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

Last weekend I headed over to the Mountain River Fly Shop www.mtnriverflyshop.com to visit with friend Steve Dally, do a little fishing, and teach a ladies learn to fly-cast class.

The women were fantastic, Steve was a hoot and fishing…..well, you can call me the rainbow queen, but I’m still waiting to catch that damn brown trout!

A short photo recap (photos by Steve Dally).

Everyones favorite….knot tying.

So serious!

Daughter teaches Mom…

Mom pouts.

Who says learning to cast isn’t fun!?

She was a natural!

Can hardly contain the excitement!

You go girl!

If you can control a stick, you can control a fly rod.  Rid of intimidation from the start.

Thanks ladies!  You were all amazing!

We will be having another ladies learn to fly-cast class on November 7th.  There are only several spots left, so don’t wait too long to book!

Contact Steve at the Mountain River Fly Shop at 1-870-435-6166 to reserve a space.

Hope to see you soon,

Ape.

I suppose it was only a matter of time before I tried my luck at the Great Lake Steelhead.

Good friend Paul Castellano with Cast Adventures (www.castadventures.ca), a guide on the Niagara River in Ontario, had been busting my chops for the past year, trying to rid me of my wild steelhead snobbery to give his fishery a try.

Castellano with a nice Niagara River Steelhead.

I’d always wanted to see the Niagara River; it’s monster rapids and multitude of species intrigued me, so it didn’t take too much persuasion when it came time to choose a destination for an episode of Fly Nation.

Never would I have imagined that I was about to witness one of the most incredible rivers I had ever seen…..

The pictures of Niagara Falls truly do not give it justice.  It’s bright blue water, and majestic water falls leave me at a loss of words (yup, that‘s actually possible).

I had two missions on this trip.
1)  Catch Great Lake steel using West Coast swinging tactics.
2)  Get my casting certification (CCI) at the Spey Clave that was being held that weekend.

On the first day, Castellano brought us to a magnificent fishing spot.  Like a scene fresh out of Jurassic Park, the water swirled in a dangerous pool and the lush green brush cascaded down towering rock walls.  It was incredible.

Truly spectacular.

It was hard to get a swing with the ever changing water levels and deep swirling water, and it soon was clear to me why I was the only knob at the pool with a Spey rod and sink tip.
Indicators, glo-bugs and split shot seemed to be more of the theme here…..
Damn.

Stubborn as all hell……Tying streamers when I should have been tying……

……These!  (Josh Nugent photos)

The East Coasters put on a clinic!  I couldn’t believe how many fish these guys brought to the beach.
It was evident why Castellano was said to be one of the top guides on the river.

The next day, Castellano loaded us into his boat, and we hit the river again.  I was determined to get one on the swing.
An hour, two split shot, and an interesting snake roll off the bow of the boat later, I had finally hooked and landed my first Great Lake steelhead caught on a swinging fly.  It was awesome!

It’s on!  Swing vs. drift…. (Naoto Aoki photo)

The highlight of my trip though?  Freakin’ carp!!!
Never did I think seeing a carp would have me fumbling so bad that I’d forget how to cast, but a school of 40+ pounders did exactly that.
I wasn’t able to hook one, but you can be damn sure that I tried!

With mission one accomplished, it was off to the Grand River Spey Clave.
I’d spent the entire week sweating bullets, as I had registered to take my CCI exam through the Federation Of Fly Fishers.
Friend and fellow angler Neil Houlding had opened his home to me and had spent the evening helping to keep me relaxed and confident.  But with Simon Gawesworth as one of my testers, it was hard not to be nervous.  Blowing head winds, a crowded park, and rolling cameras didn’t do much to help my nerves either.

Almost four hours later I passed my exam.  (Sigh of relief….)
A swig of whiskey with Gawesworth and a celebratory dinner with the guys ended my trip with a bang and, before I knew it, I was on a flight out of town.

The steelhead got my respect and the anglers got my attention, but it was the Niagara that got my heart and the Niagara that will keep me coming back.

Hey ladies! Need a quick vacation? Have a look at this…..
Space is limited so please book soon!

Women’s Weekend Getaway!
September 19 &20th 2009
(arrive Friday evening, spend Saturday and Sunday on the river, depart Sunday evening)

Join April Vokey of Fly Gal Ventures for a two day women’s fly-fishing retreat, including all meals, accommodations, instruction, and scenic jet-boat tour.

Inclusions:
-Two 8 hour days on the river (learning to fly-fish and fly-cast, while fishing for salmon in the Fraser River).
-Shore side Barbecue on the river each day.
-Accommodations at The Fraser River’s Edge B&B www.fraserriversedge.com
-Breakfast (Saturday/Sunday) and dinner (Saturday). Welcome cocktail and appetizers on Friday night.
-Jet boat transportation to and from the fishing site and a scenic jet boat ride up the Harrison River.

Cost:
$480.00 (Can) per person
(prices do not include GST or fishing licenses).
www.fraserriversedge.com/promotions.html

CALL 1-888-FLY-GALZ or email april@flygal.ca to book a space.

Offer expires June 30th, minimum 6 people must book.
50% deposit required at time of booking, cancellations policy at the following link: http://fraserriversedge.com/rates.html

Wow.  The “Girls just wanna have fun” song is repeating itself inside of my head.  The worst part, is that it’s singing in my head with the same scratchy nasal voice of Ms. Lauper and it’s causing me to sing along with it.

We recently had our ladies learn to fly-cast day and, my goodness, what a day it was!  In a months forecast of rain and snow, somehow myself, eight other ladies, and a little lady in training, were able to coax Mother Nature into hooking us up with some serious sunshine.

Ape teaching on a beautifully sunny day.

The day was hot, the wind was minimal, the burgers were juicy and my ladies were a riot!

Learning knots.

I always have a hard time chatting over a table to a group of fiery women who are chomping at the bits to get a fly rod in their hands.  Half an hour into theory, I notice eyes wandering and we scoot to the field to laugh with each other and intimidate the passing fishermen unfortunate enough to have to walk by us to get to the run.

Paying close attention.

It always amazes me just how quickly the female population catches on to fly-fishing.  Sometimes I sit on the sidelines with a grin on my face, proud as all hell watching them concentrate on their rod tip, and count their timing aloud.  This is why I love my job……

This is why I love my job.  Damn, they made me proud.

So four hours later, goodbyes were exchanged and hugs were given, most of them eager to return and master the double haul.  I hate seeing them leave, as the female angler in me wants so bad to establish the most kick-ass, hard-core team of female fishing buddy’s around, but I wave “so long” and just hope to be able to see them again on the water.

Keep your eyes open, there are some fierce anglers on their way to the water!

On this note, I would like to introduce you to Aaron Goodis, one of the most skilled anglers, certified casting instructors and Spey casters in the lower mainland.  Manager of a fly shop for years, he has a resume both on and off the water that would make your head spin.  He’s also quite sincerely one of the best photographers I know.

Aaron Goodis holding a serious slab.

Aaron has been a saving grace when it’s come to perfecting my Spey cast, and over the past two years, he has taught me more about casting than any other angler I have had the pleasure of fishing with.  He is hands down the best teacher I know.
We are fortunate to have Aaron join us in putting on an awesome two day Spey casting course on April 25th and 26th.  The two of us will be there, starting you from the ground up, helping you to learn everything from the basic fundamentals, to casting long-bellied lines, and everything in between.

For those of you who don’t know what Spey-casting is….. it’s the latest craze amongst the angling world!  A method of fishing that requires very little back casting room, very little strength and lots of distance, it is suited perfectly for many of B.C.’s large and rocky rivers.
Done right, this sport is gentle on the body and ideal for those who experience shoulder and elbow discomfort

The Spey rod is longer than the single hand rod, typically ranging from 12-15 feet in length, allowing the angler to control the drift/swing of the fly with ease.

Typical Spey set-up (photo by Kate Taylor).

Here is the outline:
In this two day course we will teach students, both beginners and advanced, the mechanics of Spey-casting and how to make these long rods do the work for you.

Course Outline:

Day One (Introduction):
-Brief discussion about proper equipment choices and fly-line selection
-Casting demonstration #1- Building a proper cast; the roll cast and switch cast
Students practise
-Casting demonstration #2- single Spey cast
Students practise
-Casting demonstration #3- double Spey cast
Students practise
-Demonstration #4- fishing the fly (mending and fishing techniques)

Day Two (Advancing Forward):
-In depth discussion about rods and lines
-Explanation of different casting and fishing styles, including Skagit and long bellied lines.
-Casting demonstration #1- tighten up those loops! (The V shaped D loop)
Students practise
-Casting Demonstration #2- the Skagit cast
Students practise
-Casting demonstration #3- the West-Coast drop
Students practise
-Casting demonstration #4- casting/fishing traditional long belly lines
-Brief description of different fishing techniques.

Learn to Spey-Cast Workshop- Lunch Included
Dates:
April 25th and 26th in Chilliwack, BC (Fraser River)

Details:
8-10 spots (only four spots left!)
8 hours
$90
Instructors: Aaron Goodis, assisted by April Vokey

Please email me at april@flygal.ca for more info on booking for this class!
Peace,
Ape.