Fly-fishing guide April Vokey is drawn to water
By Mike Benbow
April Vokey Fly Gal Ventures
April Vokey, of Chilliwack, British Columbia, is the owner of Fly Gal Ventures, a business that provides fly fishing guides and seminars for male and female anglers as well as equipment and clothing.
Vokey, 29, started the business at age 23, but she’s been fishing much longer. When she got her driver’s license at 16, she started taking herself to the river to learn more about catching steelhead.
Now she guides regularly on the Dean and the Skeena rivers, two of world’s best for wild steelhead.
Vokey, a casting instructor certified by the Federation of Fly Fishers, is a fly fishing ambassador for apparel and gear manufacturer Patagonia. She writes a column about steelhead fishing for Fly Fusion magazine and speaks about fly fishing and fly tying around the world.
She recently met with members of the Evergreen Fly Fishing Club in Marysville to talk about the sport. Afterward, she answered six questions from The Herald:
MB: Clubs like this one are mostly comprised of older men. What would you like to tell women about fly fishing?
AV: It has always been a shame to me that fly fishing is perceived as a man’s sport. There is truly nothing overly masculine about it.
When explaining one’s desire to fly fish, finesse, timing, passion, excitement, intrigue and dedication are all descriptives that come to mind, descriptives that are not sole features of either gender.
I urge women who have not given this sport a try to skip their next yoga class or hike. Tranquility or excitement, whatever it is that you’re looking for, why not follow Mother Nature to the river instead? What if you absolutely love it?
MB: What would you like to tell young people in general about fly fishing?
AV: This is an important question for me. I truly believe that we as human beings have forgotten what our natural inclinations are. We turn so quickly to computers and social networking that many of us have forgotten that we are here to exist, survive … to live!
April and her gang are all in favor of catch and release.
Fishing is one of the last sports where we may truly dig into our inner selves, into the deep embodiment of who we are at our core, and spend the quality time that we need for mental clarity, sincere independence, and satisfaction of reward.
I am a catch and release advocate with many fisheries, and while I’m not trying to spread the word that we all need to go out and kill, I believe it is important that we at least all get outside to gain appreciation for who we once were and who we have the potential to be.
MB: What got you interested in fly fishing? [Read More . . . ]
