Fly Fishing Canada: From Coast to Coast to Coast

A.J. Pell is rector of Christ Church in Hope, B.C., editor of the
Canadian Evangelical Review, and an instructor of Liturgy, Anglican
Studies Programme at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia.

This book is named after the organization that assembles and supports
the Canadian team for the annual World Fly Fishing Championship, and the
authors are fly-fishing members of the Outdoor Writers of Canada. What
better team to create a book about the sport from the Atlantic to
Pacific and Arctic oceans. The book has 63 chapters and begins with a
short introduction about Fly Fishing Canada and the Outdoor Writers of
Canada. It closes with brief biographies of the contributors and a
national directory of fishing shops (the best source of current local
information).

The chapters are loosely organized geographically, from east to west.
Some deal with specific species of fish (e.g., Atlantic salmon, brook
trout, Arctic char, cutthroat trout, pink salmon), and others are
concerned with fishing methods (e.g., “Mouse on Water,” “Lead-Core
British Columbia,” “Open-Ocean Salmon”). The guide also includes a
chapter on “selected fly patterns,” another that presents pictures
of flies used across Canada with tying instructions for each fly, three
chapters on tying materials, and one on the proper handling of fish for
cooking. Two photo-essays depict fish, anglers fishing, and prime
fishing locales.

Fly Fishing Canada is a valuable resource for anyone who enjoys taking
fly-fishing vacations because all the basic information is provided for
getting on the water in almost any part of Canada—only Nunavut is
missing. A reader can tie the flies at home and pack the appropriate
gear for a particular region to be ready to start fishing as soon as he
or she arrives the chosen destination. Further, putting in one volume
fishing lore from the whole country may well encourage fishers in one
region to experiment with techniques and flies popular in another
region.