I was up at the crack of dawn, the other morning, buzzing with anticipation for what the day might bring out. The ocean was calm, almost glasslike, and a stunning sunrise lit our way as we cruised to the fishing grounds.
I had a gut feeling about Parker Point. It just felt right. We dropped in and set our gear—dual anchovies running on the downriggers at different depths, and a whole herring rigged on a mooching rod sitting higher in the water column. As the morning wore on, we watched boats around us start to hook up. Meanwhile, our lines stayed stubbornly quiet through the first few passes.
Then it happened. A doubleheader.
The chaos was instant, but the good kind. One fish in the mid-twenties, the other in the high teens. Rods bent hard, lines crossed, and our guests ducked and weaved as the two fish ran in opposite directions. Somehow, in the middle of that dance, we managed to bring both in. A slow start quickly turned into a moment we wouldn’t forget—all thanks to the patience and effort we gave Parker Point.
With the tide shifting to a light flood, we decided to run out to the Peanut in search of halibut. I rigged one side with a jig, the other with a spreader bar and herring. On the very first drop, we pulled up an 85cm halibut. A smaller one followed soon after, which we released—but the signs were promising.
We switched both rods to spreader bars and worked through a few undersized fish before landing a solid 89cm halibut just three drops later.
By the time we were heading back to the Bell Ringer—arms sore but spirits high—we were riding the kind of energy only a great day on the water can bring. A slow start, a doubleheader, a couple of halibut, and a lot of laughs… Just another classic day fishing in Haida Gwaii.
QCL Guide, Caleb Franklin
