Sometimes, the most amazing places are the most unexpected. You set out with your friends for a fun day of fishing, exploring spots that you haven’t tried before. And then, you find it. Paradise. A stretch of river so clear and clean that you swear that if there was no breeze you wouldn’t have believed that water even flowed there. And surrounding all of this moving glass, a carpet of incredibly rich green moss so vibrant that even your camera has a hard time capturing it.

These amazing spots can produce fish, and sometimes not. But in reality they are so beautiful that even if they turn out to be unproductive fishing destinations, does it really matter? After all, you are out with your friends sharing laughter and breathing in the good life. Moist air fills your lungs, the sound of water soothing your soul, and for a short time you forget what troubles are on your mind. You focus on the immediate, the challenge of finding those special places where wild BC Steelhead live. A depression here, a rock or riffle there, some nice walking pace slicks of emerald green water just begging for a fly to be tossed and swung. These are the moments that recharge me, and make all the torn waders, scuffed boots and breathless climbs up steep unstable shale slopes all worthwhile.

Welcome….to Vancouver Island.