It's been a while since I've been on the site as I was guiding during the summer till late fall. My cruiser is moored in Tahsis on the west coast of the island. I spent the summer there and had lots of guests showing up to go fishing. They were a little surprised at me when I told them to bring along the biggest cooler they could find. After fishing this area, part time, for the past 4 years, this year really paid off. We would leave the dock in the morning and run out the inlet. Start the day fishing for Chinook and Coho Salmon (kings and silvers) get our limits and then start bottom fishing. I found a few spots that are now on my GPS. We were having competitions as to who could free spool the fastest to the bottom, trip the freespool lever and get at least one bump on the bottom with the lead from the spreader bar before you hooked up on a hali ! After 5 or 6 visits to the same area, we got the same results. All within 20 to 30 pounds. I can't wait till I get out there again. First trip will be around April 15 as this is when the Ling Cod season starts. If you need any info on the area, please drop me a line.

Yours truly,

Mark Watson
Western Anglers Ltd www.westernanglers.ca

Hello fellow fishers,

I just spent 9 days fishing (guiding) offshore on the west side of the island out of Tahsis. The water was flat, the weather was nice and warm, and the fishing was HOT. 15 guests went home with their limit of Hali's....most were chickens in the 20lb range and one hit the scale at 68lbs. The bonus was a couple of 20lb Chinook salmon, lots of Ling and Yelloweye (red snapper). There was only one other guide boat working....we had the whole area to ourselves. If you want a spring getaway, drop me a line.

Hello to all the hali fishers.......I've been in Tahsis since the end of June and chartering every day. Just finished a group and sent them home with over 200 lbs of fresh fish. The hali fishing has been outstanding, with lots of fish in the 20 to 60 lb range. The largest this year so far has hit the scales at 210lbs. We are fishing for hali's for about two hours each trip out and averaging 5 in the boat along with Ling Cod, Snapper, and limits of Chinook (25lbs and up) and Coho averaging around 10lbs each. After the day trip is complete and we are back at the dock, I have a lot of time at the cleaning table....(but that's a good thing). I have some openings and the fishing is fantastic till mid October. You can contact me by e-mail or phone me at 250-934-6990.

PS.....I'm now the head guide for the Maquina Resort (hotel), so rooms are not a problem.

Tight lines,

Mark Watson
Western Anglers

Hello to all fellow fishers,

Well it's the start of a new season again and I'm looking forward to it. As in my last post, I am now the head guide for the Maquinna Resort (www.maquinnaresort.com) in Tahsis. It is a waterfront hotel with pub and dining room. We also have a 42 slip private marina for those of you that want to bring your boat. New for this year we are offering fully guided charters. We have just about completed all of the sportsman shows in the Pacific Northwest with great success. It's going to be busier than ever as the word is out that this is the "hot spot" for some of the best fishing on the West Coast. For more information, please check out our websites, or drop me an e-mail.

Tight lines,
Mark Watson (Rumrunner)

Hi gang,

I,m taking the hockey team out for hali's at the end of the month. I will posta report as soon as I get back. This will be our fourth consecutive trip. Thhis year we are packing more coolers and bringing bigger trucks.

Talk to you soon,
Mark Watson aka Rumrunner

Hi gang,

I just completed 5 charters over the last 2 weeks. We pounded the Hali's. All were averaging 40 to 65lbs. Some days we would get 3 or 4 and other days we were limited out in a very short time. After fishing for halibut we would set the trolling gear down and pick up feeder Chinook (16 to 25lbs) and our limits of Ling and Snapper. If you want a good feed of halibut for the table, give me a call and let's go fishing!