Meet Kayla! 

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

Tying her first fly!

With Spring around the corner we are trying to get you ladies geared up and ready for the season, locked and loaded with your fly rods and smiles!

Join us in Chilliwack, BC on Saturday May 15th, 2010 for a dry land clinic that will have you fully comfortable with your fly rod and excited to hook into some fish!

Date:  May 15, 2010

Where:  Chilliwack, BC

Time:  11:00-3:00

Details:  This is a great workshop for women looking to meet other female fishing buddies, as well as women looking to partake in unique and unforgettable entertainment.

Our womens fly-casting workshop is a dry-land clinic, including both a theory and a hands-on session.

For those of you who have excelled past the beginning stages of casting and are looking to improve your distance or fix your bad habits, please contact us at april@flygal.ca to book an individual lesson.

Please contact april@flygal.ca to reserve your space.

I have mentioned Ms. Hannah Belford at times before in this blog of mine.  Hardcore, cool, smart and a good friend, listener and angler, she has created flyfishergirl.com for other serious women anglers to network and educate each other and themselves.

Unlike so many of the other whiney blogs and forums on the net, FlyFisherGirl is to the point with a review section, active forum, school/event updates and kick-ass photos.

Thanks Hannah for staying rugged and looking so damn good while doing so,

You're an inspiration and breath of fresh air for all of us,

A quick teaser from our Iceland trip earlier this year....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYpL4fo_36I

Check it out!

Keep your eyes open for the show, Fly Nation, a Fly Max Films production.

I would say I’m a fairly honest individual. I speak my mind, say it how it is, and am always the first to stand up for what I believe.

Call it inappropriate, call it “unladylike”, call it whatever you will….I’d like to speak about this over-sized elephant in the room that keeps whispering in my ear and tempting me to rant for just a moment.

This ugly elephant is whispering about the notorious fame factor.

This “fame factor” is a topic I have found myself overhearing for the past two years about most anybody who manages to have a light shone on them for longer than ten seconds in the fishing industry.

This said, I would simply like to respond to the caddy conversations of whispering scrutiny and stereotyping that a young blonde woman in the sport so regular overhears about being hungry for fame…..

You see “Fame” can be found in multiple variations.

-There’s the desperate and attention starved ‘make a personal tape of private entertainment’ and then “oops!” let it leak on the net. -There’s the overly obnoxious loud mouth on your local forum who just has to be heard. -There’s the reality TV star looking to catch 30 seconds of guitar time while serenading a wealthy bachelor. -There’s the plastic surgery nightmares who simply can’t help themselves and seemingly forget their bra on every mid-day outing.

There are people trying to be famous virtually everywhere you look.

In my neck of the woods (Vancouver, BC) while growing up in both a world of music students (what I originally went to college for), and a world of a straight up shockingly beautiful crew of model girlfriends, witnessing this strive for fame always made my stomach churn a little.

Hell, I just wanted to fish.  Attention from men became boring by the age of 17 and comments based on looks and low-cut tops were nothing short of humorous and mind-numbing.

I pondered why in the world anybody would want fame.  To me it only made sense for three reasons.

1)  To make a living.  (Which undoubtedly is nominal in this industry.)

2)  To have people know who you are so they are willing to pay you to do SOMETHING THAT YOU LOVE, thus allowing you to do it every day.

3)  To inspire others to do right (which in all sincerity feels the best of all three options).

Why anybody would want to be in the public eye for the sole purpose of being the victim of critiquing, judging and God knows what else, I never could quite understand….

So when I made the decision to save my vocal skills for my own personal enjoyment and long car rides, I was ecstatic that I had made the right choice.

For I was going to fish for a living!

There was only one small problem.

I had a mortgage, a truck, and one hell of an appetite for good steak.  How on Earth was I to be able to fish all day and still be able to make my payments while doing what I loved?

The answer was simple.  I had to find clients who would pay me to take them fishing. To do this successfully would require marketing….aka trying to get “famous”.

But isn’t this how all successful businesses are supposed to work?

Market wisely, provide quality work and then continue the process until the fishing season is booked?

How then is it different when it’s a young angler looking to excel their business so he/she can find happiness in doing what they love?

For me personally, if fame was really that important I’d be posing in bikini bottoms with my arm covering my bare chest and my hair blowing in the wind.

Perhaps I’d be married to a television producer or maybe standing in line for American Idol. I can tell you one thing….I wouldn’t have given up my singing career.

So there you have it Mr. Elephant, don’t let the door hit your large gray ass on your way out.

When Mike Rice of Mud Dog Saltwater Flies told me he was sending some salty flies my way I didn't give it much more than a second thought.

When a perfectly stocked and strategically organized fly box landed in my mailbox however, I was singing a different tune.

His flies were incredible!  Tied with care by a true saltwater angler, he had me itching to book a trip to the Bahamas.

I was impressed......

Mike hasn't asked for much.  A pretty low key guy who ties for fun and hangs with his two black labs, he had only one request-  Just for me to fish the hell out of his collection and slay ocean beasts until my arms were sore.

But I just had to send a shout out to his company and say with confidence:

If you're hitting the salt, hit up Mud Dog.....You'll be thankful you did.

Thanks Mike!

Ape.

Mike Rice Mud Dog Saltwater Flies www.muddogflies.com cell: 781.254.4533

If you've read my first Iceland Blog, you'll know that I have fallen in love with Iceland, it's Atlantic salmon, and it's hilarious residents (Rabbi).

So, a month later I teamed up with fellow Fly Max Films (www.flymaxfilms.com) hosts and brothers Naoto and Yoshi Aoki to head back to the "land of ice" to fish our asses off and capture it all on tape.

These pictures should tell the story.....

**Photos all taken by Yoshi and Naoto Aoki.

So, all I wanna know is....who's coming back with me next year?

We recently had our Women's Weekend Learn to Fly Fish Retreat and what a weekend we had!  We teamed with the Fraser's River Edge in Chilliwack, BC on the Fraser River to host seven up-and-coming Fly Gals, teaching them how to cast, tie knots, and catch fish.....

The incredible view from the lodge.

Breakfast prepared by Mike and Adriana Jones (owners of the lodge).

A happy cheer!

Hmmmm.  Trophy fish?  Hardly...

On our way to the river.  Weekend motto; "what happens on the river, stays on the river".

The Fraser River waiting for us to cause a major disruption.

Setting up.

Some of the lovely ladies getting ready to learn.

Yes, I know knots are boring, but believe me when I tell you that you'll need this info one day!

Seriously, you're going to need this info today.....attention please.

Getting serious.

Oh, what concentration.

Passing the knowledge on (this is how it all begins folks!)

On to the casting.

Looking like I'm threatening to shoot whoever doesn't listen.

Demonstrating a bad stroke.

Then showing why it's so bad.

Hmmm.  Yeah, I think we'll stick to doing it our way.

So we spread out down the river and prepare to catch some Pink salmon.

Yes!

Love it!

So cute!

Oh dear.

I am woman hear me roar.

Landing a little hen.

First fish gets a kiss!

Scrappy little female, the fish was a fighter too  ; )

Oops.  Perhaps there are some leaks that simply can't be fixed.

Rowdy girls.

A sunset marks a perfect evening.

We will be making this an annual event.  For more information on booking a space, email me at april@flygal.ca

When I first launched Fies For Fins earlier this year, the response from people was tremendous!  Flies from all around the world made their way into my mailbox and I couldn't help but feel inspired....

Japan, Ireland, Oregon, Denmark, Newfoundland....You name it and there were flies sent from there!

People were kind and donated not only their flies and other cool product, but their time and best wishes as well.

Words cannot express how grateful I am to these people (even though it has kept me busier than hell!)

In fly sales alone we have made over ,000 (exact specifics to be announced when I have collected all payments from the shops). So as the steelhead season in BC's lower mainland slowed to a halt, I felt it was only fair to the shop owners to pull the FFF boards from their stores and add their remaining flies to my ever increasing stock here at home.

Aware that getting people to buy the flies may prove to be a tricky task, I've gone about it in a way that I feel anyone would be foolish to resist.....

Here's what I've done:

I have arranged all the flies into "goodybags", pre-packaged and ready to be shipped!  All proceeds from these bags go to the Steelhead Society of BC for habitat restoration and other improvements....

The goodybags are arranged into several different categories....

AND THAT'S JUST THE FLIES!

I have scratched my head and pondered about how I could sell off some of this unbelievable product that has been donated (for the record, we are still looking for product donations if you'd like to contribute an item).

So, after months of pondering, I think I may have finally figured it out....

I am announcing an auction!!!  A silent auction, that is....

Via Facebook!  Starting right now, I will have an active silent auction on the Fly Gal group page of Face Book!

Items will be pictured under an auction album and then the rest is up to you!  Start bidding, and the highest bet at the close of the auction will win (Oct 29th).  Again, all proceeds go to the Steelhead Society of BC.

Some of the items currently on Face Book, ready to be auctioned off are:

A Loop Classic Burgundy 811

Fish Pond Pack

Art Lingren Custom Flies

Recycled Waders Gear

Bug Slinger Apparel

Fly Gal Apparel

...and much more to come!!!

This auction and fly offer closes on October 29th.  This is a win-win-win situation and not a single helping hand goes unappreciated!

Please try to limit emails unless you are looking to donate an item for the cause (in which case I will add to the album for bidding opportunity).

If you would like to donate an item, we would love to have your help!

S&H fees may apply....

Thanks to all!

Good luck!