Paddle Meals : Goode Eats

June-July 2000

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Deborah Leach with Linda Goode

Her picture appears on the cover of The Gulf Islands Explorer and in Ocean River Sports promotions. Over a decade ago, living in Victoria, Linda Goode began ocean paddling to explore the outdoors when the mountains were too far away for hiking or skiing. She is a good teacher and mentor-learned from years on the slopes. Linda's nickname is the 'Safety Supervisor'. When we met, I envied Linda's ability to hop in her Subaru after work, launch her Arluk II in Pedder Bay or Canoe Cove and bring home fish for supper. What a concept-free food and drama from a cockpit!

Today, Linda works in the Calgary oil patch and returns to the Pacific Coast to paddle whenever she can. Here are some practical ideas she packs along.

To catch a fish. A great idea I learned from Pacific Rim Paddling for creating a hand line is to make the following contraption. Get about 8" of approx. 1.5" diameter PVC pipe. Tie 20-lb test line around it (perhaps 75-100 feet). Tie a 4 to 5" Buzz Bomb lure to the end of the line (neon yellow & green works best). Get a plastic cap for each end (sold with PVC piping). Put the lure inside the tube, put the plastic caps on the pipe. Now you have a compact fishing line where the lure is out of harm's way.

To find fish. Tie up to a kelp bed and jig (1-2 feet off the bottom) for Kelp Greenling. For Rock Cod, you need rocks. Look for a rocky point (which will probably extend under the water). Or just let your lure hit the bottom. Does it feel like sand or rock? Take extra lures as it's easy to lose them in the kelp and on the rocks. I have also found it helpful to have a knife or small scissors handy to cut lines when they're snagged and just won't let go.

Goode Fishin' and Bon Appetit.

Fresh Fish, Garlic & Butter

Once you've caught your fish, fillet them. Spread a thin coat of butter on each side of the fillets. Finely chop garlic (one clove per fish) to sprinkle over the fillets. Fry to perfection-just a couple of minutes per side, depending on the heat source.

Sunshine Breakfast

Guesstimate 2-3 eggs per person and 3-4 rashers of bacon. English muffins (1-2 per paddler) last well on trips and make for great presentation. It's hard to carry eggs on a trip, and not have them break. To remedy this situation take all the eggs you need, break them open into a wide mouthed container (e.g. a thermos or plastic bottle). The container should be just the right size to accommodate the eggs. If there is space left, the yolks will break. If there is no space, the yolks will not break.

Cook bacon in frying pan-when done, place off to the side. Pour all the eggs into the pan and fry them (use a lid to help the process). When they're done, separate the eggs by carving between them (a bit like serving pie). Add bacon and eat!

Avo Appy for 4

2 avocadoes. Get them partially ripe (they will ripen in about 3 days in the kayak), 1 can of shrimp ranch dressing. Cut the avocados in half and remove the stone. Mix shrimp with ranch dressing (to taste), spoon mixture into the cavity of each 1/2 avocado, serve.

Deb Leach lives in Victoria, BC with her kayak and computer

Editor's Note: In populated areas of the coast, lingcod and rockfish have declined dramatically so be careful not to take more than you need. "Catch & release" sounds good, but many species don't survive when released. Research shows released rockfish often develop an infection and even if they look healthy when released, die within a month. So our advice, if you catch a rockfish, is to keep it (there's no size limit), and stop fishing as soon as you have what you need.