Day 22 - Gone Fishin’
Today, we woke extra early to go fly fishing with Ryan. As always, we stopped at every waterfall on the way
beautiful morning drive up north
Waking up at 4am this morning was barely possible as we snoozed our alarms a few times to end up waking up at 4:45. Needless to say that we left a bit later than our planned 5am departure. It was definitely worth it however, after a small breakfast we started our drive up north through the mountains towards Elk River, where we would go fishing. The mountains on the island are different than the coastal mountains and the Rockies but they are still a stunning sight to see.
The stunning Elk Falls
On the way towards the river we stopped at Elk Falls to go explore the area. after a small hike from the parking towards the river, the forest opens up to reveal a huge canyon with a tall waterfall at the end. A suspension bridge leads to a Viewing platform across the river, but the view from the bridge itself is much better than from across the river !
our training grounds
After the falls we continued our drive along Elk River until the Lady Falls parking lot. We had to bushwhack our way out of the parking lot and under a bridge to get access to it but once there, the river was really beautiful with huge mountains surrounding it. According to Ryan, the water level was incredibly low, usually it would be more than 3 feet higher. This turned out to be a good thing for us, as it meant that we could wade through it with only our crocs and shorts, no need for waders, as we would have if the water was higher. This meant that we had to get our feet wet, and being one of the only 2 cold-fed rivers of the island of Vancouver, the water was incredibly cold!
Introduction to fly fishing
Throughout the day Ryan taught us how to find fish pools and the general basics of fly fishing. When fly fishing you have to make the fish think that the fly is actually food floating down the river, being carried by the current. To do so you must keep the fly moving with the current as best as possible. That may seem pretty easy, but in actuality it’s pretty challenging and you have to constantly pay attention to your line and cast it back upstream. Its very different than reel fishing but a lot more fun and interactive having full control of the fly.
Hard catch
After being generally unlucky at the first two pools, our luck switched towards the end when we both caught a nicely sized fish each ! Unfortunately we couldn’t get the net in time and they both swam away. Baiting the fish and getting a bite are pretty challenging on their own, but actually reeling in the fish is where the real challenge comes in. The hook in the fly is a tiny one and it’s usually only held in their mouth by the upward pressure we put on the rod. Therefore, to actually catch a fish you must be very careful you don’t lower your rod, otherwise the fish can get away. And that is what happened to both of us. Nonetheless, the thrill of actually catching something was exhilarating!
Chasing waterfalls once again
Being parked at the Lady Falls trail head, we couldn’t avoid going to see the falls. Surprisingly, Ryan had never hiked up to see the falls, even though this was his preferred fishing spot for many years! The falls were once again very different from the other waterfalls we’d seen on this trip. These falls were going through huge gaps in the granite that had fallen, probably shaken off by earthquakes.
A great steak after a great day
After a 3 hour drive back to Ryan’s, he fired up the grill and made us the best steak of our lives. A huge tomahawk steak so tender it melted in our mouths with flavor. It was our first time eating a tomahawk for both of us, but it’s certainly not the last!