The past few days were marked by some truly epic fishing on the Marabell. Trent Girard bagged himself a nice double shot boating a 48 lb. Chinook the afternoon before he left, and a 98 lb. halibut on his last morning. The Chinook came from Andrews Point, the hali from Cox Island. On the evening of the same day Trent caught his 48, my dinner speech was interrupted by an urgent call from Andrews Point. Honorary crew member (he came as a guest 7 times last year) Kevin McKibbin was fighting a monster Chinook, and asking for help. I was in the Zodiac before my tide and weather notes hit the floor.
The message I got from my deckhand was that Kevin’s Chinook was around 50 lbs; he wanted me to confirm its size and then help him release it. When I got to his boat a quick assessment told me Kevin was more tired than the fish. I did a quick set of measurements with the fish in the water and asked Kevin if he was sure he wanted to let the fish go. He was sure, he said, so with the fish still in the water I slipped it free. It swam away strongly and we were both confident the fish would make it. The same day saw Trent Girard boat 48 pound Chinook and many other boats did well with fish in the 20’s. Andrews Point continues to be the focal point of the salmon action.
Ken Beatty
Fishmaster, MV Marabell
Langara Island, Queen Charlotte Islands
