Salt Spring Island, BC

Hey, I'm new to this site.  I met Allen out at the REI paddle fest a few weeks ago.  It was great to see all those kayakers scratching their heads (sometimes a lightbulb would appear) when they saw Allen's yak all decked out.
Myself, I started out as a shore fisherman and have slowly graduated from waders to a WS tandem cadillac yak.  It's slow but there is plenty of leg room.
Spend most of my time trolling for Silvers in Puget Sound.

Anyone fished out or around Salt Spring Island?  I'll be headed out that way over the 4th of July.  Any pointers about tide rips or currents would be appreciated.
At first glance the tides look very flat.  Then I read the part about the height of tides is given in meters.

Thanks in advance,

Kurt

Welcome fishbyte!  Nice to see you here.  I've never even heard of Salt Spring Island, but perhaps one of the Victoria guys know a something about it.

I'd love to hook up with you sometime for silvers on Puget Sound.  Let us know when you're heading out.  I'm sure some of us would join you.

-Allen

We took a eight day trip last year to Gabriola Island, it was one of the best trips I have been on. The rock sculptures alone were worth the trip and the oyster beds were second to none...we filled our traps with huge crab and fished into the night catching Rock Bass and Ling Cod....I still day dream about that kayak trip.....I believe Salt Springs is right below  Gabriola Island and should be just as good...as always be smart and watch the tides and weather...Jim L

Thanks Jim and Allen.

Jim, what time of year were you there?  The weather looks clear for now, We'll keep an eye on it as always.  What did you use to catch the lingcod? 
I have used herring on the Washington coast and just mooched near kelp or cliffs.

Kurt

 We were there in April and we hit the ling and sea bass on 4 inch twister tail jigs  off any drop off in 70 to 80 feet of water lot of the time when reeling up a small rock bass a ling would hit the bass and hold on to it until there head was pulled out of the water so if you were quick with a gaff you might get a bonus ...so bait might work well but not neccesary..anyway it should be a awsome trip..good luck

Hey Fishbyte, welcome to our site!

Allen I can't believe you haven't heard of Saltspring Island?   It's practically the best home grown "ciga-weed" in BC!
Or at least that's what I'm told by my brother-in-law...lol.
What you might not find while reading in books and the internet is that many of the hippies from 60's & 70's settle on Saltspring Island and they literally changed the way we ate organic produce.  Today it's a lifestyle, but back then, people thought it was weird when you say you grow your own fruit and veggies organically.

As for a quickie on info. chk out these two sites:

http://www.saltspringvineyards.com/location.htm
http://www.saltspringtoday.com/visitors/about_saltspring_island.asp

Jim's got it all right on the rocks and lings.   Hitchhiking lings are a blast.  I rarely fish herring anymore these days, but it's a proven method.

VP, I'm guess not as up to speed on my local hippie geography as I should be.   

-Allen

Thanks for the info on Salt Spring Island.  Wow!  There sure are a lot of organic folk over there.  We stayed at the Fulford Inn.  Nice rooms but the plumbing is a bit inconsistent (to put it mildly).  The price was good.

The kayaking was awesome! We spent most of the time paddling around instead of fishing.  The only thing we caught besides dogfish and a sea cucumber was a nice quill back rockfish.  Not from lack of fish but mostly lack of experience.
Guess  I need to put more trust in those rubber jigs. 4" twister tail jigs must be those 1/2" dia rubberized worms with flat tails?  Never tried them (guess I need more practice with lingcod / bottom fishing).  I was going to target salmon bit the only marina selling salmon stamps was sold out for our stay

One things for sure, kayaks are sure quiet on the water.  Paddled around a point and thought we heard a woman in distress. Opps!  Our mistake, we really didn't mean to interrupt.  Just trying to help
Had a god time sampling the local wines, foods and making new friends with the locals.  All in all a great adventure.  If you have a chance go, check it out. Paddling on the Southern tip around Ruckle Park is worth the trip by itself.

Hummm! I might be able to pick up some lingcod pointers at the Neah Bay derby?

Thanks guys,

Kurt

Sounds like a nice trip.

Curly tail worm is the middle lure.  Fish it with or without that skirt thingy.  I use these lures for lingcod so they're 7-10".  Size down to 4-6" for rockfish.  Lings will still take the small offerings too.  And yes, you can see all these in action at Neah Bay!

-Allen