CH Report: Almost Go Time: Clubhouse Gearing Up

Hello everyone,

A quick check-in on what is happening here at the Clubhouse. We are only a few days away from opening, and the excitement is building in all departments as we await all of you this season.

Most of the staff are on scene now, busy preparing everything from the dock up to the dining room. Of course, there is some time to test fish, and the guides are now getting out, checking most of our traditional areas.

The weather is spotty this week, with some stiff wind showing today and tomorrow—typical springtime weather on the north coast. The fishing seems to be okay, and the guides are going out for short fishing periods, running up the equipment and locating the bait and Chinooks that follow. Most of the fish caught and released have been in the 10 to 15 lb range, and intel locally has me hearing of a couple low twenties Chinook mooched up on the East Side.

There are orcas in the area, spotted daily as the crew ran boats into the lodge from Masset. Usually, that lets us know there are some numbers of Chinook between Pillar Bay and Cohoe Point.

I managed to get my boat together Sunday and explored the west side fishery for about 45 minutes with a couple of the inside staff, and the first herring of the season sent down deep grabbed this high-teens Chinook. First fish ever for the angler and plenty of excitement provided for both Lucy and REESE.

We have all our regular guides back for the most part. Below, a photo of Austin, Simon, and Keegan enjoying the evening on the dock, sorting out fishing plans for opening day.

We have a couple of additions to the fleet. Below, a pic of our 32-foot Outrage, captained by Todd for the season. He is busy tricking it out, adding what the boat needs to make it a fishy machine. Of course, that includes new everything from electronics to Scotty downriggers. That said, with Todd as guide, you only need a herring and a platform, and you’ll have a busy day hooking all sorts of fish.

We have also added a 27-foot Predator, and this boat will be guided by Teagan. The boat looks great and is dialed in now to Teagan’s specs. He has been out a fair bit testing the east side, the report being Chinook in the 10 to 15 lb size. No huge bait schools as of yet, but scratches here and there.

Guide Jake set out in his 25-footer to locate the halibut, and he circled the island, jigging his large Norwegian gear with some results. He reported to me some very large lingcod, which we release here at Langara, and he angled three nice halibut he returned for a future opportunity.

Up top of the hill, the lodge is looking dialed in, and I won’t spoil the surprises in this blog—but needless to say, there are some great new additions. You’ll all be excited the moment you land on the helipad. Promise!

So to wrap this up, the guides are ready and excited to get you all out on the water and show you what we love to do. No matter if you are a first-timer or a veteran of many trips, this never gets old for us. 2025 looks to be a fantastic year up here at the Clubhouse.

See you all soon,
Screamer and Lucy

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