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Start Thinking About 2003
The first odd year of the new millennium was great. Start
thinking about 2003!
A full moon during the first Saturday in August indicated
big tides for weekend fishing. Very fortunately, the sometimes-unfriendly
big Pacific rushes in Juan de Fuca Strait were tempered by
Mother Nature's kindness -- calm winds. The date had been
arranged and a day of serenity was anticipated, to a reasonable
degree, in the two days we checked all forecasts before the
awaited outing.
If I seem nervous, I always explain to potential new partners
that they understand my religion.
I am a Coward.
Devout and practicing...
West Coast water is most enjoyable, as with others in my parish,
when it is like pee in a plate. We do not mind, as the forecaster
describes the waters, "rippled." Long and gentle four-foot
swells are bearable.
However, things like "ugly . . . small-craft warning . . .
fog . . . big breakers" . . . and wrong-way winds that transform
tides -- the Pacific's usual green-blue -- into frothing white
are conditions me and my flock do not appreciate.
The proud people -- parents and grandparents -- may not necessarily
be the best fishermen around, but use the "pink year" as opportunity
to treat the young tads. My daughter was four when she caught
her first salmon, a silver-bright six-pound coho. My two grandchildren,
now 14 and 16, were four and six when they caught 10 fish
during an action-filled three hours in Juan de Fuca. The girl
wanted to keep going but I knew better than to sun-fry a pair
of young 'uns in that outing 10 years ago. Troy and Brittney
each caught five fish in their first fishing experience. It
was a mixed bag of six pinks, three coho and one mackerel.
Remember, it was their first-ever stab at fishing and they
lost more than 15. And it wasn't always their fault, which
you would understand if you know the leaping of coho, the
twisting and jerking of the other species fresh in from the
open Pacific. It was non-stop action.
Fishing for the mighty Pacific chinook (kings or springs),
can be exciting when they are around in large numbers. And,
yes, certainly when you hook into one. Generally, however,
there can be long periods of wondering and inactivity. Or,
if you want the honest truth, boring. Fishing for pinks and
coho does not give you those long gaps of nothing.
That's why I started my team when abundance was assured.
Pinks, sockeye, chum and coho intermingle in Juan de Fuca
between June and October. In my area, coho could not be retained
this year, and that was a pity. They were around in huge numbers
but federal fishing politicians ruled against keeping coho
-- even hatchery coho -- in the area between Victoria and
Sooke. Yet four or five miles from my favorite pink/coho/sockeye
tides around Race Rocks Lighthouse, Americans in their Juan
de Fuca territory could keep coho.
But I digress. It really was a good "odd year." And I needed
that.
Since last November and through to April, my shelf was without
canned smoked salmon for the first time in 40 years. I had
to become a "meat hunter" in August. I now have the salmon
I will use through to next spring. I am not big on keeping
fish in the freezer for any length of time. For one thing,
my wife and I prefer her recipe for salmon loaf or patties
made from the sockeye and coho canned for me. Other species
of salmon I catch is smoked and canned. Canning is an easy
road because I discovered St. Jean's Cannery in Nanaimo 40
years ago. St. Jean's has canned all my salmon since the early
1960s. The exceptions are fresh salmon, particularly sockeye
and coho, that I will drop into the freezer for a barbecue
or two. St. Jean's caters to recreational anglers and I haven't
experienced a single mistake in 40 years. Plus which, Gerard
St. Jean gives me more time to fish because I don't mess or
fuss with the canning process.
My smoked supply always disappears quickly for several reasons.
First, we enjoy "dipping" into a great pate, thanks to a recipe
my wife discovered many years ago. As well, we surround some
cans of smoked salmon in a basket with crackers and various
cheeses and send them off to friends and family as a gift
to "open before Christmas". Some relatives now expect their
"Care Package" in mid-December. I will also pack some smoked
salmon into my luggage on most trips. A can or two may be
used as a tipping alternative, or to offer new friends and
business associates.
The youngsters have had their fun and my shelves look decent,
thanks to August. If you need future excitement, or would
plan a treat for the tiny tads, remember 'the odd year." It
always comes, and so do the salmon. It is a great time to
fish Juan de Fuca.
Copyright ©
Ernie Fedoruk retired in 1996 after a 47-year journalism career as an outdoors and sports columnist, has just completed
14 years as director/officer of the Outdoor Writers of Canada,
also was director of the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association
for 11 years. His passion is fishing – to find and to
protect – and insists his greatest contribution as a
conservationist is incompetence.
Ernie Fedoruk Freelance Journalist
1867 Neil Street Victoria, BC, V8R 3C6, Canada
phone:(250)592-4438 fax:(250)592-7090
e-mail: efedoruk@islandnet.com
To purchase Ernie Fedoruk's column for publication, please
contact efedoruk@islandnet.com
For previous articles by Ernie Fedoruk, click on the links
below:
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