The Beach Boys Had It Right

After fishing drinks and stories as the sun sets on Islamorada.

When I was a kid there was one summer when my sister and I, along with the two girls who lived beside us, were obsessed with the soundtrack to the movie Cocktail. In particular, the song Kokomo by the Beach Boys. We knew all the lyrics and would sing them over and over, day after day. I just got home from a trip to Florida, and the first day after Key Largo was mentioned that song popped into my head and would not leave, that one section of chorus a little mantra playing in the back of my mind. That summer we spent singing those words resonates with me as I always envisioned these fantastical places of blue water, white sand and hot sun, where life was pure happiness at all times. I never really imagined that these places where real and that I would ever have the opportunity to visit them. The idea of traveling to paradise always makes me feel like a little girl, and that childhood fantasy of sunbathing on a tropical island with a cute guy by my side has been slightly altered to fishing flats and aquamarine coloured waters in the hot sun, and ending the days having cold drinks with good friends.

 

We never actually spent time in Key Largo on this trip, but we did drive through it on the way to and from Islamorada. Paradise? Yes. While the hot sun part of the dream was a little hit and miss, the fishing and cold drinks with friends part came true. Now that I'm home it still feels like a dream, albeit one I was able to take pictures of and that was shared with other people.

 

There is never enough time on trips like these. I almost get resentful of the time I spend sleeping, as short as those few hours are. I come home and I obsess over the shots I missed, the casts I messed up, the times I did everything right and didn't get a look, the follows that never became eats, the eats that never materialized into hooked fish, and those fish I did get to hand, so strong and beautiful. I lament over the weather and wonder if I fished hard enough. I try to remember the masses of information that were offered to me and hope I can remember it all. I close my eyes and see tarpon swimming at me. I take a deep breath and imagine I'm smelling salty air and tropical flowers. I miss the people I fished, shared laughs and great conversations with, in this case Matt and Bjorn, Davin and Eric. I desperately wish that a year wasn't 12 months long so that our next trip could be starting tomorrow.

 

There are so many stories to tell from this trip, so many experiences to share, and so many people to thank. Kokomo was about a fictional place off the Florida Keys, but for me now, Kokomo is a state of mind enriched by memories that I hope to have the opportunity to make more of.

 

 

Show Weekend!

Show set up Thursday morning.

So happy to see this girl. Love her to bits. Aidan Darby-Miller photo

 

Fly Fusion and IF4 booths.

The Western Canadian Fly Fishing Expo is over, and I can't quite believe it. It was a fantastic show, with attendance at an all time high. The chaos started Thursday morning at Spruce Meadows with the show set up. I showed up early to help with the overall set up, and then helped Josh with the Out Fly Fishing outfitters and Echo booths. Before heading over to IF4, Josh, Stevie, Nick and I stopped at the river to test cast a few rods. We had a spectacular turnout at IF4, and we premiered the most recent addition to the IF4 line up - Sheebang - which was very well received. Afterwords we headed out for a few drinks, and even though Puj couldn't come out to Calgary, he was still there in some capacity.

 

Stevie and Josh testing spey rods.

We missed you Puj!!

 

Ryan and Chris in the M&Y booth.

Patagonia....love it.

Stevie working hard at the Echo booth.

Out Fly Fishing outfitters booth. Thanks to everyone who stopped by!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were a blur of new faces and old friends, seminars, presentations, casting, dinners and late nights. Our booths were all busy as good be, and show attendees were happy to stop and say hi, ask questions and take information. We were thrilled that the Expo silent auction raised over $5000 for Food for the Hungry Canada, and their clean water project in Guatemala. I want to personally thank all of the exhibitors I called to harass for donations for their incredible generosity.

 

The morning commute to Spruce Meadows.

Ape presenting at the casting pond.

Tying flies. Diane Michelin photo

Late night dinner and hockey with great friends.

I was able to crank out a few flies at the OFF booth, and traded a couple for one of Diane Michelin's amazing prints. It was a privilege to meet such an amazing woman, finally. Her artwork is absolutely outstanding - check it out here: Diane Michelin; Fly Fishing Fine Art. Naoto took a set of flies home to photograph, a new pattern I'm calling Candy Stripe. Take a look at them here: Naoto Aoki Photography. While you're at it, flip through his albums, I've been a fan of his photography for years.

 

The first tie of the Candy Stripe.

My beautiful print by Diane Michelin.

The flies for Diane.

Sunday came way too fast, and we ended the weekend by dancing the night away in downtown Calgary. It was so great to see some good friends again, including my amazing April, Nick Laferriere (another amazing artist, designer for Fishbum), Stevie Morrow (Dean/Bulkley River guide, comedian), Ryan Heitz and Roger Baker (M&Y), James Cunningham (North Haven guide and great friend), Rick Whorwood (guide, instructor, fellow GLoomis pro staffer), Chris Seipio (GLoomis/Airflo rep), all the Pieroway boys, and so many more. One of the best things about this industry is all the amazing people. Thanks for another amazing show and more amazing memories.

 

Until next year!!!!

 

 

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

I Have A Confession.

I often think that most fly fishers must have some degree of an obsessive personality. For some its with gear, collecting rods or reels one after the other. With others its tying material, with desk drawers and tupperware containers bursting with fur and feathers and more on the way home from the shop. Flies are a good one, especially my fanatical chironomid fishing buddies, some of who literally have thousands of bugs. Others find their obsession not in the material aspects of fishing, but in fish themselves and the waters they inhabit. Who can argue that steelheaders aren't obsessed? Or that you won't dream about that perfect trout stream for months after your trip, or yearn for that one shot at that elusive permit?

Obsession manifests itself in many weird and wonderful ways with fly anglers. I have to admit I am fully enthralled with fly fishing in its entirety. I love the fish, I dream about fishing and casting, I'm a broke but happy gear slut, flies fascinate me, I'm as much of a sucker for yummy tying material as the next guy, and I sink into a state of depression if I don't get out on the water often. But though I've always known it somewhere deep inside, I hadn't fully realized that I have a particular fishing obsession, that really has no bearing on my ability to fish.

Here is my confession: I am obsessed with hats. In particular, hats for fishing.

I'm moving next week, and tonight I had the intention of doing some packing. I had a couple hats to put back on my bookshelf that I turned into my hat rack, and in doing so took a good look at my collection. I realized that most were stacked two or three deep. So I took them down, one by one, and here is what I discovered:

I own 60 assorted hats, visors, tank hats and toques (beanies, I think, for my neighbours to the south).

I have 8 Sage ball caps and 1 toque.

I have 14 Loomis ball caps and 1 toque.

3 Simms, 3 Scott, 3 Ross Reels, and 5 Michael & Young Ball Caps.

A number of precious onsies, including a No Pebble Mine hat, a Trout Bums hat from the Patagonia movie party in Whistler, a camo Ruth's Chris Steak House hat (ha, I don't eat meat, but apparently this is heaven on earth for steak lovers - their sides, I can testify, are incredible!) and a Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society hat.

12 of them are in various states of camo.

9 are pink.

4 of those pink are Loomis.

Is it wrong that I want more?

I am obsessed.

The big rod.

G.Loomis Greased Line GLX 17' 10/11 wt & 95' belly spey line (custom built by Bruce Kruk).

WOW!

*photos by Greg Wolf