Uko Akpanuko
Daily Herald
The residents of Prince Albert and area had the opportunity to learn more about the art and technique of flyfishing as the Northern Waters Flyfishers held the first of four Beat-The-Winter-Blues Fly Casting practice sessions on Jan. 3.
“We’re just renting the gym at the Alfred Jenkins to do some indoor fly casting to get us ready for when the fishing season opens up, and also to teach anybody who’s interested how to flyfish,” club president Kendall Kerr said. “We’ve got three people here tonight who have tried flyfishing and want to learn more and have a rod. It’s just an opportunity for club members to get out.”
Kerr said some residents think flyfishing is harder than it is because of how it’s portrayed in movies and TV shows. The truth, he said, is that if you can “walk and chew gum,” then you have all the coordination skills needed to master the casting technique. It just requires practice.
“There is no secret,” Kerr said. “It’s not hard. It’s just learning the rhythm and the basic technique of how to do it properly.”
Northern Waters’ aims and objectives include promoting the sport of flyfishing, providing a forum for the exchange of flyfishing ideas and techniques, preserving, reclaiming and enhancing fish habitats, and supporting or furthering fisheries research and conservation.
The club has been around for almost 20 years. Kerr said their membership goes up and down as people master the skill of casting, or move on to a different hobby.
The club “took a big hit” during the COVID years, Kerr added, but has rebounded since then.
“We’re like any club. We’re rebuilding after COVID,” he said. “We’ve survived COVID. We’re still around.”
The next three fly casting sessions will be held on Feb. 14, March 7, and April 25. The sessions run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Alfred Jenkins Field House. For more information, visit the Northern Waters Flyfishers Facebook page, or go to their website at www.nwff.ca.
-with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
