Bella, you are just the sweetest thing!

This little gal is tying her first fly and what a pretty fly it is!

Dad says,  ”she’s always at my desk playing with the vise.  Hooks are called “Ouches” and feathers are called “Pretty’s”.  The only time she throws a fit is when I pull the roll top down and make her go to bed.”

Thanks Dad!  Keep up the good work!

ONLY TWO SPOTS LEFT! 

That’s right!  We’ve teamed with Casters Fly Shop and are heading to Southwestern Virginia.

Date: April 24th and 25th, 2010  (there are only two spots  left so don’t delay!)

Price: $625.00 per person (includes two full days of guiding/instruction, all meals and accomodations on Saturday evening in a private and quaint home on the river).

Guides: April Vokey and David Hise

To Reserve Your Spot Contact:

casters@castersflyshop.com

828-304-2400

Fly Gal Danielle first contacted me to help to improve her casting.  We met in a park surrounded by snow and stubbornly worked on her cast…..She was determined!

Already crazy about fishing, Danielle has continued to rock it out there on the water solo and has been spending this cold winter chasing fish in the lower mainland.

Don’t give up Danielle, that steelhead you’re chasing is just the ‘fish in the sea’ you’re looking for!

See you soon,

Ape.

Join us for one of these days and get ready for a day of fun, laughs, and tight loops!

Check out http://www.troutpredator.com/ and stay tuned for a very up close and personal interview that the guys worked up the courage to ask.

Please email me at april@flygal.ca for more information or to book a spot.

Fly Gal Haley excitedly shows off a beauty of a brown trout from a small river in Arkansas.

We love you Haley!  Keep up the good work!

Several weeks ago I attended a Steelhead Society meeting in Langley, BC.

The Society had invited Dr. J.D. McPhail, professor at UBC, to educate and enlighten us with a presentation titled “What is a Steelhead”. 

An older gentleman, he stepped up to the microphone slightly nerved by the abundance of fishermen in the room.  

You see Dr. McPhail, teacher, author and steelhead enthusiast was not an angler, but a sincerely dedicated man truly in love with every detail of the elusive steelhead. 

He loved their genetic make up, their migratory patterns, their history…..one can only imagine how much he would love them if he knew how hard they can pull…

: )

His speech was interesting.  “What is a Steelhead” had us all shrugging our shoulders nonchalantly…..our heads were all silently mumbling the same thing;  a steelhead is an anadromous rainbow trout…..everybody knows that…. 

Naturally, Dr. McPhail had some new information he was about to let us chew on.

Suddenly, it seemed as though words from Dec Hogans “A Passion for Steelhead” met with the scientific knowledge of a University Professor and every angler in the room leaned in closer to listen; every word making us a little less sure of what we thought we actually knew.

He went on to tweak our brains and ease our curiosity about interaction in coastal rivers between rainbow trout and steelhead while cohabiting the same stretch of river. 

He spoke of anadromous fish and the genetic likelihood of nonanadromous fish being a base for our common steelhead.  He spoke of the rise and fall of steelhead numbers.  And he spoke of orientation and the migratory patterns of our local fish.

He was an absolute breath of fresh air and a glimmer of passion in the most sincere form.

Perhaps the most interesting fact that Dr. McPhail educated all of us on was the interaction of the steelhead and the resident rainbow trout. 

To put it in some basic terminology, he went on to explain that as the female steelhead lays in wait before laying her eggs, several male steelhead (including one dominant male) and rainbow trout surround her anxiously awaiting their chance to fertilize.

As she proceeds to deposit into her redd, the “alpha male” swoops in, as do the rest of the waiting fish (trout too) to aid in the fertilization. 

Essentially it’s a major free for all with a “may the best and closest ’spurt’ win” mentality….  Yup, this means that the male rainbow trout is able to fertilize the eggs of a female steelhead. 

So much for all those steelhead snobs who turn their noses up at the “measly trout”.

Now as most of us well know, I am no biologist (for God’s sake I just found out who Gail Shea is like two months ago…..) I just fish.  So let me direct you to a link that may help to make this a little more clear.  For exact data, please contact me and I will put you in touch with Dr. McPhail.

http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/assets/25/4245_06172004_122523_steelhead.pdf   Start at page 42.

Happy reading!

Sincerely,

Ape.

Fly Gal Jorja gives a friendly farewell  to her first fly-caught fish!   Congrats Jorja, you deserved it!

….To all.

And to the rest of us who are playing for the other team this year (don’t worry, you’re not alone), let us find love with that special someone who lets us down regularly, plays cruel and finicky games, and has an eye for shiny pretentious things….our lover, friend and foe…..the steelhead.

(Mathew Moisley photo.)

Just in case this may be something that interests you….

Chasing Silver Subscriptions

Acquisition Competition

(Whew!  Try saying that 3 times fast!)

January 22nd – May 31st, 2010

Win the salmon fishing week of your dreams in Norway or a gift voucher for Eumer.

Prizes are salmon fishing in Naeroy July 24-31, 2010 and salmon and sea trout fishing in Driva August 21-31, 2010.

A third prize is a Eumer gift voucher worth $700.00.

The person who has collected the most points during the competition can choose his/her favourite from the three top prizes.

The person with the second highest number of points chooses from the two remaining options.

The person with the third highest number of points receives the last remaining prize.

The competition points consist of:

• 1 point for a year’s subscription

• Two years’subscription 2 points

• Three years’ subscription 3 points

For example, five new one year subscriptions earns 5 points, or, five new three year subscriptions earns 15 points.

For more information on Naeroy and Driva, see: http://www.karuvaaraflyfishing.com/

The fishing week prizes include fishing and accommodation at the location. With the Eumer gift voucher you can buy tying or fishing equipment, or use it for Eumer fishing services.   All subscriptions received and paid for between Jan 15th 2010–May 31st 2010 are eligible.   The competition is open to all.

Competition points are only awarded for paid subscriptions. Details of the new subscriber you have acquired can be e-mailed to: 

office@chasingsilvermagazine.com   

 or sent by letter to the following address:
Chasing Silver magazine
Viitonen 2021 A
71800 Siilinjärvi
Finland

 
The 30 QUICKEST WILL RECEIVE PRIZES !    The first 30 people to acquire at least three new subscribers will each receive a gift of THE SOURCE TASMANIA fly fishing DVD, or alternatively, THE SEARCH TAHITI fly fishing DVD.   So don’t delay and you’ll receive a fantastic dvd!

In addition, all subscribers will be entered into a special prize draw of a steelhead fishing week in British Columbia in Canada in the autumn of 2011 (From 24 September to 1 October 2011). The week includes fishing, accommodation and meals. Travel to the location is not included in the prize.

Good luck!

Meet Kayla! 

This little gal is crazy about fishing and is eager to chase her dream of being a bush pilot.   You go girl!

Tying her first fly!

Keep it up Kayla!  You are making all of us proud!