A River Runs Through It...

Awesomeness factor is increasing by the week as we had one of the best days of our lives last Friday. We met an extremely passionate fly-fisherwoman at a wedding in New York who just happened to live in Vancouver. Her name is Nicole and she was happy to take us out to the Vedder River, an hour East of Vancouver, to try our luck with the Pink, Coho and Sockeye Salmon runs (there are 5 different species of Salmon on the Pacific Coast: Chinook, Coho, Pink, Sockeye and Chum, as opposed to the single Atlantic Salmon type found in Scotland). We were not disappointed when we arrived, donning our waders and rubber boots. It was a beautiful day, the water was crystal clear and we could see Salmon leaping everywhere. We waded out into river and were confronted with massive schools of darting salmon. We knew the fish were fresh from the ocean as many still had sea lice on their bodies (which is a good sign as they tend to drop off after a couple of days in fresh water). We began to fish with a range of brightly coloured flys, but I soon found I was having the most success with a deadly fly called the 'Muddler', a bluey-silvery fly. The fish were so curious and couldn't resist a little nibble. Before long they were striking hard and we were having the time of our lives as we battled fish, after fish, after fish. I ended up catching 10 Salmon, all Pinks; Lydia caught 6 Pinks; and best of all, included in the untold number of Salmon Nicole caught was the catch of the day, a pristine, beautiful silvery Coho weighing at least 10 pounds. We kept 3 Salmon for the BBQ that night, needless to say, it was the freshest Salmon I have ever tasted.





The Summer days are finally beginning to fade but we have made the most of every one, including a glorious sunset at Wreck beach. This is the most notorious of all of Vancouver's beaches as it is frequented by nudist hippies and bongo players. It was like the beach scene out of the Big Lebowski, a hedonistic dream of drumming, dancing and dope. At sunset, countless revellers offered themselves to the sea and the last rays of the setting sun, whooping and hollering like only Canadians can do. We bid the Northern Hemisphere's summer farewell, but fortunately we will be hitting Spring in the Southern Hemisphere in a week's time, so no winter for us this year! Our thoughts begin to turn to Peru and the uncertainties that lie ahead. We will be torn from our comfort zone next Tuesday, but that is when the real adventure begins!


Leon.