As January draws to a close many fly fishers in Ontario spend their time tying flies, thinking about the season behind us and dreaming about the fly fishing season to come. As the owner of a fly shop I also try to take a step back from the business side of things as often as possible to take stock of where we have been, where we are and where we’re heading. Those who are in the fly fishing industry get to put our feet up a bit more than usual around this time of year because, frankly, we’re not as busy as we would like to be.

One of the things I have learned over the years is that fly fishing means different things to different people. Some people take up the sport because they want to learn a different way to catch fish. Not a better way, just a different way. Other people take up fly fishing as a means to relax (and being located in downtown Toronto we see a lot of those people!). Others still take up fly fishing because of the ‘lifestyle’ it represents (whatever that is). I originally took up fly fishing in my early 30′s to spend time with a business associate who was an avid fly fisher but the initial reason I got into fly fishing lasted all of about 15 minutes…

I remember the first time I cast a fly rod – it was on my friend Alastair’s lawn at his home near Shelburne Ontario on the first day of the fly fishing season in 1993. After practicing a basic overhead cast we headed down to the Boyne River in pursuit of my first trout on a fly. I didn’t own a fly rod, I didn’t own a fly reel, I didn’t own waders and I didn’t have the faintest idea what I was doing – but it didn’t matter.

After getting caught up in more trees and losing more flies than I care to admit I finally resigned myself to wading in the river in my jeans and running shoes because it was the only way I could get a decent cast out. The river was 2C but I didn’t care because I had fallen in love – with fly fishing.

In the years since I first picked up a fly rod I have had the privilege of fly fishing in some incredible places. I have also had the honor of meeting many people and I have made many friends. Many of us in fly fishing retail also have innumerable nights waking up at 3 am worrying about the business and trying figure out ways to make it better. Those problems are not specific to fly fishing retailers but they are perhaps more pronounced because our sport is a cottage industry where margins are incredibly slim and with the recent economic downturn every sale counts. This is a very tough way to make a living in the best economic times let alone now.

So as you sit reading this at your computer you are probably asking yourself, “If fly fishing retail is so tough why do we keep doing it?” We keep going because we share the same aspirations of any fly fisher. We share the dreams of where we will catch our next fish and we are thankful for the opportunity to be part of our close-knit community. We take satisfaction in helping our sport thrive and we value the friendships we have made over the years. Most importantly, we keep doing it because we love what we do.

That’s why.

If you haven’t already done so it is time to get out your calendars and make sure you have blocked off March 17-21 to attend the 2010 Toronto Sportsman’s Show !

For the first time in it’s history the TSS will be held in the Toronto Convention Centre on Front Street beside Union Station which means you can take the TTC or GO Train directly to the front door ! The team at WILSON’S has been working with the show organizers on a special project that will be announced in the coming days – watch our blog for further details !

I am proud to say that my family is originally from the Miramichi Valley in New Brunswick and we have lived on the banks of one of the great salmon rivers in the world since the 1790s. My father Lawrence was born in McNamee, my mother Esma was born downriver in Blackville and I go down every year to visit cousins and spend some time at the camp I inherited from my Uncle Jim. My home there is called “Iolaire” (pronounced “e-o-lair”) which my uncle told me was gaelic for “eagle’s nest” and it is one of my favorite places in the world.

There is something about the pace of life and the quality of people in the Miramichi that makes it a truly special place. When I have friends with me who have never been ‘down east’ I make a point of bringing them into Doaktown to visit Doak’s Fly Shop before we fish at Wilson’s Camps now run by my cousin Keith and I typically drag them into the Miramichi Salmon Museum to pay homage to the history of fly fishing on the river. This museum is run by a committed group of volunteers who do a wonderful job of keeping the heritage of our sport alive. If you are ever in the region and are even remotely interested in fly fishing I highly encourage a visit !

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxdrFFpcAVE

We can’t recall the last time there was so little snow at this time of year in Toronto. Skiers are pretty miserable (and Olympic organizers are on edge) but we’re not too upset because we can take customers across the street to Moss Park to do some fly casting. In fact one of the main reasons we moved to our current location on Queen Street just east of Jarvis Street in downtown Toronto was because customers can park at our front door and try out a fly rod across the street from the store.

In the almost 3 years we have been here (!) we have probably heard every line in the book (“How’s the fishing ?”, “Hey, do you think you’re going to catch anything ?”, “What are you fishing for?”, and other clever gems…) but one thing we didn’t think we would hear at this time of year is “I wonder if it’s going to snow… ?”

If you are an avid fly fisher and are annoyed that you can’t get out to do any fishing in Ontario these days you probably have a bit of extra time on your hands. I sympathize because I am in the same boat… so what did I do ? I went to see Avatar.

I haven’t been to a movie in a few months but did see Titanic when it came out and wonder what fetish James Cameron has ? What’s with the blue people ? In Titanic the characters turned blue from the cold and in Avatar they’re just blue. Whatever. Avatar is a great movie that made me forget for a few hours that the fly fishing around here sucks these days !