Sund's Lodge

Another nice day on the water, with some very nice fish landed.

The 6 pack from Pacific Pile and Marine got into some great chinook and halibut action, with Brian Clark  landing his first chinook salmon, a 31lb. tyee. What a lucky fella. The Pac Pile boys, Will and Brian Clark, and work buddy Ron Lafontaine got into some great action limiting out on chinook, and bagging a nice halibut as well. The Pac Pile ladies on the other hand, decided to sleep in until 7am, and headed out with Cpn. Spenny and winemaker, Kim Longbottom, to troll for a couple of hours, hit the lunch boat, and head out to the flattie grounds where they picked up three nice chickens.

A slight breeze throughout the morning kept it cool on the waters, until the burger boat came, and soon after that the wind tapered to nil, making for a great afternoon of jigging. Seeya tomorrow

31lbs. Nice work Brian!

Hooooo Baby!

Nice Butts!

The Wine and Fishing Trip started this afternoon with a group of 14 guests ranging from local BC natives to guests who travelled all the way from Australia. Two winemakers, Renae Hirsch and Kim Longbottom, joined up to do a special Theme Trip, involving our regular fishing program, but adding a wine tasting and education session on our back deck each afternoon. Sounds like fun!

Fishing this afternoon was slowish, but Lisa Kelly was fortunate enough to land a great 21 lb chinook off of the Wall, which put up a spectacular fight. Cpn. Spencer exclaimed “What a scrappy fish!” . Bob Rupp Jr. wasn’t so fortunate as he hooked into a real screamer on Cpn. Millar’s boat, which ran 3 times before a sneaky seal snatched it up and drug it into the kelp, snapping off “Meltdown” Millar’s  prized Grover Deluxe  rig. Brian Clark had a real strong fish on at the Pass with Big Jim, but a factory defect in one of the teaser heads, helped the fish come unbuttoned. Arghh! Things are looking hopeful for the morning, though, so wish us luck once again.

Queen of the Evening!

The last morning of the trip just might have been the best, with some nice catches and a spectacular whale show off of the bush!

Every boat landed at least one chinook and had another one on, with Alex Spenser landing the biggest, a beautiful 29lber on Sam-Squanch’s boat. The humpback whales were out in full force. The whales were feeding all morning along the backside of Malcolm Island. At about 8:00 am a series of awesome breaches and crazy tail slapping displays took place right in the middle of “the Bay ‘o’ Pigs”, between the Slide and Donegal Head. What a way to end the trip! It was as if the whales were waving their tails goodbye!

Jane does it again!

                 A couple of Jane Dandies!

Way to go Alex, beat your dad again!

This morning the guests awoke to flat calm waters, once again, wondering what this day would have in store.

The catch numbers rose significantly from the previous day, as some of the boats hit an early bite off of Malcolm Island. Jim “Wolfman” Duddridge was rounding Donegal Head with his guests, Alex and Tony Spenser, and Jake and Kory Smith, when he noticed quite a bit of activity down below. He stopped the boat and set lines and they were quickly into several hits! Team Kamloops, with Eric and Guy Putoto, and guide Sammy Hagar Carlberg, dropped down at The Slide, and promptly hooked up on a hefty fish, which somehow broke loose. Every boat eventually got into the action, and by the end of the morning there were some nice slabs in the boxes of each boat. Bill Behnke on Cpn. Ghandi’s boat brought in the largest coho of the early season, pushing 9lbs. At the dock, a digital scale had to be brought out to decifer between Dave Remeshylo’s 21lber and Eric Putoto’s 21lb 4oz. fish. Eric was very pleased to feel the weight of the king’s crown, and the soft velvet of his cape, as he sat in the King’s Throne for the night!

The afternoon brought a number of halibut to the boats, with Rick Friend pounding the biggest, a nice 32lber with Cpn. Spenny at the Ranch. Also, there were a few salmon hit down at the Pass just before we headed in for the evening. It all makes for a happier group and an exciting prospect for tomorrow’s fishery.

A few days ago, there was a blog about the eagles that caught a seagull in midair and carried it off to their nest, for a feed. Today the eagles were out fishing all over, hitting baitballs constantly, and snagging small herring in their talons. One particular eagle must have been sick of the same diet of boring little herring and decided that a large chinook salmon that was hooked to Alex Spenser’s line would make much better table fare.  The guys on Big Jim’s boat hooked into a double header of chinook and Alex’ fish was running along the surface when suddenly an eagle swooped down to grab it. He missed the fish, but quickly turned and snatched up the flasher that was attached to the leader. The bird took off and quickly came tight to the fish on the end. The fish lunged and snapped the line, instantly!. What a way to lose a salmon! That is definitely a fish story that Alex and his teammates will remember forever.

The Saskies with their haul.

Great day with "the Wolf"!

Nice work guys!

Largest coho so far, and a nice chicken!

King Eric. We're not worthy!

Look closely and you can see the slash from an eagle's talon!

Everyone was excited to get out there this morning, as yesterday’s catches showed some real promise that a fresh run was moving in. That is not what happened! Fishing amongst the groups could be rated between slow and dead slow, as the fish went off the bite again. Even the halibut were’nt biting, as only one butt, a nice 18 pounder was caught between 5 boats. As they say around here, “Everyday’s different” and we certainly hope so, as we prepare for our second lunch boat day on this 5 day trip.

Aside from the slow fishing, everything went without a hitch. The weather was great as we lunched on Simon Vine’s delicious BBQ and crab. The Humpbacks were out again, and a giant school of dolphins followed us right into our dock at day’s end!

There were a few fish caught though, and they were nice ones. Father/son team, Guy and Eric Putoto from Kamloops BC, hooked and landed 2 real nice chinooks, weighing in at 19 and 18.5 lbs, consecutively. As the guide put the club to Guy’s 19lber (Eric claims he let his dad catch the bigger one on purpose), Eric said,”Happy Father’s Day!” Father and son, Jake and Kory Smith, hooked into 2 beauty Yelloweye rockfish, with Jake’s being a rare “albino” variety. Jane Johnston continued her streak with a nice 14 pounder taken deep off Malcolm Point, and Bud and Rick nailed 2 coho ( one was mysteriously missing its head when they docked the boat) and an 18 pound halibut.

18.5lbs 19lbs

Crab Ampitheatre

What a Crew!

Dolphins in front of our dock!

This morning’s tide brought an influx of fresh chinook into the area and infused our guides and guests with renewed excitement!

The morning started out with fog and some light showers, but our guests where down to the boats early, and our guides headed out and spread out all along the north shore of Malcolm Island. An hour into the fishing, guide Geoff Millar, who took his group to the top end to fish Malcolm Point, exclaimed over the radio that they had boated their first chinook! The bite ensued, and soon all the boats were working across the point, picking off a number of chinook, with guide, Sam Carlberg, leading guest, Wilbert Lamb, into the first Tyee of the year! Also, a pair of nice early season coho were taken, which was a pleasant surprise. The bite tapered a bit but slow and steady action continued until the Burger Boat rounded the end of the island and set up shop just inside Beautiful Bay. After a tasty lunch all the boats set out to pound the bottom for whatever they could find lurking down below. The Spenser boys, who had limited on chinooks, wanted some lingcod, and a quick drop on a known pinnacle produced a double header of ling, on the way to the halibut grounds! Several nice halibut, lings and rockfish were caught, and the water remained calm all day. Jane Johnston hammered a 50lb. halibut off the ranch, with Cpn. Shaun, and Dave Remeshylo hauled in a high twenties chicken at the Anvil, that put up an excellent scrap.

All in all it was an excellent day, and an encouraging sign that more great fishing is coming our way!

The first Tyee of our early season! Nice work Wilbert.

King for a day!

Dave bags a dandy.

Team Saskatchewan with their haul!

Jane snags her biggest fish ever, and the biggest halibut of the season! Way to go!!

Bud Carter and Rick Friend with a pair 'o' dandies.

Eric and Guy had some fun with Cpn. Spenny.

Long time time friend of the lodge, Tony Spenser, and his son Alex had a heck of a day with a limit of Chinook and Lingcod!

24lbs. Baby!!

Not a pretty sight!

A group of 14 mixed friends, hailing from Texas, Saskatchewan, California, British Columbia, Washington, and Florida joined us this afternoon for a 5 day trip. The weather was great once again and the fishing remained slow then tapered off from there. 

Longtime guest Bud Carter almost got the big fish chair with a 20+ pound chinook coming unbuttoned inches from the net! ouch! He wasn’t complaining, though, as his son-in-law, Rick, and himself  spent a lovely afternoon fishing with their favourite guide, Scott Sund.

We are confident that tomorrow will be a great success, as our guides have come together to form a great fishing program! We’ll see.

Rick's back after a several year hiatus!

Spenser guys having a good time so far.

The Crew was eager this morning, as it was their last chance to get into some slabs. The boats rounded the end of the island, to witness a picturesque sunrise over the Coastal Mountain Range, and calm waters once again. The mountains looked like cardboard cutouts in the early morning light! Some of the crew on Geoff Millar’s boat witnessed a rare sight Two Bald Eagles chased down a seagull and caught it in mid air not far from the stern in the early light, it was incredible! Whales were surfacing all around between Mitchell Bay and the lodge. The fishing remained slow, though, with 3 Halibut taken up to 30 lbs, and the first coho of our early season being boated.

All of our staff really enjoyed this group, and wish to have them up again next year, where hopefully, they will be rewarded with some better catches. Goodbye Tenaska!

Jerry nails a last minute flattie 2 minutes from our dock, with "the Flounder Pounder" Cpn. Burger!

Mike with a Dandy!

Ron is no longer a virgin, with this 30 pounder, taken at "the Peanut" with Cpn. Samwise.

Waking up to flat calm waters this morning was a nice surprise, as we prepared for our Beach Bistro day.

 The morning fishery for chinooks remained slow today, as only a few stragglers from the last bump of fish were present. The flat seas allowed our guides to move around a bit more than the previous day, but the fishing remained tough. Boat Skipper, Burger, found a small pocket of fish, around Black Bluff, and prompted a couple of the other guides to cruise in and pick up the odd teener chinook, as well.

By 11:30 the waters remained flat, and the sun broke through the high fog, revealing the snow covered peaks of the Vancouver Island Range. Jim McDowell, Sheena, Ria, and Chef Simon “Vinestein” Vine brought a five star spread out, what a lunch! 

In the afternoon most of the group headed out for halibut, but surprisingly, the buts were being quite finicky, with at least half a dozen good fish getting away! A couple of dandies were taken though, with Dave Schettler bagging a 39lber, to take the honours!

Dave Kirkwood bags one!!

Larry Pearson's Teener

Mark Whitt takes top honours for the day with this nice 14lber.

Marty Titus strikes again