adventure magazine adventure magazine PADDL E FACE S
JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE ON A KAYAK TRIP DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN’T EAT LOCALLY, ORGANICALLY, FRESH AND WILD, SAYS ROB LYON
A Forager’s Manifesto F
ishing for food embodies much of my truth as a kayaker. For me, sea kayaking and fish-
ing are natural adjuncts. We sea kayakers tour for a lot of different reasons. But in my book, a week of tasty fish fillets is one of the best. Take, for example, a recent trip to the Brooks
Peninsula. My friend Steve and I had spent the better part of the afternoon paddling and fishing in vibrant seas, tepid sun and vagrant autumn breezes. Alone on the remote northwest coast of Vancouver Island, we had paddled ashore to fly fish the mouth of Battle Creek for coho salmon. Te only action we had was one feisty buck
salmon jumping multiple times five feet in front of us. With the tide pushing in, the wading was dicey; waves and surge pulses hit us randomly and threatened to knock us over. We got back in our boats, pushed off and
spent the last hour trolling Battle Bay hoping to find a fish or two hanging out up top. When it looked like fate would surely give us the stiff we pointed our bows toward camp half a mile distant. But dragging those flies, mind you, ev- ery stroke of the way. Steve was well ahead of me and my mind
was drifting toward the beers we’d stashed in the creek when I looked up to see a salmon leaping repeatedly around his boat. I reeled in my line, dug hard with my paddle, and watched as Steve reached back for his rod and waved wildly in my direction. It was an extremely long fight and nearly
dusk before he finally had the fish in his lap. We stashed the fish in the rear hatch and pad- dled ashore, while I envisioned salmon fillets grilling over a little driftwood fire. Te perfect end to a day of kayaking. I love ocean kayaking in a coldwater para-
dise like this, camping and fishing day after day, night after night until my inner savage is stilled, my “wild quota” is met once again. Te way I see it, just because we’re on a kayak trip doesn’t mean we don’t try to eat locally, organically, fresh and wild. For me, tapping into seafood resources completes the kayaking experience. Sure, I bring along a few freeze-dried meals
Gersh gurndy morn-dee burn-dee. PHOTO: BRUCE KIRKBY
36 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SUMMER/FALL 2010
for when I’m too wiped out to cook, but for the most part, the staples we bring are intended to complement a seafood buffet—sautéed onions and garlic and carrot with a little red cabbage and apple salad over Basmati. If the fishing turned out to be a total bust, I’d be looking at a lot of low-cal dinners.
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