As I write this we have 19 entries for our January fly fishing photo contest but you still have 2 full days left to enter your pictures! This month’s competition is fierce as we have received entries from the Northwest Territories, BC, Alberta, Ontario, Wyoming (we think…) and Cuba! Watch for the pictures on our FaceBook page at www.facebook.com/CanadasFlyFishingOutfitter

We are delighted to announce that Nick Kuchmak is the winner of our photo contest for October. Nick took this shot while fly fishing for steelhead on a Great Lakes tributary and we are sending him a $50 gift certificate to spend at WILSON’S.

If you are not aware, we have a photo contest each month that is free to enter and the winner gets a $50 gift certificate to spend in our store. The only thing you have to do is become a member of our fly fishing club (which is also free) and you can submit your photo online so if you are looking for a reason to shop with us online send us your photos today!

“World economy in ‘dangerous phase’ IMF warns” – Toronto Star

“EU crisis raises bank risk…” – Globe and Mail

“Volatility is the new norm” – New York Times

“IMF warns of new threat to banks” – BBC

I don’t know about you but the more I read newspapers the more I want to go fishing…

I had the pleasure in Calgary of meeting one of the hardest-core anglers I have met in a while. This guy lives and breaths fly fishing and spends over 150 days a year on the water. He admitted he is able to spend a lot of time fishing in part because he is single and he focuses on fly fishing the waters of Alberta and BC exclusively with a dry fly because, well, he can. We had a great chat which was unfortunately cut short because my son Jake was being Mr. Crank-Pants and I had to take him upstairs and put him to bed. As I walked Jake back to our room the comments thrown at me over dinner got me thinking.

My new friend was chatting about the various types of people he has met in fly fishing and he categorized them in part as “Pretenders” (those who think they are experts but don’t really know much about the sport), Club Members (people who spend more time in meetings talking about fishing than actually fishing), Fly Tiers (those who can’t fish, tie), etc. It was one of those conversations that I wish I had on camera because it was completely unguarded. I did not agree with everything that he said but I kept my mouth shut and listened and the thought that came to mind was, “I may not agree with you on all fronts but your passion for fly fishing is inspiring!” He truly struck me as a fascinating, honest man and, while a bit intense I would love to spend a day on the water with him.

As he spoke I kept coming back to the thought that fly fishing is a melting pot that attracts all kinds of people. I suspect that to go out fishing with this man is a privilege earned by few and those who fish with him more than once first have to prove to him that they are worthy of his company. And you know what? His motivation is different from mine and that’s okay. We derive different pleasure from the same pursuit – and that is one of the other things I like about our sport. We’re not all the same but we share the same passion.

It’s back online…