Annual Report 2024

I’m back home in Campbell River and have spent the past week relaxing, taking care of my wounds, compiling all the data and reflecting on the season.

I keep detailed notes on weather, gear, miles traveled, fuel burn and catch counts every day for all my groups. It’s a great tool to look back on year after year to follow trends and project what’s ahead for next year’s adventures.

Here are some fun stats you were apart of:

Catch counts: Chinook 233 / Coho 117 / Halibut 51 / Ling Cod 48 / Rockfish 109

Processed filets: 3,492 lbs = 58.2 lb pp…. over the goal of 45 lb pp

June 8 – Aug 29 NM travel: 3,187 nautical miles (over the distance between Vancouver – Toronto)

Fuel burn: 9,870 liters

Fishing hours: 902

Filleting hours: 162

Wind and weather are tough to grade but I’ve invented a formula based on the daily opportunities the ocean allows me to travel to my plan A, B, C, D or E to start the day. Based on 2024 the ocean gets a B which reflects the extra poundage clients were able to take home. More often than not I was able to take my clients to my 1st or 2nd plan which in past years mother nature has suggested otherwise due to wind.

Chinook fishing was on fire all summer long, we probably released 2x the fish we harvested, and this bounty provided us with some epic battles. While the coho fishing ended strong, June and July fishery wasn’t what it was in 2023.  Aug 1st when offshore opportunities opened, it became apparent that the coho had been traveling offshore. With us being on a “Hatchery only” retention we still got multiple hook ups with these bountiful salmon to enjoy.

Halibut fishing was nothing short of “OUTSTANDING” a couple factors played into this. First being the ocean getting a B grade which allowed us to get on anchor frequently and 2nd, I only saw 1 commercial longliner set the whole summer. Hopefully with continued conservation efforts this bounty will remain strong for years to come. We managed to harvest 4 halibut right on the 126cm limit and had 25 catches between 115 – 125cm. Honorable mention to the big 155 cm, 115 lb halibut released in mid-August…

Lingcod and Rockfish get fished hard year after year and yet they still produce good catch numbers when we target them. In the coming years during shoulder seasons, I’ll be offering 2-day packages that solely target these species on the west coast, so stay tuned.

What’s to come for 2025?

Well, my fishing addiction is stronger than ever and I’m looking to expand my offerings. There will be some strategic planning involved when I put together next year’s charter dates from feedback I’ve received and opportunities yet to be discovered.  One addition is 7 groups will be 4-night packages. On these charters there will be 3 full days fishing and no half days, day 1 is a late afternoon pick up and head to the lodge for dinner and bevies. Final day we wake up, have breakfast, pack your fish and head back to Zeballos. This option will allow for the possibility of catching earlier ferries to travel home, higher potential catch count as we have 3 full days on the water vs 2 and allow the captain a travel day to help with the summer grind. The 2 half day 2 full day will still be an option as well.

There will be 3 groups blocked off Aug 28 – Sept 10 for tuna charters, details will be elaborated on leading up to next season. For those that don’t know we have Albacore tuna swimming 40 – 60 miles offshore from mid-August to mid Sept. These will be 4 to 5-night packages and be limited to 3 clients per trip, this is for the hardcore fisherman as you will be working the whole trip, but the bounty is worth it. I will be taking single anglers or groups, if you feel like this is something you would like to experience, send me a message and I’ll add you to the list of potential anglers.

I’m releasing next year’s charter dates on Oct 15th and groups will be sold on a first to commit basis. As past and returning clients you will have first access to pick the dates and charter options before I advertise with the public on Dec 1st. I did have multiple groups interested in potentially growing their group and adding a 2nd boat, if this is your wish then you will need to be organized and commit early so I can secure another guide and boat.

I understand that not everyone is on social media but if you are please follow us @kingslayerfishingcharters on instagram or  @kingslayercharters on facebook or the website www.kingslayercharters.ca

To help me market globally I’d appreciate it if you would take the time to post a review of Kingslayer Charters on Google. All you need to do is click on this link and it will only take 2 min of your time https://g.page/r/CUSXBiNYtpd9EAI/