Back in 2007, my friend Ernie sent me an email asking if I wanted to go salmon fishing. This had been on my bucket list for a long time, so I said yes, sounds good to me. Ernie had been fishing for salmon with Big Times Sports four times before. Cost was going to be $2320 for four days fishing, air trip from Vancouver to Powell River Airport and float plane to the floating lodge fishing camp. We booked a flight from Austin, Texas to Denver and on to Vancouver.
We arrived in Vancouver just before dark and got a cab to our hotel. The cab driver had a turban on his head and spoke broken English; I gave him my bank debit card. I had no idea what he was charging us, he swiped it and we went into the hotel. We were at the front desk when the cab driver came running in yelling something at me. Finally understood the card was no good, seems bank debit cards don’t work in Canada. I had limited cash and had planned on putting everything on my card, I handed him a $20 and he made a face and shook his head, so I gave him another $20 and he took it and left. Darn, it was only 3 miles from the airport. I should have brought my Cabela’s Visa card.
That was my first sticker shock in Canada, the second was in the hotel bar, a 12 oz draft beer was $10 and shrimp cocktail (6) was $18. I found an ATM later that would take my debit card with a $6 fee per $100. My US dollars were worth $1.05 at that time which was not enough. Ernie said lets buy a bottle of whiskey because drinks were expensive at the lodge. We found a liquor store and got another sticker shock, R&R which is made in Canada was double the US price.Next morning we got a cab back to the airport, Ernie paid this time and yes the driver had on a turban again. We loaded onto a 2 prop plane with about 20 seats; about half were going to the same camp as we were. It was about an hour flight to Powell River Airport where we got on a float plane. Another hour flight and we were circling a beautiful floating lodge and came in for a landing. Landing was great and we eased up to the dock, and he cut the engine, the plane tipped over on its side and scared me, I thought we were sinking. The float plane lands on its belly and the wings have pontoons which are higher so when you stop they tip over.
We unloaded and walked up the dock to our rooms, two beds and bathroom. They said dinner at 7 p.m., so we went to the bar, yeah whiskey and water was $7. I told Ernie if I moved to Canada I would have to stop drinking. Dinner was first class, salmon and king crab, which they caught in traps right off the front dock.
We got up the next morning at daylight, had a wonderful breakfast and loaded into the boats. Everyone was wearing yellow rain pants and yellow and red rain coats. Temp was about 45 degrees at 8 a.m. The guide, who was a French Canadian named Luka, gunned the 90 horse engine and we went thru some beautiful water and islands. Bald eagles were everywhere and we saw killer whales. It took about 45 minutes to get to where the guide wanted to fish.
We would be fishing with 9 foot heavy duty fly rods with 100 yards of line. I guess that was the biggest surprise of the trip, fly rods for large salmon. The leader was 9 foot of 50 lb test monofilament and on the end was a 3 hook harness and the hooks were barb less which is the regulation in that part of British Columbia. He opened a cooler full of 8 to 10 inch mullet with no head. We put these on the 3 hook harness. At the back of the boat on each side was a down rigger with a 5 pound ball and just above the ball was a snap. You snapped your line just above the flashers and beads so your bait was about 6 feet behind the ball. The down rigger had a dial and we let it down to 30 feet. Luka said they were at that level the day before, so we will try it about an hour. Fifteen minutes later the guide said fish on and I looked up to see an 8 pound Coho silver salmon jumping in the air! The guide grabbed the rod and set the hooks then handed it to me, “Keep a bend in the pole, don’t look at the fish.” With barb less hooks, if you give them any slack they will get off. That silver jumped about three more times then went deep. The guide had reeled in Ernie’s line so as not to get tangled, and then he reached over and tightens the drag on my reel, and said start cranking. Pretty soon I could see the attracters flashing and I knew the salmon was 6 feet behind. The guide got the huge landing net and we soon had that beauty flopping in the boat. The hooks came out as soon as slack got in the line and he threw it in the box.
Over the next two hours we caught 6 silvers running 5 to 8 pounds but not any of the larger Chinook or King salmon. About noon we headed in for lunch and the food was fantastic once again. I went out and watched the guides cleaning fish, those orange red fillets looked good enough to eat raw. They put all of mine and Ernie’s in one box in the cooler. We rested about 2 hours and loaded up once again, temp was around 55 degrees with a light drizzle coming down. Ernie got the first hit and it was a 20 pound King, which took 20 minutes to land. I got a couple of silvers and that was it for the first day.
All the boats had two way radios and GPS to get you back to the lodge in case dense fog set in. I was lost most of the time because it was a maze of islands and inlets, everything looked the same. The guide said to pay attention to how it works because the 2nd afternoon we would be without a guide. Ernie owned a boat about like this one and had been up there many times before so I made him the captain. The second morning the first catch was a 3 pound black rock fish which are no good to eat; Luka said watch this and clubbed the fish then started whistling and waving it in the air. A beautiful bald eagle was sitting in a big dead tree on a nearby island and started our way. When he got within about 20 feet, Luka threw the fish in the air and the eagle caught it with both claws. I had never been that close to a bald eagle before, their wings are four feet long and that eye is something else. He went back to his tree and started ripping it apart.
That afternoon Ernie and I went out without Luka, I let Ernie do the driving and trolling. After 3 trips out I was getting good at baiting and putting the downrigger out. First hit was on Ernie’s rod and it was another big king, he put the boat in neutral and grabbed the rod. As he fought the fish, he kept telling me to keep the boat straight. The tide was coming in and it was really strong, pushing the boat. I thought with the price we paid, why don’t we have a guide all day? Then Ernie said, “Get the net, get the net”. I held the huge landing net over the side waiting for the big king to come up. Suddenly it came right at me and looked like a 30 pound king, I dipped the net but didn’t get under it far enough, it was only hooked on the last hook and the top two hooks got caught in the net. That was all it took and he was gone, Ernie said, “Shit shit” and didn’t say anything for the next two hours until I hooked a big king, then he got behind me telling me how to fight it and I needed the help because this was the biggest fish of my life.
I had both hands on that rod with the reel just above my belt buckle, that 9 foot rod was bent double for 30 minutes. Finally I started gaining a little line, when the flashers showed I held my breath, and then this monster rolled over behind the boat. Ernie said, “That’s a big one Russ, maybe 40 pound”. Ernie got it in the landing net but couldn’t lift it in the boat, so I dropped the rod and grabbed hold, between the two of us we got it in. I just set down and stared at that beautiful fish. Ernie said, “I need a drink, lets head back”. When we got to the dock, the guides unloaded our fish and put him on the scales, 45 pounds, which was the largest for the first 2 days.
The third day was rough, 40 degrees, hard rain and high winds; we gave it up about 11 a.m. Now I see why everyone wore rain gear and boots. It was a little better in the afternoon and we got two silvers. Saw several seals on rocks and more swimming around; Luka said that’s why the killer whales are here. Luka tried to get an eagle to take a rock fish off the top of the motor but the eagle thought that was a little too close to red and white humans. It finally fell in the water and the eagle sank those long claws into it about 20 feet behind the boat.
The last day we quit at noon, after lunch we packed up and got back in the float plane. I had a window seat this time and never stopped looking at that beautiful country. It was just a maze of water ways and islands. Millions of salmon come back each year from the ocean to lay eggs where they were born. Mother Nature had GPS about 1000 years before man did.
When we got back to the hotel in Vancouver they put the 70 pound box of salmon fillets in the hotel freezer. Next morning they were frozen hard as a rock and we headed to the airport. Fish were so heavy we had to get a cart to go check our bags. I was sitting by a window before boarding and was watching two men load the luggage onto our plane. I saw my luggage but I never did see the box of salmon? Yeah you guessed it, when we got to Austin, no fish. Ernie said, “Shit shit” and never said anything all the way home. The airline said they would deliver to my house next day, yeah you guessed it, nothing showed up. Finally at 3a.m. a knock at the door woke me up, and there was the missing salmon. I thought they would be spoiled but they were still partial frozen so I put them in my freezer.
Two days later after we had rested up, Ernie said to thaw about half the salmon fillets and bring them over to marinade and smoke. Ernie said if he gave me the marinade recipe, he would have to shoot me but he finally did.
For each 5 pounds of salmon with the skin on:
1 quart of water
1/3 cup of Diamond Crystal Kosher salt (no table salt)
1 cup of brown sugar
½ cup of Maple syrup (I’m from IN so I get the real stuff)
Mix this all up and put in large plastic bags with the salmon fillets. Keep in fridge for about 8 hours, a little longer for big thick King fillets. Take out and lay on wire racks for about an hour, the meat will seal up and you are ready to smoke. I use mesquite wood that is old and dry with no pitch or tar left in it. Keep the heat low, under 200 or less. Low and slow is the best. After an hour baste with more maple syrup, and smoke for another hour. You can keep in fridge for several days or wrap in freezer paper and keep in freezer for 6 months. Delicious!
