Fly Fishing in Squamish
I’ve never been fishing before, I’ve never had the opportunity. Those I know who fish are in love with it and seek any opportunity to get out on the water, so when the opportunity presented itself I jumped on it. Adventure Seekers follows friend and fisherman Denis Leblanc as we attempt to catch a fish that’s ‘this big!’ in the Squamish River.
We head north from Vancouver BC along the beautiful sea to sky highway and head for Squamish, about a 70km drive. I’ve lived in Vancouver for 13 years and this drive never gets old. The drive offers many viewpoints to take in the breath taking view but we don’t stop, let’s go fishing!
Squamish boasts the title of ‘Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada’ and surely lives up to its name. Home of the Stawamus Chief, Mount Garibaldi, incredible eagle viewing in Brackendale, should I go on?
Once we arrive we scout out a few spots and settle on a quieter area along the Squamish River. There are only 4 or 5 other people there, we are greeted by a knowing smile and left to our own. Denis sets up his gear and heads into the river and he quickly gets into his routine. He is focused and gets lost in the actions.
Fly fishing is a meditation, the repeated movement of casting and luring the fish quiets the noise in your head and offers a release. Denis manages to catch a fish but it’s a tired fish on its way home from spawning, he releases the fish and keeps on.
We spend most of the day out on the lake and although he only manages to catch one fish, I still call this day a success. Any day that can be spent like this is a win.
It’s fall and the leaves have changed, painting the mountain sides with its beautiful colours. I can’t imagine being in a more breathtaking place and it just serves to remind me to be grateful for where I live.
I had an amazing time on this trip and know I will be back as soon as I can and maybe next time I’ll give it a try.
