Trip Updates : Jun 19-22
After months of preparation on the part of the management and staff of Peregrine Lodge, June 19th saw the arrival of helicopters full of guests, officially kicking off the 2011 season! Despite possibly having indulged in too large of dinner portions that night, everyone was up and ready the next morning, eager to get their lines in the water. Upon arriving down on the docks, our guests were overjoyed to see our five new 23 foot Edgewater boats. Custom designed and built especially for us at Peregrine Lodge, the new boats are the perfect fishing machines. (But certainly do not neglect comfort and style!) It was a good thing they were ready and in the best possible boats, because the fish were ready and waiting for them. In the first day alone, over 30 Chinook, over 10 halibut, and 5 Coho were reeled in. Included in this count were several notable catches. First, under the guidance of Cory, Glen Walker was able to real in the first Tyee of the season, weighing in at an even 30 pounds. 30 pounds was also the magic number for Mike Muzlowski who, guided by Johnny, was able to reel in a 30-pound halibut. After a great day of fishing himself, Norm Duncan forced to stand in the shadow of his wife, Lenore, who was able to bring in a 28-pound Chinook early in the day. There were doubts that the pace set by day one could be so much as maintained on Tuesday, but in fact it was surpassed, with two boats reaching their limits by lunchtime! While the total number of fish caught was nearly identical to Monday, day two saw a definite increase in the size of fish. Not to be outdone by his father’s halibut catch, David Muzlowski stepped up and landed a 33-pound Chinook near the end of the day. Impressive catches from Shane Uren (28lbs), Doug Berger (27lbs), Mike Smith (27lbs), and Roy Patrick (26lbs) topped off the list for the day. Not wanting to break the pattern, the third day continued in much the same way. Bruce Burgess put his trust in our youngest guide, Kai, and it paid off with Bruce catching and releasing an estimated 33 pound Chinook mid morning. That weight was matched by Elmer Stewart, who ventured as far west as Green Point to land his Tyee. As per usual, there were too many good catches to name them all, but an underrated achievement was made by Craig Olley, who was able to reel in an 18-pound lingcod to close out his trip.
The helicopters were full as they took from our helipad as a vast majority of our guests reached their limits in not only Chinook but also halibut. The first trip of the year can often be somewhat challenging for the staff of any seasonal resort, but looking back, it is very difficult for any of us to think of anything that didn’t run smoothly. However, despite our best preparations, the great start to the fishing season can be attributed to nobody but our skilled and patient guests, so for that we thank you! We hope to see you again next year.