Busy BC summer

My daughter Paige with her first trout.

I can't believe it's already mid-September. What's even more amazing - this is my first blog post since the end of June. In the next few posts I'll bring you up to speed with what's been keeping me busy writing, playing and performing.

Lately I've been wetting the line, that is, fishing. Salmon returns are looking healthy for most areas of British Columbia including along the east coast of Vancouver Island. One of the most amazing stories of recovery comes from just down the coast.

In the mid-90s most fisheries observers figured the Nile River was dead.  This year the Nile Creek Enhancement Society are expecting 100,000 pink salmon to return to spawn. Let me put this in perspective: pink salmon average about five pounds and almost two feet in length. Nile Creek might be 30 feet wide. Old timers around here like to say that you could walk across rivers on the back of returning salmon. That may be possible on Nile Creek this year all thanks to an impressive rehabilitation and hatchery program and a huge team of volunteers.

Despite the success Nile Creek, like most of the rivers south of Campbell River, are actually closed to salmon fishing. You can only fish the estuary and foreshore. Basically any waters effected by the tide. I'm heading out tonight to try some shore fishing with my daughter. Wish for tight lines.

Salmon aren't the only fish on my radar. There's some excellent trout fishing in the lakes nearby. We fished Upper Campbell and Muchalaht Lake this summer. I can't say we slayed them, but we did pull in a couple - check out the picture of a nice hatchery rainbow trout.

When I actually want to catch fish I call up my buddy James Fisher at Fishers Island Adventures. He knows the fresh and salt water around here as well as anyone. I've never struck out with him at the helm.