Making Waves: Today’s Women Anglers

Tyee Catch & Release.  Photo by Kyler Vos.

Although popular culture often paints a masculine picture of sports fishing, in reality, women make up around 30% of the angler population in North America. And, according to survey results from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, that number is growing. 

Another impressive statistic is that women hold a disproportionately large number of fishing records—and especially salmon fishing records. Perhaps the most famous women salmon angler is Georgina Ballantine, who, after a two-hour battle, landed a record-breaking 64 lb salmon in Scotland’s river Tay in October 1922. Two of Ballantine’s fellow Brits, Doreen Davey and Clementina Morrison, went on to break their own fishing records, in 1923 (biggest spring salmon, 59.5 lb) and 1924 (the biggest fly-caught salmon, 61 lb), respectively.

Lest you think it’s just British women who smash salmon records, there’s Canada’s own Deborah Whitman-Perry, a novice angler who, in 2012, caught an absolutely massive 83.3 lb Chinook in beautiful British Columbia, not far from Escott’s fishing waters.

The legends continue today. Below, we explore the careers of four of today’s top women anglers.

Kathryn Maroun

Hailing from Halifax, Maroun is best known as the host and producer of the TV series What a Catch, but she’s also president of Casting for Recovery Canada, a fly fishing retreat for women who have or who have had breast cancer. She’s a certified Federation of Fly Fishers casting instructor, proponent of proper catch and release methods, and has landed game fish all over the world. These days, she’s also an activist for Lyme disease, which she has unfortunately suffered from since receiving a tick bite during a BC trip (always remember outdoor health and safety!).

Check her out on: 

Twitter

Instagram

http://www.whatacatch.net/

Anietra Hamper

Hamper quit her two-decade career as a news anchor in America to pursue the outdoor life full-time, and she has since featured in many fishing shows, articles, podcasts, and more. A fan of all adventure and travel, she has an active YouTube channel  and writes regularly for Women’s Outdoor News.

Check Anietra out on:

Twitter

Instagram

Vala Arnadottir

Lifelong salmon fly-fisher Arnadottis has most recently joined the BBC series Earth’s Wildest Waters: The Big Fish as its Iceland judge. She is a major advocate for women’s participation in sport fishing: she’s previously called for the start of a “Women’s Fishing Week” and doesn’t let anyone in the sport get away with sexism, as you can see from her recent blog post “Your Calendar Also Says 2015, Right?” 

Check her out on: 

Twitter

Instagram

http://valaarna.com/

Anne Woodcock

Following in the footsteps of her record-setting British forbearers, this Scottish angler is a major player in the UK fishing community. Woodcock founded Ladies Fishing, which holds events for both first-time and experienced women anglers, and she’s also Marketing Director of FishPal, the UK’s top salmon fishing information site.

Check Anne out on: 

Twitter

Instagram

http://ladiesfishing.co.uk/about/

Women anglers in Canada, from novice to expert, can find angling events and log their fishing activities with Great Canadian Female Anglers here.

INSIDE FISHERMEN: BUZZ RAMSEY

Four o’clock in the morning, and while the world is sleeping you’re loading your equipment and supplies and getting ready for another fishing day. A moment later, you’re watching the sunrise in the front row. All calm and quiet around you. Preparing the bait while the breeze hits your face and after a short (or long) wait, you have a beautiful salmon in your hands. What better way to spend your life than doing what you love?

Salmon. / Source: Escott Sport Fishing Instagram account @escottsportfishing.

The Pacific Northwest region is one of the best places in the world for fishing. It offers an extraordinarily rich and nurturing location for salmon, but you can find many more species while enjoying the most beautiful sunrise and is the favorite location for recognized salmon anglers like Buzz Ramsey.

Ramsey has been the image of Northwest salmon and steelhead fishing for many years. Born in Toledo, Oregon, raised in Portland and being a Fisherman´s son, he has spent a lifetime fishing and you actually can watch him upstream and downstream the West Coast all year round.

Buzz Ramsey at the Tiller. / Source: Outdoorlife.com

Buzz is a cold-water sport fishing expert specializing in sport fishing for steelhead and salmon. Also he’s a regular columnist in Salmon Trout Steelheader, Northwest Sportsman and Alaska Sporting Journal’s magazines. Throughout his career, Buzz has conceived and authored several  how-to-fish fishing reports offered by companies like Luhr Jensen and Pure Fishing, and the more recent Know How Reports offered by Yakima Bait Company of which he is Brand Manager.

He has helped design and market many fishing baits and related products and is now a brand himself. Among many others, The "Buzz Ramsey" name and image have been used to promote and brand the Berkley's Buzz Ramsey designed Air IM-8 Graphite fishing rods, the Luhr Jensen K-11 X Kwikfish, the Berkley Gulp! Sand Shrimp, and the Gulp! Salmon Egg Cluster. Lures design and testing are a large part in Ramsey’s legacy.

Fishermen use many methods to catch salmon, but Buzz offers many tips and additional tricks to salmon anglers. From his experience and years in the water, he has come up with his Basics for Buoy 10 (one of the most productive salmon fisheries in Oregon).

Buzz is also a hall-of-famer for The Association of Northwest Steelheaders and The National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame. His lures are among the most popular in the market, and are incredibly fun to use.

We get excited when people come to Haida Gwaii just to try one of his renowned techniques for fishing silvers. We must thank all of our local fishing celebs for their continual support of our beautiful sport.

Dreams come true. So if yours (like mine) is fishing, find a rod and bait and go ahead!

Fishing rods: Does size matter?

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. Yes, size does matter. When speaking about fishing rods, the type and the size you use in saltwater fishing can help you ensure your catch of the day or make you go home with nothing at all.

Some people, especially fishing newbies, enter stores and purchase the first rod that catches their attention. However, this often proves to be a mistake.

In the past, fishing rods were just sticks that used to dangle a string. They ended in a hook that what people would use for alluring fish with the hope that one would eventually bite. Fortunately, things have changed with time. There are now specially designed rods for each fishing activity. Starting with innovative materials such as graphite, fiberglass and bamboo, modern day fishing rods help anglers to have a more accurate cast and a better control of fish fighting.

For beginners, the most common move is to buy a combo kit. They normally come with around 3 types of reels (i.e. spinning reels, spin cast reels or drag reels) and hooks that adapt to a single rod and use them in different fishing scenarios. But, even with a full kit, inexperience could prove costly. You might just return home empty handed and with broken fishing equipment.

Here are some useful tips to use when shopping rods for saltwater fishing.

Offshore/ Onshore/ Pier Fishing, big fish:

If you’re an adventurist and care for bigger, heavier fish, the best option for you is a Fast Action Rod. The ‘Action’ refers to the rod’s flexibility. In this case, Fast Action Rods are longer and only flexible at the tip of the shaft, while the rest remains rigid. This is great for fishing Salmon and other big fish because they are sturdy and can stand heavier weight and weathers. They work great in deep and shallow waters but they are not suitable to catch smaller fish because the cast is too long and the line too heavy.

Offshore/ Onshore/ Pier fishing, medium fish:

A Medium Action Rod is preferred by many anglers regardless of their experience because of its versatility. This type of rod is flexible along its upper half and is good for both offshore and onshore fishing. It is the best option for fishing in areas surrounded by trees. This rod allows both long and short casts (in a reasonable range). It’s good for medium sized fish while it’s not as accurate for big fish as a Fast action Rod. However, they are adaptable to deep and shallow waters.

Shore fishing/ Pier fishing/ Shallow waters, small fish:

When fishing for smaller kinds of fish, Slow Action Rods are the way to go. These are completely flexible, providing shorter, gentler casts. They are perfect for very small, small, and small-to-medium fish onshore. Because it offers almost no rigidness, this rod doesn’t stand strong winds but it’s a beginner’s best ally.  It allows inexperienced fishers to cast like the pros after a little practice.

No matter what you have in mind, the best is to be prepared for whatever type of fishing you want to do with a proper equipment size to get the job done. We will soon be talking about the right reels for making the best of your fishing experience.

Escott Sportfishing offers you all types of saltwater fishing gear, and the advice of the experts. Book your fishing adventure in advance with Escott Sportfishing and enjoy the excitement of saltwater fishing.

Fishy weather: The perfect time for fishing.

A good angler knows that there are many factors that can alter the degree of success of a fishing day; sometimes you can be completely prepared and still… no fish. Is there really a relation between fish and the weather? And if so, what are the best conditions to fish in?

Fish, as well as many other animals, have a great sense of the weather. Don’t expect them to know the amount of snow expected for the winter however… But there are scientific studies that show many animals have a very keen sense of the weather and therefore, react differently depending on the climate conditions. So, if you were wondering; yes, there are good and bad times to go fishing. How do fish react to different weathers?

Winter Weather:

Because fish are cold-blooded, when temperatures drop, their metabolisms tend to slow down a bit, so they don’t feed as much. That means that most fish may not be very active during this season.

Windy Weather:

The old proverb says: “When the wind is east the fish bite the least, when the wind is west the fish bite the best.” This is actually a true statement. When the winds blow from the west and south, it brings insects to the water, making smaller fish swim closer to banks where larger fish tend to eat, and making them get closer to the surface. It’s all a big cycle. So keep on the watch for the winds.

Rainy Weather:

Like humans, certain fish have preferences for rain; while some fish will go deeper into the water to escape from rain, other insect-eating fish will be nearer to the surface waiting for bugs to fall into the water. It all comes down to what you want to fish.

Warm Weather:

Contrary to popular beliefs, summer weather isn’t always the best to fish in. Some fish dislike the heat and go deeper in the water looking for cooler areas. Because of the low pressure that comes with warm weather, it is great to fish early in the morning or late in the afternoon during summer seasons.

Fishing is exciting, especially if you get good bites. Any weather can be a good one to fish in if you take the right measures. It’s helpful to remember that fish have certain preferences for different weathers, what affects one type of fish may not affect another. The best thing to do is find an expert that can tell you when, where, and how to fish to get the best bites around and go back home as a fishing hero –sort of-.

The Escott Sportfishing team really knows their fish, and we will certainly make your fishing experience the best one in your life. Contact us today and book your visit online or by phone by browsing our website http://www.escottsportfishing.com/m/index.html or calling 1.604.818.5106. Make sure your outdoor adventure is covered by the specialists.

Coho Salmon Fishing

Salmon Fishing with the Pros at Escott Sportfishing

The sun breaking the horizon announces a new day, and the ocean is yours to conquer. What better way to start it off other than fishing for beautiful Coho? Escott Sportfishing offers the opportunity to be part of a once in a lifetime experience.

Coho, also known as Silver Salmon or Silvers, are part of the salmon family and are very distinctive due to their color, strength and aggressiveness. Today, there are many ways to catch Silver Salmons and the Escott Sportfishing team has tried the most used methods throughout time, adapting to the surroundings to ensure the catch and a wonderful experience. That´s how we have narrowed down the methods to those we have found most effective, and today we want to dedicate some time to show them to you.

Fly Fishing

This angling method is different from normal fishing; it requires a fly rod, reel and a lightweight line that is specially designed for it. You can try casting your fly, or drifting it. Cohos are a bit temperamental. Hand tied flies resemble natural invertebrates, and lure the fish in like moths to the flame. Although it can seem complicated at first, with a day or two of practice; you’ll be a pro... or almost.

Buck Tailing

This technique is proven effective for both salmons and also large trout in lakes. All you have to do is troll your fly behind a moving boat, making sure it barely breaks the surface. The key here is the boat; it must never remain at the same speed, but it should also keep a speed that the Coho can catch up to. Luckily for you, Escott Sportfishing has experts for the job.

Trolling

Similar to the Buck Tailing, trolling, this can be done from a boat in movement, casting the lines with bait or lures to get fish more easily. The difference here is that you can also do it from a static position by drawing the lines in a specific speed in order to make fish bite. Outriggers and Downriggers are often used to keep the lines from tangling and also regulate the depth of the lures. You’ll have a blast either way when your Coho strikes your fly.

These are the methods that mold best to the location and the fish. No matter what technique you decide to use, make Escott Sportfishing your number one option to catch those Coho! Stay on the watch for upcoming blogs on this and other interesting topics.