Hello everyone,

Just a quick note of the fishing in the past 2015 season. As most guests could attest to, the 2015 season was action packed. The salmon were as usual in abundance when we arrived for our opening. They were in our usual spots and fishing just seemed to get better as the season went on.

What spurred me on to write this note was reading one of my neighbor's season reports.
Now having said it should be known that this outfit usually fishes places like Calvert Island and at times the head of the inlet. At Black Gold our boats can and do occasionally fish these areas as It's up to the individual to choose his area to fish, we only ask so we know where our guests are in case of them needing something.

I found it quite interesting to read this lodge saying the fishing was NOT good on Calvert Is. and the long run was not worth it and as for the HEAD of the inlet this was also the case, as said the long run to get there could have been spent fishing the best spots in the Inlet The WALL, Bull Island and of course OUR favorite and my name sake ROUGH'S BLUFF. This is good and bad for us to hear ! The reason Black Gold Lodge started fishing the Bluff was the massive congestion at the WALL and DOME it was referred to as Bumper Boats.

These fishing spot were then and are now great locations. In those days we all fished the same "motor mooching" this being a slow moving bait with our B.G.I. special Tyee roll that has produced hundreds of Giant Tyee over the years.

The good thing is my neighboring lodges have gone to fishing Down Riggers and of course using this method they can't get into the traditional Tyee spots, close to the rocks, we hear on the radios the guests complaining about broken cables and riggers completely ripped off the boats so of course the lodges suggest to them to fish in deeper water. PERFECT ! This leaves the good spots to our guests.
Now about ROUGH'S BLUFF we found this spot many years ago, as others would drive past it on their way to other areas, we had the distinct pleasure of having it for clients only. Finding the BLUFF was a win- win for us and other lodges as it took pressure off the Wall - Dome area.

As the years went on, like so many other things the word got out of the great fishing at Rough's Bluff. ( a side note here, F.Y.I. I did not name the spot. It was another lodge owner that named it, after asking me where all my boats were fishing I said over by he big rock face, he thought and said you mean that bluff I said yes and with that he said ROUGH'S BLUFF Also the first sign was put up by another lodge owner, I was having trouble getting our guests to find the exact spot, I put flagging up but this was not getting the job done. One day while talking to this other lodge owner I said I think I'm going to paint the name on the rock, he got very upset THE HELL YOU WILL we do not want any grafity around here ( the Dome had such writing from someone ) WOW O.K. I won't do it I said. After he calmed down a little said you need a sign and with that he made me the first sign and hung it ware it is today. We have over the years made new ones.

This probably answers the question that hundreds of fishers have wondered. I have marked other spots but not in this manner,I'm sure people must think it is not my place to claim this spot as mine. It just happened out that way, after all his work I did not have the heart to remove the sign and now it stays as a memorial to this fine friend.)

Few other lodges look to find new and better spots, not Black Gold we then and now search for new areas and have had great success, the C.C. HOG WHOLE is an example of this, as is Abs Alley and so many other spots I won't mention at this point. Other lodges and sports boats know if they want to find a new spot JUST WATCH THE BLACK GOLD BOATS!

So remember SLOW AND CLOSE is the ticket!

Kind Regards
Jim & Brenda