Even after a long day of paddling, we are still excited to drop our line in the water in search for dinner. Though the BC coast is most known for its salmon, jigging for cod is a quick and reliable means to a meal and is our main form of fishing. We find a patch of kelp where fish gather and drop a line. Jigging for fish means we drop the hook and buzzbomb lure all the way to the bottom and then raise it a bit then let it flutter back down. When the lure is fluttering back down, it looks like a small, struggling fish and irresistible to bigger, hungry fish. This is then perfect for the even bigger, even hungrier kayakers!
Here’s a teaser from previous trips for some of the fish and marine goodies we will find during our paddle around Vancouver Island this summer:
A big rockcod Bryan caught in Cow Bay, Flores Island, Clayoquot SoundThe many types of rockcods are some of the most common groundfish found in BC waters. Rock cod, aka rockfish or Pacific snapper, is not actually a cod fish nor a snapper! It’s called a cod because of its similar traits – firm, white meaty flesh. Rockfish (Sebastidae) is a family of marine fish in the order Scorpaeniformes, like the beautiful but toxic lionsfish found in the tropics. Consequently, the quills on rockcod have a mild toxin that makes any wound by them really hurt.Pacific cod is the only true cod found in BC waters. Pacific cod is considered the world’s second-most abundant white fish. We only found it in Telegraph Cove on the north end of Vancouver IslandLing cods are hunters on the rocky seafloor and can get really big in the ocean. Their flesh looks a little blue raw, which disappears with cookingLingcod’s scientific name, Ophiodon elongatus, really describes this Pacific species of fish. The Greek “ophis” for snake, “odons” for tooth, and the Latin word “elongatus” or elongated really describes this serpentine monster of a fish!This lingcod took me for a ride, pulling my kayak for 500m, as I was landing this fish!Ling cod is actually a type of greenling fish that is popular with anglers because they can get really big and they really fight. Greenlings are a family of fishes known scientifically as Hexagrammidae that are commonly found on rocky North Pacific shores. They are really colourful – the males are more colourful than the females. Here I am with a couple of the more generic greenlings that are quite common in BC waters during our 2010 kayaking trip to Alaska.
The bounty from the sea is not only fish. We also harvest shellfish, crabs, and seaweed!
Vancouver Island by Kayak 