Over a morning coffee, I checked the wind and tides, quietly soaking in the calm before the day began.
My guests were on their way, still shaking off the late night after watching the Oilers game, but I was fired up and ready to hit the water. The forecast called for a steady southwest wind, which meant Cape Naden, one of my favourite points, would be a bit choppy. But nothing we couldn’t handle.
We punched through the swell, tacking hard against the wind, sliding into the pocket at Naden. A few other boats were out there too, three of us total, all willing to grind it out. We had worked the point for a couple of hours, with a couple of solid hits from a 9-10 pounder. But we had a feeling Naden had something more for us.
The outside rod, 41ft down, loaded with a perfectly rolling cut plug, bucked hard. The clip popped, and the reel began to scream as the fish tore off toward Hannah Bay.
“Tip up! Don’t touch that reel!” I shouted, excitedly. “Let it run!”
My guest had never been on the ocean before, let alone caught a salmon, and he was absolutely buzzing. That run turned into our fish of the day, a beautiful 22-pounder that earned its moment on the scale at the Bell Ringer.
Sticking it out at Naden despite the weather paid off. A memorable day, no question.
QCL Guide, Mackenzie Adam
