Every once in a while I find myself lost in deep reflection…

It’s usually around two o’clock in the morning when it happens…

My brain starts ticking, as a compilation of thoughts and events that occurred throughout the previous few months begin to pound at my head, and beat through my body until my fingers can’t help but allow them to escape through the ball point tip of my pen.

Tonight is one of those nights.

The past six years in particular have been a blur…a girl crazy about fishing; each day spent on the water, no day unappreciated, no moment forgotten, not a single second where I doubted that this is what I was born to do.

Live, fish, laugh, love, repeat. Live, fish, laugh, love, repeat.

I was born to fish and I was born to pass it on, that’s about all that I do know for sure.

So life did its thing…I matured into a young woman and by the age of 18, I knew that fishing would be the career path I would take.

I was never the best at anything I did in the sport…
Never the best caster, never the best fly-tier, never the best writer, photographer, or TV personality….

I was never the best at anything… but I loved it. God, I loved it…

I loved it to the point of obsession. It ruined my relationships, got in the way of what had the potential to be an over-flowing bank account (I should have gone into sales, hell I should have been a lawyer…), and had me lost in a battle between Mother Nature’s rivers, and Mother Nature’s calling for me to bear children and a cute house with a white picket fence.

Fishing? Children? Fishing? Children? I hate clocks when I’m on the river, and I hate them even more when they tick inside of me like a super-charged Breitling.
Fishing? Children?......

So I got a dog….his name is Colby and he’s my #1 sidekick both on the river and off of it.

Some years passed and I began Fly Gal.

Primarily a guiding operation with workshops in the Spring, and a small collection of hats and hoodies… I kept my head down and my eyes on the road, growing this little company until my client lists were healthy and my goals had almost been reached; I was determined to share this passion for the sport while living it, literally.

As this “life” progressed, life’s “lessons” followed. I made mistakes, made stupid comments, took stupid advice and listened to the stupid things that make sense to you when you’re a 21 year old girl…

An interesting chain of events followed by the growth of Face Book, Google searches, and the retardation of public fishing forums….I began to be “sought out” by those looking to hitch a ride on the “female in the industry” train.

This “train” undoubtedly freight trained my way into a marketing frenzy that resulted in some fabulous opportunities and some equally devastating harsh realities.

Those with the same passion as I, turned their time with me into something special….a message, an inspiration, a reason to look outside…these relationships are Gold to me and will never be soured.

Others, focused on selling sex appeal and insulting innuendos, blushed my cheeks temporarily and slapped my wrists with the “you should have known better” ruler. Lord help me to learn when to keep my mouth shut and remember that whilst some may edit you to look great, there are those who may do the exact opposite….

Regardless, one and the same, opportunities both bad and good, they have made me who I am today….a thankful business woman, who fishes like a hot damn, has caught more steelhead than I ever thought possible, and a gal who still isn’t the greatest at anything in this sport…except sharing it and acknowledging that there’s still a whole lot more to learn.

I’m almost at my point here….bear with me…..

Amidst all the wonders and confusion of traveling, self-recognition, injuries, good people I love, and bad people I try to love…. My image bounced to and fro with industry folk, the general public and friends who hadn’t heard from me in a months’ time…

While my image bounced, my reflection was as it had always been….strong, straight, honest and unwaveringly to the point. More humbled than at 21, I realize now more so than ever just how short life is, just how little I do know, just how difficult it is to find truly great friends, and just how important my family is.

So to steady this image and maintain my reflection, I started a blog on this site. A Fly Gal Blog…. A random collection of thoughts, opinions, experiences, and updates on our fisheries.

I spoke my truth, said what was on my mind, and chuckled with the few people who shared this small online diary with me.

Then one day it happened…
As I reached for the publish button on my Wordpress, it occurred to me that professionally it might be wise for me to bite my tongue and stifle my thoughts. Regardless of how tame my thought had been that day, I decided at that moment to refrain from opening up to the public as readily as I had been, for fear of turning away those who may not understand me…

So I erased my post and put up a trip promo instead.

Once, twice, three times… I swallowed my opinion and opted for a neutral stance on many subjects that I can assure you I am not so neutral about.

I would tense up in my rib cage, hold my breath for an extra couple of seconds, and feel my heart beat fast... I was painfully selling myself out for fear of writing something off color alongside my place of business.

It was an awful feeling.

Then it hit me this evening…
True, there are some thoughts that should be left off one’s professional page (and I can promise you that those will remain on the tip of my tongue and away from my website).

And yes, there are those who have blogs unrelated to anything business related… blogs strictly designated to vulgar rants and obscene stories…"no strings attached" demonstrations of publicly displayed fishing jargon.

But when the “strings attached” come in the form of “business attached”, there isn’t the same luxury of mindless spewing and greasy headliners, rather an obligation to do what’s right for the company and its employees…

Here’s the catch.

What’s right for this company and its employees, is a mission statement that I set out for this company to abide by when I first started Fly Gal; Stay true, stay honest, stay open minded and always do your best with zero regrets.

Free speech on this blog kept me in touch with myself and allowed me to grow relationships with many who followed along with my rants and stories… even with some of you!

It kept my head on straight, kept me from losing my mind when rumors were running rampant, and kept me in check during my late night, two o’clock in the morning reflectional tangents.

So while I can guarantee that we’ll never overstep our boundaries here, I can also guarantee that we’ll be keeping it real, light, honest, and fun… Doing our best with zero regrets.
I hope to see many of you on the river in 2011….

PS- the steelhead are in.

There. Now that felt good.

April.

Winter Steelhead Are Here! Photos by Mia Sheppard

"Snowy tree tops, bald eagles diving over our heads, chilly fingers, wet wool, a warm cup of coffee from a thermos, frozen guides, swinging flies, chrome steelhead, rippling water, crisp air filling my lungs. Just being in the elements around us is rejuvenating." - Mia Sheppard

With the arrival of winter, steelhead are making their way up the coast and into BC's and Oregon's rivers!

We currently have several options for anglers eager to get out of the house and onto the river....with the weather heating up, the fishing has been awesome!

1) The Vedder River in Chilliwack, BC is fishing unusually well for January and conveniently has a special running from February 11th to the 24th.

Guide- April Vokey
Fly Gal Discounted Price- $250.00 CDN (one angler) or $300.00 CDN (two anglers)
Regular Price- $400.00 CDN (one angler) or $500.00 CDN (two anglers)
*Your guide provides lunch, flies and tackle at no additional fee.

2) The Clackamas and Sandy Rivers in Oregon are fishing great! If you’re visiting the Portland area or live nearby, contact us at info@flygal.com to book a trip and help fight the winter doldrums.

Guides- Mia and Marty Sheppard
For these trips we offer day floats, covering 6 to 12 miles of water per day.
Your guide provides lunch, flies and tackle at no additional fee.

3) New to Spey Casting? Join the Burkheimer Spey instructors in a unique opportunity to learn about winter steelhead fishing on the West coast.

Instructors- Brian Styskal, Whitney Gould and Nate Koenigsknecht
Oregon, USA (Clackamas River)- Jan 29th or Feb 12th, 2011 8:00am - 5:00pm
$250.00 USD per person
*Includes a full day of instruction, lunch and casting set-ups.
Photo: Mia Sheppard

Photo: Mia Sheppard

Photo: Mia Sheppard

Alright everybody! Vancouver IF4 tickets will be in shop hands any day now!

Michael & Young’s, Pacific Angler, Reaction Fly & Tackle, Sea Run Fly & Tackle, Riverside Fly & Tackle…tickets won’t last, that’s a promise.

At the Vancity theater, shown in a true silver screen environment, we will open the doors at 7:00pm and settle into comfortable seats; popcorn in hand.

With a grand total of 14 films by 8 international film makers, we have a great two and a half hour show of incredible fly-fishing footage that will blow your mind.

Fly Max will be screening a very special, never before seen film of Skeena steelhead on dry flies… It was the most epic trip of my life and I can’t wait to share it with you!

6 other world premieres will be shown in addition to our epic trip!

Keep your ears open for the after party venue, and get ready for a non-stop night of action!

Well, it's finally happened!

Welcome to the launch of our new Fly Gal Site!

In addition to new features, guides, fisheries and of course, photos, we are proud to announce our featured trips, workshops and hosted trips pages that are designed to keep you up to date on events that may be coming your way.

Our specials page consists of trips that have been significantly discounted with rates that are sure to make you smile. These pages are updated regularly so make sure you check in weekly to see what sales we're having.

We have teamed with a variety of new Fly Gal members and are excited to not only offer the best in BC steelheading rivers, but also some of the best guides and instructors in the fishing industry.
This list seems to keep growing and our featured hosts, instructors and speakers are lined up for 2011....

Our shopping cart also has some new and exciting products.... So take a look around! Explore our new layout, trips, schools and gallery... and let us know if we can help you to book your next fly-fishing adventure.

The Fly Gal blog is scheduled to have a different featured voice every week alongside my regular rants, so hang on tight... we look forward to sharing our lives with you here at Fly Gal!

Sincerely,
April.

SOLD OUT

DATES:

April 16th to April 23rd, 2011

HOSTS:

April Vokey & Josh Nugent

LOCATION:

San Pedro is situated 30 miles north east of Belize City and about 22 miles south of the Belize/Mexico border. The town of San Pedro is located on Ambergris Caye, which is the largest island off the islands of the coast of Belize

PRIMARY SPECIES:

Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon, Barracuda, Snapper, and Jack Crevelle.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

We use the Sun Breeze Hotel as our principal location in San Pedro. The Sun Breeze Hotel is located right in the heart of San Pedro and we feel that it makes the ideal base from which to fish the San Pedro area.

The hotel is located right on the beach and is close to a wide variety of bars and restaurants to meet all tastes.  The rooms are very large and bright, with 2 double beds, private bath with hot and cold water, television and small fridge. The pool overlooks the warm Caribbean Sea and the pier where guests are picked up and dropped is right in front of the hotel.

THE FISHING:

The San Pedro fishing area is made up of large mangrove islands and bays, semi soft marl, healthy turtle grass flats and hard packed sand flats which are excellent for wading.

The reef side, north of San Pedro, heading all the way up to the Mexican border, is also a great bonefish habitat.  If the weather is calm, a day up at Rocky Point, where the reef angles into the island, is extremely productive and makes a fabulous day trip.

Because many of the flats consist of a marl based bottom, the majority of the bonefishing is done from the skiff. There are some hard packed areas that are excellent for wading that are very productive so guests just have to let their guide know that this is something you'd like to do.

The tarpon fishing to the west of San Pedro is consistently some of the best found anywhere. The Savannah Flats are world famous for their ability to produce tarpon year round.

Juvenile fish in the 25 to 60 pound range can frequently be found throughout the year, with much larger tarpon showing up in the late spring and summer.

The spring also means permit when fishing San Pedro.  Though not common knowledge, excellent numbers of permit show up around Ambergris Caye from late April until the fall.

Virtually all of the 25 pound+ permit have been caught during this time frame.

Permit will usually be found in about 6 to 12 feet of water so all shots will be from the bow of the boat as opposed to wading.

The coastline has a vast array of creeks, lagoons and brackish estuaries that hold every imaginable species of fish that lives in these environments. Inside the reef, the cayes, sandbars and tidal flats are a dynamic fish producing habitats. If you're serious about chasing a "Slam", there are few places better.

BOATS AND EQUIPMENT:

The flats skiffs at San Pedro are 23 foot Mexican Skiffs powered by 60 horse powered engines. The boats have rod holders and poling platforms and a generous casting area at the front of the skiff. Fly fishing and spin casting.

GETTING THERE:

Guests will fly into Belize City, where they will be met by our assistant Lilly.  Lilly will escort you over to our domestic air carrier for the 20 minute flight to San Pedro. She will ensure that luggage is properly tagged to the correct destination and will help with lost luggage should assistance be necessary. Upon arrival in San Pedro, our staff will meet and escort you to the hotel for check in.

INCLUDED IN PRICE:

• Being met as soon as you clear customs at Belize International Airport
• Round trip airfare from Belize International Airport to San Pedro
• 7 night, 6 days accommodations.
• All lunches.
• 6 days guided fishing (April 17-22).

NOT INCLUDED IN PRICE:

• Fly fishing equipment
• Alcoholic beverages
• Breakfasts and Dinners
• Gratuities
• Flight to Belize City (Arrive April 16th, Depart April 23rd)
• US Belize Departure Tax

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:

For American, Canadian, and E.U. citizens, all that is required for entrance to Belize is a valid passport. If you plan to spend more than a month in Belize, you will have to request an extension from the Immigration Office. Guests from China, Columbia, Cuba, India, South Africa, and Taiwan require a visa for entrance to Belize. Visa information can be obtained from the Belize Immigration and Nationality Department, Belmopan, Cayo District, Belize, Central America. (telephone 011-501-8-22423 or fax 011-501-8-22662)

We had eleven Fly Nation episodes done and were contemplating where to film our lucky #12.

I'd been itching to get the Fly Max crew to BC....hell, it'd only been close to 6 years of harassing poor Nick Pujic to come and play with wild steel in a wild province with a wild girl...he'd been a tough nut to crack.

Since the day Puj and I met under the fluorescent lights of a crowded Vancouver trade show, I'd been teasing him with steelhead photos, stories and animated play by plays...

I loved watching the look of excitement splash across his face when I explained how our fish fought and bucked like wild stallions trying to throw their rider.

He would wince and grit his teeth in anticipation....then smile and throw his head back to laugh as I shared my fishing stories with him.

I saw the look in his eyes when it came time for him to go back to Ontario and leave BC... he hesitated and we vowed to make it a mission to bring him back.

BC....it's pretty hard not to love it.

We always toyed with the idea of bringing the Fly Max crew out my way to film our unique steelhead fishery....but with unstable conditions and a tedious filming environment, it was looking like BC steelhead were going to have to wait for a while.

So when the Fall of 2010 rolled around and I was on my way back up to Terrace, BC to fish with my friends and guides at Nicholas Dean Lodge, it seemed only right to see if I could tempt Mr. Pujic one last time....

"I really think we can do it justice Nick..."  I pitched.  "We'll do it right, I'll bring up my best girlfriend Andrea Charlton and we'll show you how the two of us do it..."

Maybe he knew how cute Andrea was, because he booked flights for himself and cameraman Tim Myers several days later.

Miss Charlton.  (Nick Pujic photo)

Andrea and I went way back....

Back in the days when we were waitresses at the Langley Olive Garden, suffering with the pain of "soup, salad and breadstick" combos and 5% tippers (seriously folks, be nice to your server!)

She had contacted me several years after quitting and wanted to try out this "whole fly-fishing thing".  She was a natural on the fly rod and a comedian off the water..... together the two of us ripped it up on the river.

I had brought Andrea to Terrace several years earlier to try and get her into her first steelhead.

Fishing had been tough when we were there and we had since spent some challenging days on the local rivers in search of winter-run steelhead and anything else we could get ourselves into trouble with.

We were an interesting mix... she always made my ribs hurt with laughter and I always drove her crazy enough to beat me into submission (thank God graphite breaks easier than bones do)... so I figured that the two of us could provide Fly Nation with some entertainment.  (Scroll to the bottom of the page for a short teaser of our trip!)

So the 5 of us (let's not forget Colby...) packed up the perv van and made the 14 hour trek to BC's interior.

Myers taking a peek.

First stop was the small city of Hope...

At a gas station fill-up, we were fortunate enough to run into celebrity and Jeff Bridges lookalike, Randy TJ.

We were hoping to use his beats as our Fly Nation soundtrack but his agent, the Chevron cashier, was asking for more than we could afford... So, Puj opted simply to purchase the disc and get back to our excursion.  :)

We didn't make it very far before Redbull forced us to take our next pullout.  The Thompson River was closed to angling but open to rest stops, so Andrea and I took advantage of the break to see if we could spot any fish from a nearby cliff.

The guys played with camera gear and Colby stretched his legs...

We were on our way to the boys at Nicholas Dean and they were expecting us to arrive at approximately 3:00 in the morning.  At this rate it was going to take us until 3:00 the next afternoon...

So we settled into a game of truth or dare, learned way too much about each other, and finally reached the lodge at 6:00am.

Our final destination....good food, good people...these guys do it right!

Yum.

We got a little shuteye and several hours later were on the boat with head guide Dustin Kovacvich, rods rigged and cameras ready.

We were headed to the Skeena where the water was looking good and the sun was lighting up the day.

Nick Pujic photo.

C'mon sailor, get those legs back... Nick Pujic photo.

An 18 pound buck had our trip off to the right start (thanks to Dimitri Roussanidis of West-Coast Fly-Tying, for the pattern that took this bad boy down.)

Nick Pujic photo.

Nick Pujic photo.

The rest of the week was filled with some of the best steelheading I have ever seen....

Dustin is one of the best steelhead guides/anglers I've ever menaced the water with, and his giant body had all of us feeling pretty safe out in grizzly bear country.

Nick Pujic photo.

He made Andrea and I feel like hobbits from Lord of the Rings and it made making fun of him all the more enjoyable in a sick kind of way.

Dustin and I had fished together before and understood each others sarcasm and humor.  Adding Andrea to the mix only made it more hysterical and poor Puj and Myers looked like they were going to be sick if they laughed any harder.

Dustin and Andrea even landed a double header!

Nick Pujic photo.

Twice!

Nick Pujic photo.

As the sun warmed the water and the bugs began to hatch, we turned our attention to dry flies.

I had been trying for ages to land one of these babies on a dry and always came up short.

As I rigged up my rod for some dry fly action, Dustin saw a rise at the bottom end of a tailout and made his way down the run, dry-line setup in hand.

Nick Pujic photo.

He dead-drifted a size 8 mayfly through the pool, making sure the drift was natural and free of any drag.

The fish flashed and boiled under it.... He cast again and let the fly drift smoothly through the current.

A small steelhead churned the surface and ate the mayfly in true trout fashion....it was perfect.

Nick Pujic photo.

I squirmed watching the action below me and my fingers shook with excitement as I tied on my fly...

Dead drifted may flies?!  For real!?  I wanted one on a dry so bad that I hurt in the pit of my stomach.

Dustin sensed this and walked with Andrea and I across the river to fish the pool from the other side.

The boys set up and waited patiently to catch the action on tape.

Nick Pujic photo.

Nick Pujic photo.

The pressure was on and I nervously snake rolled under the overhanging brush, trying desperately to land my fly without disturbing the water...

A flash in the current caught the sunlight and my heart stopped.  Dustin was so cool...

"Hmmm, try again...."

I listened and made the cast again.  The flash happened in an instant and a large steelhead looking close to 15 pounds (with Dustin as my witness), ate my fly and launched itself into the air.

I fought it, petrified that I would lose my first steelhead caught on a dead drift dry.

Like a true farmer, I didn't take into consideration that a size 8 light wire hook can't handle the same pressure as my streamer hooks and with one good run my fish was gone, my hook was bent out, and I was dropped to my knees in an instinctive gut-wrenching and self-loathing blow.

It was awful.  Even Colby couldn't bear to watch...

Nick Pujic photo.

Nonetheless, the week was still exceptional...Fish after fish, Andrea, Dustin and I, all agreed that we couldn't be having better luck or a better time with better company (photos by Nick Pujic).

I should probably save some element of surprise for the show, but I will tell you this...

Fishing was incredible, Dustin laid the smack down (on the fish, though I'm sure at times he was tempted to redirect...) and Andrea and I both got steelhead on dries!!!

The official Fly Nation TV: Series Opener & Sponsor Reel will be premiering on WFN & WFNHD on Tuesday, November 2nd @ 8:30pm EST (prime-time).

http://vimeo.com/16242814

http://vimeo.com/15575222

Stay tuned and we hope you enjoy the show!

We are so proud to announce the International Fly Fishing Festival (IF4) to all film makers and film viewers!

The 2011 call for film submissions are now and all of us over here at Fly Max would love to see your entries!

The top submissions will be screened at all stops of the 2011 International Fly Fishing Film Festival.

Audiences within each festival city in its inaugural year will be asked to vote for their favourite submissions, and the winner of each category will find themselves with some extra cash. Total cash prizes up for grabs is 0.00.

If you read our previous blog about Casting 4 A Cure and our attempt to raise some extra money for Rett Syndrome, then this next post should come as no surprise.

For now, I would like to ask you to take a minute out of your life to open your eyes to Rett Syndrome and educate yourself a little on this disorder.  We're going to be touching on this a lot on the Fly Gal Blog so please visit the Casting 4 A Cure website and get up to date on C4C and future announcements.

First person to donate a donation (large or small) and email me verification wins this Young Guns Fly Club tee (size medium).

Please email proof of payment to april@flygal.ca and stay tuned for full details on our trip!

Thank you for your support,

It had to be done.

I had to go back to the Dean, I had to hang with my sis, I had to catch a few more steel and I absolutely had to take the job opportunity as a guide on the incredible river.

Yup, life is rough but somebody has to do it, right?  ;)

The Dean River canyon is a tough run for many fish... if you watch real close, you can see the steelhead make the jump.

So it was back on the plane and off to paradise to enjoy another couple weeks fishing for hot steelhead less than a mile from the ocean with good friend and head guide Stevie Morrow.

Short YouTube clip of the flight here.

First, I should probably explain who this animated character making funny faces and sarcastic grins is and why he's so important to the our operation...

Yup, that's Stevie for ya.  The hired comedian....

Stevie Morrow and I were friends from "back in the day".  We shared a small house on the Thompson River for several seasons and consequently have shared a "heart to heart" or two (or three or sixty)....

One day several years ago while guiding together on the Harrison River, Stevie opened up to me about how hard it was to find a good woman who understood his passion for fishing and lengthy travels.

The more he told me about the woman of his dreams (whoever she may be), the more I thought about my little sister and how she fit the description so perfectly.  I trusted Stevie and knew he'd treat her great so I schemed and trapped the two of them together for a week on the Thompson (which is just about enough to make anyone fall in love).

The rest is history....  they fell in love....  guide Stevie gets a job on the Dean River....  guide Stevie can't live without my sis and flies her up to work alongside him on the river....  sis Dana can't live without me....  and now we're all one big happy family working together on the Dean.

Guests feel the warmth as soon as they enter the lodge and hearty home cooking scents the air, engulfing hungry anglers as they come in from a full day on the water.

Hummingbirds grace hanging flower baskets and a sweet brunette graces both flowers and birds as she feeds nectar and water to the both of them.

A waterfall pours through the rock face and guests relax in the comfort of a nearby gazebo sharing drinks and stories, laughs and photos.

It's perfect.

The cabins.

I'll save the full story for later....for now, some photos of the last several weeks of August on the Dean.

Dr. Dan's no stranger here.  Nice fish Dan.

You're my hero Whit.

First buck of the season!  YouTube clip here.... (excuse the tunes, figured I'd save you from having to listen to my excited rambling.)

Greg Thomas photo.

Leanne...talk about a hardcore steelheader....yeesh.  This woman is awesome.

Finally getting Dana to the river....

The Coho in the Dean are as impressive as the steelhead.

Testing their wading skills.

A solution?

The duct tape fairy.

YouTube clip here.

Cranking for the next day....

Mission accomplished.

Game Wardens in the am...nice long johns Kev.

Nearby fires smoked up the sky and as an evacuation took place in the upper river, Stevie and I took a little time to play for ourselves....

And had the pleasure of fishing with a friend or two.

Happy birthday to you!

I know there's one in here.... David Lambroughton photo.

Open spots are filling very fast for 2011.  For rates, dates and details please email me at april@flygal.ca

This is one trip you simply must try...we would love to have you as our guests for a week next July or August!

Hope to see you soon,

Well, sturgeon trips are on sale anyway....

For a limited time we are offering our sturgeon trips at low season rates.

The Fraser River is one of the largest and most majestic rivers in beautiful British Columbia.  Complete with world class Sturgeon, Salmon, Steelhead and Trout fishing, the famous Fraser River is favored by anglers all over the world.

Fly Gal offers world class fishing charters throughout the Valley (only one hour from the city of Vancouver, BC), specializing on the Fraser River and its equally famous tributaries; the Harrison River, the Vedder River and a handful of smaller intimate systems.

The Fraser River is the worlds largest Salmon producing river and is also home to a tremendous population of giant White Sturgeon.  The White Sturgeon is the largest freshwater game fish in the world, reaching lengths of over 12 feet long!

A healthy Fraser River sturgeon.

Sturgeon are not only known for their incredible size but also for their fighting ability, often making spectacular jumps and long " reel screaming runs ".