Memories of Summer Fishing: Sunshine, Salmon, and Smooth Sailing

Escott blog—WK 5 (Jan 31, 2016)

Memories of Summer Fishing: Sunshine, Salmon, and Smooth Sailing

As we’ve started to dig into our vacuum-pack salmon stores from last summer, it’s gotten us reminiscing about the stellar summer season we had last year at Escott Sportfishing.

Who else has dipped into their vacuum-pack salmon from last summer? #salmon #salmonfishing #fishingtrips #haidagwaii #haidagwaiifishing #escottsportfishing #escottlodge

A photo posted by Escott Sportfishing (@escottsportfishing) on Jan 14, 2016 at 4:00pm PST

While there’s never a bad time to take a Haida Gwaii fishing trip, there’s an undeniable pull toward those long days of summer, when the Chinooks are plentiful and so are the sun’s rays.

Haida Gwaii and Graham Island, where Escott Lodge is located, have some of the best salmon fishing in the world throughout the summer months. So, while we trudge our way through February, we’ll whet our appetites for the great season that’s to come by remembering some of last summer’s best moments.

Two 50's / 46 / 42 / 32 ..... 1 tide change / 5 hog hunters / 12 guests / 1000 memories / Escottsportfishing!

A photo posted by Escott Sportfishing (@escottsportfishing) on Jul 24, 2015 at 8:49pm PDT

It’s hard not to grin from ear to ear when you get a haul like this one. You’re looking at five Tyees—that is, salmon weighing over 30 lbs—caught during one amazing fishing trip. An epic haul, to say the least.

Pod of #killerwhales Photo Guy Kimola #localwildlife #lovewhereyoulive #explorebc #HaidaGwaii

A photo posted by Escott Sportfishing (@escottsportfishing) on Jul 17, 2015 at 10:27am PDT

Courtesy of one of our favourite photographers, Guy Kimola, this photo shows off some of the undeniably spectacular wildlife that swarms the British Columbia coast. The orcas were particularly active in Haida Gwaii in the summer of 2015. Here’s hoping they return for 2016.

When you book a salmon fishing trip with Escott Sportfishing, you get to swap your office view for ours. Not bad, eh?

Just getting started this am..... Great view from the office! #adventurehaidagwaii #mostbeautifulplaceonearth #EscottLodge

A photo posted by Escott Sportfishing (@escottsportfishing) on Jun 27, 2015 at 10:35pm PDT

There’s nothing like pulling in your first salmon, as this smile shows. Watching kids have the time of their lives on our fishing trips is definitely one of the best parts of summer.

A photo posted by Escott Sportfishing (@escottsportfishing) on Jun 19, 2015 at 10:38pm PDT

As much as we like fishing for salmon, we’re also big fans of eating it. Just looking at this spread of salmon sashimi—freshly prepared by our chef at Escott Lodge—has got us drooling in anticipation of the good eats to come in summer 2016.

A photo posted by Escott Sportfishing (@escottsportfishing) on Jun 12, 2015 at 9:39am PDT

But most of all, we can’t wait to take our Escott guests out on the summer waters of Haida Gwaii, where you really will catch fish that are this big.

Escott captains with 3 beauties!

A photo posted by Escott Sportfishing (@escottsportfishing) on Jul 26, 2015 at 10:18pm PDT

Swimming with the Real Sharks: Corporate Retreats at Escott

The mere mention of a corporate retreat can be enough to make employees groan. But it doesn’t have to. Instead of bringing the office together in a sterile, forced-feeling retreat environment, there’s opportunity to make it a retreat in the true sense of the word—and still get all the necessary business accomplished.

Photo By Seann Einerssen

 Our fishing lodge is located only a two-hour flight from Vancouver, but feels days away mentally. Removed far from the hustle and bustle of the workaday life, Escott offers an environment that’s completely free of the usual distractions. Instead of sitting around the boardroom table, staff gathers on one of our top-of-the-line Grady White boats—a prospect that is sure to quell the “corporate retreat groans.”

Being out on the water, fishing pole in hand—and far from constant emails and ringing phones—allows for a corporate retreat that is as relaxed as it is effective. Company retreats are of course all about taking the time to work on a problem or accomplish a task that needs more focus than the office can provide. Fishing, as humankind has known for centuries, is an activity that rolls all of this—relaxation, focus, and bond-building—into one.

As much fun as it is to be out on the waters of Haida Gwaii, trying to reel the biggest salmon of the bunch, there still needs to be the chance to really get down to business (and open the yearly report, without it falling to the bottom of the ocean). That’s why Escott Lodge has plenty of space for your team to spread out, whether in the vaulted-ceiling sitting lounge or in one of our spacious suites.

Whether you’re company is convening for a problem-solving session or to launch into its Annual General Meeting, a retreat to Escott Sportfishing and the pristine environment of Haida Gwaii is guaranteed to get the think-tank into high gear.

Sport Fishing and the Art of Relaxation

Photo by Guy  Kimola

Every angler has their own reason for loving fishing, whether it’s the thrill of the chase, getting to be outdoors all day, or frying up the catch at home. But there’s another big reason that people head out onto the water: fishing is relaxing.

Although the word “relaxing” may seem at odds with the image of a fisherman fighting a massive Chinook salmon for an hour or two before getting it onto the boat, that is only one aspect of the sport. Because sportfishing takes you out on the water for hours at a time—often the whole day—there’s a lot of downtime between such battles.

These moments between tugs on the line are also what fishing is known for. In fact, the most common reason people fish is to relax, according to the American Sportfishing Association. 

Photo by Owen Perry

While waiting for the next battle, an angler can allow their mind to wander—but not too much, because you need to be able to react when the bite does come. This makes fishing an activity similar to mowing the lawn or painting a wall. That is, it engages part of your brain, but it doesn’t always engage all of it. You need to pay attention, but you don’t need to pay it all of your attention.

This makes fishing the perfect set up for letting your mind wander—and often the type of situation that gives rise to Eureka moments. 

Not only does fishing give you time with your own thoughts, but the constant casting and reeling means it’s a repetitive activity. Repetitive activities are stress busting. And diverting attention to repetition is not only mentally soothing, but actually releases physical tension too. 

Photo by Guy Kimola

Whether you're out with Escott Sportfishing trolling, mooching, or even saltwater fly fishing, you can expect the perfect mixture of excitement and relaxation—while soaking up the scenery of Haida Gwaii, which is always a relaxing thing.

The Fishing Seasons of Haida Gwaii

Beautiful Haida Gwaii is known for many things.

The undeniably stunning scenery, a decidedly relaxed way of life, the distinctive art of the Haida people, and its varied and lush wildlife. We’ve got humpback whales, bald eagles, harbour seals, and even spirit bears. But of most interest to Escott Sportfishing and our guests is—of course—the innumerable fish that populate its waters.

Haida Gwaii, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, is considered to have some of the best salmon fishing grounds in the world. Made up of over 150 islands and classed as a temperate rainforest zone, the Haida Gwaii, with its many protected bays and kelp beds, couldn’t be more welcoming to salmon, halibut, and other game fish that end up on the business end of our fishing poles.

Millions of Chinook and Coho swim through the island chain on runs that take them south from Alaska to their home waters to breed. Masset, where Escott’s Haida Gwaii fishing lodge is located, essentially sits in the middle of this fish superhighway. Different species of salmon run at different times of year, with the Haida Gwaii salmon season spanning all the way from May until September.

But Tyees aren’t the only giants that swim these waters. Halibut hang about Haida Gwaii all year long, usually choosing to stay in waters much deeper than the salmon. Still, Escott’s hali fishing grounds are located only a half-hour boat ride from the Lodge, where depths plunge as deep as 275 feet.

If you book your Haida Gwaii sportfishing trip for September, there’s also opportunity to catch yet another of the prized fish that call these waters home—steelhead, otherwise known as rainbow trout.

With different species of quality sport fish swimming these waters all year round, there is no question why Haida Gwaii is known as a fisherman’s paradise.