I found this thread and I thought it was a good one, especially since I am new to the board and as Mr. Dean said, lets tell a story.
So here is mine...
I grew up in Metchosin and started fishing at Mcreight Lake, north of CR when I was 3 years old w/ my dad, we went every may long weekend for as long as I could remember. When I was 6 I got to go on my first salmon trip to sooke (otter point) in a 12' aluminum with a 7.5 merc, I was hooked. Soon after, my parents bought a cabin at Overease Bay, north of Otter Point and I was double hooked. I fished everyday at Otter point, Sheringham point and the bays in between, until I was 18, in a 12' aluminum and either a 9.8 merc or a 5 hp seagul. I was also very lucky to fish with a guy named Alex, who just happened to write for the T/C and wrote some of the eartly books about salmon fishing. He taught me so much about salmon and salmon behaviour, and how to catch them. Back then it was wire line, petze reels and 1-2 lbs cannon balls, along with the odd meat line out the back
After graduating from college, I started to fish out of bamfield and used to guide for the old Bamfield lodge, then Tyee Lodge until I moved on to what I went to school for. I worked for DFO as a Fishery Officer out of Comox until I was to move to Whitehorse. Instead I jumped ship and worked in the forest service in the central BC. I fished lakers and rainbows and escaped to the coast in Prince Rupert when ever I could. Now I am back on the Island and live in Port McNeill, bought a boat and cannot wait until I am back into the great fishing that only the ocean can offer.
I have been lurking here for the a while and have been absorbing all the "new" stuff that is out there. The biggest change for me has been the introduction of colour in both hootchies and spoons. The "old" spoons we used were the old FST #3/4 50/50, krippeled K's in brass or silver, Tom macks in 50/50 and some others that I cannot even remember. Hootchies were your basic green and white, all white or green/black/light green and when needlefish were in an green and black squirt in 4" was deadly. Now there are Army truck, Cop Car, Monkey Puke etc. It boogles the mind to see all the changes. I like to fish anchovies, but my real love is plugs and verticle jigging. To me there is nothing like jigging for either springs or coho.
I hope there will always be fish my family to catch and remember that the worst day on the water is still better than your best day at work, unless you fish for a living, in which case you are luck bugger.
Cheers