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Langara Island
Naden Harbor
3. Hippa Island
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2.
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GRAHAM
ISLAND
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M O R ES BY
ISLAND
by millions of migrating salmon from hun-
dreds of different runs, yet the action tends
to roller coaster as runs arrive, feed up and
move on. Get caught between runs, go for
halibut, lings and things.
PAC I F I C
O C EA N
1. Haida Gwaii Islands
To experience saltwater fishing like it used to
be this is where you drop a herring. Big ag-
gressive salmon, lots of them. It’s adventuring
beyond the mainland, fly-in to off-shore fish-
ing on a largely unsettled archipelago 50 miles
west of the BC mainland. Haida Gwaii has the
good fortune to be located at the edge of the
Continental Shelf. It’s the first North American
landmass that migrating ocean salmon hit and
they tend to stay awhile. Baitfish are thick,
the kings and silvers super aggressive, at
their physical peaks and hotter than anything
inland. Halibut abandon deep-water refuges
over the Continental Shelf and move here to
feed in 50 to 200 feet of water, with voracious
lingcod and rockfish that can be measured by
the acre. Some of the most consistent salmon
and saltwater fishing anywhere.
Two dominant areas: west and north sides
of Graham Island. On the north Langara
Island and Naden Harbor are summer com-
munities of upscale lodges some floating,
some land based, with guided and self-guided
programs. The entire west side is fished by
only three lodges and two of those are in
a cove behind Hippa Island. The third is
midway between Hippa and Langara. West
side fishing pressure is nil. North side gets
crowded pouring out of the bunched lodges.
Lot of fish, though. The islands are swarmed
Chinook peak May to mid-July, high per-
centage of energized 20 to 30 pounders (50s
and 60s occasionally. Coho 7 to 12 pounds
early July and 10 to 20 by September. Over-
laps all summer. Halibut peak in August.
traveling angler
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