696 | Fly Fishing Saskatchewan with Alyx Parks – The New Fly Fisher

Dave (2s): There are some popular Canadian provinces that we’ve talked about on this podcast already from BC and over to Ontario and beyond. But Saskatchewan has not been a destination that we’ve really covered on this podcast yet. This all changes today as we talk about some of the finest lodges that offer Pike, grayling, and other species. We’re headed up to Northern Canada, into the Northwest Territories today. Let’s find out how to do it. This is the Wet Fly Swing podcast where I show you the best places to travel to for fly fishing, how to find the best resources and tools to prepare for that big trip, and what you can do to give back to the fish species we all love. How’s it going? I am Dave host of the Wet Fly Swing podcast. I’ve been fly fishing since I was a little kid. Dave (42s): I grew up around a little fly shop and have created one of the largest fly fishing podcasts in this country. I’ve also interviewed more of the greatest fly anglers and fly fishing hosts than just about anyone out there. Alyx Parks, the New Fly Fisher host is gonna take us into her life around traveling for the new Fly Fisher and some of the areas that she’s excited about. We’re going to find out how to catch Grayling and some tips on fishing for Grayling, including the Skittering, why this is important. We’re gonna get get a few travel tips from Alex today. We’re gonna find out on that end. And then we’re also gonna hear about why you should be watching your Backcast Plus, you’re going to hear about the hot little bug and why this video clip. Put Alex on the map today, hopping our way across Canada. Dave (1m 24s): Here we go. Alyx Parks from OntarioFlygirl.com. How you doing, Alyx? Hey, Alyx (1m 31s): Dave. I’m good. I’m so excited to be on here. Oh my goodness. Dave (1m 35s): Yeah, thanks. This is, this is gonna be amazing. I, we got some good connections here because the new Fly Fisher, you know, there was some tragic news to me I didn’t realize with Colin and what was going on, but Colin passed away this year, and I’ve just had a, I’ve been having a, a good, you know, fascination with New Fly Fisher. ’cause I think you have all just really put this, you know, YouTube channel, but it’s more than that, you know, kind of everywhere, and you’re doing some great things out there. So we’re gonna talk a little about that. But also just on you, your fishing. You are, you’re one of the host there. So we’re gonna talk about that, and then we’re gonna dig into maybe a little bit on your home waters, maybe Saskatchewan, grayling, a little bit of that. But yeah, before we get there, maybe take into like what’s going on this time of year for you? Dave (2m 16s): So we’re in, we’re kind of December holiday seasons around the corner. Are you doing any fishing this time of year, or you just hunkering down? Oh, Alyx (2m 23s): Well, definitely wanting to do some fishing, but Dave, I gotta be honest, you know, we’ve had no freaking rain. Oh, yeah. So we’re all kind of just sitting here thinking, oh, no. You know, I, I live just directly on the Grand River in Paris, Ontario. And so notoriously this area is fantastic for the Steelhead Run that come up from the Great Lakes, and they actually just run right in front of our house and they go to the Nth River. That’s just, you know, I would say less than a kilometer up the river from me. So, you know, it’s, it’s heartbreaking to look down, you know, of my backyard and say, are you guys there? Or, you know. Right. I know you’re there, but are you okay? You know, so I know there’s a lot of, a lot of folks who, you know, are traveling quite a bit throughout Southern Ontario to try and chase some of these amazing bullets that we get up here, but we’re hoping for a little bit more rain. Alyx (3m 13s): So yeah, thinking hopefully December the snows are gonna start coming, that would be great. But it’s a super dream of mine to get my PV steelhead just off my, of, of my backyard. That would be unreal. Dave (3m 25s): That is cool. So you have, so basically, yeah, you’re right there. And steelhead are running, or are people fishing, you know, December, January, throughout the winter? They Alyx (3m 34s): Will, yeah. So, and they’ll, they’ll travel around. Like I said, you know, we’re, we’re right in a, a pretty good little mecca here in terms of whether it’s great lake steelhead or just from a trope perspective. You know, you can go an hour, you can go 30 minutes, or you can drive a couple hours and you’re hitting every single species that you would, you would truly ever want, obviously outside of Grayling and, and all that stuff. But it’s pretty fantastic to be in the region where there are so many species. Now that being said, our fish per kilometer, or fish per mile is, is not as intense as some of those places down maybe in the US Utah area. We had visited the Green River last September, I believe it was, or two Septembers ago, I should say. Alyx (4m 15s): We just passed it. But I mean, it was unreal to be sitting in a drift boat and just having the amount of browns and rainbows rise just, you know, in feeding time and seeing just how many were around. So, you know, here you really gotta put in your, your effort and your time and still in the bank and cry a little bit. Yeah. Then you gotta get back up. Dave (4m 36s): Right. Is it, and is it mainly steelhead there? What, what are the species on the ground? I know we’ve done a couple of episodes talking about steelhead, but what are the main species? Alyx (4m 43s): Yeah, so the grand, it’s, it’s a little bit more of a, a warmer river. So while you can find resident trout, they’re definitely there, but they, they will often go to some of the, the smaller creeks or tributaries to find colder water down in this area. That being said, up in the grand up in Fergus area is obviously almost world renowned for the trout fishery that’s, that’s up there. So that’s pretty amazing. You know, I know quite a few people are friends who are guides and obviously ourselves. We’ve, we’ve been up there for many years going through those just big beautiful browns. Dave (5m 16s): How do you spell that? What, what part of that is Fergus? Alyx (5m 19s): Fergus. Yeah. F-E-R-G-U-S, Fergus Ontario. Dave (5m 23s): Ontario, okay. Yeah. Alyx (5m 24s): It’s, it’s a great spot. Again, people come, we’ve had people from all over the world come and visit and, and just hit the, hit the water there just to experience it. But it’s just, it’s pretty amazing for some good mouthing at night as well. But then as you get down closer a little bit towards Paris, as I said, it warms up a bit. So while we do have the steelhead that come and, and run up, you know, we’ve got great pike, got great pike fishing, and bass fishing is outta this world. Yeah. You know? Wow. There’s some folks in, down in the US that we’d like to have come join us and, and do some, some bass fishing. But I mean, the small mouth are just pigs. Yeah. I love them. They’re so good. Dave (6m 2s): That’s amazing. Well, the cool thing is, is I love this because, you know, smallmouth is actually on our radar. We’re doing a trip next year in 25 with, with Schultz Outfitters in Michigan, which is right across the ocean. I call it the inland ocean, but across the lake from ya. So you got Michigan. But we’re doing that and we, I’m excited because Smallmouth bass is a huge species. It’s in their native territory. And I think people don’t realize, you know, for those that don’t know Canada, but Ontario and where you’re at, I mean, you’re pretty much Paris, right? Is that in the Grand River area? Alyx (6m 29s): It’s actually where Two Rivers meet. Oh, okay. So yes, it’s the grand and the nif. So the NIF dumps into the grand, the N is a bit of a, it’s a slower river. It’s got monster bass though. Oh my God. If you can dial in the N you are just cranking out the fish. It’s amazing. But yeah, so Paris literally sits at the mouth of the nif and the grand. So it’s, it’s just a beautiful, it looks like, I think it’s actually been called the prettiest town in Canada for multiple years in a row. It’s very, very old school, all cobblestone, it looks like a little French town. Oh, wow. Right in the, the little heart here. It’s like a, our own personal Mayberry, you know? Yeah. Our amazing tears, If you will. Alyx (7m 9s): Yeah. So we go and we’re waving to everybody, but it’s very cool. Dave (7m 13s): It looks like, and again, just for the geography, you know, Ontario, I think we all think of Canada as, okay, it’s the northern, you know, the province is up north of us, but really where you’re at, you’re down south. I mean, you’re into, you’re almost to like the latitude of like Chicago. Oh, you know, you’re down, you, you know, you’re right across from New York, between New York and Michigan. So you’re kind of, you’re almost part of the, the lower 48, you know, as we, as we say. But which means that you’re not up in the frozen tundra. Right. You have lots, and that’s what I’m saying. So Grand River people are fishing year round out there. Alyx (7m 42s): Yeah. You know, I mean, obviously with, there’s, of course there’s different regulations for every spot, but we’re crying, Dave, we’re crying down here because we missed the snow. I mean, last year we didn’t get any snow. And this is common for everywhere. I mean, even up in the northern areas, but I mean, the runoff we just never got. And so spring was so difficult, you know, and then you get worried a little bit about the health of the fish and the conservation. So, I mean, do you wanna fish when there’s not a lot of water? You know? And so that’s why we’re crying for it again now. So hopefully, you know, all the anglers out here are gonna have a good season. But like I said, you know, we’re really gonna have to put the time into just to make sure that we’re keeping the species safe. Alyx (8m 24s): You know, we’re not just going against all our morals and just trying desperately to get a fish, but we’re also, you know, taking care of, you know, the time and place and all of those aspects that go into to quality fishing in the area. Dave (8m 38s): Yeah. We’ve been talking a lot about the conservation and we have episodes out there. I think it’s probably super important, I’m sure to, to what you have going to. I wanna check on, you know, you have the New Fly Fisher. We talked about that at the start, and you’re traveling. I wanna hear about that, how you became a host of the New Fly Fisher, because you’re you, and we’re gonna gonna talk Saskatchewan maybe and kind of heading into Canada. But tell us about that. How did you get to be at that position? I think a lot of people listening would love to be traveling around the, the country, the world, you know, fishing with the New Fly Fisher. How’d that come to be? Alyx (9m 8s): You know what, it’s a funny story. It’s a little vulnerable. So if everybody is okay with vulnerability, I’m here for it. But let me tell you, I owe Bill Spicer so much, you know, and it, it, I, you’re never gonna be able to guess why. Hmm. But it’s, so, my, my dad, so my dad, Jeff Parks, he’s also a host of The New Fly Fisher, and we are so grateful to be able to work together in that capacity. I’ll tell you a bit later, but we went to Scott Lake Lodge up in Northern Saskatchewan together. It was a birthday gift from both Colin and Mark to me to celebrate being in my thirties to go up together. But, so back in, I forget, I guess 2020, it would’ve been my dad was invited to be on the show to be the guide. Alyx (9m 56s): Right. So he’s, he’s had calm waters for about 20 years or so now. And so Bill Spicer and our cameraman, Jeremy, they came out to go ahead and, and film Calm Waters. And so they’re having a great time. They’re up in Meaa and River. And my dad had said, you know, I’d, I’d love for you to, to come, you know, and, and to spend some time and, you know, maybe you’ll get on camera, but honestly, you know, this is just so exciting. I’d love for you to be there and, you know, maybe do a little section If you can. So I said, okay. Right. You know, but the day before, this is terrible. Day before, my, my partner at the time had got some pretty terrible news and had, you know, been in a position where we were no longer together. Alyx (10m 37s): Oh, wow. Right. And it was very, very jarring. It was very, very jarring. And I was very, very sad. So I was just really upset and thought, you know, I’m not coming, I’m not gonna do that. I, I can’t, I can’t be on tv. Are you kidding me? But it was such a huge deal for my dad. So I ended up going up there and Bill Spicer was there and said, you know, Alex, I’d love for you to do a, a segment on Nipping, you know, I, it’d be great to get you out there. Why don’t you give it a shot? And, you know, I’m telling him some of these details. And he was just the kindest gentleman, and I was telling him all the story of what had gone on. And I, in between crying, you know, and as, as terrible as this sounds, we all go through it. Yeah, yeah. Alyx (11m 17s): You know, there’s relationships, you know, Dave (11m 19s): He was kinda like your counselor, it sounds like, maybe. Oh Alyx (11m 21s): My goodness. He was, you know, and my dad was super focused and, but he was so great, you know, to, to talk about, you know, things that have happened and how I was feeling. And so he got me ship shaped and he goes, okay, get out there. Catch a fish. That’s what you need right now. You bill, you’re right. You’re so right. And so I get out there and, you know, I, I do this little segment and it was a lot of fun. I ended up saying hot little bug on camera, which is apparently something that people have not forgotten. Oh, really? I get dms about that a lot. Yeah. Dave (11m 50s): Hot Alyx (11m 51s): Little bug trying to, yep. You know, you gotta make that fly look like a hot little bug to the fish, you know? And so that’s good. I, I do get many dms of people saying, you know, I watched the hot little bug section, how do you do that? You know, but nice. Anyway, so I come off and I start crying again, thinking, oh my God. And you know, bill, bill, again, the amazing gentleman he is, just gave me a big hug and said, you know, you did great that January I get a call from Colin and Mark and they said, Alex, you know, we saw your section, we saw the hot little bug. We want you to be a host on the show. And I’m like, are you freaking kidding me right now? Yeah. And so my moral of the story here is in the face of, you know, pain and adversity and just going through general life, at the end of the day, you just need a fricking fish. Alyx (12m 33s): You know, go out there, get fishing, and don’t be, don’t be shy to tell people how you’re feeling, you know, because at the end of the day, it can genuinely just get you to where you need to be and, and having a, having a good time. So that’s the story. That’s awesome. Dave (12m 48s): That is a good story. That’s a good story. So hot, hot little bug. And that is the, was that the Scott Lake trip? Alyx (12m 54s): This was before all that. This was my dad being, you know, a guest on the show. Dave (12m 58s): Oh, okay. And could we find that show out there? What would that show be with the hot little bug? Alyx (13m 2s): Actually, that section isn’t in the show, so it’s a separate YouTube short that they had taken out. Dave (13m 8s): Oh, okay. We can go on YouTube and maybe fine, I just wanna put in the show notes if we can track it down. Alyx (13m 12s): A hundred percent. Yep. I’ll, I’ll track it down and send it to you. But it’s, it’s a funny one. Dave (13m 16s): We’ll put a link for everybody listening that they can go to the show notes and grab that little hot little bug. ’cause I think that’s, well, I think it’s good. I think it’s a couple of good reminders. The fact that, you know, you’re going through a really tough time, you know, like, like people, we all do, you know, and sometimes you gotta be like, Hey, life goes on, and, you know what I mean? You gotta, and fishing too, also, right? Phishing is such a therapeutic thing that it is probably that just being on the water helped with that relationship, you know? And Alyx (13m 42s): A hundred percent, you know, and that’s what Bill, bill really stuck out there, you know, and he says, you know, the thing that you need is a fish. Go out there and get one. You know? And I just, it was such a calming thing for me to hear, because, you know, it, this could have been anything, whether it’s relationship or your job 2020 was pretty horrible, you know? Yeah. I mean, it was a rough year, right? So I think everything is heightened at that point, and being able to have somebody just look at you and say, the only thing you need to do is get a fish. You know, it really, it really actually shines a light on the new Fly Fisher itself being, you know, obviously a 20 year running show, but to help people, whether they’re novice or they’re experienced, to go out there and just put a fly in the water. Alyx (14m 26s): That’s it. You know? And from a therapeutic standpoint, it really truly is, you know, and to be there, not only for my dad, but to just to stand in the water, was, was the thing that you needed to be able to, to showcase your best self and to do the thing that you love to do. Dave (14m 43s): Pescado on the Fly offers a full range of fly fishing gear for any angler and any budget with premium rods delivered directly to you. This saves you money by eliminating the middleman markup. The L ray G six is the most packable high performance fly rod on the market, performing like a four section rod. But with unmatched portability, never fly without your G six. Discover the L Ray series and more at pescador on the fly.com. 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So I was in Saskatchewan at Cree River Lodge, and so that was the first show that I had done. Not my, sorry, not my first show, but that was the first show in Saskatchewan that I had done at Cree River Lodge with Trip Crommarty Chip. He, he’s just the best pike guide I I’ve ever seen. I mean, just absolutely fantastic at what he does. And the lodge is fantastic. But the second time was at Scott Lake Lodge up in northern Saskatchewan with my dad. And so that was last, last year. And that was another one that was just absolutely out of this world. Ste Annish was our, our guide and obviously unbelievable for, for Pike. Alyx (16m 38s): And, but just his knowledge and general was out of this world, specifically going into the Northwest Territories and searching for Arctic railing. And so some of these places that we had fished, and we would do fly outs, and so we would fly, I don’t know if it was like a hundred miles or whatever it was, it felt like a long time in the air, in the middle of nowhere with just lakes everywhere. I mean, there was water, the moose that would be swimming across. Oh, amazing. It was just unbelieving. There was those wolverines, they actually do photography safaris that you can go do as well. Dave (17m 11s): Oh really? So did you see any wolverines? Alyx (17m 13s): No, I was desperate. I’m so desperate as a professional wildlife photographer, Dave (17m 17s): Isn’t it the most ferocious animal in the world or something like pound for pound, right? Yeah. Alyx (17m 22s): Yes. It’s just incredible. Incredible. So they have seen them there though, so it’s, it’s just, it’s another world, right? So yeah, we did the flyouts and the place, one of the most memorable places, and I’ll talk about Cree as well, but just recently we’d flown out and this, this, I believe Steve had said it hadn’t been fished in about seven years. Geez. And I’m like, so it’s been unpressured for seven years. I mean, and it’s a hard to go find places like that when you’re up there, because it’s just, it’s the land of plenty, lemme tell you. And so we ended up landing in a spot called Dessie. And Desie is this little outflow between lakes and grayling. Alyx (18m 2s): Often, obviously grayling can, can live in the lakes, but they like oxygen, right? They’re very trouty. And so they will go and they’ll seek out some of these outflow places to not only obviously get that faster moving water, but so they cannot be chow for the massive pike and lake trout that are there. And so we were couching all these obviously big fish, but we, we fly up there and it’s, it’s a lot of like musk gag, right? It’s a lot of this really soft, dense terrain. And so I was falling all over the place, quite literally all over the place. Oh, there she goes. She’s down. Dave (18m 37s): Right. So it’s kinda like, is this kinda like the, like the tundra where it’s all just basically water underneath it and it it’s like a sponge. Exactly. Alyx (18m 44s): Exactly. You know, and so obviously there’s lots of bears that are up there, but the wildlife becomes less and less so the more north you get. And so lots of fireweed and I mean, everything is scorched up there as well. It’s in the air. You will just never see anything like it, you know, to see where, you know, the lightning had hit and then the fire had started and gone out. Dave (19m 4s): I mean Oh, so there’s a massive, massive forest fire. Alyx (19m 7s): Oh, everywhere. I mean, it’s, it’s just a natural part of the wildlife up there, right? So it was, it was really fascinating to, to navigate around some of these pieces and to be walking among some of the burnt planes. Anyway, so we get there, and for reference, this was the first show and the first real true fishing excursion that I’d had after recovering from a complete ACL recovery and repair in my left knee that I tore while steel heading of all things. Of course I did. And so I’m nervous, right? And so we get up to this place, it’s outflow, it’s not very long. It’s less than a kilometer. And so we’re in the zone. And you know, Steve is guiding us to some of the, the better places to get into these spots. Alyx (19m 48s): ’cause it’s brush, right? You know, you have to be really specific about where you’re standing, you know, because the little river there, or outflow, I should say, is just bowling balls. I mean, it is some of the most difficult, rocky under river that I’ve ever experienced in my life. But with the bigger, the amount of rocks and the, the, the more pockets and everything is obviously that’s where the fish are gonna be. And so I’m standing there and my dad has never caught a railing before, and I had at Cree, and I’m telling him, you know, grayling like to see the fly, not as a trout does, but as like they’re, they’re incredibly aggressive Dave (20m 27s): Right? To like surface. Like on the surface. Alyx (20m 29s): Definitely on the surface. But it’s just, they, they need the skittering motion. Dave (20m 33s): Oh, right. They need action. They Alyx (20m 35s): Need action. Yes. So like, what trout like that, you know, there’s so many multiple things that you can do in order to land one. Right. You know, but the skittering piece of it is so key to be able to dial in these fish, like that action, that movement, that ability to sway that fly from side to side over. Sometimes it’s multiple columns, you know, or sorry, Dave (20m 57s): Over a different like habitat unit sort of thing. Alyx (20m 59s): Yeah, yeah. So like, If you wanna start from a little bit of the under underbrush, obviously they’re gonna be there, they’re gonna be, they’re hitting anything that’s dropping out, but you’re gonna be going over multiple different seams, I should say, Dave (21m 10s): Like cross a seam, like a riffle, and then like a pool. Correct? Yeah. Yeah. Gotcha. Alyx (21m 14s): Yes. And so while, you know, with trout, you kind of wanna dial in that one seam. You wanna work it really hard, you know, you’re not necessarily going across everything while we wanna cover water, you know, you’re being very meticulous with it. Grayling. Oh my god. I mean, they are torpedoes in the mini sense. And so they will, they will chase it across multiple seams and in multiple different pools if they like it, you know? And so my big tip for, for Grayling in particular is God just do not care about what necessarily the fly is. Just get it to have some kind of emotion in a skittering pattern. And it’s going to eat if it’s hungry. You know, I have never experienced anything like this before. You know, when they’re, they turned on, I mean, they were flying around us just flopping and flying out the water, and they are aggressively out of the water, entirely their bodies. Alyx (22m 4s): And so you can see their little fins as they’re falling and you’re thinking, oh my God, I gotta see that in the water. Right. You know? But to get them hooked is a, is another sense. So Dave (22m 14s): What is the, If you did, even though the fly isn’t super critical, what would be one fly that worked well up there on the surface? Alyx (22m 19s): Honestly, just even a basic little, like cas Dave (22m 22s): Yeah. The elk hair cast or something like that. Alyx (22m 24s): Just something that’s gonna sit there. And it’s, and it’s not gonna be crazy. I mean, If you have nail polish that’s like bright orange, you know, or bright red that seemingly will work. If you wanna just put a dot of just a little bit of color, even like, just a little parachute, you know, would be, would be good. But anything on the surface. And that being said, that being said at Cree River, I mean, I was fishing a, a hopper dropper, and they were hitting the Frenchy quite a bit. My dropper was just a little basic Frenchy with a collar, a little purple, purple flash. And they, they did, they did hit that as well, but not, not as much as they would hit on surface. Dave (23m 2s): Okay. And then the grayling too is, was that some of your first grayling, I mean, when you get those in your hand, they’re pretty spectacular fish. Right? Alyx (23m 10s): So at Cree, this was the first time that I had ever gone for a grayling. And I thought, I am the luckiest person in the world to even be in a situation where I can not only travel and get to showcase unbelievable lodges, but the guides that are there that people wouldn’t necessarily know of, I mean, they’re unreal, but to stand amongst Arctic grayling, I, I mean, at 30, I think I was 33 at that time. I never thought that would be there. But I was with Jenna McKeen, she’s one of my very best friends. Dave (23m 41s): Okay. Yeah. This is Colin’s daughter, and she does some new fly fisher stuff too, Alyx (23m 44s): Right? Very much, much, yes. She’s been doing it for about a decade, actually. She’s a staple for sure when it comes to, when it comes to that. But we were there together doing the show, and she had been Dec Cree before. And so again, same thing. We were at this little, you know, outflow and we were on the boat, and because Jenna was there, she knew what to do. So she’s at the back of the boat and I’m like, what is, what is she up to to back there? You know? And I am, as the trout fisherman that I am, I’m at the, at the front of the boat, just being the most acrobatic, unbelievable trout fisherman you’ve ever seen in your life. You know, I was like, mending like nobody’s business, you know, presenting the fly. The drift was absolutely perfect. Alyx (24m 26s): I am frustrated, I mean, crying, frustrated because they’re not hitting my fly. And I’m looking at Jenna and she’s caught two at the back of the boat, you know? And so Chip then walks up to me and he goes, are you done fishing for trout? And I’m like, what do you mean? This is, this is what I read online at how to entice the fish. And he goes, well, If you look at Jenna, and she has her line at the back of the boat, and the fly is quite literally just skittering. And they are there, I must have seen four. Dave (24m 55s): Oh, right. She’s not even casting. She’s almost like just letting it drag. Just Alyx (24m 59s): Letting it drag. Yep. And it was unbelievable to see. And so at that point, I’m, I’m like, okay, I’m, I’m doing it. So I, without shoving everyone out of the way doing that, and so I finally hooked one and I, they’re strong, right? Yeah. So you’re not gonna think that these little things are that strong, right. Because, you know, they get up to, I mean, they can get big, right? Yeah. They can get grayling up to 24 inches. But I mean, there are some big ones, but realistically they’re not gonna be that big. Dave (25m 28s): Yeah. Mo most of ’em are kind of in the 14, 15 inch range somewhere Alyx (25m 31s): In there. Correct. Yeah. Yeah. Like 16, 18, you know, that’s a good trophy fish that you’re getting at that point. And so, you know, I had one on, and it’s really fighting, you know, I mean, surprisingly so and so I’m fighting it and I’m really nervous, you know, when you get those heart pumping moments and you’re thinking, I gotta get this, or I will die. Dave (25m 50s): Yeah. I don’t wanna lose this thing. And, and you have cameras there too, right? Yeah. Alyx (25m 53s): So you’re really nervous and I have to try and talk and say something. And at that point, you are so focused that you desperately don’t wanna talk. ’cause you don’t even know what you did. You’re just so surprised that it’s happened. And so anyway, so all of a sudden it goes directly under the boat. I mean, they beline it to the boat to get for cover. And so at that point, chip is screaming like, get it away from the boat, get it away. And I’m my shoving my rod into the water under the boat. My arm is hanging off the side because I’m trying to pull this thing, but at the, it’s a bigger fish and it, the line rubbed on the bottom of the boat. Oh dear. And it, it got off. And I, I, there’s actually, they just, this didn’t make it into the show, but there’s a first take that I, I have tears, genuine tears. Alyx (26m 40s): Oh, wow. Yeah. Saying, you know, I lost my first grayling and I’ve, I’ve never experienced such heartbreak with a fish in my life. And so that was the first one, you know, and, and the surprise of how strong they are. And, and again, they, they fish in fast or they live in faster water. So they’re, they’re gonna have that extra spunk, kind of like a bass, to be honest. They really dug it down and they’ll be line it for cover, you know, and, and they’re surprising, right? So they’ll come up and they’ll rest and then they’ll pull you again, which makes it a lot of fun. But the most important thing I have to say is actually they’re the mouth, you know, they’re like the smallest little Dave (27m 17s): Yeah, they’re tiny. They’re kind of like a, more like a white fish type of mouth than they are a trout. Right? Alyx (27m 22s): A hundred percent. I, I mean very, very much. And so they’re so delicate, and so you are going to miss more grayling than you are going to land. I mean, very, very much so. And they, they miss the fly as well, you know, so they’ll flip for it and they’ll actually just genuinely miss it. ’cause their mouse are so small. Dave (27m 39s): What does that fin look like when you catch, I have you, have you landed some of those guys? Oh, Alyx (27m 43s): Yes. I mean, at that point I dial it in and, you know, we’re landing tons and tons of them, you know, but the, the first time that you can, you can see a grayling’s fin, you know, you wanna obviously keep it in the water for reasons, but you wanna move it to its side, like put it onto its side a little bit and really make sure that you kind of cradle If you can. And the fin will move into current. And the first time that sun hits it, it’s the little sailfish of the north. I mean, you’ve never seen anything so beautiful in your life. And I, I wrote a post about it, and I think it’s so fascinating that something so beautiful, we’ll never be able to know why people are marveling so much at it. Dave (28m 23s): Yeah. Oh, it’s cool. I’m looking at, I’m looking at it online, just typed in kind of grayling fish, new fly fisher, and there’s a photo that pops up with you. I’ve truly never, it says there’s a quote from you. I’ve truly never seen anything like it. And then, and the colors are like a rainbow. I mean, that is an amazing picture. It’s like a full, I guess this is on Instagram that is a beautiful fish. It’s from cre. Yeah. This is the Cree River Lodge. May 16th, I think. Was that from this, that might have been from this year. Alyx (28m 49s): No. So I, I mean, depending on when I posted that, I mean, I’m not a huge poster on social Dave (28m 55s): Yeah. That’s on the official new fly fishers. So that could be last year, but either way. Oh, Alyx (28m 60s): That’s right. Yes. Dave (29m 1s): Yeah, it’s amazing. I mean, the colors are blue. It’s got like every spectrum in the, in the dorsal fin. Alyx (29m 6s): Yeah. It’s just absolutely insane. You know, when you, and it’s funny because, you know, you pick this thing up outta the water and you’re like, oh, it’s like little whitefish. I mean, that’s a sound, whatever, you know? So everything, everything that you see is, it is just encapsulated when it’s all in the water. And so it is the epitome of fly fishing. You know, you’re truly enticing this animal with different types of tactics that you have to use that you’re not necessarily used to. You know, I mean, they, they’re abundant in the Arctic watersheds, and when you see what they’ve got hanging on the rack, you’re just, it will, it will heart stop you. Dave (29m 41s): So you guys went to the Cree River Lodge that was, and what is Saskatchewan overall? Is it pretty similar? You know, when you think about other provinces up there, I’m guessing lots of lakes, obviously. Did you, have you guys hit any, gone to any other areas up there? So Alyx (29m 55s): I’ve only personally been to Northern Saskatchewan save four, you know, getting into when I’m, when I’m traveling and you’re, you’re stopping over, right? So, you know, you can go and like, there’s like vagina and, and all of these places that are, are really well known. You know, it’s, it’s a great province. I mean, there’s, there’s, I mean, it’s huge. There’s so many, so, so much wildlife up there, you know, it’s, it’s a really, it really truly is an adventurous dream if you’re wanting to go up in that area. But I’ve personally only been north, and so both Cree and then Scott Lake Lodge, Scott Lake is quite literally on the edge of the Northwest Territories. Dave (30m 33s): Oh, it is. So it’s right there. So Scott is, so what’s it’s Scott Creek Lodge. Alyx (30m 37s): Scott Lake. Dave (30m 38s): Okay. I’m just trying to get my bearings to Scott Lake Lodge County. Yeah, so you’re right on the north. Okay. Yeah, yeah, you’re right up there. So you’re just up north. So you’re north of, so that’s north of Cree up on Scott Lake. You’re right on the border. Alyx (30m 49s): That’s right. So typically we would start in Saskatoon. And so Saskatoon, you know, so that’s south, that’s one of the main, one of the main cities of Saskatchewan. And so what we do is we fly to Saskatchewan from Toronto, stay overnight, and then we would be flying to either maybe Lara and then you take another Hopper plane. So we fly there, and then you take a hopper plane to Stony Rapids. At that point, either they will pick you up or you have to fly somewhere else to a little outpost where then they fly you to the lodge. Or If you can take a boat, you take a boat. But it’s, it’s a couple days to get up there. Dave (31m 25s): Gotcha. So you got, yeah, so Toronto fly into Saskatchewan, and then you take a hopper flight up to say Scott Lake la or is that now, is it a hopper flight? No. Yeah, no, you gotta take, you gotta go to, and then where do you drop in once you, once you fly in from Toronto, where, where are you flying in again to, Alyx (31m 40s): So you’re flying from Toronto, and then you go to, let’s say Saskatoon, and then you go from Saskatoon and depending on what the flights are, you know, at Cree, we, we had to la and then we get a, a hopper flight. But up north, north you have to go to Stony Rapids and then Stony Rapids from there, you likely either take a hopper flight or they pick you up in one of their, their planes and they fly you to the lodge. Dave (32m 3s): Okay. Yeah. So it’s a full deal. Yeah. Alyx (32m 5s): Like most are gonna be fly-ins at that point, unless you can make it by lake. It’s just because it’s just so abundant. Dave (32m 12s): And Scott Lake Lodge is, is amazing too, to look at, because I mean, it is on this tiny little island surrounded by other islands and water, and, and it’s right on the border of the Northwest Territory. It’s pretty, yeah. So what was that like? So when you got to that, what, describe that lodge there a little bit. Alyx (32m 28s): I mean, this place is a bucket list event for your life. I mean, the, the people that we met up there, I, so many of them said, I’ve been saving, you know, my whole life to come up here and, and fish here. And, you know, and, and while it’s, it’s obviously it’s a premium lodge, but it’s, it’s mostly just the adventure to get there, right? Yeah. It’s, it’s, you take the time off work, you practice fishing, because when you get up there, you wanna catch something, right. So, and the guides, I mean, it’s rare that you’re not gonna catch something up there. The guides are absolutely out of this world. Dave (32m 58s): They’re on it. What are they, and is it, what are the main species there? Alyx (33m 2s): So it, it’s a pike fishery and a, a lake trout. And so those are the real main big boys that are gonna be there. But like I said, the grayling, you know, are incredibly abundant. And the walleye, you know, I mean, there’s tons of species up there, you know, but the fact that they have all these different type of fly out locations that you can book to get you to specific places that the guides have gone and searched and combed and fish and spent hours and hours and hours, just, you know, doing their job and finding the, the places to bring to people is just phenomenal, you know? And the knowledge, I think their tenure is like on average 30 years. Oh, wow. It’s incredible. Yeah. It’s, and let alone the facility, I mean, it’s, it’s five, it’s five stars all the way. Alyx (33m 44s): I mean, Dave (33m 44s): They, I see that. Yeah. I see. It looks like they got some nice hot tub and everything else at the place. Alyx (33m 48s): Yeah. But the food, I mean, it’s, when I say five stars, it’s, yes. You know, the food is amazing, but it’s the staff, I mean, the staff are just the kindest people that you’ll ever meet. And they all love each other, you know, so they, they work together, they work to get you having the best time that you could possibly have. And it’s just, it really is. It’s really is phenomenal. So amazing. Dave (34m 7s): Yeah. Amazing. So, so that’s it. So basically you’ve, you’ve spent some time up there and on, you know, grayling, so those, the species, have you chased gone for Pike too? Alyx (34m 16s): Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Dave (34m 18s): How was that? Did you find any fish up there? Alyx (34m 20s): Oh, tons. Yep. So there, I mean, I, I think I, I caught a 40, and then a couple minutes later, my dad hit a 44 and I was pissed. Mm. Yeah. I was like, you jerk. You know? So the rivalry in that episode is pretty hilarious, you know? And so, but I mean, it’s, we were sight fishing, right? So my biggest pike was in, my biggest grayling, sorry, was at, was at Scott Lake, but my biggest pike was at Cree River with, with Chip there and, and Jenna. And it was funny. So one of the things that I think is really interesting, and Dave, lemme tell you, yeah, I’m just gonna be straight up honest. I am not the most technical fisherman. Yeah. I don’t want to be, you know, I think the more information I have and the more things that I can think about doing and setting up, I fish less, you know? Alyx (35m 9s): And so I don’t love that. Dave (35m 11s): Right. How does that work when you’re on the, you know, and I think there’s all sorts of different, you know, people’s abilities and things like that, obviously. But when you’re on camera doing this, and maybe you don’t feel like you’re the most technical, how do you, you know, how does that work on camera? Like, If you’re behind the camera, what are people expect? Are you just being yourself and having fun? Is that, is that what it kind of comes out? Alyx (35m 30s): Well, all the hosts have such different personalities, right? Yeah. You know, so I, I love to think, you know, my, my dad is a host, is, is hilarious. Dave (35m 37s): How is your dad different from you? Alyx (35m 39s): Oh my God. He’s guiding the entire time. You know, he’s with the guide and, and they’re guiding together, you know, and the tips and the tricks and, you know, he’s been doing it for so long that he’s just able to do that, you know? And, and Rob he’ll, he is fantastic as well. You know, he’s been guiding a really long time. And so he dials in a lot of some of the, you know, the, the tips and tricks that you need to do. And Mark, I mean, we all know Mark, mark is amazing, you know, but when it comes to myself, you know, I, I tend to laugh a lot. I make jokes, you know, I put the fly in the water and I catch fish, right? And at the end of the day, that’s what I want fishing to be. It, it shouldn’t be so intense all the time. And, you know, social media can really promote this sense of, you know, almost like, I don’t even know if this is a word, but dis community, you know, we want it to be such a community, but social media can, can really pump up either the rivalries or like, oh, well you didn’t do that. Alyx (36m 32s): You’re not as technical or you’re feeling a little nervous. Dave (36m 35s): Oh, right, yeah. Like, you didn’t, you know, you swung for steel or you a nip for steelhead, so you’re a bad person because you didn’t seem fly, right? Yeah, yeah. Alyx (36m 42s): Oh god. Or even the rivalry between real steelhead and quotes and fake steelhead and the legs. And I’m like, God, you know, if they’re migratory fish, I mean they are hauling ass to be able to get to where they’re going. You know, Dave (36m 56s): Trout routes is the most comprehensive mapping app for trout anglers. With over 50,000 trout streams, 350,000 access points, public land maps and more trout routes is the number one resource for navigating, researching, and exploring trout streams. And it deserves a place in every anglers toolkit. I was in New York fishing recently, my first time in New York fishing. I had the Trout Routes app, and I was able to check out and access public access points through the maze of private property on the rivers we were fishing. And after I got into the stream and was fishing down through a run, I wasn’t quite sure I saw a house down below. I wasn’t quite sure where the property lines ended, but given that I had trout routes, I was confident where I was fishing, and I was able to assure that I wasn’t trespassing, you’ll be fully prepared with offline maps. Dave (37m 46s): You can get driving directions to points of interest, drop pins, add your notes in the app, all while keeping all of your data private to your account. Only you can visit trout routes.com right now to learn more and download the Trout Routes app for free in the app store today. That’s Trout routes. T-R-O-U-T-R-O-U-T-E-S Start exploring today. Do you want to be a holiday hero this year? Well, listen up. Jackson Hole Flight Company is spreading the joy with an offer that’ll make your wallet and your favorite angler happy. If you spend $50 right now, you get a $10 gift card. It’s like fishing for deals. And the fish are biting from rods that feel like magic wands to reels that per like kittens. Dave (38m 31s): They’ve got everything to make someone’s fishing dreams come true. And those combo kits, they’re basically happiness in a box for any skill level. You can head over to Jackson hole fly company.com right now and catch these deals while they’re hot. That’s Jackson Hole fly company.com. Let ’em know you heard about them on this podcast and have a happy holiday season. We just had an episode that went out actually in the bucket with Brian Ska. He’s hosted our West coast steelhead stuff, but he, he did a great episode because he had a biologist from Ontario, a biologist from Washington, and one from bc and they all talked about, you know, just steelhead. It was mostly steelhead focus, but the, you know, they, they, Brian asked him that question like, is it a steelhead or not? Dave (39m 13s): And, and he made the great point is that, you know what? You don’t call, you don’t ask that question for Chinook salmon or any other salmon that are in the Great Lakes. So why do you, why do you ask that question for steelhead, right? I mean, it’s a steelhead. It’s got, it’s the same species, it’s just got a different life history essentially. I Alyx (39m 28s): Love that. I, you know what, I, I love, love that, you know, at the end of the day, they’re migratory, as I said, they’re hauling, asked to get to where they need to be, and they’re absolutely the most fun fish to catch, you know, so who cares, right? And so all of these things are, are so apparent. And so when it comes from a technical standpoint, you know, I’m standing in the boat a Cree, and you’re right. You know, I’m, I’m on camera and I’m, I’m really gonna have to, you know, try and teach somebody something. You know, at the end of the day, if Mark and and co wanna keep me on the show, I’m gonna have to do something, you know? And but what’s really funny, and one of the most epic shots that I think I’ve ever had was I’m standing in, in the boat and we’re going for Big Pike, and we were fishing for like an hour and we hadn’t hit anything yet. Alyx (40m 14s): And I had, I think it’s, I had the, was it the northern Magic? I had a big fly on, right? You get a really big fly chip is is quite famous actually for his, his fly tying for Pike in particular. And so he loves the northern magic. It’s black and red. That’s it. Which is fantastic, you know, and so anyway, so I’m, I’m standing and I’m casting and I’m retrieving and I’m talking about the, the retrieval, right? So Pike are their opportune bores is, is, is what I like to, to call, call them, right? So they’re, they see something and they’re, listen, it looks a little tasty. They’re gonna take the opportunity and they’re gonna go sniff it or they’re gonna take it, right? Yeah. You know, but when it comes to presentation, a lot of people will cast and they’ll cast and they’ll see, all of a sudden they have this massive thing, like this 45, 47 inch pike that’s following their fly, and all of a sudden they’ll stop, right? Alyx (41m 7s): They’ll retrieve and then they’ll stop because they want the pike to eat it. And obviously we all know, you know, I shouldn’t say we all know, but the people who fish a lot, you know, you know not to do that, right? I mean, If you just put yourself from a mind to fly connection and you’re the little, you’re the fly. Dave (41m 25s): Yeah. You’re the pre be getting ready. You wouldn’t Yeah. You wouldn’t stop and wait to be eaten. Alyx (41m 29s): No, you’re gonna whole ass. Yeah. Right. So it’s, it’s hilarious when, when we think, oh, we wanna stop it because we want the opportunity to get that fish. But in reality, you know, if we can strip, strip, strip, strip, strip, you know, and go as fast as we can, that’s gonna be the better take. Right? So these are the things that we wanna talk about on the show to really make sure that people are really understanding what it takes to get that, that fish. But, okay, Dave, so I’m standing there and I just finished that section and I just, I think I just stopped talking about, you know, at the end of the day, you need to just get the fly in the water. That’s the only thing that matters. Dave (42m 3s): Yeah. Keep it in the water as much as possible. Keep Alyx (42m 5s): It in the water. Not 10 seconds later, the GoPro ends up getting the shot of my biggest, I think it was 47 inches. I like to say 47 and a half, but that’s true. 47 inches. This pike absolutely crashes out of the water by the boat. It nearly slaps Jenna in the face. It was sitting Wow. By the boat. And I went, whoa. And hauled up to set the hook. And it was a 10, 15 minute fight. And my one photo on my, on my Instagram, it’s me obviously I’m like screaming and I’m holding up this pike, and that was it. You know? And so at the end of the day, I always say at the end of the day, but at the end of the day, you don’t have to be crazy technical in order to get the fish of your life. Alyx (42m 52s): You know? You just have to keep it in the water. Dave (42m 54s): Yeah. You just have to keep it. And you have to, you have to fish. I think that’s a good reminder is that, you know, you can get super technical and it is fun. Sometimes. Some people love getting su I mean, we’ve had episodes on where people have got so technical, it’s hard to follow, you know? But at the same time, you don’t have to be that way. You know, you could just get out there and just get on the water and start casting. And, and especially when it sounds like you’re able to be around guides, and I’ve been around a few guides now the last few years ’cause we’ve had our travel program, and it has been pretty amazing to be around those people because they’ve just spent more time than anybody else in these locations. And, and so you’re, you’re kinda learning, right? Your learning curve has been flattened, and it’s a lot easier to find fish and, and catch fish, especially when you’re at Scott Lake, which is a remote outpost, right? Alyx (43m 35s): Oh my gosh. I, I mean, Scott Lake being remote, you know, Cree River being just, I, in, like I said, it’s insanity. I mean, we were pulling our flies away from 41 42 inch fish, so we could get the 45 of 48. Dave (43m 49s): Oh really? Oh, wow. Yeah. Alyx (43m 50s): Like pulling it away. Like, I mean, it, it was, and so my dad had also done an episode at Reindeer Lake and Reindeer Lake in Saskatchewan, again, is widely, widely known. I mean, they, they filmed, I think multiple seasons of Alone on Reindeer. Have you seen that show? Dave (44m 7s): No, I haven’t. Alyx (44m 8s): What? Okay. Everybody listening, everybody needs to send Dave a DM saying you have to watch alone. Nice. It is the best show. It got me through my knee surgery, but obviously Dave (44m 18s): Oh, really? So now what? Now remind me again. So what, what this show is, what’s the show? Alyx (44m 22s): It’s called Alone, and it’s, it’s quite literally just, I think it’s 10 people. They’re handpicked and they, the show places them on places like Reindeer Lake. Oh, right, gotcha. To be alone. And they have to survive, you know, and so it just goes down to see their skills. And it’s, it’s amazing. But reindeer is often chosen as one of those places that’s a harsh environment, you know? And so my dad, you know, he’s sending me messages and he’s, I mean, he’s in the water with this pike that is, has a belly on it looking like it’s eaten another fish the same size. I mean, right. It is just unbelievable. So, I mean, Saskatchewan, you know, I, I feel like it can be a little bit slept on in terms of people, especially in the US wanting to go and travel around up to Canada. Alyx (45m 6s): You know, they, they will see some of these other places, you know, like BC is really amazing. Dave (45m 11s): Yeah. I feel like that’s totally true. I feel like, and we’ve done episodes all over North America, and I feel like we’ve done tons of British Columbia. I mean, that makes sense kind of because I, you know, we have a lot of people on the west, but also Alberta. We’ve talked a lot about Ontario, you know, and, and New Brunswick and all the stuff with the Atlantic salmon, Newfoundland, Quebec. But Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been the two that we’ve done very little on. And, and why do you think that is? I mean, do you think it’s because, I mean, they’re not on the map, I guess, is that because it doesn’t, they don’t have an ous fish? Or why do you think that is? Alyx (45m 43s): I hate to say this. I, I just, I hate to say it, I, you know, I, but I just think it’s maybe even a little bit of that cliche, you know, oh, you’re going to Saskatchewan, eh, you know Right. That kind of Canadian vibe of like, what’s up there? There’s nothing there. There’re igloos, but it’s just so wrong. You know? It, it’s just, it is an adventurous dream. And If you are a fly fisherman, you are at heart an adventurer. I mean, talk about tying something, tying a fly with feathers and fur. Things that have been living to entice a living thing while standing within a living thing and moving, like you are another living thing to grab that thing that you never thought you’d be able to get in your life. Alyx (46m 24s): I mean, this is what the epitome of Northern Saskatchewan or northern fishing, Manitoba, God’s river, God’s lake, we’ve episodes out there. It’s unreal, but it’s the epitome of adventure you know, you are truly putting yourself to be that, that species, you know? And it’s amazing. It, it’s, again, it will change your life. And I, I have to be completely clear, being and living down in southern Ontario, I was never, ever a pike fisherman, ever. You know, you catch a pike down here and it’s amazing, but it’s also, they’re a bit maybe slower. They’re a little bit slimier, you know, they don’t taste as good for sure, because it’s warmer or water. But as soon as you head up, even Northern Ontario, a hundred percent, but If you get into those other areas, pike will change your life. Dave (47m 9s): Oh, really? So are pike different up north? Are they more, are they not as slimy in the cold? Is it colder water? Are they, is the actual physical thing of the pike different? Alyx (47m 18s): Well, I mean, from a colder water perspective, you know, that’s, that’s what they like, that’s what they want. I mean, obviously people are gonna come at me and say, no, they want warmer water. You know, they sun themselves. True. But cold water pike, you know, yes. They’re a little bit less slimy. They’re let smelly, they taste really, really, really good. Dave (47m 35s): So, pike or good eating, oh, Alyx (47m 36s): God. I Dave (47m 37s): Mean, because you wouldn’t think I always have the thing, like the, the dock thing, right. You know, anything that eats fish, eats other fish tends, I, I think of it like as not as good of, but I have no idea. I’m just throwing that, that’s like a, a misnomer, I’m sure. But so, yeah. But they’re good. They’re good to eat. Alyx (47m 51s): They’re good. I mean, so a lot of these places, it’s actually hard pressed to find one, but if you’re going up to some of these lodges, they will do shore lunches and they will catch it in the boat with you. So whether it’s walleye with a pike, I mean, we had a Dante, so he was helping guide up at, at Cree River, and he just pulled out to probably 30, 35 inch Pike. And then he brought them to the shore. He cleaned them right there and showed us exactly what it is that we need to do and how to, how to do all of the things that I have never done before, clearly. And then they’ll make it right there. And you’re, you’re eating these fried fish. They take a bunch of lard and obviously oil, and they fry it all up there for you. Alyx (48m 33s): And it is the best thing you have ever eaten. It blows away any fish and chip No kidding. That you’ve ever had. And it’s just phenomenal. But it’s crazy that they just catch them right there, and yeah, you’re eating. Wow. It’s pretty cool. Dave (48m 46s): That sounds amazing. Cool. So, so we’re getting a little taste of, you know, of the province. Anything that we should know else about Saskatchewan? Anything? I mean, do you have other insight on the whole trip? It sounds like it’s pretty amazing. Alyx (48m 57s): Just try it out. I mean, again, if you’re there and you’ve never really caught any pike, I mean, there’s a lot of people who do, but a lot of fly fishermen in particular who haven’t, you know Dave (49m 7s): Yeah. Pike for sure. Alyx (49m 8s): Right. It, it can be very, it’s like Trouty, the majority of people, trout, smallies, you know, amazing. But yeah, Dave (49m 14s): Pike, I think Pike seems to be the, you know, you have Muskie, which is kind of the, the Yeah. Brother or whatever they call it cousins, but, but muskie are super, super hard to catch. And Pike are the ones that are very similar to Muskie, but they’re just easier to catch. So I would think that, I mean, I think it’s the challenge thing, right? It’s like the harder the fish is to catch. I think sometimes more people want to try to get it right, or at least that’s the thing. But no, I think Pike is for sure a bucket list fish for a lot of people. I mean, I would love it is, I mean, anybody listening now, If you wouldn’t like to go up to the Northwest Territory and fish for Pike, right? I mean, I think it’s, it’s gotta be on that list. Alyx (49m 48s): Well, I can sell it, let me tell you. I mean, because it, it changes how you, I, I actually said to my dad, you know, I said, dad, I, I wish that I would have learned to fly fish with pike in some of these northern areas. And you don’t have to go far to get the cold water pike, right? I mean, we can just drive six hours north from here, and you are, you are getting the same fish, you know. But I, I said to him straight up, you know, I, I truly wish that I learned on these because they make you a better fly fisherman. You know, your retrieval, how you’re presenting the fly, what, what you see when you can sight fish their behavior, and then how to set and how to fight. I mean, when you’re strip setting, that’s a completely different set than, you know, like a trout set or, or whatever. Alyx (50m 33s): And it’s, it dials you into seal. And a lot of, I find fly fisher, or anglers, I should say, they rely less on feel and more about like, if they just, if there’s a tug or if there’s movement or whatever and, and they’re hauling it in or whatever. But you need to be able to feel what you’re doing without a fish on the line, you know? Yeah. Get the rod tip in the water so you can really feel, you know, the like bo b bo stop, you know, practice what a fish does. Dave (51m 2s): Are they subtle sometimes with the pike? The take? Oh, Alyx (51m 5s): For sure. Yeah. I mean, they definitely can be subtle, especially If you can’t see them. The bigger ones, the bigger ones will either be on a spectrum of a soft take. Like, I mean, you’ll see the balloon mouse and it’ll like scare the pants off you, you know, or they’ll be aggressive as heck, right? But it’s actually the torpedoes of the 30 to 39 inches that’s are my favorite. I mean, they are, they’re like teenagers, and so they are cranky and they don’t care. They, they don’t care. They’re hungry. Like they’re cranky, they’re hungry, and they just rip it out of your arm. And it is fun. Oh my goodness. Like, I mean, and like I said, I’ve never, I never really wanted to go for pike and, and now I just constantly wish that I just had gone up there and learned how to be a better angler just based on their behavior. Alyx (51m 52s): So just Dave (51m 52s): Go. Yeah, yeah. Just go for it. Cool. Just go. Can you, this is kinda a random question, but can you drive from Toronto up north over to Saskatchewan If you wanted to? Alyx (52m 1s): Yeah, you absolutely can. Dave (52m 3s): Yeah. There’s a good highway system. You can just cruise all the way across Canada. Alyx (52m 6s): The short of it, you can absolutely drive across Canada and you can get up into Saskatchewan, but the places, you know, the farther north you go far. Dave (52m 14s): Yeah. You lose the roads when you get further north, a Alyx (52m 16s): Hundred percent. And it, it just becomes more, I mean, and you can see it on the map, it just becomes a little bit more, you know, wild, I should say Dave (52m 24s): Wild I’m guessing. Yeah. From Toronto, you could just kind of cruise up and then go towards like, yeah, Winnipeg eventually in Manitoba, right? And then eventually, I don’t know, what is the big city in, in Saskatchewan? So Alyx (52m 36s): This Regina, Regina and Saskatoon. Dave (52m 40s): Okay. Saskatoon and Prince Albert is there too. I’m not sure where that is. It’s, so I see Saskatoon right there. Yeah, Humboldt. Okay. So that’s a Saskatoon, right? So that’s kind of more, yeah, I mean, just above Montana essentially. Kind of up in that end. Then you got Calgary, which is further, If you head down south into Alberta. Alyx (52m 57s): Oh, you know, I gotta be honest, I, I went to Can North for the first time this year, and we did a, we did a, a drift and it was unbelievable. Dave (53m 5s): Oh, on the, is this on the bow? Alyx (53m 7s): Yeah. Oh my God. It was just unbelievable. Dave (53m 11s): But who’d you go with on that one? Alyx (53m 13s): Wpat Sports. Nick Schlater was, was our guide, and he was just out of this world. I mean, I could not have asked for somebody more fun and engaging and just, just incredibly pleasant to, to be with while we’re, we’re out there. And, you know, I, I walked in, it was so funny. I walked in and, you know, I said, oh, you know, I’m, you know, I’m still learning, you know, but we’d like to have a, a day to, to drift. And, you know, I, I always like to, to err on the side of if somebody asks you, have you fly fished before, always say, you know, If you have say yes, you know, and I always add that I’m, I’m still learning because you are, you know, at the end of the day, if you’re fishing a new river, you really have no idea what to do. Alyx (53m 55s): You know, If you can cast, you can cast, but there’s gonna be so many different, different pieces of that water that you’re going to have to relearn a lot of your techniques, especially if you’re in a completely different province or state. And so I walk in, you know, I’m, yeah, it’s still learning. Yeah, I’ve done this before. And, and so we’re in the boat and I’m casting towards, you know, a ton, a ton of structure and getting it underneath and, and obviously mending it super well, getting really good drifts. And Nick just slowly looks at me and he goes, you are sandbagging us girl. You know what you’re doing? Get outta the boat. And so we get outta the boat and we fish these unbelievable little pockets of, of water that, you know, hold big, big trout that he was able to say, you know what, I’m, I’m taking you here ’cause I really wanna see If you can get one of these. Alyx (54m 41s): And he stops and he says, I was charged by a grizzly bear last year right here. Dave (54m 46s): Wow. Alyx (54m 46s): I’m looking at him like, gimme the hell back in the boat. Dave (54m 48s): God, no kidding. Yeah. Did you guys see, I mean, did you see many bears when you’re up in that neck of the woods? Alyx (54m 54s): We saw a couple grizzlies, which was awesome, but they were more on the side of the road. So, you know, you’re, you’re pulling over with everybody who’s seeing them. But where we were staying, actually, so one of the more famous bears called the boss. He actually lives in Banff, but just recently I was looking at James Lear, Leo Bantle, I think it’s James. So this, the biggest grizzly bear to date in that area had walked from Banff to Canmore right in front of the spot that we were staying and was just absolutely after everybody’s, you know, berry trees and apple trees and all that stuff. And you know, this woman, she goes and actually cuts down her 30-year-old apple tree just to keep Oh wow. Alyx (55m 34s): The boss away. Dave (55m 35s): Keep the bears away. Alyx (55m 36s): Yeah. Yeah. ’cause he’s, he’s traveling now. So it was really fascinating to, to be in such a, a different and wild area for the first time. So I’ll definitely be going back out there again. Dave (55m 47s): God, that’s, that’s crazy. Yeah. Banff is probably, what is it, about like 10 or 50 miles from Canmore? Yeah. Alyx (55m 52s): Yeah. I preferred Canmore actually. I mean, it was slower. It’s so beautiful. You know, I’m, I’m somebody who likes to be less touristy areas, but oh my goodness, Dave (56m 3s): That whole area is amazing. I mean, it’s the, I mean, essentially National Park, right? We got, it’s connected really to you. You go as you go down into the states into, what is it, the, the National Park, glacier National Park. Right. Very similar, I’m guessing. Yeah. Alyx (56m 17s): That was such, such, such a treat. Dave (56m 18s): That’s cool. So we’re kind of getting this great picture of Canada. I love it because we’ve talked a lot, like I said, BC, Alberta, now we’re putting Saskatchewan on the map. And is Manitoba, is that one that is also on your radar for, for trips and things like that? Alyx (56m 32s): Yeah. Oh, absolutely. So I was actually supposed to go to a couple places in Manitoba, but I wasn’t able to go this past year that, that made me really upset. Yeah, yeah. You know, but my, like I said, my dad’s done a couple shows up there, very specifically God’s River, God’s Lake area. If you watch that show, it would just blow your pants off. It’s just amazing. Dave (56m 56s): We’re getting a good little list. This will be perfect. We’ll put some links in the show notes to some of these episodes we’re talking about here, so we can take a look. Let’s start to take it outta here. We have our, kind of our Wetly Swing pro segment here. We do, and this is kind of a shout out to some of our pro members, you know, that are in our group, which is, this is like our group to build drips together. It’s kinda essentially what we’re doing. And, and Kevin Talbot, shout out to Kevin. He’s kind of a newer member in there. And we’re gonna be digging into some trips and that’s what’s cool. I love doing these episodes. ’cause I think we’re going to shed some light on some of these areas that we haven’t thought about. So first shout out to, to Kevin, and this is presented by Pescador on the fly. They have a fly rod that is a six piece fly rod. So not a two piece, not a four piece, but this is a six piece rod. Dave (57m 36s): And I’ve been fishing with it. It’s pretty, it’s pretty awesome actually. You can’t tell the difference between this and the four piece, but it’s cool because the travel, right? So it’s a travel rod that breaks down. You can literally really put in your backpack, it kind of disappears. My question for you, first shout out to Pesco, what is your travel tip? Because I think that you’ve been doing some traveling. If somebody is thinking about getting out on the road planes, would you have one tip that you would maybe help ’em with today? Let’s say they were doing a trip out to Northern, Northern Canada somewhere. What would you be telling them to help ’em? It could be anything. Packing, whatever Alyx (58m 7s): You want to pack for every single piece of weather you could ever dream of, ever. You know, and you would never think that because if you’re going Northern Canada, you’re think cold. Yeah. You know, well, it’s a different, it’s just a different feeling, right? So when you’re standing, let’s say you’re in a boat, I mean, I would have my Patagonia underlay, I’d have my Patagonia fleece, and then I would have my puffer jacket and my waiting jacket. And by, you know, the sun comes out two hours later, everything is off, everything, right? And so be prepared to bring a wet bag as well. So when you’re catching a lot of these fish, I mean, they, they will jump and flash splash all around you. Alyx (58m 51s): So if you’re carrying camera equipment or anything like that, a wet bag obviously is, is really key, you know, but bring for all types of, of weather. And the other tip that I have specifically, when you’re casting, when you’re traveling and you’re excited and you’re going on a bigger trip, watch your back cast. This is something that people don’t do. You know, when you’re watching fly fishing or you’re seeing professionals do all of this, you know, all this cool fancy casting, what, regardless of what they’re doing, you know, they’re, they’re looking forward to their target. Don’t do that when you are going to a new place, because your cast will be different. You’re gonna be excited. You can’t wait to get it in there. You’re gonna feel probably maybe a little bit rusty. Alyx (59m 32s): The guide is gonna be telling you so much information. You’re learning, learning, learning, and your cast is gonna be the thing that struggles. And so I always, always, always make sure in my first few rounds of casting, trying to get it to where I need it to be, I just turn around and I watch my backswing or my back cast. You know, I, I make sure that I’m waiting as much as I need to in order to haul it correctly and get it out there. And once I get myself into that zone, I get the feeling back. I’m relaxing. I’m not freaking out. I mean, you’re gonna be there for a long time, so you’re gonna get the bitch. But just watch the backcast, relax, get it out there, get the appropriate clothing, and then ask your guide every single question that has ever run through your mind before you really start getting out there and attacking all of these different types of fish. Alyx (1h 0m 25s): One thing that I found really helpful was, let’s say it was Steve at Scott Lake, or it was Chip at Cree, you know, sitting down with them and saying, okay, talk to me about how these fish eat. How do I need to present this fly when you’re doing it actively and they’re telling you, you’re gonna be thinking about wildly different things. And so spending 10 minutes and just writing down your questions in a notebook, asking them directly, it’s gonna have it in your brain. And then you’re gonna be able to get out there. You’re gonna watch your back cast, you’re gonna do a couple practice points, and then you’re gonna feel like you have so much more conviction and confidence to go and attack the fish versus feeling like you need to learn everything while you’re actively doing it. Dave (1h 1m 9s): Perfect. Okay, so we got, we got a couple of bonus tips outta you here. And, and so a couple, we’ll go on a random segment here. And this is kind of, actually, I like to ask this a lot just because I’m always curious about it, but are you, are you listening to more podcasts or, or music when you’re kind of heading out on, on the trip, either flying or on a road trip? Mm, Alyx (1h 1m 27s): Definitely podcasts. You know, I’m, as I age, I actually am more averse to music. I’m finding it’s distracting to the things that I really truly wanna think about. And I find this is actually directly correlated with passion. So if I’m going and going on this big trip, I’m super passionate about what I’m gonna be doing. You can clearly hear it in my voice. I could just talk a mile a minute for all these things. But, you know, I need to connect with something or somebody that’s gonna be saying things that I need to hear. Whether it’s, you know, here with Let’s fly swing, you know, I’m, I’m going and I’m going on a fishing trip and I wanna hear about all the things that are going on, how they’ve attacked the fly or whatever, you know, or I just simply need to listen to something that’s a little bit more distant, you know, maybe like a, a serial killer podcast. Alyx (1h 2m 12s): Right. You know, something that puts me in a different zone. Dave (1h 2m 16s): What’s one of those random podcasts you listen to? Alyx (1h 2m 20s): That’s actually fine. So my, my brother just texted me yesterday, my brother Ri says, dude, I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but you should check out Tooth and Claw Podcast. It’s about animal attacks. Animal attacks. Oh wow. But it’s a bear biologist and his buddies and it’s awesome. So Oh, perfect. Tooth and claw. That’s the one. I haven’t listened to it yet, but I, it’s got good praise. Dave (1h 2m 40s): That’s definitely going on my list today. And they say, I’ve heard that they say people that listen to podcasts have kind of like six or seven main podcasts. They listen regularly. But I’m not sure how much truth there is to that. But that’s, so this will be one of my new, my new seven, I guess I’ll put that on. So Tooth and Claw and my one for everybody. And this is great because we just had John McMillan on the podcast on our in Theb Bucket Show hosted by Brian Ska, and this one is called The Deep Wade, and this is John McMillan and, and another person who talk about basically Sed, they’re biologist as well, and they talk about issues with Sam and Steelhead, they love steelhead fishing. So that’s another good one. We’ll, we’ll put the deep weight out there. Dave (1h 3m 20s): So we give, give folks a couple of good podcasts to check out this week. Awesome. Alyx (1h 3m 24s): Love Dave (1h 3m 24s): It. So cool. Well, tell me this, another one, you’re up in Canada, so I, I got a, the Canada question is always hockey. So are you, are you a sports fan or do you have a hockey team? Alyx (1h 3m 33s): I do have hockey team. It’s the Leafs. Everybody stop freaking out. Don’t come at me. I’m, I gotta be a Leafs fan. Right. You know, they’re gonna do it one of these days. Dave (1h 3m 43s): Yeah, you’re well, you’re in, I mean, you’re in Toronto, you’re right within like, what are you, within like an hour of Toronto? Alyx (1h 3m 49s): Yep, yep. Exactly that. Yeah. Dave (1h 3m 50s): You’re an hour of Toronto. So I mean obviously Toronto and, and why would people be, is that because Toronto’s so awesome with Maple Leafs or, or what, or is there another Canadian hockey team up there? Alyx (1h 4m 2s): Oh yeah, well, I mean, yeah, the, the Ottawa Senators, you know, I mean there’s, there’s tons and tons of, of hockey teams that are, are in the area, you know, but the Leafs are notoriously, you know, doing things that people don’t want them to do. And so it’s just you love to hate them. Oh, Dave (1h 4m 15s): What is that like? What would that be? That they don’t, what do you mean losing? Oh, they’re just that like they should be better. Alyx (1h 4m 20s): Yeah, no, they are, they’re very, very good. You know, they always do well up until a certain point and then they, and then they just, they stop. So, you know, again, please don’t come at me in the comments. You know, it’s one of those things, I’m not the biggest hockey player, but I’ll tell you, I just got back into golf this season, and golf and fly fishing are so similar, it’s ridiculous. So if there’s any golfers out there, please talk to me about that. ’cause I do wanna talk all things handicap and swing. Right, Dave (1h 4m 49s): Right, right. And what’s your, what’s your handicap? Are you like, what, what is, I don’t even, I don’t even think of handicaps because I’m so bad, but do you have one? Alyx (1h 4m 57s): I do. You know, it’s, it’s not in the, the Canadian thing yet. ’cause I, I’m not a part of a club at this point, but I just broke 80 this year. So I broke 90 and 80 in the same year, which was super fun. So I shot a 79, you know, and so I think they’re clocking me at about a 12 to 13 handicap just based on my app that I use. Dave (1h 5m 15s): Right. And handicap means basically how many shots on average? Are you above par? Is that how it is? Alyx (1h 5m 20s): Yeah, pretty much. Like from an easy standpoint, it takes your last seven, you know, your best scores and it takes, takes the average of that. And, and there’s a lot of, it goes into a handicap, but, you know, my, my dad is, is was a Strat better than scratch golf for actually back in the day. And he turned to fly fishing. And so often when he’s guiding he will give golf analogies, you know? Yeah, right. It’s such a well renowned sport, but it’s fantastic. He, I I hope you get to talk with him at some point. Yeah. Because he, he really talks about, you know, when you’re guiding a client, you know, somebody is gonna come and they’re maybe not gonna be the best caster ’cause they’re just learning, you know, and while they’re expecting a fish, If you can’t cast, it’s gonna be really, really difficult to get you that fish that you want. Alyx (1h 6m 3s): So, you know, the analogy that he always gives is, look, you know, you’re here and you are about a 30 handicap. Well today, you know, I brought you down to about a 20, you know, and that’s fantastic. Yeah. And a lot of people resonate with that because they understand golf, you know, and so it’s just, it’s an amazing sport to really help you get better. Dave (1h 6m 21s): And that’s how, I’m not even sure, like If you were to be golfing on maybe some more of a, a circuit, is that kind of how it worked? There’d be somebody, you’d be a 20 and then somebody else is a 12, and then you would, you would play against each other and it would kind of equal out or is that how that works? Alyx (1h 6m 36s): Yeah, so when you’re in a competition, it’s, it’s a little bit tougher. There’s net score versus gross. And so typically, you know, if you’re a higher handicap than somebody who’s a low handicap, it’ll be a net score. You know, the gotcha better handicap has to give them strokes and, you know, it becomes all difficult, but it evens the playing field just a little bit more. Dave (1h 6m 52s): That’s what it does. Tries to even it. So if, yeah, if you’re playing somebody that’s way better than you, you can still have a good day and feel like, yeah. Well we won’t go deep, deep in it. I’m not, I don’t wanna go deep in this, but I do love that your dad conversation too, because I think, you know, it sounds like, I’m guessing he was a big influence on you getting into fly fishing. You, oh, huge. And the sports things is obviously the analogy I’ve, you, we find that a lot too. A lot of experts in other sports are always good fly fishermen, but is that kind of the short story of, of your dad? Did he get you into it? Alyx (1h 7m 20s): Oh my gosh, yes. I mean, I, so I followed him around, played golf and did all that for such a long time. And then he stopped playing golf and started fly fishing. So I followed him around and started fly fishing and you know, it’s, it’s, he’s my, he’s my best friend. I’m lucky, I’m very lucky to be able to have similar interests and drive for the sports that we, you know, that we do together. And, you know, I’m, I’m lucky to have learned from somebody who is so inclusive of wanting everybody to be able to learn how to fly fish and making it easy for them to understand that, you know, you don’t have to be amazing at something to just go and stand in the water and, and put the fly in there, you know, so he’s just excellent. I’m so biased, aren’t I? Dave (1h 7m 58s): No, that’s awesome. No, I love it. I think that’s important. Obviously family is huge, so, well I think we’re gonna have to leave maybe the ACL conversation. I think there was a big chunk there, maybe till the next one. But give us a quick tip on that. So you, you had this big injury, steelhead fishing. For people that are struggling with injuries or maybe they’re getting older and they can’t do what they want to do anymore, like fishing is, you know, the deep run in a steelhead, what would you be your advice to that person? Alyx (1h 8m 22s): Yeah, you know, this was a massive injury that took me outta fishing for nearly two years. You know, the recovery is, is a big deal, you know, and so it, it allowed me to look at fishing from a totally different light and less about the fish itself and more about the journey it takes to actually get the fly to the fish, starting with your own self. And so often we’ll just go and we’ll walk into the water and, you know, we’ll start casting and we’ll just haul it in there, which everybody, I think few people on this podcast say, stop doing that. Yeah, Dave (1h 8m 50s): Right. Some people read Alyx (1h 8m 51s): The water, read the water, you know, but it’s now turning into a point of, okay, let me map the steps that I’m gonna take to the best position I can be in to actually get the fly there. So when you’re visualizing each drift in a section to analyze body capability and then fish enticing, that visualization actually makes you a better fisherman because you are, without being woowoo, you’re almost manifesting the idea that it’s going to happen. And so you’re going to just present the fly better. And so it’s really changed my life to say, you know, that’s a fast pocket of water and I need to figure out how to get to the rock beyond it so I can lean on it, do a steeple cast, put my fly in that specific location, mend it as hard as I can, upriver and then follow while gripping the rock, the fly, standing up to set it, and then slowly trying to get back by backing up and planting my feet. Alyx (1h 9m 47s): You know, If you can do that, you could visualize that whole scenario. You’re now just genuinely being more positive. You are moving into the water with conviction, which enables you to have confidence to say, I can get the fly there. So then when it does hit the fly, you can set it and feel safe and prepared to know what exactly it is that you’re going to do, because you’ve thought it all before. So it’s really changed my life to, to visualize everything instead of just go and do Dave (1h 10m 19s): It. Visualize. That’s amazing. Yeah. And that goes, that goes back to the pro athlete too. You talk to anybody, you know, visualizing before, you know you have that big game. It’s like you visualize yourself, you know, making the final shot, you know, being the champion. Right, exactly. It’s, it’s, that’s positive. I mean, whatever that is, it, it helps, you know, it’s positive reinforcement. And then I’d say adding to this, we just had an episode on the Missouri River with, with head hunters fly shop, and Mark was talking about practice. He literally still has one of those yarn rods, you know, which are those, the echo yarn rods. And he still 10 minutes every single day. He casts that for 10 minutes. And he said he, he’s a pro, you know, he’s a pro, that’s his life. And just like any pro, you’re gonna, and so it’s reminding all of us that, hey, you know, this is, you can not do it and just go out and fish whenever you want, that’s totally fine. Dave (1h 11m 4s): But If you want to keep getting better, you know, the practice is, is kind of the key. Right. Practice. Alyx (1h 11m 9s): A hundred percent. You know, it’s funny, I, I do have a hard time with, you know, saying I’m a pro, you know, and when it comes to, and not to say that because there are pro pros, you know, but for myself, I mean, the Phish, you’re never gonna be able to control the phish, you know, it’s every year it’s different. Dave (1h 11m 27s): It’s different. And you are, I mean, that’s a cool thing about this, like, you know, it’s even the online stuff, you know, I mean, I can’t remember who said this quote, but if you’re only 10 or 20% better than the person that’s learning from you, that sometimes is the best thing to have. Because it’s easier, like sometimes for people to learn from somebody that isn’t the super duper expert. I’m not sure if that applies always to fly fishing, but I think just in general, you know, I mean, so you, you shouldn’t feel like even myself, right? I think we all have that imposter syndrome sometimes you’re like, oh, who am I to be out here teaching somebody? But at the end of the day, you know, there’s probably people that are just below you that are loving to learn what you know. Alyx (1h 12m 1s): Yeah, exactly. And it’s the fish that make you feel like an imposter. It’s not anybody else around you, it’s the fish, right? It’s the fish, they’re the jerks. Dave (1h 12m 7s): Good, good. All right, well I’ll leave it there Alex, I think this has been amazing getting the perspective on, you know, again going into Canada, a little deeper into Canada, and I think this is firing up everybody to learn more about, you know, Saskatchewan and kinda what we talked about today. So yeah, I appreciate all your time and looking forward to staying in touch. Alyx (1h 12m 24s): Me too. This has been, this has been awesome. You know, thanks for doing what you’re doing and everybody who’s been on this podcast is just phenomenal. So, you know, you’re the goat for pulling out and have everybody talk about all things Phish. Dave (1h 12m 35s): There we are. Another great episode in the books. If you wanna check this out, you can head over to wet fly swing.com/show and you could search for this episode if it just came out, it should be right at the top of that list. And If you get a chance, check in with Alex and let her know you heard about this on the podcast. And check in with a new Fly Fisher, follow their show. And definitely make sure you subscribe to the channel. They’re doing great things over there. Alright, we gave a shout out to the shop earlier on this episode. I do want to let give one shout out to the Steelhead School, which is right around the corner early January. We are launching the Seal Head school and this will not disappoint this year. We’ve got a big special guest who’s gonna be there. So if you’re interested in this, check in with me, Dave, at we fly swing.com. I’ll let you know if there’s availability. Dave (1h 13m 16s): We’ve already haven’t even fully launched this and, and we’re already kind of filling up spots, so we got a big giveaway coming up around the corner in this event. Let me know if you’re interested and one episode, a lookout to Mark Reiser on Friday. He’s gonna be talking about the Missouri River and we’re gonna be talking about headhunters and headhunt trout. That’s all I got for you today. Hope you have a wonderful day and I look forward to either talking to you or seeing you very soon. And I hope you have a great morning, a amazing afternoon, or a very, very good evening if it’s late in the evening. I hope you’re having a good evening out there and I hope to see you on the next episode. We’ll talk to you then. Outro (1h 13m 56s): Thanks for listening to the Wet Fly, swing Fly fishing show. For notes and links from this episode, visit wet fly swing.com.