I gotta say there is going to be one huge sigh of relief from our team when our new site goes live… immediately followed by a Homer moment when we look at something stupid on the site that we missed that will be painfully obvious to everyone (except of course to those who have been immersed in it). You know the moment. You look at something you have been laboring over for what seems like forever and think, “…oh crap.” Hopefully there won’t be too many of them but we will appreciate you letting us know if you see any!

We are finishing up loose ends today and look forward to hearing what you think of our new site… we’re down to counting the hours!

Fly Fish Ontario Magazine is a free ‘ezine’ that focuses on fly fishing in Ontario (funny how that works). The latest issue has articles on the Niagara River, local guide Mike Verhoef of Fly Fitters, fly tying, steelheading, fly fishing tattoos & classic salmon flies and we hope you enjoy looking through it as much as we did.

Check it out at onlinemag.flyfishontario.ca

If you read our website last week you saw that we are hosting a free “Open Vise” every Saturday afternoon from 12:30 until 5:00 pm. What we forgot to mention is that we are also hosting another free Open Vise fly tying session every Tuesday evening from 5:30 until 8:00 pm.

If you are interested in attending either session all you have to do is show up – but space is limited so get here earlier rather than later !

It is important to note that the Tuesday evening Open Vise session will commence at 6:00pm or earlier if you are in the store but if no one shows up (or calls to say they are on the way) by 6:10 then our friend Ian McLeod will lock the door and head home for dinner. Although there is no cost to attend we are thinking of asking everyone who shows up to throw a few dollars into a pot to order in some pizza and beverages so no one starves.

Let us know if this is an idea that interests you. If it is of interest but another time/date works better let us know. What we want to do is provide a free location on a regular basis for fly tiers to trade tips and techniques – and have fun doing it!

Christie Lake is one of those spots in the Greater Toronto Area that flies under the radar for a lot of anglers and it is worth a visit. Located on Dundas Street just west of Waterdown and run by the Hamilton Conservation Authority, Christie Lake has a large lake with bass, pike, carp, crappie and blue gill and 7 smaller fishing ponds stocked with rainbow trout. Notably, one of these smaller ponds is wheelchair accessible, fishing is free with admittance to the park (check their website for rates) and ice fishing is also allowed during the winter months. Boats (inflatable or otherwise) are allowed on the lake but gasoline engines are not.

For more information on the park please go to www.conservationhamilton.ca/area-information/conservation-areas/area-information/christie-lake

If you are a fly tier and are looking for a place to meet with fellow tiers and practice, come into WILSON’S every Saturday . After Sheldon Seale’s beginner’s fly tying courses finish (they run from 9:30am until 12:30pm) we will be hosting an “open vise” ever Saturday afternoon from 1:00 until 5:00 pm

We are delighted that Neil Houlding is coming into the store this afternoon to do a free demonstration on tube flies.

Watch the Calendar of our new website for details on future seminars & guest tiers !