Sangster and Lasqueti Shoals

March Brown

The morning sky was turning yellow over the sunshine coast when we finally reached our destination. Our 11 foot rods were already rigged with "Riptide Strikers." We were using 145 gram Original Strikers because the water is deep off the "Sangster Wall" and we were going to keep these lures near bottom. With any lure less than 125 grams, it is hard to feel it touch bottom in 200 feet of water. Coho salmon will often prefer the upper 50 feet but chinooks are always found deep. It was a good year for chinook salmon, but finding them off Texada, Sangster or Lasqueti still takes good planning and chart study.

The underwater shelf that stretches from the south end of Lasqueti Island is shaped somewhat like a big foot with toes extending into Georgia Strait. Between these" toes" are the deep trenches that form feeding stations for salmon and ground fish. Chinook salmon usually stay near the edge of a drop-off to feed on bait that drifts over the ledge. Underwater currents provide a steady flow of food for the predators. there's a narrow trench on the edge of the shelf between Sangster Island and Lasq