Inspiration and True Grit
By Chris Chin
The Internet is a neat thing (usually). Saturday night, just
before the Saturday evening Chat (1), by a weird series of
events, I ended up "chatting" with a young lady in Canmore
Alberta. As in most exchanges I get engaged in, the usual
questions usually pop up. "What's a Forester of Chinese origin,
from the Southern Interior of BC doing in Quebec and guiding
part time for Atlantic's?" That's a long story … but I get
to reciprocate and ask the same question.
Seems as though our intrepid Lady simply up and ended
her career in its prime and moved from Quebec to the Rockies!
Inspiration or True Grit, or both, … whatever the reason,
the important thing is that she just did it. Now, I'm not saying
that we should all give it all up, sell the farm and move to
Montana or Alaska or even Idaho! The idea is though, that
if you ever thought of doing something, why not give it a try.
I'm working on bookings for the 2009 season right now.
One of the most interesting aspects which usually comes up
while ironing out the details is that many (most) folks have
wanted to try Atlantic salmon fishing for years and years, …
they just never got around to doing it. It could be that we
just think that we don't have the time or the competencies
or the skills. I can't say for destinations like Eastern Russia
or Madagascar, but salmon up here is really for anyone who
cares to give it a whirl.
Atlantic's salmon fishing is in reality, less complicated than
trout fishing! We don't match the hatch and the lies are often
(usually) in open spaces where back casts aren't a problem.
Further, casting distances are not as long as many believe.
Finally, presentation is a whole lot simpler than for trout. We
pretty well only use down and across wets or up and across
dries!
In reality, many people call me up 'cause they need help
getting the "logistics" taken care of. If you're traveling and
want to get in some fishing, why not call up a local shop,
agent or outfitter. They can take care of transport, meals,
hotels and equipment. Heck, for the surcharge on extra
bags and overweight, you can probably rent gear at the
destination.
Of course, getting up the Will to do an activity doesn't
have to be to some far off destination.
Ever want to get your "significant other" to try fly fishing?
Why not book an outing with a Guide or local club activity? They
can take care of the details, equipment etc., and you get to spend
a day of quality time. (the worst thing that could happen is that they
Love it!).
You want to try a different river, but don't want to
wander around aimlessly for a weekend, try a local shop
or Forum. There are usually tons of local anglers who
would love the opportunity to "show off" their home waters.
You haven't been fishing with Mom or Dad for decades:
Just call 'em up and tell 'em you're arriving!
For me in 2009, I'll be using a new "boat," so I'm looking forward
to exploring some new rivers (with some help from my friends) or
at least some new zones. We're also organizing some activities with
the Atlantic Salmon Federation as well as some local Fish-Ins – so
stay tuned!
As for my new Friend in Canmore, Best of luck in all of your
future endeavors! Thanks for the inspiration Liliane.
Note 1: Drop in to the Angler's Hut at any time.
flyanglersonline.com/chatroom/ ~ Christopher Chin, Three Rivers 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 44 years old as of this writing. He
is of Chinese origin although his parents were
born and raised in Jamaica.
To learn more about the Ste-Marguerite River,
visit Christopher's
website. You can email Chis at: Flyfishing.christopher@gmail.com.
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