I want them to be at least 10 lbs. I finally settled down and started mooching for Salmon. I missed several bites or lost the fish, but my first Salmon was an 8 1/2 lb Silver Salmon. They have been running 6/7 lbs so I kept this one. I returned to the lodge and took meds for a headache. And back out again. I picked a spot and started a mooching drift. I caught a nice Black Rockfish. Rerigged and got hammered. I thought I had a halibut. The fish was very strong and stayed down. Finally I caught sight of it and saw it was a salmon. There is only one salmon that gets that large. KING! That fish fought so hard and so long. Very difficult to Net it by myself. I was I had @FishnDave to net him, but I persisted. 34 plus Inches to the fork. 19 inch girth. 20 lbs. I thought it might have been bigger, but I’ll take it. well, You are only allowed to keep one King a day and I wasn’t going to take the chance of deep hooking a king so back to the fly rod. it is a baby, but I got my Flyfer Black Rockfish.a lot more to say, but I’m too tired to do it. Tomorrow is another early start, but I’m on the board with a few species, a few keepers, and a Flyfer.

I got to LR in plenty of time got thru TSA ok. I actually had a slender person sitting next to me on the Flight to Dallas. In The air less than an hourthe flat hellish landscape that is Dallas. I had this huge layover. Like 5 hours. I had checked and I was departing gate D4. i stopped at an Information kiosk and checked dining options. I roamed for a bit, and decided to go Smashburger. Yummy. I roamed C terminal, B terminal, and D terminal. Wanted to get my steps in. Later I grabbed a chocolate shake. I kept an eye on time and headed to D4 a couple hours early. Read up on potential outlier fish. Studied possible fly techniques. Did a little Duolingo. It starts to get closer to time and more folks roll in. Normal. I get an alert on my phone. “Your flight is boarding”. I heard nothing behind me and no one moved. I thought they system jumped the gun. I gave it a couple on minutes. And checked the outgoing info at Gate 4. It had changed from Vancouver to Denver. What the ???? i opened my Apple wallet and checked my boarding pass. It said Gate D 31. 👀 I was a long way from Gate 31. I took off in a run/walk when crowded/ run. Plane was supposed to depart 6:46, but they shut the door X number of minutes before that. I’m freaking out. I got within sight of Gate 31 as she’s calling Final Boarding for AA Flight 1149 to Vancouver. I flashed Passport and they took a hasty pic. I ran down the jetway to the plane. An older stewardess at the door assured me there was no need to run. I made my way to my seat with a high heart rate and mildly disoriented. There has an empty seat next to me and a slender occupant of the the other seat. another stewardess came along slamming the overheads. “We were told they we aren’t waiting for them”. I think a connection was late and they were not going to make the flight. Sucks for them because no other flights were headed to Vancouver out of Dallas. vancouver was a zoo. Customs crayola and a bunch of labor strikes meant almost no hotel shuttle and a lengthy line for taxis. oh well. It’s all good right. I’ve made it to the room and I’m gonna get 4-5 hours of sleep before heading back to the airport for the flight to Graham Island. Hopefully, fish pics and fish stories tomorrow. A Flyfer for sure and I hope maybe a Lifer too.

It usually isn’t cooler than 55 nor warmer than 65. Rains every day. You might see the sun for a little bit sometime during the trip. As long as the wind doesn’t blow 20 plus, I’m good with whatever.

At long last, the day has arrived. I’m waiting at the Little Rock airport waiting to fly over to Dallas and then on to Vancouver. Fairly late arrival in Vancouver and a resulting Short night. we will be up and at em pretty early tomorrow with a plane ride from Vancouver to Graham Island (Masset). From there, a short helicopter ride to the house boat at Langara Island. After Lunch and our briefing, I’ll be heading out solo into the North Pacific. I will of course be trying to do too much, too many ways. Job One is to not die. I’m hoping for at least 3 Lifers, 5 Flyfers, and a minimum of 10 species caught. I’m hoping to bring home Silver Salmon, King Salmon, Lingcod, and Pacific Halibut. I have several days to fish and some information from local experts is available. As far as I know right now, I’ll be fishing solo the entire trip which is suboptimal, but it is what it is. I believe that I have WiFi there and that I will be able post daily updates with pics for Pete. Follow along for the massive Highs and Lows of me trying to catch everything that swims in the North Pacific.