Mr. Tony Fairclough
My first salmon
I wanted 1 salmon, expected more but didn’t really know what to expect. The lodge was relaxed, comfortable, in a picturesque & private location outside of town. The hosts were friendly and made sure we were comfortable and well fed. The wall of fame pictures of previous captures kept you talking and dreaming about fishing whether you’d had a good day or not. With a second guest lounge there was space and peace and quiet if you wanted it.
The fishing locations were well way from the town and gave me a wilderness feel with few other anglers around. I fly fished the whole time, learning to get a good drift in faster and deeper water. It took me a few days to learn the technique, and especially the skill to land the big fish. Barbless hooks meant we lost a few fish. But every day was different, salmon being as fickle as women. I took an 8 weight single handed trout rod, 15lb tippet, floating lines, a reel with a good drag and plenty of backing (both are essential). A variety of sink tips were provided by the lodge to suit the fast waters. You can’t have too many flies, I used 30 pink teenies.
On the 6 day trip, I hooked 98 salmon, landing 29. My best fish were a 10lb steelhead and a 10lb coho salmon. I had 24 pinks to 8lb. (ie averaging a fish every 25 minutes).
I enjoyed the daily dawn boat ride to a wilderness location, mountains, trees and numerous bald eagles. I saw a black bear cub swim the river. I really valued the photography service, capturing fish pictures before returning salmon safely on their way, and a CD to take home. Although we started early (5am breakfast!), it meant we started happy hour early and had good camaraderie with the other guests, and a chance to talk about preferred locations for the next day.
My enduring memory is a hook-up, a tight line, a surge of power, line singing as it cuts through the water, the adrenalin rush, wondering if this fish will empty the spool. 4 fish did.
Tony Fairclough 23-28 August 2010
Excellent 
