How to choose a Guide II

Chris Chin (Proulxville, Quebec) - November 16, 2009

I know I already wrote about this a few years ago, but a few anecdotes came up recently that made me wonder if anyone actually read it.

The lotteries are out for the Quebec 2010 Atlantic salmon season. This means lots and lots of anglers are starting to shop around for rod slots and Guides. At the same time, the early winter blues are already setting in across North America, so folks are looking to the 2010 season to help keep them motivated and to fend off cabin fever.

While at a local fly fishers get together in Three Rivers, Liliane and I ran into several local anglers. One couple had done a guided trip recently and had come away from the experience with a weird observation.

Seems they had booked an outing with an acquaintance, but hadn't gotten all the signals straight before hand. Oh, they had a wonderful time: Fish were abundant, strikes were hard, fast and furious. Then again, while stringing up on the first morning, the Guide was a bit insistent that they use his flies etc.

Now it's not a really big deal. They ended up catching quite a few fish on both the Guide's flies as well as those that my friend had tied up specially for the trip. This little misunderstanding could have easily been avoided though through some simple communication before the trip.

Copying from my earlier article of a few years ago, what can one do to ensure a pleasant time is had by all?

If possible, plan ahead. Getting ready for the excursion of a lifetime is part of the fun. Do the research on the river, history, services, fishing.

Now the hard part: What do YOU want and what are your real capacities?

Do you prefer a quiet day or are you looking for non-stop action?

Try to think about how you can articulate this?

Do you prefer calmly wading along a brook or furiously bombing the banks from a drift boat?

Do you want/need lessons on casting, presentation, tactics?

Ask LOTS of questions. By doing your research (Internet is fabulous for this), you'll be able to ask some really informed questions to your prospective Guide. Questions like:

What is the refund policy if the water is un-fishable? (too low, too high)

Can we wade? Can we drift? Do we have to drift?

References please.
How long have you been Guiding? (Sure everyone has to start somewhere, but do you really want to be this Guide's very first solo client on YOUR dream vacation?)

What can you realistically expect to get in the way of ACTION? No, this isn't a dumb question. If you knew the answer to this, you probably wouldn't be looking for a Guide!!

Can your Guide (prospective) get a realistic evaluation of the water/river conditions as well as some "insider" fishing reports?

What services are offered? (Lunch, equipment, flies, lessons, transportation, licenses, rod fees)

What is the order of the day? Schedule? Is this a non-stop, killer of a day or do we take a break at mid-day?

Rates? Tips? Extras?

What to bring (which rod, which flies, warm clothes, cool clothes, bug dope)

Get a confirmation of the booking in writing.

Get a follow up contact just shortly before the booked date to confirm that everything is still A1 and in order. (Things change, zones can close, and trends for the season may see the Guide wanting to adjust the itinerary a bit)

A good Guide is there to make sure EVERYONE has a pleasant day. By doing some research, a bit of soul searching, being realistic in your expectations and capacities and asking the right questions, the client can help a professional Guide do their JOB properly.

Boris setting up a client right

A frosty morning on the Thanksgiving weekend

Friends who came out for this last weekend of the season had no trouble dealing with the conditions as they had prepared for it well in advance.

Chris Chin
Proulxville, Quebec

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Archive of Our Man in Canada

A Fish Tale

A FISH TALE

Chris Chin (Proulxville, Quebec) - November 9, 2009

Now, don't get me wrong, I firmly believe that the majority of fly fishers are fine upstanding individuals. We would never intentionally “exaggerate” of “supersize” a fish we caught. Then again, human nature being what it is, the “tale of the tape” can sometimes get lost in the translation.

Case in point, on the (Canadian) Thanks Giving long weekend, I was to meet up with several friends for a last outing of the 2009 season. While waiting of a couple of them to arrive Saturday morning, I quickly strung up a rod and went to test out a small hole on the #38 here on my home waters.

The #38 pool is a large holding pool. It measures over 300 feet in diameter, so knowing where the “holes” are is handy. Often aerial photos can help one spot shoals, sand bars and such.

Anyway, I strung up a 4wt rod since we would be fishing principally for small juvenile sea run Brook Trout. The old Martin Classic click ‘n pawl reel would do fine (yeah, right!).

I scampered down the ballast rock and stripped out a couple yards of line. A quick toss of a #8 Brown and Brown woolly bugger and I was soon retrieving the fly slowly though the hole.

As I day dreamed and watched the clouds forming overhead, the rod tip dipped then dove. My line cut hard right and headed for the current. In a flash, the line accelerated, gave one burst of speed and the reel back spun on itself ... Bird’s Nest!

Just as I was starting to think that it was possibly a small salmon, the trout rolled on the surface and I saw the distinctive white leading edge on a pectoral fin. A big Hen had inhaled the fly!
Not wanting to over work a spawner, I quickly stripped the line in and worked the trout to my feet. As I worked to get her close to hand, I noticed a young angler to my left in the bay. He was intrigued to see me fighting a trout as there were very few caught the day before.

I easily worked the barbless hook out and quickly measured her against the mark on my rod.

All of my rods have marks on them to measure 14 and 25 inches. The 25 inch mark is to know if an Atlantic salmon is a legal “Grisle” as many rivers are C&R only for salmon 25 inches or more.

The 14 inch mark is for sea trout, as the 4 rivers here in the Saguenay region of Quebec have implemented a new regulation limiting captures to 1 over 14 inches (in order to try to preserve the breeding stock). This big Hen was a good 3 inches LONGER than a Grisle! That would mean she was at least 28 inches!

I lifted the fish out of the water for 1-2 seconds to show the young angler who was 20 feet away and then sent her back on her way.
I didn’t think anything else of this catch for the rest of the day and spent a wonderful time with friends chasing the elusive sea trout. A cold front rolled in and action was lacking, but a fine time was had none the less.

That evening, we were preparing supper at camp when two friends stopped by for coffee and a chat. As he jumped out of the pick-up, Jerome calls out, “Ok, Christopher, you will give us the real story. We heard from three different angles that you caught a trout this morning that was 30, 32 or 34 inches!!”

Apparently, the young angler who had seen the trout this morning had rather quickly recounted he exploit to another angler and so on and so on .... I quickly clarified this to our Friends. As I had actually measured the trout against my rod, it was clear that she was over 25 inches, but less than 30!

News travels fast on a river ... it just gets bet out f shape a bit in the translation!

Have a fine winter season.

Chris Chin

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The Quebec 2009 Atlantic Salmon Mentorship - [A series – Part 3 of 3]

The Quebec 2009 Atlantic Salmon Mentorship - [A series – Part 3 of 3]

Chris Chin (Proulxville, Quebec) - October 19, 2009
part 1 can be found here
part 2 can be found here

The 2009 Mentorship would never have been such a success (or even gotten off of the ground) without the help and participation of the many Instructors, Guides and volunteers.

This activity requires quite a few! As with any day on a salmon river, two anglers per Guide is really the limit for giving good service. Therefore, given the number of participants, there were over 20 Guides and as many instructors (Mentors). For the group “the Next Generation”, there were another 4-5 Mentors for the 12 youngsters.

In reality, the Guides were not all full time professional Guides (some were). The rest were simply anglers who fish regularly on the local rivers. Further, there are no Guide associations in the region. As an example, Daniel, his partner Lise as well as his brother Mario have been fishing the Little Saguenay for over 14 years, so they were excellent references to “Guide” for the weekend.

Mario Fillion watching over Glass Pool (2003)

Boris did a Lion's share of the work to exploring the Ste-Marguerite to make sure we'd be putting newcomers over salmon (then he prayed for a week that the darn critters wouldn't move!)

Father and Son Romain and Boris Tremblay guided for us on the Ste-Marguerite – Pascal P. (Left) was in the Discovery class.

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Boris watching over one of his charges

The Gals at the local cross-country ski club served up breakfast for the gang

The Mentors and Guides came from all over the Province. As the salmon rivers in Quebec are concentrated along the St-Laurence Seaway and the Gaspé peninsula, that's where many came from. Still, some such as Faruk flew in from Toronto to give a helping hand.

Dave Bishop on the Monday clinic – He was also one of 20+ Mentors

One of the Next Generation an a future Guide as well!!!

There are too many to name and I'd end up forgetting someone anyway, so I won't list them all here.
Ok, ... I will name Pierre Manseau.
He instigated this activity in 2007 and is the driving force behind its success over the past three years. I'll also add Amelie Dussault, the project coordinator at the Quebec Atlantic Salmon Federation. Poor girl started with the FQSA over the summer and inherited the logistics of this year's Mentorship at the very last minute!
A big thanks to all the Guides, Mentors, staff, Wardens, cooks, caterers and all who gave there 100% to make the 2009 Quebec Salmon Mentorship a success.

Chris Chin
Proulxville, Quebec

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The Quebec 2009 Atlantic Salmon Mentorship - [A series – Part 2 of 3]

The Quebec 2009 Atlantic Salmon Mentorship - [A series – Part 2 of 3]

Chris Chin - October 12, 2009
part 1 can be found here

One of the aspects that I just love about the Quebec Atlantic Salmon Mentorat is the steps they have taken to break the myth (that is – the myth that fly fishing for Atlantics is for the Elite, the Rich, the Pros or the Snobs).

I like to get new comers to realize that salmon fishing is REALLY for anyone who cares to try it. Tradition around many rivers 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.

A few years ago, a group of Salmo salar enthusiast set out to initiate newcomers to the sport of Atlantic salmon fishing. A couple years later, this small little activity grew! The third annual edition had Pro Staffers from many of the major rod makers, literally thousands of dollars worth of door prizes for the Sunday banquet, over 40 Guides and Instructors as well as countless others who took care of meals, logistics, reservations and impromptu gastronomic picnics. (Well, Amelie Dussault did a Lion’s share of the logistics).

Even with the “bigger and better” format, the same philosophy holds true from the first event. The main purpose of the weekend is to initiate newcomers to the sport.

The participants in this year’s activity (as in the past 2 years) were divided into 2 groups:

The Mentorat Class: Anglers with less than 3 years or 10 days of salmon fishing under their (wader) belt.

The Discovery Class: Anglers who have some experience or have already done a previous Mentorat and who wish to discover a new salmon river or two.

The Next Generation: A new addition this year. A dozen youngsters from a youth center came up with a half a dozen mentors to get their first taste of fly fishing. Thanks to some fancy foot work this group got a free pass to the activity.

The whole idea of the weekend is to show folks what Atlantic fishing on the fly is all about. Therefore, we asked that all Mentorat and Discovery anglers take at least some casting instruction before the weekend. Of course, most came away from the weekend with improved casting skills or with a few new tricks (like a Snake Roll cast to get back on target without false casting into the overhanging trees on the #24 pool).

Right: Jean-Claude “arranged” his holidays to come over from France to participate in this year’s activity. He also gave a wonderful demo on the third day of traditional 2 handed rod handling skills.

Jacques – Mindfully watching over one of his charges in the Mentorat Class

Pro Staff from a major rod maker – Pascal was in the Discover Class

From our third but most important group: one of the Next Generation and a Next Generation Instructor!!

The Next Generation getting some pointers and just hangin’ out!

Gilles – A Mentorat Class participants putting one back for the Next Generation (his second ever day chasing Salmo salar)

Without the enthusiasm and willingness to learn coming from the participants, the activity would never have been such a success. I would like to personally thank all those who gave up there time to come and visit us in the Saguenay region and discover the 4 Atlantic salmon Rivers that we’ve been hiding here.

See you all next year!!!

Christopher Chin – Proulxville Quebec

The Quebec 2009 Atlantic Salmon Mentorat [A series – Part 1 of 3]

A QUIET DAY ON THE RIVER [With 120 Friends]

Chris Chin - September 21, 2009

The Quebec 2009 Atlantic Salmon Mentorat
[A series – Part 1 of 3]

In Eastern Canada, Atlantic salmon fishing has always been shrouded by a mystique or something. I suppose it hails from the history old the old private fishing clubs. Maybe it comes from certain angler’s who put themselves on a pedestal. Whatever the reason, it just seems darn difficult to get newcomers to try fly fishing for Atlantics.

Many very experienced anglers seem intimidated by the prospect of salmon fishing. Image the new comer to the sport?

A few years ago, an angler here in Quebec set about changing all that. He invited a dozen newcomers for a couple days on the river. Some Instructors and local Guides donated their time and a fine weekend was had by all.

This past Labour Day weekend, the Third Annual Quebec Atlantic Salmon Mentorat was held in the Saguenay region of Quebec. A couple dozen participants were in the Mentorat group, that is to so, they had less than 10 days of salmon fishing under their belt. Another group was in the Discovery class; reserved for anglers with some experience and just wanting to explore some new waters. The Pointe au Mire youth center also sent along 10 or so youngsters and 5 mentors. In all, over 120 people were on the rivers, including a couple dozen Guides and as many instructors.

Two anglers were paired up with one Guide or Instructor per day.

Jacques explaining some of the finer points of presenting the fly

New this year, many of the gear manufacturers sent reps along. Quite a feat to have the Pro-staff come out to meet with a mere 100 people. (versus a weekend show or such).

Pascal M. showing some tricks to Pascal P.

Two days of fishing and a third day of demos and equipment trials. The activity this year was perceived as a fine success by all.

Pascal P. – Chasing bruisers on the #23 pool

Low water conditions made for difficult salmon – That didn’t stop Gilles from connecting to a first ever salmon on his second day of salmon fishing.

As with any day of the river, lunch and fishing stories were on the menu – Pascal Moreau, Romain Tremblay, Boris Tremblay and Pascal Perreault

The next Generation of Salmo salar enthusiasts!!!

This year, the Quebec Atlantic Salmon Federation (FQSA) has joined in. To get more information about next year’s activity you can connect to their web site. To know more about the 4 salmon rivers in the Saguenay region, you can look up the Salmon Quebec web site.

The spirit of the whole weekend in one click – Dave Bishop and Boris Tremblay

Next week: the Anglers

Chris Chin
Proulxville Quebec

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Dress for success

Chris Chin - September 7, 2009

After a few years at any activity, we all start taking things for granted. Not just the access we have to wonderful natural resources and spectacular fishing sites, but also the knowledge that we glean from season after season on the water. Every now and again, an event or comment brings me back to ground zero and sets me to thinking about some of things I just do automatically now.

Little things like keeping my stripping hand low so I can better control my line speed and presentation. Or stuff like mending the line in the proper direction to control drift. A client asked a question and then the same week, our very own staff asked the same thing:

“What are the do‘s and don‘ts for outdoor clothing? And … How to do this without breaking the bank?”

(Note: I live and fish in Central Quebec. Daytime temperatures on the river range from 29 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the season or time of day! Some of what I mention here might not be applicable where you play)

I take for granted the outdoor gear I use today like breathable waders, nylon rain jackets, synthetic shirts and slacks. They all help to keep me warm in the fall and cool in the summer. Looking back on the “good ‘ole days”, we didn‘t have the same choices as today, but some of the same stand-by‘s are still out there and some of them have never been replaced.

A stroll through any sporting goods shop or outlet will show you that there are thousands of products on the market to keep us dry and warm or cool and comfy. While looking about, I always remember that, to stay safe and comfortable, I must stay dry! Let‘s look at a typical day on the river for me and you‘ll see what I mean.

From the inside out, I wear synthetics next to my skin. Inside my waders I use old cross-country or cycling tights. Lightweight long underwear does well too. As do my heavy weight Polartech pants when it‘s really cold.

DO NOT WEAR BLUE JEANS under your waders. The natural fibres will grab and chaff the inside of the waders as well as your legs. The synthetic fabric I use slides against the waders making walking much more comfortable. Further, the fabric wicks moisture away from me, helping the breathable waders to do their job.

On my upper body I wear either synthetics under a cotton blend shirt or just the cotton blend shirt when it‘s really warm. I prefer blends of 60/40 cotton/synthetic as it really helps to wick away moisture and can add up to SPF-30 or more, depending on the blend.

Headgear is a must for staying comfortable: An FAOL ball cap for warm weather and a cracked wax “Aussie style” hat for rain and snow.

I have invested in a good rain jacket. A breathable model has been serving me well for several years. I also have a spare from Chota, which is also holding up well. Together, my breathable waders and wading jacket cost more than a high-end rod. You can find breathables for much less.

As for under layers, there are literally TONS of inexpensive fleece garments on the market. Don‘t like fleece? Well, a best place to find fine wool sweaters and slacks are thrift stores and bargain bins in the “dress” section of most chain stores. A fine cashmere pull over makes a nice warm and light to medium weight layer. My heavier sweaters are rag wool that I found at an outdoor adventure store.

Finally, I don‘t usually wear big heavy socks. My waders already have thick neoprene feet. When I want to add a bit of added insulation, I pull out an old pair of wool dress socks. They add a layer without bulking up and cutting off the circulation in my feet.

Even during a drawn out rain shower, we were warm and dry – Comfy enough to go after some sea run Brook trout!

Sure I have some garments with logos on them. Then again, on even the best shirts, I will always end up replacing buttons as they start to loosen up. So rummage around in the attic or the bargain bin at the Work Warehouse before dropping some major cash for products with a logo. You might just find some real treasures.

Chris Chin
Proulxville Quebec

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FlyAnglersOnline.com © Notice

Ladies!!!

Chris Chin - August 17, 2009

I just got back from a run on the Ste-Marguerite River. Over 5 days, I met up with 13 people and guided 25 angler days with the help of another Guide, but here's the kicker: Of the 13 people we guided, there were only 2 fellows, the rest were women!

It seems that there are more and more women getting into fly fishing. This is wonderful. Gone are many of the “Good old boys” mentalities and “a Private man's fishing clubs”. Today, gear as well as packages is being tailored to women.

A quick run around the internet and we can find outfitters and guides who offer packages specifically suited to the ladies. We only have to look at some of the sponsors here at FAOL and we find gear suited to women. From coast to coast, guide services have packages for women too.

In reality, there is no difference guiding a Lady or Ladies over a group of guys. Well, the shore lunch is a bit less on the meat and potatoes side and more on the salmon steaks, grilled chicken, toasted bagels and fruit salad. (Women seem to burn energy more quickly so I prefer to offer meals a bit less “heavy” and then have them eat more often during the day).

With beginners, a quick brief about the techniques we'll be teaching:

Romain Tremblay going over the basic with a group of the Gals

Then we're off for some casting basics:

Romain and Valerie: Correcting a trailing loop.

As with any hot and sunny day on a salmon river, after lunch, a rest was in order:

Nancy catching some z's

Maude was hard at it … doing everything right, but our friend Salmo salar just wouldn't cooperate.

The Gals gave it a good shot.
Helene connects in the setting sun on her very first cast to a pod of sea run Brookies

So Ladies, once your significant other is preparing for a day on the water, why not get prepared and head out too. For beginners, you can book a day with a guide or a local club. And Fellas, why not take some time out and show your Gal or Mom a day on the river. Who knows, you might just find a wonderful excuse to have some real quality time together.

Christopher Chin, Proulxville, Quebec

P.S.
A special thanks to Nancy, Nathalie and Nathalie, Kim, Helene, Lyne, Maude, Tonya, Valerie, Genevieve, Christiane (as well as Sebastian and Nicolas) for a wonderful week.

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THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM?

[Or at least a really good night sleep afterwards]

Chris Chin - July 27, 2009

I think I'm going against a whole lot of common wisdom here, but here goes any ways.

When I start booking with a new client or organizing a weekend out on the river with friends, the same question always comes up: "So what time do we get to start?" On Quebec salmon rivers, the regulations state that one can start fishing one hour before sunup and you can fish right up until one hour after sunset. Since the sun comes up at 5 o'clock and sets around 8:45 in the evening, I suppose you could fish from 04h00 until 21h45! That's a very long day!

This weekend, I had some new comers to the river. They had fished for salmon on several rivers and have each caught a few salmon. As they wanted to fish all day, they woke up at 3h45 at home, a quick muffin and coffee on the drive down and we strung up rods at 05h20.

There aren't a whole lot of salmon in the Ste-Marguerite this year. I ran 25 km of the river Wednesday and saw a grand total of 2 salmon. Sure I missed some, but there were not many to see. Up in the #4 zone the story is quite different. There are salmon in all the usual haunts and they seem to be real takers!

Anyway, back to our intrepid duo. After a chilly morning and no real action, I bundled them up for some lunch. As they hadn't eaten a real breakfast, the 52 degree water was taking its toll on them. Over a hot lunch of meat pies and salad, we talked strategy. Much to their surprise, I explained that I'll rarely fish before 8 o'clock when I'm out by myself. I prefer to let the water warm a tad and like to swing a fly over a likely salmon just as the light starts to come into the pool. For dry flies, it's even later.

While I showed Sylvain how to tie leaders, Mario sacked out in our tent for a good 2 hours nap. As the sun starts to settle in the valley, we headed back to the river. We had a likely prospect all morning long, but this evening, the big Hen doesn't want to come out to play.

We head back down to Glass Pool to set up wets on a likely section of the run. As on many days on the river, just as we're starting to settle down on the beach and think about calling it quits, the action picks up:

After a full 50 minutes of action I actually had to wade very deep, grab the fly line and hand line the salmon up and out of his hiding hole. (Lordy I'm glad that Mario borrowed one of my heavy rods for the evening!!)

Good thing Mario took a nice long nap – the evening's action was long and hard!! After 50 minutes of combat, it was a good thing that the batteries in my headlamp are always fresh!

Our duo actually had a second day reserved in the same zone, ... they woke up quite a bit later, had a real breakfast, a leisurely lunch ... And a heck of a fine afternoon

Sylvain with a nice Buck : 4:30 in the afternoon! Now that's a respectable hour to connect to a salmon

So have fun waking up early. You really should on my home waters if you're chasing after sea run Brookies. Then again, we're out there for the fun of it. Not to beat ourselves to death! I suppose that on other rivers here on the East coast, folks start out at the crack of dawn just so that they can be the very first one to get a fly over a salmon. Granted, there is some wisdom in that. Then again, the salmon that Sylvain got came out of the very same pot where another Guide's client connected that morning (at 8:30).

Tight Lines!!!

Chris Chin, St-Severin de Proulxville Quebec.

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Outlaw Review

The new pontoon drifter: What a delight!

The Outlaw Outfitter pontoon craft

North Fork Outdoors Ogden UT

Note: I'm having trouble formatting this entry. You can read the original on my site on the Outlaw Review page

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Introduction

A couple years ago, I carelessly left my 16 ft canoe on the river bank (for 3-4 months) so eventually, someone walked off with it. (I hope they get good use from it … I sure did). Anyhow, I started looking for a canoe, freighter, boat … something to use here. My choices soon narrowed down to a couple options. I could get another canoe in the 17 ft range, a yak or a drift boat.

A canoe was quickly discarded as I often have 2 visitors in the craft at one time. Not stable enough. Further, I’m getting too old to be cramped up for too long.

A freighter is an option (that is, a 17-22 ft canoe, square tail, 3-4 passengers. I also put this option aside because of the class II – III rapids we have. I don’t want to have to rely on my passengers to paddle to be able to negotiate even the mildest of white water.

So what I needed was a one man rowing position for multiple (2) passengers, but light enough to carry to the river bank. Aha! … A drift boat. There are several wonderful products in the USA and I have piloted a few different makes and models in BC. Traditional glass or aluminum drift boats come in at around 300 to over 500 pounds. As I don’t usually have organized boat ramps, I need to “portage”, drag or carry the craft to the water in most situations.

In comes the pontoon drift boat. A friend in Chicoutimi had bought a 2 man pontoon drifter from North Fork Outdoors in 2008. I gave it a good inspection and was sold on the quality and functionality. In November 2008 I ordered up a three man model. Here’s what I got, my impressions, the minor modifications I did and my (humble) recommendations.

Disclaimer:

Aside from selling me a good product, North Fork Outdoors

has not paid for nor pre-endorsed this article

Evolution of the Species!

Chris Chin - June 29, 2009

A few years ago I had the wonderful opportunity of initiating a couple of young anglers to the joy of salmon fishing. Being rank beginners they lost more flies on faulty back casts than any other group of clients that I had ever guided. They did have a lot of fun though and one of them, Dany, continued on to pursue salmon up and down the various salmon rivers in Quebec.

This year the season started off at a normal pace. Two weeks ago there were zero salmon in the river since the run just hadn’t started yet. I was hoping that the moons and tides would cooperate, but an extraordinarily early start to the season would not be so.

Last weekend, I headed back to scout pools and runs. The Wardens informed me that there were a couple salmon in a few scattered pools, but they hadn’t seen them for several days. As they often do. I figured that these early arrivals had high tailed it up to the Northern Arm This very first batch of salmon will often run +60km of river non-stop and head into an arm of the main flow to hole up until spawning time.

Sunday morning I rolled out late and decided to explore a bit. As usual Boris and Luc were at Glass Pool. As I looked down and saw a monster of a salmon holding high upstream from the rapids. Quick consultation and we guestimate that she was over 25, but less than 30 pounds! These big hens are multiple spawners, and this isn’t the first time she’s been on this leg of her migration and seems to know her flies. She just wouldn’t move for anything!

I decided to move down to the #38 to see what’s about, and I do a couple long and methodical sweeps through the run. Nothing. Well, no hits, there are probably salmon in there.

I decide to hit the road, so I trek out of the run. As I move towards the pick-up, I hear those famous words. “Oh man, Fish on!” I jog up the berm to the slick and find our intrepid Dany on the far side connected to the very first salmon of the 2009 season!

June 14th – first salmon on the Ste-Marguerite River

Our newest addition to the Salmo salar angling community had recently moved up a notch and upgraded his equipment. With 10-12 pounds of angry salmon on the end of the line Dany found a wonderful way to break in a new rod!

A quick 15 minute battle and the salmons at hand, and it’s the biggest salmon Dany has ever caught. The salmon that he has landed in the previous years have all been grisles (juvenile salmon). The double hooked Cossaboom doesn’t want to come out cleanly so he cuts the leader.

A fine way to break in a new rod – Dany Berube – Gatineau Quebec

Moments after the release, Boris arrives to see if there is any action to be found on the slick. A humble but excited Dany recounts his adventure. He explains that the hook stayed in so we show Dany our flies. There are mostly barbless singles with a select few doubles, also barbless. In an evolution of the angler, Dany orders up 2 sets of salmon flies from Boris, all singles (he can pinch down the barbs as he sees fit).

Dany is becoming a very accomplished salmon fisher. He has good insight into techniques, tactics and his casting is improving by leaps and bounds. Happy trails Dany on your journey of exploration and discovery.

Chris Chin St-Severin de Proulxville, Quebec Canada

Stop and smell the flowers.

Saturday, June 6 !!! That’ll be my first day out this season for salmon. The first weekend in June is kind of early for Atlantics on my home waters, but the itch to get out is too strong. Then again, Easter was pretty early this year and the full moon passed a couple weeks ago. Maybe I’ll get lucky.

Getting ready for the first outing is always quite something here. Sure, as the season rolls along, the pickup accumulates all the gear and stuff I use, but not forgetting something on that first weekend is usually an exercise in planning. Right now, there is gear scattered all about the house. Liliane is pretty intrigued by some of the items.

The usual stock is there, rods, reels, multiple fly boxes, the fly bins, waders and boots. There is also a bag of extra clothes and the first aid kits (3). Aside from the kitchen stuff, ice chests and tying kit, a small kit bag holds all the books, references and maps.

Books ??? ... Actually, yes. 

The Ste-Marguerite River in Central Quebec where I mostly fish is an easily accessible river. It runs over 100 kilometres through the river valley along the regional highway. We often change pools by car, parking in various pull outs. 

The observation decks and picnic sites which are scattered along the river also afford us places to spool up, change flies and rotate in and out of runs. (Right – The Gallery on Big Pool overlooks dozens of salmon and even more adult trout)

We also like to take time out to shoot the breeze, snack and rest. In June, a long day on the river can be over 16 hours long, so a midday nap is usually in order.

Caroline and Hubby taking a break on the “Chateau” pool - #9 Ste-Marguerite River

Since we sort of “set up shop” on a picnic table somewhere, there are also many opportunities to meet up with fellow anglers, visitors and tourists. Being one of the “Locals”, we can also get quite a few questions asked of us. 

For this reason, the small bag of books I keep in the truck cover various topics from basic fly fishing, to tree identification, to bird watching to forest ecology. I also keep on hand copies of the provincial fishing regulations, topo maps of the area, my journal and note paper.

A selection of local topographical maps, as well as road maps is good for showing visitors how to get around. A copy of the map of the river is handy too.

References on fly fishing, general game fish, plants, flowers and birds is a must in my kit bag.

I also keep on hand catalogues from various local and mail order shops. A picture is worth a thousand words, so having a catalogue on hand is a good teaching tool for folks who are interested in fly fishing, but don’t know how to go about starting up.

This might all sound a bit weird for some of you out there. Then again, IMHO, when we’re out on the river, we are all ambassadors for our home waters, our community and our sport. If I can give out better information, based on knowledge and facts, I believe that I can help demystify the sport of Atlantics salmon fishing.

So take the time to smell the flowers, maybe even identify them. Time on the water for me isn’t just about fishing. It is time with friends, family and Nature.

Also, ... you just never know who’ll be watching. A first impression is a lasting impression.

Tight Lines!

Christopher Chin – St-Severin de Proulxville, Quebec.

My top 5: (not because they are The best, ... but excellent teaching tools)

• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees (Western and Eastern Regions)

• Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification (Chandler, Robbins, Bertel and Herbert)

• Why fly do I use? By Darren Banasch

• National Audubon Sociey Feild Guide to Mushrooms (North America)

• Balancing Act: Environmental issues in forestry (Kimmins)

Gearing Up for the Season

By Chris Chin The fly bins are filled. Lines are all cleaned and slicked. The backings have been checked and the rods are shined. The 2009 Atlantic salmon season is kicking off in a few weeks. This year, we are hoping that the salmon will arrive early. You won't have to wonder where I'll be on the first weekend of June! Anglers from a variety of "boards" are calling to get information on salmon fishing. Among the myriad of questions, folks ask "What setup do we need for Atlantic salmon?" Well, for starters, the river where I fish, the Ste-Marguerite in central Quebec, is not a big river. The current is mild compared to the "big" rivers on the lower North Shore of the St-Lawrence. We can also usually hide from the wind when needed, so bucking headwinds and double hauling the whole line really isn’t necessary. A standard kit for 90% of the anglers here is a 9 foot 8 weight mounted to a well made reel with a smooth drag. The work horse rods: 5-8 wts I use a wide selection of rods depending on the conditions. In my old age, I've moved over to lighter and shorter rods. I keep the 10 foot 9 wt for special conditions. 6, 7 and 8 weights are the norm. 5 and smaller are for trout. IMHO, the key to setting up a salmon rod properly is to find a well made reel with a smooth drag. Your reel should also be able to hold a few hundred yards of backing. Well made does not mean expensive. My "lender" reels are all under 150$ and have been banged and abused by friends, family and clients for over a decade. It is only important to find one which can keep drag pressure on the line while smoothly unspooling line as needed. We use the drag to slow down a runaway salmon, not STOP it. The reel should have a reliable and smooth drag. I set the drag on my reels so that the spool doesn't back spin when I give a hard yank on the line. After that, I'll very rarely touch the drag setting while fishing. The pressure of the line running through the guides will give enough added drag to slow down a salmon. Palming the reel is still an option, but very few beginners can do this smoothly and you also run the risk of busting a knuckle (or worse!) on the handle. A few years ago, a friend actually dislocated his thumb when he snagged it on the handle of his reel. Andre M. Showing good form up against a very determined late June Buck. Backing on a salmon reel is not a luxury. Sure, on many occasions, on a calm pool, the salmon won’t even get into the backing. Then again, when the darn critter decides that it wants to change Zip codes, you'll be awfully thankful that you spooled on some backing and checked your knots! Yes Andre – you will have to recuperate all the backing (he got within 10 yards of the spool …twice!) Fly lines for Atlantic salmon here are full floating. Weight forward (WF) lines are more popular than double tapers (DT). The really heavy Bug or Nymph tapers are a bit much, but will still work fine for turning over big bushy dry flies. Most gear that I lend out is spooled up with WF floating. My personal rods use DT or long belly WF floating because I roll cast a lot and mend even more. Sinking tips or full sinking lines are used on very rare occasions … maybe once every 2-3 years. A well balanced salmon rig helps a lot while casting big dries or when you need to really get out there into the seam. This doesn't mean that it will be expensive. My #1 loaner rig is an old graphite 9 ft 8 wt (90$) with a Cortland LTD 120 (original graphite), a WF steelhead taper and 250 yards of backing. The whole kit costs less than 325$ (Canadian!) including the line. Do my "high end" rods cast better than the less expensive rods? Yes, but most anglers won’t really notice a difference. Then again, my XP's and Stream Dances are more accurate at 110 feet than the other rods. Do I cast over 95 feet very often? No! Lastly, the very best rod 'n reel combo that money can buy will NEVER catch a salmon if you don't have enough money left over to get out to a river! Andre – Showing the correct utilisation of a Canadian "Third Hand Rod Holder" after 90 minutes up against a very aggressive Buck. Tight Lines and screaming reels to you all! ~ Chris Chin – St-Severin, Quebec Side bar: Oh !! … 2 notes on fighting big fish. First off, keep the rod 90 degrees to the line. A whole lot of rods have been busted when an angler pulls too high! This is especially true when the fish is in close (or under the pontoon or canoe). Secondly, when you put pressure on, you should only hold the rod by the handle. Apparently, if you grab the rod blank up from the handle, the pressure on the rod won't load all the way into the butt and the blank can break! (This is news to me…but a very reputable rod maker explained it to me the other day). Editor's Note: Read this one too: Castwell, Don't Put Your Hands Up Your Butt! ~ Chris Chin, St-Severin de Proulxville, Quebec.

Reading the Water - Rapids, Runs and Slicks - Part 4

A final little blurb about different types of water. These types of water are particularly dear to me as they are also holding water for the Atlantic salmon which I fish for on my home waters. Depending on who you talk to and where your home waters are, rapids can be quite different. Rapids are for me, stretches of fast moving water where obstacles (boulders) and holes make a pronounced hydraulic. This means that the depth can vary from a couple of feet right down to 10-15 feet, depending on the volume of water, the flow rate and the size of the obstacles. On the right, we see the rapids just upstream from my house. Obviously, there aren't very many holding lies in this rapid. Below, see our very own Jed on the #39. Rapids are usually holding water. A trout can hole up in a hydraulic. He has cover from predation because of the broken surface. This type of water isn't very good "bug" habitat though, so food isn't readily available. A trout holding in a rapid is opportunistic, waiting for a snack to whisk by. For us anglers, this is a good thing, because the trout will be more willing to take with abandon. He doesn't have the leisure nor time to inspect an offering. He has to dart from cover, take and get back to his lie. Classic take 'n turn. Fishing rapids means presenting on, below, around and above obstacles. I'll often do 3-4 presentations to each potential lie. It is always amazing for me, the ability of a trout or salmon to hold on hydraulic effects UPSTREAM from an obstacle. It wasn't until some friends (white water kayakers) explained to me that there is a bow wave effect upstream of big obstacles, that I started to cast to the leading edge of obstacles. When a rapid widens out, the water flow rate will diminish and the depth will come up a bit. This is what I call a run. In reality, I suppose a run is just a gentle rapid. I make the distinction because on salmon rivers, we seem to get picky about vocabulary. Once a river flows out of a rapid and into a run, (IMHO), chances improve for fishing. There are more holding, feeding as well as prime lies. The slower current affords more living space or "bugs." We have more success in runs as well, because we fish them more often. Wading is easier, we don't need a drift boat. The run leading down to the #25 on my home waters If I had to really put it to words, I suppose a run is between a rapid and a riffle. The water still has a broken surface belying subsurface obstacles and depressions. Good for us. We can easily see where potential holding lies are. The river bed is more rocks and small boulders than sand and gravel. Techniques and tactics in runs are the same as in rapids, except everything slows down a bit. I use smaller flies, slower drifts and lighter leaders. My big "indicator" dries yield to smaller Red Tags and Wulffs. The Muddlers move away from classic and over to Rabbit strip muddlers. Because I pretty well only fish for Atlantic salmon and sea run trout, I spend half of my time in runs and the other half in pools and slicks. What's a slick? The #36 – St-Marguerite River Quebec Slicks are smooth surfaced sections of moving water. For a trout angler, slicks are usually barren grounds. They afford little cover, few "bugs" and few hydraulics to help hold station. I am often amazed to see anglers casting to "dead water." From a short distance, a slick may look like a hole of holding water. On many occasions, I have explored waters only to eventually realize that the nice spot I was casting to was actually only 1 foot deep and barren. One side note about slicks: Atlantic salmon have some weird behaviour. They will hole up where they have the best combination of flow, hydraulics, cover and cool water. We often find salmon in slicks. (Here's a secret: the Ste-Marguerite has many fresh water springs in the river bed. Salmon will sit on these sources of cool water, even if it's in the middle of a slick). Rapids and runs are fabulous places to fish. IMHO, fly fishing was made for these waters. Precision presentations, dry flies and reel screaming runs in the current! ~ Chris Chin, St-Severin de Proulxville, Quebec.

Something new

Ok, ... so Google is migrating everyone over to the Sites Google app.

Go see ----->>>> The new home page !

No choice !!! Tell me what you think!

Reading the Water - Seams and transition lines - Part 3

On my home waters, there isn't a whole lot of bug activity. Over the summer, the Atlantic salmon don't eat (just as their cousins, the sea run brook trout). In the fall, the juvenile sea runners do eat, but it still isn't a very rich river. There is therefore no "hatch to match." Finding trout is an exercise in reading the river.

Some of the very best lies are found in seams. (vocabulary may differ). For me, a seam is the line in the current where current slides along side slower moving water. This may come about because the main current skirts a back eddy or pool. It may also be found on straight stretches of river where the depth changes (such as the seam found running along the bank.)

Whatever the reason, I have found that trout like to hide there.

Here on the Left we can see a small seam upstream from the clump of trees with the tell tale transition line of bubbles.

Thinking back (as a trout), I suppose there are good hydraulic effects in a seam to be able to hold on station. Also, the current sliding by brings along an occasional offering.

One of the biggest problems with fishing a seam is getting into position to be able to do a proper presentation. I like to swing a streamer of some sort through the current so that is slides across the seam. Ever notice how often a trout will take on a long down and across swing just as the fly meanders out of the current almost straight downstream of you?

A seam that many angles seem to neglect is the transition on the inside corner of a bend on any riffle or run. Unfortunately, this "V" of calm water is often the VERY FIRST place that anglers wade into!

The seam on the far side of the #26 on my home waters. In order to fish this lie, we need a canoe or a very long cast and two different mends!

If possible, try to setup a ways upstream from these lies and swing an offering back through the current and into the tiny back eddy which forms there.

One final word about seams and transition lines. By definition, it is a zone on the river where the two (or more) currents of different speeds are interfacing. If you're transiting across a river and you cut through one, be ready for the effects that it will have on your water craft. In canoes or pontoons, the effect is attenuated a bit. However, if you have a "hard chimed" drift boat or some other "square edged" craft, such as a John Boat, the effect can be pretty surprising! The boat can spin or lurch or even dig in.

Seams are one of my favourite lies to fish even though many anglers neglect them. The strategies and tactics needed to get a good presentation to one will often challenge all of my (limited) fly fishing abilities. On other occasions, such as fishing the "v" on a small riffle, the presentation is the easiest cast on the whole run.

Thinking strategy – The seam running out of the #27 – Ste-Marguerite River - Quebec

Reading the Water - Pools - Part 2

Back to some fish biology: I have noticed that where water is flowing through riffles and runs, a trout will set up on a station. The biggest often get the best lies. Some serious shoulder rubbing sometimes takes place to keep these spots. When the current slows down and the water deepens, trout seem to be more susceptible to start schooling. They seem to tolerate more close company.

Depending on the size of your waters, a pool can be anything from a pocket a few yards long to a monstrosity that seems more like a small lake hundreds of yards long. No matter what the size of the pool in your playground, they all have a few similar characteristics. A pool will have three distinct sections: a head (where the current flows in), a main body with some serious depth and a tail out.

The pool in my back yard.
The head is the base of the falls and the tail out starts 700 feet downstream.

Going back to thinking like a trout, where would you (and your friends) hangout? Remember, you want protective cover from predation, hydraulic effects to not waste energy holding station and food arriving.

In my humble opinion, any of the three parts of a pool will hold trout, depending on the situation.

When there is active "bug" activity upstream in the run from the pool, a trout would like to be at the head of the pool waiting for goodies to tumble into the pool. The same goes for the tail out. When there is little activity, I often find trout milling about in the body of the pool. Then there are those magic moments when an emergence takes place IN the body of the pool and there is active feeding right in the main pool.

One aspect of fly fishing that many folks neglect when fishing a big pool is a long dead drifted dry. It will always amaze me how curious a trout can be. On one of the bigger pools on my home waters, I will often try a dead drifting Red Tag dead center in the pool. With a long leader, I’ll often let the fly drift lazily for 5 or even 10 minutes. In other words, a big pool can be fished exactly like still water, except that it’s much easier to guess where the fish could be hiding!

In the deepest and darkest part of a pool, there are all manner of bugs living in the depths. A slow retrieve through the body of a pool is a fine way to see if a lunker would like to gobble up a #6 woolly bugger. I prefer a figure 8 retrieve on deep pools because I can keep constant tension on the line to feel the must subtle take. Remember, in the slow moving waters of a pool, the trout can lazily cruise by an offering, give it a taste and spit it back out rather than dashing out and grabbing it. (just as Bows will sip on subsurface nymphs on the Kamloops Interior plateau.)

Lastly, a pool is (again, IMHO) one of the most serene and peaceful places on a river. Feeding activity can be the gentlest of movements just under the surface. Take the time to observe and examine a pool upon arrival. The trout can be holding anywhere in a pool!

Looking for rises on the #3

~ Chris Chin, St-Severin de Proulxville, Quebec.

Just add Water!

Oh I can't wait to put the new 'toon through it's paces!!

Reading the Water - Think like a trout - Part 1 of 3

Think like a trout – think like a bug

Y'all (mostly) know thatI like to sight fish. That is to say, I prefer to present the fly to a specific fish or group of fish, rather than prospecting "blindly." That said, there are many occasions when there is just no way to look or see "into" the water to see if fish are there. Where to fish then?

I usually fish in rivers, so the task is much easier than on still waters. On a river (or brook), fish (I mean trout, I haven't fished for many other species) will hold in lies. There are three types of lies a trout will hunker down in:

1. Holding lies: trout like these because they provide cover from predators as well as some sort of hydraulic effect where they can hold without expending too much energy;

2. Feeding lies: trout will move into these positions because there is "food" coming by;

3. Prime lies: these positions offer protection from predation, good hydraulics to hold steady in and FOOD!

In order to better understand why lies are important to be able to identify, let's go back to a bit of "fish psychology". In other words, to find trout …well, think like a trout.

Resident trout in a brook or river live a constant balancing act between eating to create (or store) energy and moving about (or not) thus expending energy. If a trout is going to move to "catch" something, it must gain more energy from the meal than it expends chasing after it! At the same time, trout fall prey to a variety of beasts.

In order to protect themselves from predation and rest, trout look to "hide" under of near obstacles, in deep dark water or in water which has a broken or riffled surface. Identifying holding lies is usually pretty easy. They are the placed we often cast to: Close in to the bank, near log jams, deep pools or next to the boat dock.

Feeding lies are a bit more complicated when we don't see activity on the surface. To find feeding lies, we need to look at a bit of stream biology (just a bit).

Now if you were a "bug", where would you live? Think like a bug. You eat algae, other bugs or even small fish. To eat algae, you need really shallow water (to get sun light) and you need living space (like in the spaces between nice gravel). A moderate current is nice too, so you can crawl about without being ripped off of the bottom by the water flow. In fly fishing jargon, this ideal place to live would be a "riffle". Nice even current, gravel and rock strewn bottom. Water ranging from 10 inches to a couple of feet deep.

So a riffle is probably too shallow for a trout to be comfortable in. Not deep enough for cover, but there should be lots of food there. If I were a trout, I'd move up into a feeding lie in a riffle when there is real bug activity and/or at dawn or dusk.

If I were looking for a prime lie, I'd set myself up at the end of a riffle where it spews into a pool. There, as a trout, I'd have the best of both worlds: Slower current to hold in, deeper water for cover and bugs 'n stuff tumbling out of the riffle.

The riffle tumbling out of the #4 into the pool on my home waters

Next week…seams and pools.

How would you read this section of water?

The pool in high water – my back yard

Dualing vices !!

I treated myself to a new vice a few weeks ago. Well, ... seeing as Liliane almost took over that too, ... we added a new addition to the tying bench!

The Griffin Spyder is just the ticket for her!!

We're finally getting set up in the new house, so in a few weeks, I'll post some pics of the tying room!

It's a Rat Race!

Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." Rick Cook, The Wizardry Compiled

Y'all (mostly) know that I work in the forest products industry. In these tough times, this sector of the economy has been hit as hard as many others. Weird, even though we have mills closed all across the Province, there seems to be even more work than ever! There is however a silver lining or sanctuary somewhere to be found amidst the every day doom and gloom: A daily or weekly reality check back to the river. Currently, the fishing season here isn't open. There is some fishing on a few select rivers as well as in the St-Laurence, but that's a bit too Rock' n roll for my tastes. Waiting for the season to open, there is time to reflect back on past days and to prepare for the future. Flipping through the fishing journals is a nice way to spend an evening. I'm boxing up all me gear as I'm moving into a new house this week. As I go to pile the journals into a box I plop myself down onto the floor to look over one of the older entries. Years and years ago, I lived in St-David-de-Falardeau, North of Chicoutimi, Quebec. Just down the road from the cottage is the Shipshaw River. Now, not many people fish there because of the relatively low trout population. It didn't take me long to discover that there were some very nice 1-2 lb brook trout hiding there! A bonus – A local group of young entrepreneurs opened a company there to do white water rafting tours. The boat ramp they built turned out to be an excellent spot to fish from. Early one Saturday morning I pulled down to the ramp and started to string up. At the same time, the outfitter arrived to prepare a group of adventurers for their activity. I know these folks well as we were all members of the local ski patrol. Morning salutations and a few jokes turned to discussions on the water level and temperatures. With a frown, one of them sheepishly "announces" that they'll be putting in in a matter of minutes. "Won't that ruin the fishing?" Well, I really don't think so. Firstly, we're all there to share the river, so I'm not about to go ranting and raving that they can't put the rafts in from the ramp that THEY built! Secondly, I have noticed a weird phenomenon when I fished there. After the rafts pass, I'll wait a few minutes; maybe have a coffee and a smoke, then go at it. There are very few holding lies in that stretch of the river, so the biggest trout take up station on the prime lies. As the rafts pass, the trout seem to abandon the lies or dive deep and hunker down. Then… several minutes later, they seem to come back, wanting to take up station again. I found that if I swing a fair sized Muddler or streamer through the lie, the big trout there is ticked off enough at being disturbed that he will strike! The water in this stretch of the river is crystal clear. It flows out of the Jim Grey hydro-electric station which is situated about one mile upstream. I can see the trout holding two feet deep in a seam. With a 5wt rod, it is child's play to cast 45 feet out and down. The long leader plays he rabbit strip Muddler from mid current towards the seam. Just as the fly enters the seam, I see a flash, then a refusal about a foot down from the fly. Because I have cast "too squarely" (too far "out" and not enough "down"), the fly is running too fast through the seam with a large belly in the fly line. I shorten the line by two feet and cast again. As the fly starts to drift, I throw an upstream mend into the line and the swing slows down a tad. The change in speed is just enough for the fly to lazily meander its way through the seam and the big hen there doesn't like it! In a flash she takes the fly and turns back. The hook is set and the little 7 ft 5 wt is bending over nicely. The trout is bigger than I expected to find here and she is doing a fine job of standing off in the current. Each time I pull her back. When she comes out of deep water onto a flat rock shelf, she pulls back out into the current and the sanctuary of darker water. Eventually she tires enough for me to pull her to within ten feet. I guestimate that it's a female. Lucky for her. If it was a male, he could have become breakfast. In another 2 minutes she's hiding around my ankles. I see that the hook is cleanly set. There is no "flesh damage" nor blood. I slide my hand down the leader and grab the hook firmly. In a flash she's gone. Later in the day, the rafters come back for a BBQ. One of the Guides comes up and asks if the fishing had been good that morning. I nodded yes with a big grin. Looking at the cheers and smiles of his clients, I guessed that a fine day was had by all on the river, no matter what their activity. We all find ways to escape monetarily from the Rat Race. With some clear and honest communication, even potentially "conflicting" activities or groups can (usually) work together. ~ Chris Chin, St-Severin de Proulxville, Quebec.

Oops ... No article this week!

We spent the last 7 days painting the house so I completely forgot to put up an "Our man in
Canada" this week.

See you next week.

Hooked for Life

I don't catch a lot of salmon. Not a very good declaration coming from someone who guides occasionally! Then again, I have been present when an awful lot of Atlantic salmon have been caught. That said, it is pretty easy for me to remember the details of a few memorable catches… especially that very first Atlantic.

I was showing to Liliane this week some flies we need to tie up before the season starts (she's only been at it for 3 weeks and already wants to attack some of my salmon flies.)

Anyway, I pull out "the examples box." The case which is original flies tied by friends which I keep so that I can try to copy them. ALL the flies which Manon C. sent to me are being conserved like this. This method helps me to sort out the proportions and colors etc when my creations start wandering down new trails.

I pull up an un-imposing #10 fly on a single salmon hook. It is a far cry from the creations we saw in shadow boxes in Granby last week. The fly is in "mint" condition. It has never been fished, but I have used many many of its bigger brothers and smaller sisters over the years. Liliane asks if it is a fly that can catch salmon here …

I first tied this fly on to my leader a few (many) years ago on my home waters. The season was in its prime for adult salmon. Quotas were closing up and down the river and there was one single salmon left to be taken in the #2 zone. (this was back before 2002 when adult salmon were not mandatory C&R).

As Serge had a friend on the #23, I decided to walk up to the #25 then fish my way down to the #24. In the gleaming morning sun, I would have preferred to fish dries, but wading upstream against the current for 300 yards is not my idea of fun. The water was about 1-2 feet up from normal, so I knew that no one had fished this run for a few days (in other words, no on was dumb enough to wade this stretch because the steep drop off from the bank means that one false step and it's bath time).

I settled down on my butt in the sand on the beach of the #25 to think strategy. The slick running from the 25 down to the 24 is long and wide. In 3 different sections, a few boulders lay submerged and hidden with the higher than normal water. It is amongst these boulders that "willing" salmon often lay. I rummage around in the box of wet flies … nymphs really and pull out a #10 sparely tied fly. Even though the salmon here hadn't been cast to for a few days, they have been here for over a week and have surely seen a few flies already.

A Blue Charm (Leigh Anderson)

At 7h00 I start casting. From the beach it is easy to present a normal over head cast. In a few minutes I'll have to switch to roll casts once I'm snugged up to the bank and overhanging branches. The salmon hold dead center in the run, so the roll cast is really only about 50 feet.

I worked my way down the run, rather quickly for the first 50 yards. When I started to get close to the second set of boulders, the attention level ratcheted up a few notches. I had seen salmon holding downstream the previous evening, so I just assumed that there were more here. Standing in the river with water almost over my waist, I could not see into the river enough to spot salmon here.

On the 3rd or 4th swing through the boulder garden, the line pulled suddenly left and then down stream. No jump nor splash, the line simply started playing out straight towards the next pool!

Looking upstream from the #23, past the 24 we can see the beach of the 25 in the far distance. (This is roll casting territory!)

Now the problems start. Sure this is a lot of fun …my very first Atlantic salmon. How am I supposed to get her back now? As the backing keeps playing out, I know that she'll eventually get to the next postal code. There is a big 'ole birch snag in the river bank that I can't wade around to chase down the beast. I lift the rod to try and pull her back, she pulls even harder and keeps unwinding the backing.

I try something that I had heard about. I walk upstream slowly. This is called walking a salmon. Apparently, the tension on the line is different when we walk backwards or something, because the darn animal just sort of followed me back upstream. There is still plenty of tension on the line, but she comes along anyway.

Twenty minutes later and the salmon is finally out and across from me near the beach on the #25. I have some stable footing and can see her holding 30 feet out from me … she is solidly seated in the current. I pull towards me. Poof!

The fly, leader and line come looping back towards me. Lesson #1 for fighting a salmon … try to know which side of the mouth the fly is anchored into. As she had turned to her RIGHT when she ook the presentation, the fly was hooked into the left side of her mouth. When I tried to pull her through the current, the fly literally pulled out across her mouth!

Liliane comes up to me to show me the fly which she tied…

Her very first Atlantic salmon fly — I do believe the Gal is Hooked for Life!

~ Christopher Chin, St-Severin de Proulxville, Quebec.

The Griffin Blackfoot Mongoose

A new addition to the tying bench!!!

Really helps holding BIG and Small hooks!!!

Griffin Vices

Ami du Moucheur

It was actually a bit of a luxury, but seeing as Liliane has taken over the old vice, ... may as well upgrade a bit!

The web site is getting a make over

Please let me know if there are any dead links or if you have any problems navigating.

Fishing the Ste-Marguerite

Thanx.
Christopher

The Show—Chance encounters III

By Chris Chin

Saturday, I went to the Quebec-Maritimes Fly Fishing Forum in Granby Quebec. I hadn't been to a show in over a decade. I guess I had stopped going to shows because there were very few events specifically for fly fishing. The Granby show is 100% fly fishing.

This event is organized by 2 non-profit groups: The Estrie Hunting and Fishing Association, as well as the Fly Fishers of the Upper Yamaska. They did a fine job!

The usual combination of shops and rod manufacturers were present, as well as a few outfitters and reps of many of the Salmon rivers.

The Gals from CFF were also present

I had a very special interest to come down to the event, as I finally figured out the one of our own, (Chris from Canada) is in real life C. Wodja, who was one of the many tyers who would be present.

Chris From Canada at the Show (nice Hat!!)

Some of the other tyers who were giving demos and work shops were: Claude Bédard, Denis Blanchette, Serge Brunelle, Benoit Deslandes, Richard Lauzon, Michel Leblanc, Michel Lemay, Stéphan Maillot, Javier Melgarejo, Bernard Parisien, Dany Pilon, Lyne Trudeau and Sylvain Vigeant.

Some of the creations were quite original – (Tyer: Michel Lemay)

Bernard Parisien showing us some of the finer arts of making a Bug

The organisation of the show includes workshops on fishing, cooking and tying. As the weather announced a bit of freezing rain, I had to head home early to not get caught in that, so I missed the workshops. Maybe next year.

A fine initiative at the event was of course the tying table for newcomers.

The fly fishing community is quite small in Quebec. By pure chance, I ran into a fellow forester Gaetan, who had been to school with me in the 80's. I finally got formal introductions to a good friend of his. Jacques Auger was responsible for introducing Gaetan to fly fishing.

As it turns out, Jacques is the son of Fernand Auger, who many of you know as the artist whom I had met a decade ago on my home waters: Fernand Auger - Chance Encounters II.

The 2009 edition of the Forum wrapped up yesterday. It seems to have been a fine success. Many thanks to the organizers, the different Reps, the Tyers, the two organizing groups and the especially the volunteers who helped make it all happen.

Me, I finally got to meet Chris From Canada and we promised to hook up this August for some Sea Trout! ~ Christopher Chin, Three Rivers Quebec.

Hooked!

February 2nd, 2009

Here in Quebec, fly fishing is still a bit on the fringe compared to spin casting. That's too bad. I mean, fishing is a BIG activity here.

If we could convince just a small portion of spin casters to convert over to fly fishing … the sport would just sky rocket!

In my never ending quest to initiate folks to the sport, the same question often comes up: "What is the #1 part about fly fishing which thrills me the most?"

Oh, tough one…could it be the simple act of casting? Or maybe it's the preparation to visit far off lands? The peace and quiet or the spectacular beauty ? (As Betty says – Trout don't live in ugly places!)

If I had to choose one thing, I guess it would be the anticipation! The anticipation between the moment that the fly disappears from the surface of the water and the moment that I can actually feel the weight of the fish and know that it is hooked.

Fishing dries to Atlantic salmon is a tad different than for trout. It would take too long to explain the mechanics of how the two differ in the way they take the fly. None the less, Atlantics usually don't seem to take a dry fly with the same angle of attack as trout.

This means, if you strike the instant you see the take, you'll often pull the fly right away from the salmon. A truly difficult reflex to overcome for anyone who has fished and even worse for experienced trout fly fishers! When I have visitors up for a very first experience, they are often intimidated by the thought of having to WAIT a few seconds BEFORE striking. This only holds true for dry flies; when fishing wets on a downstream swing, the salmon will hook itself quite nicely.

Actually, looking back over my journal to get an idea for this article, my mind is just whirling thinking back to some memorable dry fly takes over the years!

My favourite is on the #48 here on my home waters, the Ste-Marguerite River in Central Quebec. A long open and slow moving pool, it is a holding pool for sea run trout, as well as adult and juvenile salmon. The trout like to hold on the far side under the big spruce; the Grisles hold at the tail out. The adults hold in 4 different places: mid stream current, the tail out and a small spot up and across. The fourth spot they hold is straight upstream from the pool almost 100 feet up!

View from the far side– The #48 opens up into an immense pool

Salmon holding high in the column on the #48

The most exciting aspect of casting to this fourth lie is that we try for it at the very end of the day. The sun sets directly over the river there and we cast into the setting sun. A quality pair of polarized glasses is a must!

I set up to cast to the pod of salmon holding on a late July day. The water level had been dropping all week and I could finally wade out far enough to be able to cast back upstream to the salmon we had found there.

The evening is a postcard perfect ending to a long day chasing salmon and trout. The river is a field of liquid light and I can barely see my fly as it lands 90 feet upstream. I'm casting almost straight upstream ‚ only about 6 feet over to the right.

There are over 10 salmon holding there and I had noticed earlier that at least 4 or 5 of them were holding high in the water column. My first casts are short and I'm working hard at remembering everything Deanna (LF) told me so that I can squeeze a few more feet out of my cast.

THERE! The stars align! The rod loads an 1/10th of an ounce more and I know the line will shoot the last 5 feet. I drop the fly over 2-3 more feet and it starts the drift right up from the pod. It only drifts for about 3 seconds‚ the disappears in a small and subtle boil!

Now classic Atlantic salmon doctrine says we are supposed to wait 3 seconds, or you can say out loud "God Save The Queen" ‚Me, in the time I say to myself "Holy crap, it took the fly!!!" it's time to set the hook.

Then the thrill!

I lift the rod tip and strike with my stripping hand. The line comes taught then is ripped off of the water's surface. In the setting sun, the line drops a rainbow of mist and the weight of the salmon settles deep in to the butt of the rod. The salmon pulls straight upstream and out too. The 3-4 feet of loose line slides cleanly out the guides. The water is over 62 degrees so this will be done quickly. I don't let her pull out much more line and she only gets into about 10 feet of backing.

In a quick ten minute fight, I never let her get downstream into the current. I pull hard to get her to come across to me. Within 20 minutes, she is at my feet and the barbless #4 bomber easily slides out. In a flash she's gone!

I love dry flies! I truly believe that it is the thrill of the anticipation when fishing dries to salmon that really hooked me!

Boris showing us the patience born of 25 years of experience!

…and the reward!

How do You get your thrills?

~ Christopher Chin, Three Rivers Quebec.

The Fly Shop

January 26th, 2009

I had the opportunity to travel this past Christmas. Back to Vancouver and Kamloops for a few days with the family. Of course, one of the activities on the agenda was to hit several of the local fly shops.

A striking revelation hit me. All of the good shops "felt" the same when I walked in. Sure, some of the local owner/operated shops are more "Chic" than others. Some have been recently renovated. Rods and materials at a Vancouver Shop on the left.

Others have been the same for quite some time. Of the 6 shops I've been to in the past 4 weeks, 5 of them had a big 'ole Golden Retriever in front of the coffee maker or next to the cash.

In my humble opinion, the underlying element that makes all these shops the same is the people working there. "Working" is probably not the right work. They are passionate about the sport and even more so helping others to enjoy it.

Getting ready for the 2009 season I ran down to the local shop here in Three Rivers with Lilaine.

A rank newcomer to the sport, she was dumbfounded by her first experience in a local fly shop. The selection of tying materials, flies, rods, reels, clothing ‚ all a new experience for her. She was also pretty surprised to see the owner bundled up against the -5 (f) temperatures to go out into the parking lot to try a few rods with a client!

Part of the materials section of our local shop.

The Hooks section

Of course ‚ the rods!

Of course, I also hit 2 of the Big Outlets, but it didn't feel the same. Maybe I'm a small town guy at heart. Somehow I just like the idea of calling a shop by the owner's name rather than XYZ Outlet Sports. I mean, honestly, how often can you say that you bought your rod at Mo's or Paul's or Paulo's‚ instead of from EBay? One good thing that has come about with the "globalisation" of the industry; the local shops will usually have the same prices as the "big guys." In fact, I picked up 3 SA lines locally for 25$ less (each) than at an outlet!

With the advent of the internet and big box stores, the local fly shop seems to be a dying breed. I like to go out of my way to help support the local shop or franchise because these folks are passionate about what they do and they are true ambassadors for the sport.

A good friend is opening a shop in Chicoutimi Quebec this year. I wish Boris well in this endeavour.

Me, I'm back to the shop this afternoon, having forgotten a few things. It'll also be nice to chat with Paul and Manon a spell and give Molly (the Dawg) a good scratch behind the ear!

As Simple as it Gets (II)

January 19th, 2009

By Chris Chin

I'm getting ready for the 2009 season! The new boat from Dave Scadden should arrive any day now. A new 6 wt is waiting for me at Boris' new shop. The fly bins are slowly filling up. The Forum in Granby is in 2 weeks.

New this season too is teaching some of the basics to my new girlfriend Liliane. The gear is spread out on the floor as I want to sort out stuff to be cleaned, stuff to be repaired and stuff to be replaced. There are over 12 reels, 10 rods, 15 lines, dozens of leaders and thousands of flies! (right – the travel case for the workhorse reels and spools.)

While I am showing her some of the differences between wets and dries, drags, lines etc…I come to the shocking realization that this can all be fairly complicated! How to bring it all back to basics?

Actually, our fishing here is really simple as we only usually fish for Atlantic salmon and sea run brook trout. This means that we don't match the hatch (these particular fish being in the river to spawn…they don't eat all summer long).

I pull out two flies to explain the difference between wets and dries. In essence, dries are tied so that they will float and wets usually will not float. Sure, there are special cases where we want them to do just the opposite of that, but why complicate things right now? This also means that the "products" we sometimes slather in the flies must be kept straight too. Silicone or "float" is for dries (to help them to float) and "Gink", sink or dishwashing liquid is for the wets (to make them sink).

Basically, there are just two casts here too. Dries get cast up and across the current to get a nice "dead drift" straight down with the current. Wets get down and across presentations to make the fly swing back towards the near bank. There 'ya go… no mending, reaching or anything.

We're also looking over the program for the Fly Fishing Forum which is taking place in a couple of weeks in Granby, Quebec. Some of the workshops are quite interesting. A nice touch (IMHO) is an emphasis that many of the speakers seem to be putting on simplifying the sport.

Over the years, I've run into quite a few anglers. Some seem to be quite caught up in the "technical" side of the sport. The perfect cast, the perfect balance of rod, reel and line. The perfect leader taper for a #22 dry on a 2 wt medium action rod … This is all fine and dandy. There is a certain satisfaction at excelling in the mechanics of casting. However, one should make sure that they aren't scaring away newcomers with some of the finer points of the sport. (or even worse, missing opportunities to connect to a fish 'cause we're too caught up in the techniques of it all).

I've picked out a setup for Liliane to learn on. A simple one. TFO Axiom 6wt 9 ft with a WF floating SA Line and a bomb proof (older) Lamson reel. Easy to cast, this rig will turn over even the biggest salmon fly. We'll keep this simple for a while to come. As soon as the weather warms up, we'll move out to the park and start some casting lessons.

Getting ready for a new season is a real thrill for me. I hope that it is for you as well. Just try to keep it simple.

The Girls Club

January 12th, 2009

I'm getting ready for the 2009 season. Sure, winter here is still in full swing. There is over 4 feet of snow on the ground and the wind chill tonight will make the air feel like it's -40 (Celsius or Fahrenheit, it's the same at -40).

Getting ready for the season means lots of things. A 15 year old reel is going to the shop for a new bushing (which a nice 18 lb salmon managed to finally burn out last year - but the folks at Cortland are going to refit for free). An XP is going back to get fixed. Dave Scadden is sending a pontoon boat that I ordered; my new rod has arrived and I'll get up to the Saguenay to pick it up in February. Here are also fly boxes to fill, leaders to tie, lines to clean and reels to spool up.

A big part of the off season is also getting groups, friends and clients lined up and booked. The usual questions come up: gear, lodging, flies, dates etc. One question that's a bit startling is always "Is there something that my wife can do in the area while I'm fishing?"

Huh, … your wife is coming to the area and she isn't going to fish?

Now, don't get me wrong, if you and your significant other have some sort of arrangement that you fish without them, … well that's all fine and dandy. Then again, in today's busy schedule, time together, real quality time is a rare thing. I would think that fishing would be an excellent opportunity to spend time with your spouse/girlfriend/companion.

Actually, I believe that on my home waters, there is a good proportion of women who fish here. After speaking with anglers from other areas, some of them remarked that they had never seen a woman fly fishing at home!

On my home waters, the Girls will often organise a day of fishing together. Nicole, from the river association's office will meet up with a dozen or so of the regulars for a day on the water. I believe that more than half of the groups who come are couples fishing together.

So what's keeping you from bringing your significant other along for a day on the water. If you don't have extra gear for a second person, you can simply rent gear or book a Guide for them. That way, you are free to enjoy your day along side them while someone else takes care of the logistics.

If you want to get your wife/girlfriend interested in fly fishing BEFORE your first outing together, why not sign them up for a course with a group specifically designed for women? Many schools and Guides cater specifically for women. Just have a look at Ann Smith's web site and you'll see the Girl's in action!

Back here at home, the fly boxes are starting to fill up. Some of the special flies that are getting done this year include some #8 bombers. They're smaller than the usual #2's and #4's, but they are easier to cast into the evening breeze. Better for some of the smaller women who fish with me.

Nadege and her brother Boris - August 2008
~ Christopher Chin, Three Rivers Quebec.

Stream Etiquette

January 5th, 2009

I have the opportunity to meet anglers from all over the world. I guess it's one of the real perks when your home water is a world class salmon river. The variety of people who I meet always astounds me. There are the usual stereotypical anglers, lone alpha males gunning for Atlantic salmon; seasoned and experienced, they really know their stuff and really only need a Guide to put them over fish. There are also those anglers who are new to fly fishing all together and would like pointers on casting, presentation, line control, bug science, …you name it.

Another group of anglers who call up are a surprising bunch. These are the beginner to intermediate anglers who would like to give salmon fishing a try, but really don't know where to start. Whenever folks contact me, I like to give out as much information as possible. This helps them to better plan a trip as well as to get them prepared properly. Lots of questions and answers get sent back and forth:

• When is prime time?

• Rod weights, lengths and actions;

• Dry or wets, types of flies, sizes;

• Lodging, camping, other activities;

• Rod fees, licenses and guide fees;

Then the usual question comes up — River etiquette. If you Google "Fishing River Etiquette", unfortunately, many information sources are a bit vague. They say to be courteous and not crowd other anglers if possible. Well, what to do if there are 3-4 or more anglers on the same run?

River etiquette on an Atlantic salmon river is exactly the same as on any other river (in North America). So here you go:

Rotation rules: (or Everyone gets their chance)

On longer runs, we will often fish 2 or more anglers at the same time. First off, decide if the run is being fished with dries or wets. If you come up to a run where anglers are already fishing, this'll be obvious.

In line rotation:

When fishing wets for Atlantic's, one simply casts down and across and lets the fly swing back towards the near bank. After each cast, you side step a foot or so down stream then repeat. This is the classical presentation for Atlantic's and has led to the (unfounded) myth of casting 10,000 time to get that first salmon.

After the first angler has moved far enough downstream, you can simply start upstream of him and do the same down stream casts. Question: How far downstream should they be before starting to cast? Easy one, you don't want your fly swinging down in front of them! So if you're going to be casting 65 feet of line and leader, simply wait until the first person is at least 65-70 feet downstream before starting out.

Here's where it gets a tad complicated. If you get a rise to your fly, you can wait a moment to cast AGAIN this presentation. Usually a few minutes in case you want to change the fly, trot or run your swing. After 2-3 more cast, move on.

Rotating along a run on dries is exactly the same except that you'll all be working your way upstream instead of down.

Rotating from a fixed position:

On many occasion, there is only one place to cast from to get to salmon. On these lies, we usually cast for 20 to 30 minutes then leave the spot to the next angler. Hint: If you've been casting for 45 minutes alone and another angler comes up, you really should give him the spot shortly and not after ANOTHER 30 minutes of casting.

The 20-30 minute rule gives one plenty of time to try 2 flies properly or 3 flies in a hurry.

IMHO, these occasions are some of the very best opportunities to meet anglers, share some tales and coffee. Also, it is from these vantage points that we learn a whole lot about salmon fishing. This is where we spend literally hours and hours watching salmon and how they react (or not) to anglers and presentations.

Some DO NOT DO's in terms of stream etiquette.

1. NEVER, and I mean NEVER move downstream of an angler who has already started working his way downstream. You'll be jumping him. If you really wanted to fish there before them, well, you should have woken up earlier Sport. Jumping a run is an excellent way to get cussed out. I'll probably just accidentally snag your line, apologize, and retrieve your fly for you (after giving it a nice slathering of bug dope).

2. Once an angler signals to you that he would like to move in upstream of you and work the run as you do, you should move downstream at a constant pace. This means one cast, short downstream step, one cast etc.

3. The usual etiquette for any outdoor activity also holds true on a river. If you can pack it in, you can pack it out. On MANY occasions, I have even taken the time to pickup trash, bundle it up and MAIL it back to the anglers who left it there (because on our home waters, I can always get a copy of the registration cards).

4. A little hint too: Advice is only good advice if it is wanted. Before "offering" wisdom to someone, simply ask first if it's wanted. It is surprising to find out how many folks really DON'T want advice from strangers.

5. If you don't know or aren't sure — Ask a local. It is quite amazing to see how much the locals really will go out of their way to help a visitor or newcomer just "fit right in".

Lastly, stream side etiquette isn't just for visiting anglers. When you are on your home waters, you are also a "spokesperson" for your town or county or river association or country. Respect is hard won and easily lost, so make sure that visitors and newcomers can learn from your actions. ~ Christopher Chin, Three Rivers Quebec.