Quick Hits

The time of year has come again, when days are getting long, waters are warming up, and the spey hatch is blooming. For all those addicted to the great sport (?) of spey casting and double handed rods, here are two awesome events to attend in the upcoming months.

Michael & Young Flyshop's Annual Spey Day

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Over the past 5 years, M&Y's free spey day has grown and grown, while still maintaining a easy, low key atmostphere. For those of you unfamiliar with our spey day, there is nothing for sale at this event, which means all you have to worry about is how many combos you can manage to try throughout the day. This event is designed to appeal to everyone, whether you haven't even tried spey casting yet, want to learn the technique for your single hand rod, or have been using a double hander for years. No pressure, no expectations, just a great learning environment and an opportunity to try out rods and lines.

This year we are pleased to have Steve Rajeff and Steve Choate return to wow us with their demonstrations, and offer their tips and encouragement with our own casting. As always, a FREE barbeque lunch will be provided and there will be a draw for some great prizes; the one to watch out for is the Hatch Pulse 9 Mid Arbor reel, generously donated by Hatch Outdoors.

Location: Peg Leg Bar, Chilliwack, BC (directions)

Start Time: 8:00 am

~Vendors~

Sage

Scott

G. Loomis

Redington

CND

Winston

TFO

Echo

Airflo

Rio

3M Scientific Anglers

and more....

For more information, contact the shop via email - info@myflyshop.com or phone - (604) 588-2833

Sandy River Spey Clave

May 14-16, 2010

The mother of all spey claves, the Sandy River Clave is an action packed weekend with demos, presentations, and lots of gear to drool over. This year the Friday (May 14) is once again devoted to the ladies, with a number of great presentions by some incredible women - Kateri Clay, Amy Hazel, Mia Sheppard, Denise Maxwell, Dawn Fischer-Chou, Whitney Gould, Nicole Darland, Mary Ann Dozer, Katherine Hart, Anne Tatum,  and Rachel Andras. Oh, and me. The Saturday and Sunday will follow the usual format of great meals, great presentations, and lots of fun.

For more information please go  to http://www.flyfishusa.com/spey-clave.htm

Beach Fishing Photos

Ready to head out.

Great rock structure.

The jet ski pushed the fish in, lots of grabs at this point.

Sometimes you can ride over the waves...

Sometimes you can jump through them...

And sometimes you have to dive right through them.

Better keep that back cast high.

Everything comes together.

Fly Fishing in the Surf 101, Pacific Coast, Mexico

If you find yourself in a tropical destination on a trip not planned specifically for fishing, there are still some incredibly fun opportunities to be had. My last two trips to Mexico were family trips, and both times going prepared resulted in some great experiences. Here are my tips:

Gear:

Fast action 4 piece 8 wt

Anodized, large arbor reel

Ttropical floating line

Tapered leader

Tippet

Fly box full of weighted white, olive/white, chartreuse/white streamers

Medical tape (for casting and/or stripping blisters)

Bikini or swim trunks

Suntan lotion

Do NOT wear a hat or sunglasses, you will lose them, wear goggles if you want eye protection

Location:

Any beach, preferably near rocky outcroppings/jetties where you can stand at least some of the time JUST past (or sometimes exactly where) the waves are breaking

Time of day:

Doesn't seem to matter too much

Waves and wind can sometimes be worse in the afternoons

Tides:

Doesn't seem to matter too much, as long as you can cast your fly into the clean water if the waves are stirring up the sand

Prerequisites:

Ability to tread water

The guts to dive through waves

Enough endurance to cast and strip flies like a maniac

Power to cast into the wind

Procedure:

Find beach

Walk into water until you reach the point just barely beyond where the waves are breaking

Start casting

Allow the fly to sink for just a moment

Retrieve fly in 6-12 inch strips at a rapid pace right up to the leader

Cast and repeat

Dangers:

Waves - all waves will not break at the same point; often bigger waves will break out further, meaning you may have to run and dive into said wave (make sure your rod goes into the wave butt end first); after riding over or diving through waves, the water usually gets deeper, sometimes requiring you to tread water momentarily (or requiring you to make a cast with your head under water: yes, it happened)

Wind - for some crazy reason, the wind is rarely at your back, so be careful not to hook yourself while casting into the head winds

Fish - after being nearly run over by a puffer fish, it came to my attention that some fish may have the ability to cause you harm, and became much more attentive to the water directly around me

Ocean floor - especially if the water clarity is bad due to sand, there are all sorts of shells, rocks, fish, and other sharp, pointy, poisonous things that roll around down there; not much you can do about it, so good luck;

Sun - wear suntan lotion and don't stay out all day, nuff said

Action:

All over the map, but generally can count on at least a few grabs, if nothing else

At times some incredibly fast fishing

Size of fish:

Generally very small, but pound for pound they usually fight great

Other notes:

For every fish you hook, you will probably have at least 5 times that many follow and grab the fly 

Hooking to landing ratio is about the same

Find your fly during the retrieve, the fish sit very close to the surface and will follow the fly almost right to your belly button

If they turn away because they see you, throw another cast at them they'll often turn and chase it again
Always always watch the waves, the last thing you want to happen is to get tossed upside down in churning water, end up with your head buried in the sand and then realize you broke the one rod you were able to squeeze into your luggage
The fish tend to travel in schools, so the action may be fast and furious for a little while and then die off only to pick up again fifteen minutes or half an hour later, so tough it out

Eenjoy the full body workout, and give yourself time for a siesta afterwards

Name These Fish

Sometimes It's Good Just to Get Outside...

Pitt Lake

Harrison Lake

Lillooet River

Fraser River

Fraser River

Stave Lake

Allouette Lake

Allouette Lake

Stave Lake

Fraser River

Can You Hear The Call?

Finally read The Call of the Wild, by Jack London. Have to say I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting, and it definitely got me thinking. Buck's gradual transformation from domesticated pet to wild animal and his quest for dominance reminds me in a vague sort of way of the two "civilized" fisherman, snarling at each over who got to the run first. Or the guy who wants to be known as the "greatest fisherman alive" and therefore terrorizes everyone else with tall tales of his fishing prowess while delivering snide, derogatory comments in regards to anyone else's abilities. I picture Buck, disciplining the other dogs while stalking around with his nose up and chest puffed out.

I think anytime a creature is taken out of their comfort zone, into a place where survival means being smart and tough, they are forced to revert to their baser instincts. Even for fisherman, this holds true, although a dog struggling through the Yukon wilderness in the dead of winter with little food or rest is much more of a life or death situation than some decked out fly angler making the drive from downtown Vancouver to the Vedder. But there is still that element of returning to the wild, being surrounded by nature and all her unpredictibilities and participating in an act that has been practiced for centuries. The further away from "civilization" we go, the more aware we become, our senses heighten, the more alive and alert we are. The urge to triumph grows strong, to survive the biggest goal.

Curtis and I took a drive up some old logging roads last week, and within an hour from home were gazing overtop pine trees, with lakes a thousand feet below and mountains stretching into the horizon  nearly at eye level. Yes, we were so close to home and in the safety and comfort of a big truck on a well maintained gravel road, but still I could feel my lungs opening up as if I could breath bigger and deeper breaths, my eyes strained to soak up the details in my surroundings, and those little nagging, everyday worries and insecurities just floated away. Curtis has been on several stone sheep hunts, the last he drove for 20+ hours, boated for a few more, then hiked up 7000 ft of mountain with little more than his bow and a bivy sack to reach the alpine with the world laid out before him. On top of the world literally, as well as figuratively - the element of risk involved and the need to protect your very exsistence results in the most incredible sense of accomplishment. When he got back his words were "You will never feel more alive. You feel like there is nothing you cannot do."

I imagine that's how Jack London's Buck felt when he listened to his primordial instincts.

And I'm going to go on the next sheep hunt.

Quick hits...

Congratulations are due for Sarah, who now officially holds the Women's IGFA 8kg Line Class World Record for Roosterfish. Ever since she saw Running Down the Man 2 years ago, Sarah has been dying to catch one of these spectacular fish. And she did it in style last August on her honeymoon.

I'm so proud of you!!

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Since the guiding season is at its slowest point, Curtis is able to spend some time playing on the computer, and has made these 2 clips (with limited footage) of two of our favourite rivers. Enjoy.

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And thank you to everyone who responded to my previous blog post. Several blogger friends confessed to me privately that I am not alone in my apathy. Re-examining my post I see that I do appear to take it too seriously (a habit I exercise elsewhere in my life) and my intention was not to write a depressing post but rather one to help clarify my feelings, if for only my own sake. After all, its just fishing! A dear friend, Joel, who introduced me to blogging on the now defunct website "Fish Frontiers" sent me this message, which is how I intend to proceed with this site.

"A blog is nothing more than the word bubbles in your head, except released onto a web page. It's supposed to be fun, not a chore. It's an O-U-T-L-E-T. Don't worry about writing what you should write, or what Moldychum, Trout Underground or April Vokey are doing. Release whatever (you're) thinking/feeling/loving/hating/wanting."

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And finally Happy New Year everyone. Thank you for sharing a small slice of my life with me, and may you be happy and healthy in 2010.

Now go fishing.