Nancy Cairns Occupation: Operations Manager - Can Fly Fish Hometown: Cobourg, Ontario Fly fishing since: 2007 Bio: Nancy has been camping since she could walk. Her father, being the greatest influence for her love of the outdoors, took her on hikes every Sunday and canoe camping on long weekends. Inevitably fishing entered the picture. She's a graduate of Loyalist College. She's earned her diploma in both Print and Broadcast Journalism. She loves writing and photography/film.

Saturday morning we met up at Glen parking lot. I had no idea what I was in for. It was absolutely stunning scenery. STUN-NING. All of this yellow, red and orange was sprinkled across the gorge. I looked down on heaven. We went down the steel stairs which took us onto a path with rock stairs. Down and down we went into this forest with all of these random boulders parked throughout it. The boulders in collaboration with the colourful trees made for an absolutely gorgeous hike down to the water. To be honest, I have a sneaking suspicion it’s probably just as breathtaking in the summer when the leaves are lush and green or in the winter when everything is blanketed in white. Basically, I was blown away and I hadn’t even hit the water yet.

The stars seemed to be aligning. We saw one of those albino squirrels on the hike and the water was perfect. Yes the wind wasn’t great but the threatening rain never hit making for a pleasant day. About ten minutes after Castellano showed me what the path of the egg patterns should be travelling I hooked up with a stealhead! It was awesome…except that I broke it off. The second one kicked my butt. I let it run way too far downstream and it managed to slip under something and it was gone. The adrenaline rush was incredible. I didn’t know my heart could beat so fast break into pieces at the same time. Soon Castellano hooked into a fish and made his way over to the rock where I was nymphing and handed me the rod. He’d already gotten the fish onto the reel so half the battle was over. I fought it using his verbal instruction and managed to get it into the net. I was beaming. It was a little laker and I was so proud.

Later we switched spots to a small pool out of the wind where Castellano landed a nice stealhead! He was kind enough to give up his spot and let me try. After about twenty minutes of slugging away I finally hooked into a laker. I had it in about three feet away from me and it swam under this rock and it was gone. I was disappointed but rejuvenated all at the same time. I casted into the drift and within seconds hooked another one. Two in a row and I wasn’t about to lose out on this second chance. I slowly made my way as far as I could from the cursed rock. Castellano had the net poised and ready. It was probably about a ten pounder but then….it swam under that same rock and I lost it. Again.
“You sh*t the bed,” said Castellano and then smiled. “That was probably the biggest fish of your life. Perfect photo opportunity and you lost it.”

He was obviously just razing me but I knew he was right; coming that close without the happy ending is such a tease….I was crushed. This is when the determination set in. I had to had to had to land a fish! Well, I kept at it until I ran out of light. No fish. We hiked up that trail like it was a marathon the light was running out quickly. By the time we got to our cars it was pitch black.
The evening was spent drinking wine and tying flies. Castellano tied fifty flies that night. He’s a fly-tying machine. I couldn’t believe it! We were hanging out at my sister’s house who knows next to nothing about fly fishing. Maru hadn’t seen a vice before let alone tied a fly but she managed to tie a workable egg pattern with instruction from Castellano. He did a really good job of breaking it down into steps. Hopefully soon I’ll be able to convince her to come with me and get another young lady into the sport of fly fishing.

Sunday morning the river was blown out. We went down to the same tucked away pool hoping we would catch something but no luck. On the plus side the day was absolutely gorgeous. I mean, blue skies, a warm sun, and next to no wind. It was fun! I had to pack it in early though because I had a six hour drive ahead of me back to Ottawa.

I had a blast. It was one of my favourite fishing experiences so far and I’m definitely going back. Next time I’ll be more experienced and those stealhead better look out! Thanks so much to Cast Adventures for this amazing opportunity! I will never forget my weekend on the Niagara.
 

Franklin Club Getaway!
Posted on September 18th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns

My little heart started to pitter patter in anticipation as we took the right hand turn down Franklin Road. The Marshall’s and I were making our way to the Franklin Club for some rainbows and gourmet grub. I knew there were some nice fish to be had because I watched club members stock Franklin Lake full of 100 trout this spring in honour of their 100th Anniversary.

Chris, our Editor-In-Chief and his son Jay, our IT Manager were looking forward to hitting this exclusive water. Jay hadn’t hooked a trout since his father had taken him fishing when he was a young boy. Getting Jay his trout was definitely the mission…and maybe one or two for me wouldn’t hurt either. Their Pro-Staff and regular contributor to CFF, Ian Colin James, couldn’t make it last minute but their lovely Director, Gary stepped up to the plate and hooked me up with the deadliest combo for that lake; a sinking line with a ‘Midnight Special’ leech pattern tied to the end of it.

It is one of Ian’s patterns named in honour of a dearly departed pet bunny of a friend of his named “Midnight.” It’s your typical rabbit leech pattern using an aztec tying style. This gives the leech a bit of hip movement and those trout just think them Shakira moves are delicious.

We first started on Harrison Pond without much luck, not even a bump, so we tried a new strategy. After about fifteen minutes of casting and stripping into Franklin Lake, I landed my first fish. After a quick photo session and releasing the beautiful rainbow back into the lake for another Franklin Club member to enjoy I heard Chris exclaim “My rod!”

It had snapped! Not from a fish…it just gave….it must have been damaged in transit for it was a complete mystery why a perfectly good rod would fall apart like that. This seemed to be the cue to have lunch. Everyone started packing it in but I was still high from landing Randy the Rainbow (I like to name things) I figured one last cast couldn’t hurt…and….Booyah…Fish on! This is just ten minutes after my last fish! I couldn’t believe it! This guy was a jumper! This guy Springer wanted nothing to do with me. I finally brought him in for a quick photo shoot and I tell ya he was definitely eager to leave on that release, Woo-ee!

Lunch was delectable. I had richly flavoured spaghetti along with some freshly baked bread. Jay had this elegant version of a sloppy joe in a freshly baked pot-of-bread while Chris and Gary had the soup and salad combo with a home made carrot and celery soup. Yum! It was all within a two minute walk from the lake where I had landed Randy and Springer.

After lunch I practically ran back to the lake and that’s where we saw Franklin…this grumpy snapping turtle which I dubbed their mascot. It made sense to me, I had read those children’s books when I was a kid and loved them and I was definitely loving this fishing club! Jay was the first one to hook up with a fish after lunch! Mission accomplished! It was some pretty tricky fishing after lunch…I think the fish were full too! However I managed to hook into one last guy, Prince, about twenty minutes before we had to head out. He was a runner. As soon as he saw the net in the water he swam away forcefully but I wasn’t about to let him break off. I brought him in and it was love at first sight. He had this gorgeous colour of pink at him. I looked at Gary and said: “This one’s a kisser.”

You know the story about the Frog Prince? I figure it could be true for trout too. I had a blast at the Franklin Club! I managed to land three lovely fish in a span of four hours (including lunch.) It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday. Thank you for having me Franklin Club!!
 

CFF Fishing Weekend!
Posted on July 31st, 2009 by Nancy Cairns

It was a melting pot of fly fishers gathered at the Marshall residence in Belleville, Ontario last weekend. The traditional ‘Old boys’ with their years of experience and wisdom, Field editor Duncan Hardie and Fly tying editor Sheldon Seale and of course also joined by CFF Editor-in-Chief, Chris Marshall met up with the fresh and innovative younger fly fishing generation guys. West coast stealheader, Matt Moisley, FStop and fly pattern contributor, Jeff Fisher with his muskie enthusiast buddy, Bart, CFF Managing Editor, Nick Pujic, local guide and CFF photographer, Glen Hales and then…. me…the rookie with a new found passion for catching fish on the fly and an undying thirst for knowledge.

We were on the water at the crack of 10 a.m. with our bellies full of eggs and coffee. The point of this excursion was to fish different kinds of tail waters and Hales definitely had a few in mind. We fished the Trent River by the first dam for the better part of the day. There was a variety of fish in that pool from smallmouths, to suckers, to gar, to muskie, to even sturgeon! Although we didn’t manage to hook one it made itself known around lunch time, jumping into the air right in front of Marshall and belly flopping back into the depths of the river.
 Wading was interesting to say the least…the combination of the slippery surface, wobbly tendencies, and relatively fast moving current basically everyone took a spill at one point. My spill was particularly epic. My centre disappeared just as I was moving from one rock to the next and SPLASH…next thing I knew I was down on my knees being baptized to the river gods. I might as well have gone swimming the only thing which managed to stay dry was my hat.



Next we travelled to Glen Ross, it’s a small blip on the map of Quinte Region north of Frankford. It was smallie central with a few giant muskie mixed in. I had decided to wet wade and did I ever get wet. The water was waist deep on my five foot five frame so I kept looking for rocks to cast-off-of. The gusts of wind we had been experiencing all day long had suddenly vanished leaving an eerie calm in the air. Sheldon saw the clouds rolling in from a distance and we all knew a huge storm was definitely threatening, so we decided to pack it up. At this point all I had managed to catch were some fishstick sized smallies. I’ve got to say though, despite their size, they gave me a pretty good fight! They’re feisty little things. I think a lot of people would agree, pound for pound, bass give one of the best fights.

Day two on the river was short but sweet. We were joined by CFF photographer, Marcel Saring as well as the rest of the gang. The ‘old boys’ were all wading and casting into currents for smallies while the guys sight fished off the dam for carp. Unfortunately those carp just weren’t going for the tasty leech and crayfish patterns being stripped past their noses. It would have been interesting to see one of the guys land it! They were casting down about 50 feet!

I had a blast fly fishing with all the guys. I learned so much! Everyone had a story, a sure-fire-fly, and a sincere love for fly fishing. It must have been a spectacle for bystanders to see more than ten guys and one lady sprinkled across the river banks using fly gear and wearing waders. Please make sure to check out the story on our adventure in an upcoming issue of The Canadian Fly Fisher Magazine!


Fly Fishing in Ottawa!
Posted on July 18th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns

I’ve recently relocated from Belleville to Ottawa and without even unpacking my trailer I started digging for some prime waters. I was eager to test out something new! The Ottawa and Rideau River are full of different fish species from muskie, to gar, even sturgeon! After asking around at a few local fly fishing shops including The Green Drake and Float Paddle and Fly I was headed to the Bronson Bridge by Carleton University where there was rumored to be some monster muskie! It was a quick walk from the university parking lot to the bridge. You could wade right in from underneath the graffiti covered bridge. A pontoon boat would probably be killer in this area. It started to poor rain shortly after a few casts so unfortunately had to leave without feeling that glorious weight on the line.



The next day decided to hit up Shirley’s Bay for some garpike. It’s about a fifteen minute drive from Bronson Street. The whole area could be waded through. Even though it was raining, again, it didn’t stop the chase. Caught a few fighting bass and spotted a gar pike but one of the most interesting discoveries was finding out sturgeon were in the waters. Probably not the size you’re used to seeing in British Columbia but the species is still around! Neat stuff.

Well, that’s all I’ve been able to hit up so far. It’ll be good to go out in some decent weather. Hopefully later this week I can get my line wet! I’m just a hop skip and a jump away from Quebec…I’ll definitely have to make a trip or two over the border! Atlantic Salmon anyone?
 


My First Gar on the Fly!
Posted on June 18th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns

The main office of the Canadian Fly Fisher Magazine is located downtown Belleville. The Moira River runs across the city into the Bay of Quinte which conveniently puts it right in our backyard! After mailing out the starter packages for our new subscribers I like to go down to the river and check it out! What a blessing, eh? I just have to cross the back parking lot and I can see gar, carp, sheepshead and red suckers chillin’ in the river. There are smallies and large mouth hanging out in there too I just can’t normally see them from the footbridge. It’s metropolis of fishing at literally a two minute walk from the office doors. Fantastic!



Anyway, fly fishers from the area will pop in throughout the day to say ‘Hi’ or see what the latest developments are. CFF photographer, Marcel Saring, stopped by on a gorgeously sunny afternoon.

“What’s your afternoon looking like?” he asked me.

“Well, I’m playing catch-up after being away for four days and I’m doing a bit of research for Puj and Marshall. Why?” I responded.

“Want to go gar fishing? You still haven’t landed one and I could see a pile of them in the river!”

“Ummmm….sure do! Just give me ten minutes to get geared up!” I exclaimed with a smile.

You have to understand. Gar fishing around these parts is almost like a right of passage. You can only find them in certain places across Ontario and EVERYONE involved with the magazine locally has caught one. Everyone except for me that is. Even our intern, Victor, who just started with Fly Max this year has managed to catch one…he caught it with his bare hands at that!

Anyway, before I knew it I was splashing around in the Moira River wearing my waders and holding a rod. There were half a dozen gar hanging out right by the dam falls. So, I threw my fly into the current and waited for the follow. After about a half hour of a bunch of nothing we headed over to some calmer water downstream.

I knew gar were all around us. It was just a matter of finding the hungry one. You sight fish for them…almost like hunting. You see one. You drop your big-ass ugly streamer past them and quickly strip it right by their beak-like mouths. Usually they’ll follow it almost to your feet but then they see you and take off. This happened more times than I’d care to admit but then one of them opened up wide…and booyah…fish on!

It was incredibly exhilarating! What a rush! From beginning to end. I totally get it now.

Visiting Nipigon Lake & River!
Posted on June 16th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns

It was a short flight from Toronto to Thunder Bay. It was incredible to come in with the setting sun on the infamous “Sleeping Giant.” The Sleeping Giant is a natural rock peninsula in the shape of a giant sleeping person. The rock juts into Lake Superior and forms Thunder Bay. Rebecca Redden, my fly fishing gal pal, related to me the Ojibway legend of how it came to be. The highest cliffs in Ontario are mythically known as Nanabijou, a god who turned himself into stone when the secret location of a rich silver mine, now known as Silver Islet, was disclosed to white men.
 

Owner and operator of the traditional log cabin called Quebec Lodge, Ray Rivard, picked Rebecca and I up at the airport. We made our way to Red Rock on the Nipigon River and lake system about an hour away discussing our plans for the next three days. We arrived to a starry night stretched out across the lake. While we took all the gear out of the trunk of the car Rebecca and I pointed out constellations clearly seen above our head; the universes artwork.

Ray had invited Rebecca and I to his beautiful six bedroom lodge on this particular weekend because he wanted us to experience a new get away. This weekend was all about the Fly Gals. Guides from the area would instruct ladies who are interested in fly fishing on everything from tying flies, to casting, to fighting a fish and finally landing it. Rebecca and I have already been fly fishing so Ray had us go out with Brad Larson, a local guide and owner of Northland Motel. We spent the day at the same location Bill Spicer from the New Fly Fisher had filmed a segment catching many big brookies the year before.



We were making our way through a small canal between two islands when suddenly I felt a tug on my line. I slowly started to strip my line in and work the reel when I saw a splash of silver at the surface about twenty feet in front of me. It was a nice laker. Two seconds later I felt slack on the line. Heavy heartedly I pulled in my line to find my tippet had broken. Somewhere in that lake there was a fish with my fly in its mouth and it killed me. I wanted that fish. If only to get my fly back.

Mother Nature was basically kind to us…although she did punish us for taking a break for lunch. We were hit by a downpour of rain as we pulled up to what Brad called the ‘exclusive café’ It was nice little set up with a bench and fire pit for shore lunch. We ate our soggy sandwiches and drank our watered down coffee quickly so we could get back on the water and catch some fish!

Later that day, I heard a happy cry from the front end of the boat. Rebekka had hooked up with a brookie! Did she land it? You’ll have to read the article in the May/July 2010 issue of the magazine to find out!

Exhausted yet rejuvenated we made our way back to the lodge for dinner. We had some delicious hand made perogies and cabbage rolls along with chicken and vegetables. That was nothing compared to our dinner on Saturday night! We feasted on wild turkey which Ray had hunted down and shot himself! It was mouth-wateringly delectable.

Day two, we all piled into the car and headed for the local fishing club. There we learned how to tie different flies which trout in the area considered a gourmet feast. Rebecca and I tied some streamers which we used later that day on another lake in the area. Our guide, Ryan, hooked up with a beautiful chinook! The neatest fly of the bunch was a mosquito pattern. The wings were made out moose hair. I’d never seen anything like it!

On day three we woke up bright and early to squeeze in every minute of fishing we could before I had to catch my flight later that evening. This time we went with two boats and two guides. I managed to land a pretty nice pike! From what I am told it was small for the area! Fish up in Nipigon/Red Rock area seem to average from big to gigantic in size.



The drive to the airport was a little stressful. Had we ever squeezed every last drop of time on fishing! I didn’t want to leave! I had such a blast. The hospitality was incredible. The fishing was tremendous. But the company was extraordinary. There is something to be said for bonding with a fly-fishing sistah. It’s life changing and one of the best things about fishing!


Our Air Ivanhoe Adventure!
Posted on May 24th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns

Ten hours after driving north from Port Hope, Ontario in my trusty Toyota, Goldie, Yoshi Aoki and I pulled into Air Ivanhoe. The grand log cabin was a sight for soar eyes. I could see one of the two puddle jumping planes parked in the dock and suddenly felt a surge of excitement as I realized I’d be flying in one of them the next day.



I woke up the morning of the first day as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. I gleefully look out the front window of the cabin towards Ivanhoe Lake and am struck with a surge of horror as I see white EVERYWHERE. Mother Nature one…CFF zero. So Yoshi and I layer it up and grab a quick bite to eat and tall cup of coffee at the main lodge and head out in our snow covered motor boat. From talking to a few of the other guests who’d been going to the lodge for years, the mouth of the river was a good place to go. First cast Yoshi lands a northern pike. CFF one. Mother Nature….kiss my bum!

Day two I wake up the sound of thunder. That’s right. We’re hit with a rain storm. By early afternoon the clouds parted and the sun came out so we fished off one of the planes for walleye. Yoshi and I didn’t have much luck but our guide and pilot, Joel landed a decent one.

Day one and two Joel had taken us to different lakes full of brookies but they didn’t seem to be biting. The cold front seemed to have turned them right off. Joel explained that they had two other snow falls in the last week so we needed some consistently warm weather to spark up their appetites.



Day three was at the fly in lodge Yoshi and I took a mile long hike along a gorgeous river to another brookie lake. It was so serene. Beautiful. All you could hear were the sounds of our paddles hitting the water. The afternoon was spent on the fly in lodge lake. We were trying for brookies above a beaver dam and for some northern pike in the shallows. About a ten minutes after we tie about the boat by the dam the sky opened up and we were hit hard with rain. Again. Yoshi is one resilient man. Mother Nature was not going to get another one up on us. Never give up. Never surrender. We fished until it was time to meet up with Joel again who had some fly-ins to take care throughout the dozens of lakes Air Ivanhoe has camps and cabins at. Once we met up with Joel we flew back to the main lodge where we hit a nice little lake about five minutes drive away. The sky cleared up again and we watched one brookie after another rise to the surface as we pumped up the Zodiac boat. This was our last stitch effort at enticing the Hollywood dieting fish and things were definitely looking up.

You’ll have to wait for the article in an upcoming issue of the Canadian Fly Fisher magazine to find out how things went down on our last night. Despite the sometimes awful weather I had a blast. The lodge was stunning. Both the main and fly in lodge. Staff were super friendly and hospitable. It was a great experience. Thank you Air Ivanhoe for an awesome week!


The Last Show of the Season!
Posted on April 29th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns

Show season is officially over for the crew of Canadian Fly Fisher magazine! The Izaak Walton show was well attended. The perfect ending to a busy season! Marcel Saring and I traveled to Burlington on Friday with a quick stop in Toronto to pick up a 12 foot screen for the second showing of The Drake Fly Fishing Film Festival 2009.



Set-up for the forum was quick and painless then off we went to the Mainway Arena to set up the screen and projector. We had three draw prizes during the intermission including an Orvis reel donated by Trout Unlimited, a Wilson’s Fly Box and flies, and a Fly Max DVD.
 
Sheldon Seale was there all weekend long tying flies in our booth. He was kind enough to tie me what he dubbed the “Cairns Killer” which is really a variant of the “Clouser Minnow.” I’m very much looking forward to testing it out on the smallies within the Moira River this season! Thanks again Sheldon!

All the guys from the New Fly Fisher show were there and had seminars which were nicely attended.


 
We were selling back issues there for $2 each…BACK ISSUE BLOW OUT! I am happy to say we sold all but one! They’re still on for a steal of a deal only $5! That’s mostly paying for the postage anyway.

It was great seeing everyone during the off-season but now I get to look forward to seeing them out on the water! I think I’ll hit up the Ganny (Ganaraska River) sometime this week. In the meantime I am going to get back to planning the fishing trips for this season. We’ve got April coming in from out west and Nick is heading south! Should be a ton of fun!


The Fly Fishing Film Tour comes to Burlington this Friday!
Posted on April 15th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns

If you missed your chance in Toronto last month it’s still not too late! The second Ontario screening of the Drake Fly Fishing Film Festival 2009 is coming up this April 17th in Burlington Ontario. It’s the same weekend as the Izaak Walton Fly Fishing Forum at the Holiday Inn in Burlington. The screening will be in the Laurie G Branch Auditorium of the Burlington Recreational Centre. It’s about a five minute drive from the Holiday Inn in Burlington.



You can buy tickets at the door but they’re limited so secure your seat by purchasing them now! They’re available at the following fly fishing shops. Or through the website www.flyfishingfilmfestival.com

Grand River Troutfitters Fergus, Ontario www.grandrivertroutfitters.com
Grindstone Angling Waterdown, Ontario www.grindstoneangling.com
Hook Line and Sinker Guelph, Ontario www.hooklineandsinker.ca
Jay's Fly Shop St.Thomas, Ontario www.jaysflyshop.com
Natural Sports Kitchener, Ontario www.TheFishingStore.ca
Wilson’s Fly Shop Toronto, Ontario www.wilsonstoronto.com

Directions to the recreational centre from the Holiday Inn can be found by clicking on the link below. It’s right on the corner of the Walker’s Line and Mainway.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?1c=Burlington&1s=ON&1pn=holiday+inn&2c=Burlington&2s=ON&2pn=recreational+center

Here's a brief description of the films provided by the makers of the movies themselves!

Confluence Films, “DRIFT” - A stunning visual journey, DRIFT combines the highest quality film production, world class fly-fishing and an eclectic group of anglers to create the most definitive film about the sport to date. Filmmakers Chris Patterson, Tom Bie and Chris Klug take you on a cinematic adventure across the flats of Belize and the Bahamas, down the tailwaters of the Green, Frying Pan and the Big Horn, spey casting on the Deschutes, and exploring the exotic rivers of Kashmir, India.

RA BEATTIE “ Nervous Water”: Filmed in Colorado in the dead of winter, New Zealand in the heart of summer, Texas in the fall and Papua New Guinea during the rainy season - Nervous Water depicts the thrilling pursuits of four groups of anglers, each hopelessly obsessed with the fish they love - Brown Trout, Cutbows, Redfish and Marlin.

Felt Soul Media “Eastern Rises, Red Gold” :Felt Soul Media combines the vision of founders; Ben Knight and Travis Rummel, in creating soulful, story driven fly fishing films that capture the emotion and beauty inherent to the sport. From the Far reaches of the Kamchatka Peninsula to the threatened Bristol Bay, FeltSoul will delve beneath the surface of Fly Fishing to expose its deeper passion in “Eastern Rises” and “Red Gold”.

Skinny Fist Productions “Rivers of the Lost Coast”: The story of the cutthroat culture of California's coastal fly fishing. Led by legendary fly fishing gypsy, Bill Schaadt, a cult of coastal fishermen revolutionized their sport and redefined their own lives. Eventually they would find themselves among the first voices screaming about California's Salmon and Steelhead crisis.

Jamie Howard “Bass: The Movie” This is the first comprehensive look behind the scenes of Bass: The Movie. We pitted a conventional angler and a fly rod angler against one another in a Bass Eden. Who would win? Well, as it turned out, it evolved into a surprising team that left the Bass literally shaking their heads.

World Angling “Connected”: Will Benson met Dave Teper during the summer of 2007. With a shared interest in saltwater fly fishing and film production, it became obvious that the two could combine talents and create a new type of production company. Join the crew as they are in search of the best saltwater flats fishing action, the largest fastest game fish that lurke in the light blue ocean as well as profile the people who have created a lifestyle that surrounds this passion

RollCast Productions "Hustle and Fish": is an epic fly fishing adventure chalked full wacky characters, near death experiences, sharks, bears, wolves, and most of all breathtaking fly fishing footage and plenty of fish porn. Shot on High Definition with 35mm lenses "Hustle and Fish" is Rollcast Productions highly anticipated follow up to the indie Fly Fishing hit "Fishizzle!"
 

The Very First Toronto Fly Fishing Film Tour!
Posted on March 27th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns



“Take the Gardiner Expressway all the way to Lake Shore then follow Young to Bloor and hang a left…you’ll be going west. You should find the Bloor Street Cinema without much problem,” Nick said to me as I was heading from North York, where I had been staying, to the theatre for the Drake Fly Fishing Film Tour 2009.

I am a small town girl who was once described as a ‘broken compass.’ Forty minutes later I was lost in downtown Toronto staring down at my gas light hoping with all hope I didn’t run out mid-intersection. My focus quickly shifted to finding a gas station…another ten minutes later I had directions and a full tank of gas. At this point it was about 6:30 and I was still fifteen minutes away from the location. Doors were opening at 7:00 and the person who had organized and contacted the theatre, me, was lost. I got there at about ten to seven and quickly relieved Nick from the ticket booth.



The show started promptly at 7:30 p.m. and people trickled into the theater until close to 8 o’clock. I was working the ticket booth so I didn’t hear Nick’s intro before the film tour got started but I’m sure it was awesome. By the time intermission came around I was able to leave my little ticket room with nothing but an equally little space heater for comfort and sneak a peak at the film itself.

I sat in the back among the crowd of people who had attended the film tour. One girl traveled all the way from Thunder Bay to see it! The place had a capacity of 700 so hopefully next time we’ll get a bigger turn out! Luckily for the people that did attend it not only gave them some prime seats but also a better chance at winning in the draw. Every ticket holder also received a ballot for a free draw which was picked at intermission.

I don’t want to give away too much about the films themselves but I’ll say this…there were a few points were I definitely couldn’t help but laugh out loud. If you missed the first show please don’t miss out on this opportunity a second time!


The 2009 Toronto Sportsmen's Show!
Posted on March 25th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns

I arrived around 4 p.m. to the Direct Energy Centre downtown Toronto last Thursday. Our cover guys Naoto and Yoshi Aoki were already at the show working the booth and the casting lanes. Mike Ormsby, was kind enough to work the booth during the entirety of the show! He was a great asset and nice company during those four days.

Saturday was a zoo. The place was so packed you could barely walk. There was anything and everything regarding the outdoors from hunting to fishing to kayaking to climbing. There was this pretty big climbing wall the kids were managing to concur and a kayaking pool. One of my favourite sections was of course the dog section. They had basically every breed under the sun present during those five days with dog shows and competition being run throughout the show.

A popular draw for the kids was our casting lane. The New Fly Fisher's Bill Spicer did presentations including basic instructions. Kids and their parents lined up to give the fly rod a cast or two with instructions from some of the industries best.

Nick Pujic arrived late Friday and was shuttling between the Toronto Sportsmen Show and Bass Pro Shops all weekend long. Anyone who walked by the Canadian Fly Fisher Booth was asked one simple question “Do you fly fish?” and I did my part to get people to try out the sport whether it be by checking out the magazine, or sampling a cast or two on the casting lane. A lot of anglers were peaked by fly fishing but were too intimidated to attempt…and you know what I say to that?! If I can do it, You can do it!



The Abbotsford Boat & Sportsmen's Show 2009, BC!
Posted on March 12th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns
 


Looking down on mountain white caps from the window seat of the airplane was absolutely stunning. I stepped out and took a deep breath of the crisp fresh air of the Abbotsford airport on Thursday morning was invigorating after the five hour flight. The trade show was literally a stone throw away from the front doors but unfortunately my booth hadn’t arrived yet.

It didn’t arrive! That’s right…it actually arrived but the FedEx office was closed where it was shipped to so I couldn’t pick it up. Unless of course I were to commit a small B&E which I’m sure CSI would have been able to catch me when only my seven packages went missing. Well, as they say…”It is what it is.” So, I had a few tuques, some subscription forms, the business cards I had left in my wallet , finally Matt Moisley and April Vokey’s personal collection of CFF magazine to showcase. Thank you so much guys!

Despite this huge wrinkle it was such a great treat. There is a definite presence of talent here playing in all of the bodies of water that BC has to offer. I was sad I wasn’t able to bust out my rod in the short time I was there but the constant beautiful scenery in itself was quite the award. So many great stories about fishing for steelhead and sturgeon were bouncing around the booth. Local guides and CFF contributors Moisley, Aaron Goodis, and Jeff Fisher were talking fishing at the booth. They are such a solid group of guys and made me feel right at home!



April was working the casting lane every once in a while as well as working her Fly Gal booth. She was also selling beautifully tied flies for her Flies For Fins charity. They are created by donators from around the world and all proceeds go towards the Steelhead Society of BC. The money will be put towards habitat restoration for BC’s floundering population. According to The Steelhead Society webpage: “Steelhead continue to face a overall decline across many popular watersheds. Habitat, water flow and high seas survival all continue to throw a curve ball to surviving stocks.” Projects to improve habitats or fertilizing waterways are infused by these donations.

While walking around I talked to Barry Stokes from Islander Reels who shared some great stories about bone fishing in Mexico and the Bahamas. I really need to get on this! Naoto Aoki and Tim Myers are in the Bahamas right now shooting some bone fishing for Fly Max! From the stories I’ve heard they are probably going to come back with some crazy footage!
I’ve got to say though, besides the great stories floating about, one of the most entertaining things about the show was that casting lane. It was located across the way and it was kind of funny to watch attendees duck and dodge the back handed cast of people being instructed. Poor Len got whipped behind the ear twice in one day!

I think I’ll pass on giving any details about the Saturday night. I now know one thing for sure and that’s BCers know how to have a good time!


The Fly Fishing Forum in Granby, Quebec!
Posted on February 10th, 2009 by Nancy Cairns
 


The Fly Fishing Forum in Quebec was a real blast. I arrived in Granby, Quebec around 11 p.m. on the Friday before the show. Although the trip is somewhat long (around four and half hours from Belleville Ontario) it was a breeze this time around for two reasons. One, the car rental place upgraded the SUV to an --- with satellite radio and butt-warming seats absolutely free! Two, the weather was perfect: clear skies and a clear road. Last year I had to battle a huge blizzard which caked the east coast to central Ontario with a couple of tons of snow.
Tired from our journey, Nicole and I headed to bed almost immediately, not before running into CFF friend and SIMMS rep Bob Mackenzie who had arrived much earlier that day from Montreal. In case anyone is wondering Nicole is my housemate who is actually a physiotherapist by trade but she also happens to be Francophone and an honorary member of the CFF team.

I woke up before the sun to get our booth set up in time for the show opening. I’m not exactly a morning person so putting the thing together was tricky on little to no coffee. To my dismay I had packed the wrong banner, I had brought the one which illustrated mostly West coast catches instead of the banner with Eastern pictures of people holding the appropriate eastern fish specimens. The magazine rack which we use to hold back-issues had lost a piece so I couldn’t use it at all. I was obviously off to a great start. When Bob Mackenzie came over to say hi, I could barely string words together and managed to drop a bunch of the Yukon Fly Max Films DVD’s at his feet. This obviously meant one thing: I was in desperate need of more coffee. Once the booth was set-up and the doors officially open I was feeling much more awake and ready to meet and greet the fine fly fishers Quebec has to offer.



It was good to see some of the same faces I had seen last year. I saw the guys from Torrent and was impressed to find their clothing line had at least doubled in size. They had been in the booth next door to me last year and were just opening up shop so it was really great to see the growth! Of course the brothers from UNI products were there and Julie from Salmon Quebec was just a couple of booths down. Familiar faces were popping up all over the place and I have to admit it was a great pleasure to see Thibault. He’s a regular contributor to the magazine who drove in from Montreal each morning to shake hands and talk fly fishing. He was kind enough to watch the booth while Nicole and I popped out for lunch. Thank you Thibault!

This year I had the opportunity to get to know Lyne Trudeau from the Montreal Fly Fishing Club. I had interviewed her a couple of times for Nancy’s News but was able to chat about tying flies and past fishing adventures with her in a less official capacity. What a lovely lady! Coming from a women’s perspective, it is just wonderful to see more of women up to their elbows in the fly fishing community. Not just because they’re being dragged along by their spouse or partner but because they really love the sport. Kudos girl!

The first day flew by. Before I knew it, the place was closing down and people were filtering out to head for the banquet in the next hall. It was there they announced this years Jean-Guy Cote Award. Our Associate Editor, Paul Marriner, had been honoured with that award last year. Stay tuned to the next Nancy’s News to find out who won this year’s award.

The Sunday morning I was armed with an energy drink so the waking process came a lot quicker this time around. Sunday went by enjoyably. I had the pleasure of getting to know some of the guides from various rivers on the Gaspesie. They were all super fine chaps! It was especially neat to see how animated they got talking about bone fishing in the more tropical climates. Those fish, as I’m sure you know, are super fast and from what they were saying a true joy to catch! I might have to give it a shot!

At four o’clock we closed up shop and packed up the SUV. We were heading back to Ontario by five, this was after taking a little detour north of Granby. We arrived safely in Belleville around 10 o’clock incredibly sleepy but also very content. I had a lot of fun! It was terrific company and awesome times. Cheers guys! A la prochaine!