Saturday, July 3, 2010

Learning With The Pros

Well June has come and gone. It proved to be one of the busiest months I can ever remember.  My seminar trail took me to Manitoba, Fortress Lake and this past weekend in British Columbia for a Learning With the Pros Seminar.  Brian Chan and I, in partnership with BC Outdoors Sport Fishing magazine, have been providing weekend Learning With the Pros stillwater seminars at a variety of B.C. locations for the past three years.  This year we based ourselves at Tunkwa Lake and Tunkwa Lake Resort.


Tunkwa Lake Resort was an excellent location, easy to get to and the hospitality they provided to our group made the weekend an even greater success.  It had been a number of years since I last stayed at the resort and the improvements they have made are quite noticeable.  Especially the new cabin we stayed at.  Our cabin was a beautiful clean facility that can easily sleep 12.  It comes complete with two full sized bathrooms, large kitchen and dinning area.  It was the perfect place to unwind and relax at the end of the day.


Brian and I had over 30 people attend this year's event, another complete sellout. We provided seminars on a wide variety of subjects including chironomids, leader construction, sinking lines and lake biology to name a few.  I really enjoy the interaction and discussion these seminars provide.

 

While the learning was good the fishing was not unfortunately.  Tunkwa Lake is at full pool and the high water in conjunction with a full moon really had the fish out of sorts.  The lodge reported that they had a really unsettled wet spring and the lake was not where it usually was for late June.  Brian and I both noticed how clear the lake was.  In late June the seasonal algae bloom is usually in full swing.  The water was still quite clear for Tunkwa.  Not everyone caught fish, over two days I only managed to shake hands with two fish and Brian managed to land only one!  We tried a variety of tactics and had our best success, if you can call it that, suspending small leeches and chironomid patterns below an indicator.  It was tough to get fish to chase a fly.  We had one person drift by us on the Saturday passed out in his boat, working on his tan.  In hindsight he may have had the best strategy!


The Learning With the Pros event sees a new expansion for 2010 with the addition of an advanced seminar format.  The advanced session is intended for past Learning with the Pros attendees and any fly fisher looking to improve their stillwater fly fishing skills and knowledge.  The advanced event is slated for for October 1-3 at Stoney Lake Lodge located on the Douglas Lake Ranch.  Stoney Lake Lodge is a beautiful place to stay offering deluxe accommodation, great food and the trophy lakes Stoney and Minnie are minutes away.  Actually, Stoney Lake is mere seconds away! The large trout Minnie and Stoney Lakes are noted for will be cruising the shallows, aggressively stocking up on just about anything they can chase down for the long cold winter ahead.  Fall is the time for the largest fish of the season and we should experience some exciting fishing.

In addition to personal one on one time with Brian and I on the water here is a sample of what we will be covering.
  • Hands On Leader Construction
  • Advanced Lake Limnology
  • How to Fight Big Fish
  • Advanced Floating Line Techniques
  • Presentation Secrets
  • How and When to Use Attractors
  • Tactics and Techniques for Tough Days
Brian and I will also be providing on camera tying demonstrations detailing some of our favorite patterns.
There are only 14 spaces available and I know some spots are already taken.  Cost for the weekend is $850/person and includes food, accommodation & courses.  To reserve your spot or for additional information please don’t hesitate to email events@bcoutdoorsmagazine.com or call 604.464.1876.

Please contact myself or B.C. Outdoors Sport Fishing magazine right away if you are interested.  I know a number of the students from this past weekend were keen on signing up.

No comments:

Post a Comment