Fly Gal Contest Winner!

Thank you ladies for all the wonderful photos and stories that each of you took the time to share with me!

Each of you is truly an inspiration to me and other ladies of the sport and deserve to be recognized as “bad-ass women of fly-fishing”.

Choosing a winner was harder than hell, though with careful deliberation I feel that the woman I’ve chosen to take this contest down has worked damn hard to get to where she is today!

Congratulations Pat Horn of Missouri!

Here’s the story as told by her hubby….

“My bride of 32 years is Pat Horn.   No silicone here!  hahaha!   As a matter of fact this special lady has quite a story behind her.   She is three years out from breast cancer.   A mastectomy, reconstruction, chemo and radiation.   Like I said no silicone, as she opted to use part of herself in the reconstruction  ; )     I had somewhat introduced her to fly fishing and she liked it.   I had read where she could apply to Casting for Recovery http://www.castingforrecovery.org/ she did and was accepted the following Fall after her treatment.   What a deal!   This turned her into something else. It was good for her mentally, physically and secured me a fly fishing partner forever. We both are volunteers now for the CFR cause and helped out with the retreat last Fall.
Attached are some photos of Pat. One of her with a local farm pond’s surplus for dinner which she helps clean. A series of shots from our vacation last week where she caught at a small stream in Utah. Pat said as she set the hook “Give me the net, I can do this myself”.
Ape I am a lucky man.”

Marty and Pat Horn

Thanks Pat for being you!!!

Other bad-asses that deserve mention:

Geneviève Fournier from Quebec

“Hey April,

These are three photos of fishing on the Alness River in Scotland. I
feel like silly connecting this story back to a guy, but this is the
first time I ever felt like a bad ass fishing chick.  I was living a
broad in Spain and I had left my boyfriend back at school. He was my
fishing buddy.  He was there when I caught my first fish, he helped me
pick out my first rod and he gave book after book about the the rivers
in Utah. When I found out, I no longer loved him, this first thing I
did was escape. I was shocked to find the only place I wanted to be
was on the river.  On a whim I decided to hop on a plane and ended up
in Evanton Scotland, a tiny town with two pubs and a fly shop, forty
five minutes outside of Inverness.  It was my first time using a spey
rod and my first time fishing without him. When I got on the river and
my guide handed me a 15 ft. 10 weight Rod. I looked at it and was
thinking to myself, “How the Hell am I going to Cast this thing?”  But
once I experienced the sheer power of the rod, I knew I was hooked.
After fishing three days sun up to sun down in the freezing rain, I
got my first Atlantic Salmon! The hunt, the struggle and the victory
left me in tears.  I don’t think I’ll ever have a more joyous moment
than pulling in my big beautiful hen out of the Alness river!

Thanks,
Christin Aucunas”

Ashleigh Paulk with a beautiful trout from Spring Valley Anglers www.springvalleyanglers.com

Anna Riggs teaching a new generation of fisherwomen the joy of the sport on the White River in Arkansas.

Jenefer Smalley (she’s one of my favorites)

“So This BAD ASS Beauty was caught off shore Lacey off Langara Island in the Queen Charlottes.  So PIMP!! (as Yos would say!!)  This was one of the best days of my life!  It was a dream come true to catch and release a Tyee!

Hooked line and smashed her it was all me!  I’m a DIE HARD Bad Ass man and I would love that hoodie and street cred haha!!

I’m relatively new to fishing. All it took was two summers in the Charlottes with the boyz workin hard, fishen hard, gettin ragged on for farmin fish…then proving myself with my Tyee and many other incredible Salmon.  I now own a 5 pound test fly rod which I have put to the to good use and caught some lil beauty’s on this summer.  I have found my true calling/passion…through fishing.  I’ve heard you speak and share your passion. There’s nothing like the challenge and pay off of a successful battle and release.

UPness,

Smalley”

Jeanette Lark

“Hi April,
I hope I’m not too late to enter the contest. My name is Beth Godin. I live and fish in Vermont. Not only am I a bad ass fisherwoman, but my toy poodle is too! (See her behind me in the carp photo!) No…she is NOT Musky bait! Don’t get any ideas!  : P

I have the great fortune of being engaged to a fly fishing guide and been “used” (oh poor me!) as a scouting partner. We fish for many “unusual” (well unusual for VT) species such as gar, carp, bowfin and sheephead. I really enjoy the sightfishing aspect of targeting these fish and I don’t think I’ll ever understand why anyone would just sit in a boat or on a bank waiting to feel a tug…how boring!  Fly fishing engages all my senses and many interests. From photographing and viewing other wildlife, to getting a fun and good workout rowing the canoe around. And of course having fun adventures with my fiance. We plan to go to Belize for some flats fishing for our honeymoon! I almost am more excited about that than the actual wedding!

And I agree with you…I’m not at all against fishing bikini babes either. You can catch some nice bass in a bikini top…and man, does it feel much more comfortable on a 90 degree day on Lake Champlain than some fancy SPF infused expensive shirt! Ventilation flaps? So what…You get some extreme ventilation in a  triangle top!

Tight lines (and tight knots on those bikini tops! Wouldn’t want to pull a Janet Jackson while fighting a big carp!)
-Beth”

Terry Polk

“This is my Mom who is an amazing woman all around, but who really shines on the water…She sent me my first rod when I was living in Colorado and I was missing the water, never realized that the best fishing is a long ways away from the Chesapeake Bay sometimes. Anyhow her and her husband travel pretty much every chance they get to hike and fish.  She says, the best thing about trout fishing is that trout live in the most beautiful places in the world and we get to visit when we fish.

I’m attaching a couple photos of her in Idaho and Oregon where she has a little fishing cabin. She is the real deal and outfishes the boys a lot of the times we are out. Well, there you go!

Hope you like these, regardless of whether she wins or not.  Oh and she just called and wants me to add that not only is she a mother, she is now officially a fishin’ grandma. The last one is a pic of the family, me, my lil sis, my mom and stepdad fishing the Wallowa near Hells Canyon in Oregon.

Skoal!

Martin”

Sarah Exton is a hard-core angler who travels the world in pursuit of fins.

“Hey April,
My name is Stormie Tench.  I live in Northeast Georgia.  I have only been fishing for about a year now.  My boyfriend got me into the sport.  The photo that I have entered into the contest was a picture that was taken the first time I went fly fishing.  Although, it took half the day for me to even hook one of the rainbow trout, and it wasn’t the biggest fish, I was so proud of myself!  The feeling of hooking onto a fish is so awesome!  It is very exciting.  I enjoy this sport and want to continue learning all the techniques.
-Stormie”

Caca Zarif-Pires

“Hey April,
Robin from Portland here!
Hope you are doing well, here is a picture of me on the Deschutes that
my husband took.  It’s always been one of my favorites.

Robin Healy”

Danielle Will- Simms Field Testing Coordinator

“I am super proud to be a fly fishing woman. I am competitive in nature (usually just against myself) but I drive along the rivers, watching people fish and 99.9% of the time it’s all men. Ever hear the song, “Anything you can do I can do better”? Well that songs starts up in my head and I get excited. I get excited that hell yeah I can do that just as well or better.

I am super stoked on more and more women joining this amazing sport and will do my best to push the development of new and improved WOMEN’S products.

By the way-ever going to make it to Bozeman one of these days?”

“One look at my picture and you might not think that I qualify as a “bad-ass” angler, but I can hold my own, even at the age of 49 and standing all of 4’11″ tall. (I’m sure I would never get a job as a model at that height!)

Mini Fly Gal….

My girl Rebekka!

Ginger Rowe

“I wish this was a better pic, but here she is…. your bad ass girl!   She is my sis, and she is the one who got me into fishing!   If it weren’t  for her, I never would have picked up a fly rod! Like I said, not the best pic but she IS BAD ASSSS!”

Shannon Beall of BC.

“As for being a bad ass I am soooo not but…  I am happiest with a cold wind
at my back and ice forming on the guides.  They don’t call me “Blue Toes”
for nothing!  Love ya girl, can’t wait to catch up, Shannon.”

“Hi April,

This was taken of my first steelhead fishing trip up at the Salmon
River in NY in February.  I had been having a bad couple of weeks due
to a miscarriage and a cut in hours at my work, but my husband, an
avid fly fisherman, insisted that we continue with the trip.  It was a
great idea — being on that river, hooking several steelhead and
bringing in a few, I was able to take my mind off of current events.
I was very proud to land this one — the biggest fish of the day.

As I said before, my husband is a big-time fisherman, and going out on
the rivers with him has been a great way for us to spend time
together.  I’m still getting into the sport, but each fish I catch
brings me a little closer to being a true “flygal” myself.

Thanks,
Alicia Michels”

True Fly Gal Susan, who is about as bad as they get!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PHOTO OF HER HOLDING THE BOAT WHILE THE BOY STANDS BY!

Caitlin Patrick

“These pictures are from my trip to Alaska to fish on the Agula Pak river off of Lake Nerka. The trip was amazing, spending 8 hours a day on the river, I caught lots of fish and had a great time with my guides, especially Nick and Isaac English.

The first picture is with a 22in grayling. Caught with an adams.

the next two were a 19in grayling caught on a nymph.

The last picture is a 22in char caught with an eight weight and a streamer, put up a good fight.”

Val Young fishing the morning midge hatch while waiting for
her coffee.  She is no slouch with the flyrod either and will outfish
the boys on most days.

The wonderful, fish crazy T-Bird (Teresa VanWinkle).  This gal is beyond kick-ass!  Her fly-tying skills speak volumes and she fishes more days than most.  Damn you’re hot T-Bird!  Keep rockin’ the nails baby!

My guide from the Queen Charlotte Islands;  Sumiko Sakiyama.  Sumi’s my favourite guide so far!  If you’re heading to the Charlotte’s anytime soon, look for Sumi…she’s guaranteed to make your trip excellent!

“Hey April!!!   I am entering this photo because it is something a little different compared to fishing in waders! I am a salt water fishing guide in the Queen Charlotte islands, ten hour days in all sorts of weather hunting the elusive chinook salmon.  This day it was blowing 30-40 northwest, we are actually sitting in a 17 foot boston whaler waiting for a chinook bite! These days are pretty crazy, fighting the water and when you do get a fish on it can get pretty interesting when the fishing guide can barely even stand in the boat!   I am super proud to be a “bad ass fisher girl” because I am able to spend time with people from all over the world, share that amazing adrenaline filled feeling of landing a giant salmon and show them a piece of BC that holds a special place in my heart.  And to top it all off, I am just a little girl in green Hellys!”

“Hi April!  Well I saw the contest on your blog and thought I would share my fav of the few pics that I have of me.  I am on the water here in New Brunswick on the Dungarvon with my husband over the July long weekend.   The HUGE smile on my face is because I just busted out a beautiful double spey cast and I  was so  damn proud!  I had been practicing for what seemed like forever and my hubby has been so patient with me since I started fly fishing with him this year. I love to fly fish because it is something g that we do together as a couple, we have been together for 7 years now and just celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary on August 9, 2009. We are already planning our 10 year anniversary trip to Patagonia or Alaska, I can’t wait, and yet I can, I need more practice!  I’ll be learning to tie flies this winter and will be sending in my creations for Flies For Fins.  This chick loves fly fishing so much that my husband now fears he has lost his Meiser!

Kickin’ tail in NB,

Kristy Arnett”

“Hi April!

I decided to send in a picture for your awesome Fly Gal contest. Still enjoy reading your blogs…and thanks again for all the advice you’ve given me!

Photo Attached:

Jessica Ruskin with golden trout, caught in Cherokee, NC. 19 inches and approximately 4 1/2-5 pounds. Caught on a hare’s ear nymph. My husband (who has been fly fishing since he was 10 and taught me to fly fish) and cousin had been attempting to catch this particular trout for hours while I was away shopping with my mother. I met up with them later for some fishing, took 2 casts, landed the fly right in front of this fish, and screamed in delight as I realized I’d actually hooked up with this beautiful trout.  She put up a hell of a fight; I was actually shaking when I landed her.  Please excuse the fact that my husband is in the picture – we forgot to bring the net, so he had to help me land the fish.

I’m proud to be a bad-ass woman of the sport because it allows me to prove to my husband that I can clean house and decorate, have dinner ready every night, dress up in a cocktail dress for a night out, yet still kick his ass out on the river. It gives me a chance to take part in a beautifully creative art form and is quite an amazing stress reliever.”

Jessica Ruskin

Proud Mother Adriana (above) and daughter, Tyla.  While fishing for chub and other little critters, Tyla (6) managed to hook this sturgeon and landed it on super light tackle and 8lb test!

This is a family who truly loves spending their time together on the water!  Check out Adriana’s lodge on the Fraser River at www.fraserriversedge.com

“Hi April,
My name is Caitlin Gifford, Im nineteen and have been fishing since I was
six. My home waters are the Bow River in Calgary AB and thats where I
spotted this brute.
I work in a fly shop full time during the summer and part time while I’m
at the U of Calgary, I literally don’t remember a part of life that hasn’t
been centered around fly fishing in one way or another. As soon as he
could my Dad threw a fly rod in my hands and I haven’t put it down since.
I’m a “bad ass fishing chick” because thats what I was born to do, I talk
fish all day in the shop and fish on my days off. I’ve traveled the world
in the name of fish from Mongolia to Cuba and many more to come. I fly
fish not only for the catch but also for everything in between, the cast,
the fly, the laughs, the eat. It’s my world!
On a side note check out the shop blog at
http://countrypleasuresff.blogspot.com/
for Bow River/southern Ab pics and such.
Thanks and if your ever in Calgary we should hit the river, there’s
nothing better than dry fly fishing for big ass browns on the Bow.

Caitlin”

Kaylin Bickle with an awesome Alaskan rainbow.

The one submerged was my largest GD…32lbs…largest they have caught there…about 40lbs…girl power!

Anyhoo—just enjoy the fish porn…

Cheers,
N”

I am Louise Dunn from Arkansas.  Here are a couple of my photos I am submitting for this contest.  This 22 pound brown was caught at the Bull Shoals Dam on the famous White River.  This is my once in a life time fish!!  Or maybe not.  What a day!!  It was the most thrilling day of my life to cast to this beast and have him take the fly and have the rush of my life when landing him.  Not to mention being the only woman on the river and have all these fly fisherman stand and watch in amazement.  This is my bad ass fly fishing adventure!!
Louise Dunn

PS- I had to just throw in this photo.  One of my favorite fly fishing destinations.  Alaska,
What a week of being in one of the most beautiful places on earth, and to catch these huge trout,  one after another, and to be so fortunate to be fishing with the bears what an adventure!!
Thanks Louise”

Me, proudly teaching two young fly gals at a trade show in Abbotsford.  These two ladies picked it up so fast!  I was beyond impressed!

Well, there you have it folks!  Some seriously kick-ass ladies who help to make the sport more enjoyable with that feminine touch….

Damn, I’m proud!

Hope to see each of you on the water!

Ape.

Talk ‘n Wade, Walk ‘n Wade

I know that the last thing most of us want to have to do while trying to enjoy a peaceful day on the water, is to have to answer our cell phones.

Unfortunately, escape isn’t always quite that simple and we’re forced to at least carry our phones with us to the river or lake.

How typical does this scene sound?

You’re fishing a primo run, and shaking ‘cuz you know there’s a beauty in there.  You cast, swing, wait…..and get that sick feeling in your stomach because there’s a disgustingly intrusive sound screaming from the inside pocket of your Simms.

Your cell phone.

You reach in to answer and fumble the stupid thing;  It now mocks you in three feet of water reminding you that you can look forward to spending another couple hundred bucks on a new phone.

So when the guys from Accessory Geeks www.accessorygeeks.com offered me a solution to drowning my phone, naturally I was interested.

It’s called a DICAPac WP-C20 Waterproof Cell Phone Case for Flip Phones (they also make one for phones that don’t flip out) and it’s designed to keep your phone free from destruction in the event that you slip up while trying to take a call.

I’ve tried out this crazy looking, glorified plastic bag, and must admit, it’s pretty cool.

Similar to a transparent  dry bag, specifically designed to fit your phone.  Here’s the kicker; YOU CAN TALK AND DIAL ON IT WHILE IT’S IN THE CASE!

Accessory Geeks make a bunch of cool water-proof products ideal for fishing.

Your digital SLR?  No longer be afraid to take photos in the rain….

Check them out and save yourself the hassle of stocking up on ruined cell phones.

www.accessorygeeks.com

or contact Gary at garygeek@gmail.com

Their Face Book page is www.facebook.com/pages/AccessoryGeekscom/35293019830

Arkansas Meet April, April Meet The White…..

Every so often in a woman’s life, there is a calling to do something a little crazy (ok, so maybe it’s a little more regular than every so often)…..

Women acting crazy?  Nah…… (What the hell am I doing in this picture anyway?)  (Brian Niska photo).

See, I believe in living life with no regrets, staying true to yourself (and your heart) and living every single day as though it were your last.  You never quite know when your time will come, and you can be damn sure that you don’t want the last thoughts that run through your head to be thoughts of regret.

Sometimes it takes one of these to make you realize just how important those things are…

Head-on at 200km combined speed on the freeway.  Courtesy of a drunk driver who opted to drive after a late night party.  I was heading to the lake to go fishing, trailer and boat in tow….

3/4 ton Chev takes on my little Toyota.  Poor thing didn’t stand a chance….

My accident from last year that opened my eyes.  The result?  Appreciation!
Always find a positive through the negatives, no matter how hard it may be at times….

Remember that fishing is not about the race to the river, nor about the mere bite of the trout.  Life is about enjoying these experiences as a whole.  Treat each day as though it is your last and savour every raindrop, cool breeze, laugh and moment.  Savour your friends, your family and yourself.
For in a world when each breath you take may be your last, believe me when I tell you that these are the things that you will wish you had taken the time to cherish and the time to love.

Dana Vokey (my little sis) taking it all in.  This girl’s the epitome of appreciation.

Anyhow, enough preaching.  Let me get back to my point….

So when my heart called me to spend some time away from BC and venture into the unknown terrain of the South, I opted to get a little crazy and take the leap.
So long as the steelhead weren’t running, I was quite content chasing after trout and bass in good ‘ol Arkansas.

Colby and I found a cute place to stay on a small Spring creek and arranged to teach and aid the clients of Spring Valley Anglers www.springvalleyanglers.com to help them improve their angling and fly tying skills.

Two happy clients in Arkansas (April Vokey photo).

We packed our bags (and kennels) and temporarily relocated to the land of Southern drawls and ‘sweet tea’.

Heading down South.

Naturally, as word spread through friends of mine, stories of the White River found their way to me and began to plague my mind.

The White is famous for its gigantic brown trout, and I was itching to see one.  I had never managed to land a brown, and still had yet to see one in person.

Thankfully, word had also managed to spread to the notable guide and writer, Steve Dally of Mountain River Fly Shop www.mtnriverflyshop.com

Steve is an Aussie who found himself relocating to the USA almost a decade ago.
Perhaps he understood what it feels like to be the “new kid in the neighbourhood” because he sent me a welcome invitation to try and break my brown trout curse.

Steve is one of those witty people who’s able to balance an intelligent sense of humour with just the right amount of dry sarcasm.
This is the sort of guy that I could find myself getting along with…..
We booked a day to hit the water.

Steve Dally working the motor.  (Rebecca Dally photo)

Steve maintains a fantastic blog called Splashes With Fishes www.splasheswithfishes.wordpress.com
I thought I’d let him tell you how our day was in his words….

In the words of Steve Dally…

The cast splashed down deep into a nook in the bank, right where it needed to land.
The mass of wool, marabou and steel composing itself into something fishy enough to attract the interest of the Lord of the Eddy.

Ape casting a fly the size of roadkill, and a sink tip that would make BC steelheaders blush (Steve Dally photo).

The fly sashayed its way out into the current with a BIG shadow below and astern, and closing. It was at about this time I lost my guide cool.

“Strip April, Strip, Faster!  Strip, Strip Strip,” echoed across the water in an Aussie accent….

It would only be later that we got the giggles, as we were both intent on that fish; the one we were after, tracking the fly out further and further, into the current, and right up to the stern.

Here I thought it would have turned away, but now it followed all the way to the rod tip. This brown was not boat shy.

How big? I’m a chronic under estimator when it comes to fish in the water, but it had mid-20s length and big girth; probably 10+ maybe more, it doesn’t really matter.

April’s eyes were huge, and words were coming in a rush. “I didn’t know trout could be so predatory!  Wow they aren’t like rainbows at all.”

And this wasn’t the only monster brown we would meet.

I knew of the April Vokey internet sensation, Simms calendar pin up, fly fishing ubiquitous “hot chick”, television presenter, and the subject of a popular Face Book group “I want to fish with April Vokey”.  All other opinions were based on a few photos, gorgeous though they are.
Since I’d heard she was going to be in the area, I started a little research which lit a fire to get her connected to a White River trophy brown.

April and Colby on their way to ‘the spot’ with Steve.  (Steve Dally photo)

Far from an internet creation, the real April Vokey guides in British Columbia, running rivers and offshore. Here was a person crazy enough not only to go trout fishing just after emerging from the hospital with screws and plates in her foot (courtesy of a major car wreck), but heck doing it out in the back of beyond, and lugging a film camera.

Here was a fish-rat crazy enough to cast monster streamers in the Arkansas humidity all day long for a crack at a trophy brown.

She casts better than I do single handed, and I’m trying to work a trade for her to teach me Spey.
In short as they say April’s  “bonafide” and a kindred spirit.  Even better, she and my lovely wife Becca hit it off a treat; to the point where April could harass me about my word selection when that monster brown chased that fly.

“If only we could get him to stop asking me to take my clothes off…”  April joked, referencing my continual demands of “Strip, strip, strip…”
The girls were shaking with hysterics, and I’m scrambling to defend myself. Ratbags the pair of them.

Poor Steve getting picked on by the girls….

Sometimes it’s the friends you make on the water that overshadow everything else.

April and Colby share a romantic Titanic moment.

But I badly wanted to get her her first brown trout, and a big one at that. We fished hard in all the zones that had been producing, for a handful of rainbows, a few better smacks and quite a few trees.

No animals were harmed in the making of this blog.  (Steve Dally photo)

Then as the day faded I picked up a stick to try and help focus our efforts, running a big Zoo Cougar, trying to stir up a fish.
It was then that I found an aggressive feeder; a big yellow slash shining gold as it missed my fly.  We retied the yellow Zoo Cougar onto April’s rig and ran back upstream for another pass.

Damn, I was thinking, it’s gone as we floated over the zone.
It was then that I heard April say softly, ”I’m on”…

Her 6wt bent hard. It had to be a brown, head down and doggedly pushing towards the tree line. She held that effort and we worked the fish to the middle of the river.
I took a breath at this point, thinking now we had a good shot, when mysteriously everything went slack. Those big browns have mouths of bone and a secure hook set is hard to achieve.

Last fly, last run, last light (Steve Dally photo).

That’s fishing.

Nope I didn’t come away with a pic of “The April Vokey” holding a big brown, but Bec and I had a really cool couple of days fishing, yakking and laughing with April, Colby (her St. Bernard/Coonhound cross), and her friends Adam, Phil and Dalt.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a tower of midges!?

Do you have any idea how many of those got stuck in my lip gloss?

There’s always a shot at another big fish-  oh yeh she’s coming back and we are due, but kindred spirits are a greater treasure.

Steve Dally
________________________________________________________

Thanks Steve!  We love you and Becca too!

I will be teaming with Steve and the Mountain River Fly Shop to put on a ladies learn to fly cast workshop on October 10th and 11th.  I will also be at the Arkansas Conclave Oct 2, 3, 4.
Stay tuned or contact me for further details.

For regular blogs by Steve, check out splasheswithfishes.wordpress.com
And for regular reports on the White and the Mountain River Fly Shop, check out mountainriverjournal.wordpress.com

Special thanks to Gary Flippin for letting us borrow his boat rimshoals.com

For The Love Of Iceland

I remember the first email I ever exchanged with Icelander, Rafn Valur Alfreðsson.

I couldn’t pronounce his name, and I certainly couldn’t pronounce his river, but the rest of the text was clear.

April, my name is Rafn Alfreðsson and I run a lodge on the river Midfjardará.  We would like you to come to Iceland to put on a women’s school in June next year, are you interested?

Iceland is famous for it’s incredible scenery and world renowned Atlantic salmon fishing…..Of course I was interested.

The lower and flatter half of the “Midi”.

The deal was simple……  Eight days, four of which were my own personal fishing days and four of which were to be spent instructing, guiding and laughing with twenty-four lady anglers from around the country.

The school was to take place on the third week of June, making fishing tricky, as June 19th had been opening day and the fish were scarce.

The commute from Oklahoma to Iceland was an interesting one to say the least.  I was traveling alone, at times feeling like a contestant from the Amazing Race.
Connections, insanely lengthy layovers, and underground trains to off-map terminals kept my tired eyes alert, testing my navigational skills.

Finally, I settled into the cozy seats of Iceland Air.

Nearly 24 hours later, the breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean kissing Iceland’s green fields filled my window and our plane descended.

It was obvious I was in a foreign country.  The toilets flushed differently, the electrical sockets were funny looking, and the language surrounding me was one of a kind; quite literally.  (Icelander’s have their own language and even their own letters.)
Try pronouncing one of their words one day….make sure there’s no one in front of you, ‘cuz they’re bound to get wet.

My guides name was Jonni (pronounced Yonni).
A quiet, reserved, handsome, early forties, local, Jonni had woken up early to be at the airport for 6am.
(Side note:  During these months, Iceland doesn’t get the slightest bit of dark even once throughout the evening!  There’s something strange about being able to get a sun tan at 3 o’clock in the morning….This said, they have set fishing rules, and it is illegal to fish past a certain hour at night).

Jonni’s face said it all; ‘it’s opening day on the Midfjardará and I’m stuck here picking up some high maintenance, over hyped blonde chick….’

Yup…..this one.  (Photo by Larus Halldorsson.)

Jonni didn’t know it yet, but we were about to become extremely dear friends.

Jonni you’re a babe!!  I miss you buddy…… (Vokey photo.)

The truck ride to the river was two hours long and I hit Jonni with 1001 questions.  This was the most beautiful country I had ever seen!

Ocean view, volcanoes, rolling hills, gin clear water and picture perfect waterfalls told me that if the fish were as beautiful as their surroundings, that I had found heaven.

Cliff top view of the “Midi”.  (April Vokey photo.)

We headed straight for the river in true Vokey all-nighter fashion.  Man, I’m starting to get too old for this whole live without sleep thing…..

The first run we hit up was a flat, steady flowing piece of water that required no more than a short roll cast.  Our flies were small and everything that I had imagined fishing for Atlantics would be.

‘Oooooh so romantic!’  I squealed to myself.

The “blue box”…

Arriving at the run.  (Vokey photo.)

Cast, strip, cast, strip, I worked the run and moved step by step through the pool.

The run widened and my casts lengthened.
I cast, adjusted my footing, and then looked back at Jonni to ask him question #1002.
His eyes almost popped out of his head; he was looking straight past me.
Idiot girl had missed a nice sized salmon splashing at her fly.

“Damn!!!”  (The censored version).  There was no need to be disgusted though, for Jonni was disgusted enough for the both of us.
He shook his head and looked down.

Great start.

I tried at that fish for another ten minutes before Jonni took the rod from my hands.

Three casts and his rod was doubled over with the perfect specimen of a fish jumping on the other end.

Bastard.

My, uh I mean, Jonni’s first salmon of the season.  (April Vokey photo.)

The day went on and we hit countless other pools.  Every so often I’d close my eyes to take it all in….I was in Iceland!
For me, this was a dream come true.

Our rig.  (Vokey photo.)

Near the end of the day we hit a long run, and I cast into the head of the pool.
I recognized pools like this one from the steelhead rivers in BC.

I cast.  Only this time instead of stripping, I let my steelhead instincts set in and prepared to let my fly swing through.

“Oh my God, this run is money”, I said to Jonni, anticipating a tug.

Sure enough, a large mouth broke the surface and my small black fly was engulfed by a magnificent fish!
I raised the rod tip and prepared to battle.
It jumped, ran, splashed and turned for close to twenty minutes.
I was getting my ass kicked!!!

Eventually I landed my first Atlantic Salmon.  My God, it was beautiful!  Chrome and spotted with sea lice, it was one of the most magnificent fish I had ever seen.

Yay!  First Atlantic ever!  (Jonni Birgisson photo.)

It was well worth waiting for.

When I first started fly-fishing, there was a perception that I held in my head.  When I would close my eyes and envision the epitome of why I was so drawn to the sport, I would imagine a romantic stream, with cascading waterfalls, classic flies, floating lines, tight loops, and flawless silver fish.

Flawless…. (photo by Helgi Gudbrandsson)

Casting at holding fish beneath the falls.  Can you believe we actually caught fish in here!?

Iceland was everything I dreamt fly-fishing would be.

Oh so cute (Jonni Birgisson photo.)

Soon, the ladies arrived from various towns around Iceland; every one of them excited to learn and have a shot at a fly-caught Atlantic salmon.

I’ll let several pictures speak for themselves……

Ape with a glowing angler (photo by Helgi Gudbrandsson.)

Ready for release (photo by Helgi Gudbrandsson).

This fish made this lady work for it! (Photo by Helgi Gudbrandsson)

Fishing with style (photo by Helgi Gudbrandsson.)

Iceland was one of the most mind blowing trips that I have ever taken and if I could preach to somebody loud enough that this is a MUST TAKE trip, I would shout it as obnoxiously as an old-school click pawl reel.

The guides (when they weren’t beating on me in a brotherly sort of way), the food, the lodging, the scenery, and the fishing (during the months of July and August, it isn’t irregular to have 50+ fish days) far exceeded any of my expectations.

The trip’s not cheap, but if you sub your next two trips with this one, I can promise you that it will be more than worth it.

For more info on booking a trip visit http://www.fhd.is/

For so many fresh water anglers, this is the reason we started fly-fishing in the first place, so why on Earth wouldn’t you try to revitalize that passion….

Think about it,

Ape.

(Stay posted for a published article with more details on this trip.)

Hey Daddy! Step it up…..

I was a Girl Guide for nine years (for those of you from the US, a ‘Girl Guide’ is the Canadian equivalent to being a Girl Scout).

I graduated from three years of Brownies, to three years of Guides, to three years of Pathfinders; gradually stepping up the Girl Guide chain, learning cool tricks about camping, wildlife, survival and countless other subjects.

When I was done my nine years?  Hell, I went and helped to lead the little ones by being the “cool” Girl Guide leader amongst the Moms and the Grandmas (who believe it or not, were pretty darn cool themselves).
I still think that to date, I am the only “responsible role model” in girl guide history to sneak candy into the bunks and give the kids a sugar high so as to keep camp interesting….

So, when my Aunt (still an active leader) made mention of me teaming with Girl Guides of Canada to help educate the young ladies about fly-fishing and the environment, you know I couldn’t resist.
After all, I remember how good those badges felt when Mom ironed them to my scarf.
If I could help these girls with some outdoor skills, I was all over it.

A happy brownie clinging to her Mom…I worked my ass off for those badges!

So, there we were several months later, myself and good friend Adrienne Comeau, heading to Girl Guide meeting headquarters to give twenty-five eight year old girls lessons on fly casting, conservation, flies and safety.
It was a wee bit nerve-wracking.

The girls were hyper, and Ade and I fiddled nervously as they whipped our expensive fly rods through the air.
“Deep breaths…”  I smiled at her and headed upstairs to begin the classroom session with the first half of the group.

Our group of little ladies (photo blurred for privacy purposes).

There they were; a dozen of them surrounding me at a table in an old conference room, and they were as antsy as the night I played the Easter Bunny in the bunkhouse years earlier.
Hmmm.  Karma sucks.

Regardless, I quickly discarded my carefully formulated plan to educate them classroom style, as it was evident that their attention spans were about as wide as the wings of a sparrow.
They shouted over each other, each of them trying to be louder than the last.
“Hey, hey, hey!”  Me, trying to sound grown up… “Ladies, put your hands up if you’d like to be heard.”

A dozen hands shot up towards the ceiling and stretched as if trying to dislocate their arms.
One at a time, I listened to what each of them had to say.  What I heard was truly an eye opener…

“My Dad”, in short, unsure, gaspy breaths, “My Dad he goes fishing all the time with my Uncle Bob…..”

“My Grandpa, he loves fishing!  He goes every summer to…..”

“Well, my Dad, he’s a great fisherman!  He takes a trip every year to…”

One after the other, each and every girl had a male role model in their life who in some way, shape or form, had the fishing bug.

Ironically, the girls all shared yet another surprising characteristic.
Every one of them was eager to go with their Dads/Grandpas/Uncles, but simply didn’t know how to go about doing so.

That same night, twenty-five eight year old girls went home bugging that male role model to take them fishing.

Little Emma Cortes with her proud Dad (rightfully so!)  Adrian Cortes photo.

So Daddy, if you don’t already, ask her if she may be interested in joining you.  Show her pictures of other girls angling!  Show her that she can too!  If for nothing else, than to simply boost her confidence.
Let her know while she’s young that she can do whatever she puts her mind to!

Danika Rodgers casting a tight loop as proud Dad, Jamie, snaps a picture.  This kids the real deal!

Yes, you may lose a rod tip (as I so painfully experienced that same evening), and yes you may gain a migraine (as I so amusedly watched Adrienne endure), but you may just develop the best little fishing buddy a guy could have.
And really, does it get much better than that?

Get on it!
Ape.

Testing Ontario While It Tested Me

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.

So, You Wanna Be A Star?

Yeah.  The whole fishing show thing never really much did it for me.

Standing like a dork beside another angler, asking questions I already knew the answers to, shaking my head like a bimbo, all the while making sure the light was hitting my face at the right angle……  No thanks.

In a television world starved for independent women who “brave the harsh conditions of a man’s world”, women (whether they be legitimate or trained to look as though they are), are highly sought after to be the face of television, posters, magazines, and everything in between.

This said, I would hope that no one hears any ego in my words when I write that I’ve been offered a show or two throughout the course of my angling career.

See, the truth is, I couldn’t fathom being the girl to contribute yet another painful fishing show to the networks.  Host oriented and, often times ego driven, I opted to stick to guiding and writing the occasional magazine article, focusing mostly on morals and conservation.  I had no desire to be the star of a series.

Faces and casts like these simply don’t belong in show biz….. (Yos Gladstone photo).

Then things changed.  Nick Pujic of the Canadian Fly Fisher magazine and I had a sit down on a rainy night during one of his short visits to BC.

Fishing television and its unfortunate demise somehow became the subject of our conversation.  I made reference to the agony sitting through most episodes caused me and he laughed in agreeance.  That was all it took.  As usual when the two of us are paired together, we got to thinking….

What if we had a show where there was no star?  No dialogue even!?  What if we could capture the experience on tape?  Just straight up, hard-core fishing buddies who fished their asses off to funky music, delivering authentic fish porn to the viewers.  No nonsense, no fluff, no lessons, no eye-rolling endorsements.  Simply 100% pure fly-fishing.

The result?  Fly Max Films was born and Nick (and co-partner Paul Langford) created a monster.  www.flymaxfilms.com

As the years have passed, Fly Max has added anglers (upwards of 50 now), adventures, episodes and way cooler cameras to the list.  The show is a success on WFN (The World Fishing Network), and is a breath of fresh air from the standard fishing shows.

But, I still envisioned more……

So, on yet another late night, only this time in Denver, Nick and I sat down to brainstorm.  I had an idea to do a show that captured personality, education, travel, and most importantly, a no-frills/no- gimmicks experience.

Nick pondered the idea, and took some time to think about it.  He’s quite possibly the busiest man I know, and I felt awful asking him to take on yet another project….

But true to his workaholic nature, he took the bull by the horns and has teamed with myself, Naoto Aoki, Paul Castellano, Paul Langford and cameraman Tim Myers to create a new and unique show called Fly Nation.

Ape and fellow angler, Naoto Aoki, playing with rods before hitting the river to film.

We’re filming Fly Nation this year, and will be airing in 2010.  Networks will be announced and adventures will be shared…..

Puj gearing up (Josh Nugent photo).

The first load of several (Josh Nugent photo).

April booting up (Josh Nugent photo).

It’s going to be an interesting journey and we would love to be able to share it with you!

Hope to see you on the water,

Ape.

Here, There and Everywhere…..

My, keeping a blog can fall behind quite easily…..

Here’s a quick look at the past month to try and get us caught up to present date.

Our Spey clinic went fabulous!  Instructor Aaron Goodis and myself were blessed with some truly awesome students who made us each proud as they departed……

Day one’s group paying close attention to Aaron’s demo.

Taking a break and getting ready to enjoy a BBQ lunch.

Even Colby had to take a lunch break.

The crew.

After a full weekend of Spey casting on the river, a day of fishing in a nearby interior lake was starting to sound pretty darn good….

The weather had been hot and there was rumor of the lakes icing off.  So I packed my Spratley and chironomid box, excited to spend the day with my best friend; a man that has been by my side through and through, Matt Moisley.

Matt is quite possibly the most unbelievable still water angler I have ever met.  If you see this guy on the water, pay close attention.  You may just learn a thing or two…..

Yup….This one goes waaayyy back.

First lake of the season!

C’mon girl, you can do it!

Wimp.

The fishing was surprisingly good (though it was more of a quantity vs. quality sort of day).

Cute little guy…..

The chironomid buffet.

Another feisty bow.

Wow.  Such a loser.

From here, it was off to Oklahoma (don’t ask).  It wasn’t in my plans to do any fishing while I was there, but when offered the opportunity to slay some large mouth in a small pond, you know I couldn’t resist!

Poppers and hooker boots, I was supposed to be going out for dinner, so it’s fair to say that I wasn’t dressed for the occasion.  Damn near fell out of the boat trying to land this one!

Large Mouth on a popper.  What a blast!  (Randy Imel photo)

From here it was off to Terrace to try our luck at some steel and fresh chrome.

My dear friend Andrea had never caught a steelhead before and I just had to pop her cherry, so I invited her along to join me for the sixteen hour drive.

We laughed and sang the whole way up North, eager to hang out with good friend Rob Vodola who lived close by to the Kitimat river.

Rob’s one of those guys who’ll put a smile on your face even when you feel like drowning the rest the world.

The fishing ended up being incredibly slow, but the entertainment was anything but that.  Andrea ended up getting her first steelhead, and though it wasn’t on the fly rod, it made my trip!

Bringing a whole new meaning to ‘Fly Gal’.  This is what 16 hours of highway will bring ya….(April Vokey photo).

Loading up!

Mission accomplished!  (Noel Gyger photo)

Rob working the jet (April Vokey photo).

Ummmm, I think somebody stole my spot.  (Rob Vodola photo)

(April Vokey photo)

So I gave BC a quick kiss goodbye and hopped on a flight to…..Arkansas!

I’m still currently hangin’ in Deliverance country and must admit that it is quite intriguing!  Armadillos, boars, tarantulas, ticks (never did I think I would have to endure nightly checks for ticks!), and road kill decorating the highways like no state I have ever seen…..

There’s more to come on this, as I have a feeling I’ll be kicking it here for most of my summer.

An Arkansas trout.

A little critter I rescued from the roadkill central highway and placed out of harms way (April Vokey photo).

So, there you have it.  Caught up with this blogging thing!  Stay tuned for some new updates, opinions and adventures.

Squeal like a pig!

Ape.

Women’s Weekend Retreat- Book Now!

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

A Shout Out!

It wouldn’t be right of me to have a blog for fly gals, and not give a shout out to some true fly gals!

K8 rocking the fish dance (Michael Davidchik photo).

I’ll name but a few, make sure you check out their sites!

I remember the first time I met my girlfriend Kate (aka K8). I was beat and trying desperately to get a classic fly finished when her loud laugh shook me up.
“Who wants a Caesar!?” She was just in from off the water and was ready to bust out the vodka.

For the past three years I had made the Hilltop Hostel in Spence’s Bridge my home while fishing the Thompson River in below zero temperatures. Another female presence was rare, and though she was welcome, she startled the hell out of me and several other guys around the tying table.

Kate soon proved that like the rest of us, she was crazy about fishing. Not casting, or meeting guys, or any of the lame garbage that one too many people use fishing as an excuse for; nope, Kate simply loved to fish.

K8 in Alaska

It didn’t take long for me to decide that this was a gal I sincerely wanted to be a part of both my fishing crew and my life.

Kate had started a site called ‘Rogue Angels’. The site was pimped and truly devoted to the bad-ass female anglers who braved harsh weather conditions and equally harsh scrutiny.
I loved it.

Yeah, Kate had me at “Whew, tough fishing out there…”

Check out Rogue Angels http://www.rogueangels.net/

Then there’s Ade. Adrienne and I go way back.
As girly as they come, Adrienne won my heart when I met her working the counter at Michael and Young Fly Shop.
She had the cutest giggle, the slightest lisp, and the most absurd collection of fishing hats I had ever seen!
Ade was a breath of fresh air in a male dominated sport, so I suppose it was only natural that we’d exchange numbers with the intent of wetting a line together.

Adrienne on the lake.

We spent days laughing, crying and jumping up and down like school girls on the river bank. We were a team, and a fierce one at that. To write about Ms. Comeau would take hours so I’ll let her tell you her story in her own words…
Check out her blog at http://www.thefemaleangle.com/

Last but not least, there’s my girl Hannah.
I first saw Hannah while jetting by her on a river in Northern BC. Her hair blew into the wind and her face was serious. Her eyes followed me as I passed by.
I knew exactly who she was. The woman in the Simms catalogue with the intense stare and the enviable fishery on the Damdochax River.
The fly-fishing industry is small, and the female population is even smaller. We pulled in to say hello.

It took her a sec to uncross her arms, and I watched her size me up. Yup, I’d heard about this one. Strong, hard-core and no bullshit, I must have looked like a freakin’ Barbie doll stepping out to meet her. I shook her hand and was sincere when I said, “Nice to meet you.”
She smiled. Man, she had a beautiful smile! Hmmm…..she wasn’t so scary. I made a mental note to shoot her an email when I got home.

Several months later, Hannah and I were headed on a trip to the States to wail on some winter steelhead. She entertained me on the long drive with stories of life, love and, of course, steelhead.
Very few people steal my heart, but I can sincerely say that Hannah did just that.
The damn girl stole my heart.

Love that smile!

Her site is awesome and is great for ladies looking to network and catch up on the latest gear reviews. I highly recommend checking it out!

http://www.flyfishergirl.com/