Elliot Lake has great fly-fishing opportunities

[Spiel]

Elliot Lake has great fly-fishing opportunities

 

 

SHANNON QUESNEL / elliotlakestandard.ca

 

 

There are some misconceptions about fly-fishing, says Ron Alexander.

 

The president of the All-Anglers Fishing Club says some believe fly-fishing is too difficult and some longtime Elliot Lake residents believe this sport is pointless in this part of Northern Ontario.

 

Alexander and the 14 other club members want people to know that is not true. Fly-fishing is fun, for everyone and can be done almost anywhere, be it in a stream or a lake.

 

There are many benefits to fly-fishing, says Alexander.

 

In fact, the sports’ pros are being recognized around the world. It is being welcomed with open arms in many European nations.

 

Issuing licences for fly-fishing is making more financial sense in countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland says Alexander.

 

Instead of making money issuing licences to commercial fishing crews, these nations are seeing more financial benefits from tourists coming to spend money in their country while they fly-fish.

 

Another thing that makes the sport so appealing, especially to the government, are many fly-fishers are conservationists. Instead of filling up the freezer with fish the reward is in the challenge.

 

Like chess, the sport is easy to learn, but can take a lifetime to master.

 

Fly-fishing has many elements from line casting to learning what artificial fly to use.

 

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Sport needs to grow

 

The local club might have more humble aspirations than the British government, but it is serious about increasing the sport’s profile.

 

From casting lessons to showing how flies are made, the club is happy to explain the sport to anyone.

 

“What I always tell people is come try it one time and you will be hooked,” says Alexander.

 

Since many people in Northern Ontario have gone fishing at least once, fly-fishing will not seem that different. A person flicks the rod to cast the line forward and uses bait to catch the fish.

 

The differences begin with the gear. Fly-fishing rods tend to be much longer and the reels simpler. Instead of boats, these anglers walk out into streams and rivers or into shallow water wearing hip waders and boots. Some even use special single-seat pontoon crafts.

 

Other gear, such as nets, tends to be worn or clipped onto the fly angler. Casting is also different.

 

Fly-fishing lines are much heavier and brighter in colour than the pale blue or green lines used by other anglers.

 

The biggest difference is the bait.

 

The artificial lures used by most spin-casters tend to be rigid and/or segmented pieces with little flexibility. Often, they resemble small fish, such as minnows and almost always are bought, not made by the fishers themselves.

 

Flies weigh much less than spin-casting lures and can be as tiny as mosquitoes.

 

In the Elliot Lake area anglers use different techniques and equipment when fishing in either still water or streams. Still water is in lakes and ponds with little current.

 

Of the two, stream fly-fishing is the hardest as the wild and rough Elliot Lake landscape makes it tough just to get to the water.

 

Alexander says he was spoiled in southern Ontario. Down there a fly-fisher can park his car so close to a river he could fish out the window.

 

“I am embarrassed to admit to that. Up here, you are going to have to work for it, but when you do the rewards are wonderful.”

 

Alexander and past-president Erik Russel are working to bring fly-fishing and its rewards to as many people as possible.

 

To this end, the group is doing its best to promote this area of Algoma as a fishing destination.

 

 

Fish story

 

The club is fighting two misconceptions, however. One is fly-fishing is only for catching brown trout. This is not true, as fly fishers go after all sorts of fish, from trout to bass to salmon.

 

In fact, every year a fly fisher is setting a new world record in largest fish caught with a fly rod.

 

The other misconception is that Elliot Lake is no good for fly-fishing.

 

“We have heard of at least two or three instances of people not moving here because they were told there was no decent fishing,” says Alexander.

 

That has not been the case for him and others. They know timing can play a big part in a successful fishing trip. Some local rivers will be teeming with fish but only for a certain part of the year, sometimes for two weeks or a month.

 

This knowledge is something the club wants everyone to know. Instead of hoarding the secrets of great fishing spots, the club wants to share information.

 

Alexander and his friends have spent hours in trucks and on ATVs travelling down roads and trails to find good fishing spots.

 

“If we find a good place we tell the world, we publish it.

 

“One of the planks of our constitution is to promote Elliot Lake. We want city hall and the powers that be to view us as an asset.

 

“I don’t want anyone else leaving town because they thought the fishing was no good.”

 

 

Cheaper than you think

 

Sometimes all a person needs to start a hobby is knowing where to buy gear.

 

Unfortunately, there are few places selling fly-fishing equipment in this area.

 

That is why Alexander has been filling item orders for those interested in the sport.

 

“It can be an expensive sport. One of those magazines will show you a fly-rod in the $800 range.”

 

However, a beginner’s set can cost much less than that.

 

Newcomers will need a rod, reel, fly-line, leaders, tippets and, of course, flies. Fly-line is more expensive than spin-casting line, but will last much longer, claims Alexander.

 

And as club members do not want new or potential members discouraged from the high costs members have been donating new and old equipment, such as indoor practice rods. These popular devices are used to train people to cast.

 

“These are custom-made and they are in such hot demand I am in back orders for them.”

 

This all comes at a cost for the veteran members, but Alexander says someone had to step up.

 

“You have to do that to get it going. Somebody has to be a hero. It’s just (to show) how much we care about it.”

 

Alexander loves the sport. He and Russel have worked hard to recruit new members.

 

After forming the club Alexander was surprised the problem with getting new people was not the cost of gear.

 

The issue holding some people back is the difficulty or the unfamiliarity of fly-fishing.

 

“When you are spin-casting you've got a weight on a thin-line. You can feel it. But with a fly line you are making this line go through the air. It is much more technical.”

 

Fly-fishers do not have to cast the way it is seen on television or in the movies, such as in A River Runs Through It starring Brad Pitt.

 

“If you see a demonstration the guy is showing off and he is doing 70 feet (of cast).”

 

He says that is unnecessary. The average trout is caught at a distance under 15 feet.

 

“I can teach you to do that in 10 minutes…, none of this fancy waving in the air.”

 

For those interested in becoming a club member, the cost is $30 a year. Meetings are every Monday at St. Peter the Apostle Church on the corner of Hillside Drive and Roman Avenue.

 

For more information, call Alexander at 461-8939.

 

Check a future edition of The Standard for more on the fly tying aspect of fly-fishing.