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Fishing
on Salt
Spring Island
by
Keith Newman
When planning your getaway to Salt Spring don’t forget to pack fishing rods. Salt Spring Island is surrounded by waters teeming with
sea life and also has many well known lakes including the
renown St. Mary lake.
Surrounding
saltwaters hold numerous species of fish and seafood for the recreational fisherman:
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Salmon
can be found all year in the waters around
Salt Spring; Chinooks are consistently
caught all year, with pinks,
sockeye and chum runs here in late
summer.
Active Pass is a favorite fishing spot
for all species.
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Crab lovers
won't be disappointed with Ganges
Harbour.
Its muddy bottom provides ideal habitat for Dungeness and Red Rock crab,
large dungys (8”+) can be found in only 40 to 50 feet of water.
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Prawns are abundant
in rocky bottoms areas north and south of Salt Spring.
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Oysters,
clams, ling cod, rock cod,
and sea cucumber are other species that can be found in our waters.
NOTE before eating oysters, clams or any other bivalves check with the local coast guard office for
PSP/red tide closures (paralytic shellfish poisoning).
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Freshwater
fishing is great!
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Rainbow
and cutthroat trout, and small mouth
bass are found in St. Mary lake.
St. Mary is a jewel among lakes, it is
a shallow lake, flanked east and west
by sheltering hills making it ideal
for flyfishing. The shallows,
and there are lots of them , are chock
full of bass easily fished for from shore.
Over the years the lake has coughed up
some trophy bass up to 7-8 pounds although
the average is about 1 1/2 pounds.
Three - five
pound rainbows and cutts are routinely
caught both baitfishing and flyfishing.
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Other noteworthy lakes include Cusheon,
Weston, Stowell, and Blackburn.
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