A Few Lessons Learned

Bjorn feeding tarpon at Robbie's.

Good sunglasses with the right lens colour make a huge difference for spotting fish, something I usually suck at. I've had good glasses before - Maui's and Smith's and Kaenon's. I recently got a pair of Maui Jims with the HT (High Transmission) lens, and I spotted more fish than I ever have before, anywhere.

 

Invest in quick dry underwear. It's fantastic to have all the lightweight, quick dry pants and shirts you can imagine, but wet underwear stay wet. For a long time.

 

Spend as much time on your feet as you can before you go. Otherwise, after two days standing on the bow of a flats boat trying to keep your balance your feet and ankles will hurt and swell up like they've been smashed with a sledgehammer.

 

Short shots at fish are almost harder than long shots. Okay, not almost, they are harder.

 

Apparently I say "out" and "about" funny. Never knew that.

 

Driving with Bjorn is likely to result in some... we'll call them "slight detours".

 

One of the greatest things you will ever experience is hand feeding the tarpon at a place called Robbie's in Islamorada. If you ever want to feel like a little kid again, you need to go and experience this.

 

Fishing for Oceanside tarpon will RUIN you. You will get home and not be able to think of anything else, except the fish you saw and had shots at and had follow your fly, and getting back there to do it again.

 

More to come...

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.

 

 

Introducing the Hatch Finatic

I do loooooove Hatch Reels.

I just saw a real life version of the new Finatic today, and it looks so good! Super smooth, tough, and an incredible drag - what more do you want in a reel? Well,  now it's lighter.

The perfect reel.

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

Spey Rods, Spey Reels, and Lines - Oh My!

Have you ever been to a spey clave/spey day/spey gathering? I've been to several - all the M&Y ones and the past two Sandy River Claves. What are these events, you ask? Here is my interpretation: a gathering of like minded individuals to watch, learn, cast and meet new friends. There is an incredible mix of experience levels, from the rank beginner who has barely single hand cast let along thought about spey cast, to some of the best casters in the world. These events are not intimidating in the least - everyone is there for the same reason.

Last year's event.

The M&Y Spey Day started off small - around 50 anglers attended the first year and grew to nearly 200 in attendence throughout the day last year. As usual, we will be having this year's clave at Peg Leg Bar on the Fraser River in Chilliwack, around 20 minutes from the Sumas border crossing and 15 minutes from the Vedder River. The day will start at around 9am and wrap up between 4 and 5pm. This year the executive chef from Queen Charlotte Lodge has kindly volunteered to whip up some fabulous breakfast for everyone (be there at 9:30!) and as usual we will be providing a bbq lunch.

A crowd gathers to watch a demonstration.

Featured demonstrators this year are Tim Rajeff of Rajeff Sports (Echo, Airflo), Steve Choate (world champion spey caster) and Steve Rajeff (G.Loomis rod designer and undisputed best distance caster ever). The day's itinerary hasn't been finalized yet, but there will be several other demonstrations throughout the day.

Product reps such as Chris Seipio (G. Loomis, Airflo, Ross, TFO), Peter Morrison (Sage, Rio), Al Belheumer (Scientific Anglers), Jack Cook (Guideline), Pro Staffers Roger Baker (Scott, Hatch), Tyler Kushnir (CND), Dan McCrimmon (Guideline), M&Y staff Ryan Heitz, Dave O'Brien, Aaron Goodis, Tim Arsenault, Lawrence Vanderven, Steve Morrow and myself will all be on hand to help you out, whether it be matching a line to your rod, finding a new rod, trying a new cast, or just learning to cast in the first place. There will not be any product for sale at this event! The idea is to have a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere - so you don't feel any pressure to pull out your wallet. All the reps and pro staffers will have demo lines and rods to try, so make sure you bring your waders and boots!

Way Yin captivates the crowd.

Directions to Peg Leg Bar can be found here. If you have any questions call the shop at 1-800-663-6407 or email info@myflyshop.com