TITANIC TYEES

When we got to the spot the next morning, Steve had his bait out and in the water in a flash while I followed the kelp line just a few yards from shore and tried to set us up in a good spot that Mick had showed us just the other day. I asked Steve to take the wheel so I could get my line out, and that's when it happened. Steve's rod got hit and bent straight down into the water. Without a moment to spare, he grabbed it, and the fight was on. He fought this fish forever, it seemed, as it darted back and forth, doing a few underwater spins and some amazing runs while Steve kept the pressure on and the rod tip up. Finally, after the fish took him around the boat several times, Steve got it in range for me to net. I nailed it in one shot, and we had our first silver for the morning on the boat, a well-earned fish that weighed in at 18 pounds.

At the end of the day, I asked Steve if he was ready to head for the barn (we were the last ones out there), and as we turned to head around a point, we spotted Mick and Ryan (the lodge's manager) doing a slow drift with a couple of rods out along an area called Arthur Point. "Mick wouldn't be out here doing a drift so late unless he knows something. Let's do a drift, too," I said, and we put out our gear and started our drift about 100 yards upwind from Mick and Ryan, right in a tide line and as the sun was setting. That's when all hell broke loose.

Six feet of my rod crashed straight down into the water, and drag started screaming out. I grabbed it, keeping pressure on the fish and my rod tip up. This fish took me – with Steve and his net right on my heels – around the boat several times. Just as I would get it almost in range, it would peel out another run and then do a few aerials. After about ten minutes of chasing this fish around the boat, Steve finally put the wood to him when he rolled up along the boat. Finally, we'd caught our first tyee.

Steve and I were "high-fiving" each other on the boat, telling each other how great we are for bagging such a quality fish – that is until we got back to the dock and good ol' ten-year-old John Moffet reminded us who the real king is, with his 43-pound tyee that he caught that day.

As Elvis used to say, "Bow to the King, baby."

Legacy Lodge provides a warm, friendly environment, and their hospitality was second to none. Mick, Johanna, and Ryan have thought of everything – all the amenities and creature comforts you could ask for in such a pristine setting. Everything from foul-weather gear (if needed) to rods, reels, and tackle is provided. Also included is a professionally filleted and vacuum-sealed fish service. They'll even package it in an insulated box for your travel back home.

Remote yet easily accessible, the area promises a premier sportfishing experience found nowhere else. Situated on the protected, glassy waters surrounded by the panoramic beauty of British Columbia, Legacy Lodge offers traditional salmon fishing on the sheltered waters of the famed Rivers Inlet.

Traditionally, seasons for kings and silvers are July through September.

This is one place where the elements converge for epic sportfishing adventures with world-class salmon that await your challenge. I recommend this lodge to anyone interested in fishing the Pacific Northwest.

Call them at (877) FISH-LEGACY (347-4534), or visit them online at www.legacylodge.com.