Same River...New Eyes
By Chris Chin
After some years pursuing what has become a
passion,...ever feel like you might be becoming
jaded, bored, cynical, or just plain tired? Maybe
you just start taking for granted the simple
things,...like the feel of the rod loading,...
the gentle whipping "Swish" of the rod tip
cutting through the morning stillness...the
simple pleasures.
IMHO, I'm not, because I really do take pleasure
in the simple pleasures (as I'm by nature a simple
person).
If you feel that maybe this IS happening to you,
...there is one pretty simple way to bring back
that old enthusiasm,...bring a newcomer along.
We did this last weekend. Renée's long lost
brother called up this past winter and I
figured a nice way to reunite bro 'n sis
would be a relaxing weekend on the river.
Little did I know that fly fishing would
be so much more for Michel.
Friday morning we anxiously awaited Michel's
arrival from Bromont. After a family reunion
in the driveway, we had a snack and headed
off to our home waters.
Renée and our son Vincent have been coming
here with me for the past several seasons,
so it was their turn to "give the tour of
the property." Being from the "city,"
Michel was pretty well wonderstruck by the
vistas along the river that we have "almost"
taken for granted.
Ste-Marguerite River Valley - Photo Pierre Poisson
Exploring some of the pools alone the
regional highway, Michel is ecstatic.
Pool #9 Ste-Marguerite River
The #23
We arrive at the #23 to set up in the
Prospector's tent and settle in for the
evening. Our Michel is pretty excited and
we show him some of the differences between
trout rods and salmon rods. The different
flies,...wets and dries, for salmon and trout.
The expression on his faces is priceless.
Even BEFORE casting a single fly, Michel decides
to take out an annual license and a membership
card for the river Association. He will be back.
(and he hasn't even started yet!)
Bright and early Saturday morning we have
a leisurely breakfast (omelet, bacon, beans,
meat pie,...and Macaroni 'n Cheese for Vince).
For Michel, the coffee is more refreshing, the
bacon more sweet (maybe from the Maple syrup I
add), the potatoes more tender...New discoveries
for him.
We pack up the Explorer and head off to our
favorite haunt,...the #49. We sort out the
rods etc and head off to the beach. A monster
Moose has been down to drink earlier that
morning and his tracks are a source of intrigue
for Michel. Things we would have simply passed
off as "normal" by ourselves.
After five minutes of casting 101, Michel is
laying out 35 ft of line like a Pro. It is clear
that he finds pleasure in the "simple" act of
casting.
Michel Côté on the #49
We wander through several pools and runs.
There are hardly any salmon in the river
yet,...but that is not important.
As Renée and I watch Michel on the river,
rod in hand, methodically covering a run,
...the feeling of discovery is back. For
Renée it was only a few short years ago
that she discovered this same route,...
for me,...a few more.
Thank you Michel for letting us experience
once again the thrill and excitement of discovery.
May your journey be as fruitful as ours.
~ Christopher Chin – Jonquiere Quebec
About Chris:
Chris Chin is originally from Kamloops,
British Columbia. He has been fly fishing
on and off ever since he was 10 years old.
Chris became serious about the sport within
the last 10 years.
"I'm a forest engineer by day and part time
guide on the Ste-Marguerite River here in
central Quebec. I've been fishing this river
for about 10 years now and started guiding
about 5 years ago when the local guide's
association sort of stopped functioning."
Chris guides mostly for sea run brook trout
and about 30% of the time for Atlantic Salmon.
"I often don't even charge service fees, as
I'm more interested in promoting the river
than making cash. I like to get new comers
to realize that salmon fishing is REALLY for
anyone who cares to try it. Tradition around
here makes some of the old clan see Salmon
fishing as a sport for the rich. Today our
shore lunches are less on the cucumber sandwich
side and more toward chicken pot pie and Jack
Daniel's."
Chris is 42 years old as of this writing. He
is of Chinese origin although his parents were
born and raised in Jamaica. He has a girlfriend,
Renée. "She and her 12 year old son Vincent
started fly fishing with me last October 2002."
To learn more about the Ste-Marguerite River,
visit Christopher's
website https://pages.videotron.com/fcch/.
~ Christopher Chin
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