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Anglers from all over the country converged on Queen Charlotte Safaris Lodge for the Berkley Grand Slam Tournament in the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia, August 12 through 14, 2007. The brand new Queen Charlotte Safaris Lodge did a fine job in hosting this first annual event and there will many more to come. The service, hospitality and professionalism from lodge owners, Ron and Valerie Hoperich, was incredible. As always, they made us all feel right at home. Ronnie Kovach and I have filmed many episodes of Fishing Ventures Television in the Queen Charlotte Islands for FOX Sports Television and it is always a pleasure to return, especially to film this huge Berkley event.
Tournament director, Larry Lowman, had a big job in keeping tabs on the daily and total scoring. “Grand Slam” means competitors are given points for a daily catch of at least one each of King or Silver Salmon, Halibut, Ling Cod and Rockfish. Catch each of these varieties in one day of competition and you are awarded a “Grand Slam” for the day. With three days of fishing it is possible to capture three Grand Slam’s for the tournament. For those competitors doing exactly that, there are additional rules for tie breakers
Official tournament host and organizer, Ronnie Kovach, provided daily seminars at the lodge for all of the participants to assist them in catching their Grand Slams. Tips and techniques from Ronnie proved to be quite beneficial to the tournament winners and runners up. The Berkley Saltwater Gulp! products combined with lead heads and other delivery systems such as the Luhr Jensen Deep Stinger and new Williamson Abyss jigs were the hot ticket especially for the Halibut, Lingcod and Yelloweye Rockfish.
Anyone having fished coastal British Columbia or Southeast Alaska even in the summertime knows the weather can often be cool, damp and breezy. Since this area is a temperate rain forest, there can be light rain and cool weather all year long. But this was not the case for our competitors this year. Bright sunny days were on tap for the entire Berkley Grand Slam tournament.
About the Queen Charlotte Islands
The Queen Charlotte Island archipelago consists of 150 islands located 90 miles off the central British Columbia coast. It is the main group of islands just north of Vancouver Island and is easily accessible with a non-stop flight from Vancouver, B.C.
The two main islands of Graham and Moresby are separated by the Skidegate Narrows. Queen Charlotte Safaris Lodge is located in Sandspit, British Columbia, which is on the eastern side of the Charlottes. One will get to know the Skidegate Narrows very well because each morning and afternoon you will take the quick and exhilarating ride through this very scenic wilderness. Expect to see bears, deer, eagles, sea lions, whales and other wild life along the way. I have always said this daily ride alone is worth the price of admission.
One of the many advantages of fishing from Queen Charlotte Safari’s is that this very scenic and protected ride through the Skidegate Narrows to the west facing side of the Queen Charlotte Islands is all protected from the weather. We then arrive at the Cartwright Sound and fish entirely in wind protected areas. The Chinook or “King” Salmon as well as Silver Salmon (Coho) are abundant along “The Wall,” along the north side of Skidegate Point. Our guides were quick to point out the local hot spots along The Wall with names like Moose Tooth – Start Up Bay – Coho Point – and my personal favorite, “The Meat Locker.”
The King Salmon fishing is the main attraction in the Charlottes but in my opinion, diversity is really their claim to fame. The rock fishing along the west facing side of this majestic island chain is completely off the meter. One thing Ronnie Kovach and I have in common is that we cut our teeth yo-yoing or casting and retrieving jigs along the Orange County coast. And this type of fishing is unbelievable in the QCI. This great fishing made for an enjoyable and very productive Berkley Grand Slam Tournament.
The Winners
Joining us for the Berkley Grand Slam were Dr. Michael Ho and his eleven year old son, Spencer, from Honolulu, Hawaii. This was their second trip to Queen Charlotte Safari’s. Young Spencer really got with the program winning second place overall as well as third place in the Salmon category. This father-son team did very well as Michael also won third place in the Ling Cod category. Well done!!
Other overall winners were Mark Swartzell from Sierra Vista, AZ, Patricia Ynda, Pico Rivera, CA and Mike Stevensen, San Marcos, California. For more information and a complete list of winners of the Berkley Grand Slam Tournament click here!
On tap for all participants during the awards ceremony and dinner were thousands of dollars worth of prizes from generous sponsors including a return trip visit to Queen Charlotte Safari’s donated by Ron and Valerie Hoperich.
Many thanks to Ron and Valerie for their hospitality as well as Tournament Director, Larry Lowman and all of the great Queen Charlotte Safari’s guides and of course our excellent chef, Joe Harben. Queen Charlotte Safari’s Lodge can be visited on line at www.qcsafaris.com or by phone at (877) 815-2892.
(Danny Jackson is the producer of Ronnie Kovach’s Fishing Ventures seen weekly on FSN West and FSN Prime Ticket)
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