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Catch the experience
Monday, July 7th, 2008 by GetawayBC.com
Although it’s the abundant fish that draw most people on to the waters of the Douglas Channel, the beauty and marine life of the fjord is a bonus none forget.
It’s also the reason why an increasing number of non-anglers leap at the opportunity offered by local charter operators to take to the briny and capture that beauty through the lens of their favourite camera.
There, sheer rock walls rise out of dark green waters, towering literally thousands of feet above passing boats.
Waterfalls cascade down mountainsides as the last of the winter snow on the peaks surrenders to the heat of another summer.
The forest marches down to the foreshore of numerous bays and coves, each inviting the passerby to stop in and enjoy the tranquillity.
Porpoise suddenly appear to keep the salt chuck mariner company and in the middle distance, the distinctive plume rising off the water’s surface alerts all to the presence of an orca.
But let’s go back to fish for the moment.
Salmon, of course, are the big draw with chinook/springs and coho being the favourites.
Although the early chinooks/springs, destined for spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the Kitimat River, arrive in mid to late May, the peak period begins in mid-June with the first couple of weeks of July bringing “prime time”.
Mid-July sees the beginning of the coho run which will peak a month later. They often mill around “out front” waiting for the right river conditions.
But there are also salmon to be had in the depths of winter. Known by