Ryan Orr Lodge Manager, Hippa Island
This past week we experienced a true “mixed bag” here at Hippa. We had periods of tough weather and slower fishing but we also had periods of explosive salmon fishing with double, triple, and even quadruple headers. We also hosted the 8th Annual Salmon Masters Tournament and although Hippa did not take home the grand prize, the competition was fierce and plenty of cash was given away to a number of lucky anglers. Congratulations to Jean-Yves Moreau who landed a 31.55 lb spring to take first place at Hippa.
We started the past week right where we left off, with fantastic spring salmon fishing. Springs were thick at all of the usual spots and most guests were able to find their limit of springs with relative ease. Midway through the week we started the Salmon Masters Tournament and the weather changed drastically which seemed to have an immediate impact on the salmon fishing. Even the usual “inside” spots, where we typically find fish on poor weather days, were not producing. Then, after a few tougher days, the fishing really picked up and now we are right back into excellent salmon fishing once again.
The hotspots for salmon this past week were most of the usual spots. When the weather allowed, Freeman Rocks continued to produce consistent salmon fishing. The whole Westside of Hippa, from Shipwreck to the Lighthouse, also provided strong results. Next Rock was also a favourite for a number of the Instructors. We have certainly noticed a strong morning bite in most spots, even when it has not coincided with a tide change. With full salmon limits before 8 am in many cases, the old saying, “the early bird gets the worm” certainly seemed to be true. Congratulations to Nick Legacy who had the largest spring of the week at 35 lbs.
The Salmon Masters is certainly not a time for bottom fishing but when guests were searching deep throughout the past week, the results were typically quite strong. We have had very little difficulty finding productive lingcod and red snapper holes for those guests looking to take home an assortment of these tasty critters. While we struggled a little for halibut to open the season, the results seem to be steadily improving. In most cases, guests still have to put in some time to find the halibut but those willing to do so have typically been rewarded. Most of the halibut are in the 15-30 lb “chicken” range with a number in the 30-60 “turkey” range. Top halibut honours for the past week also went to Nick Legacy with a 59 lb halibut. Nice work Nick!
Not surprisingly, the weather this past week showed us a little of everything. We had everything from sunny skies and flat calm seas, to driving rain and howling wind. After some really tough weather during the Salmon Masters, the past few days have been especially nice and the fish board has certainly been filled up again. It looks like we have another batch of tough weather headed our way, but as the Instructors say, we’ll still go fishing and you never know what you might bring in.
If you have recently visited Hippa, thank you for joining us and we hope to see you again. For those of you who have a trip planned to Hippa in the near future, the staff and I look forward to your arrival. If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail me at rorr@westcoastresorts.com.
Ryan Orr
Lodge Manager, Hippa Island
