By David F. Rooney
Spend more than three minutes with a fly fishermen (or fisherwoman for that matter) and you quickly learn that you’re dealing with a purist. Larry Larson is one such true believer and he hopes to resurrect the Revelstoke Fly Fisher Club, which sort of dwindled away about five or six years ago.
“Mike Pirnke and I are trying to restart the club,” he said in an interview.
He said there are lots of fly fishermen/fisherwomen in town. You can see them along the banks of the Illecillewaet in early spring, up along the Alkolkolex, on the Columbia and just about any stream in the area that supports a fish population.
And there are probably many people in town who have “received rods as gifts and don’t know how to use them,” Larson said.
While they like landing a beautiful fish, in my admittedly limited experience most of them are attracted to the fly fishing Gestalt — the hand-crafted flies, the cane rods, the hip waders, the graceful casts and the intimacy of being one with nature.
“I’d like to see some of the new people in town come out and learn to fly fish and help us promote conservation.” he said.
In years past the club has acquired and erected signs in catch-and-release areas and encouraged others to respect the great outdoors.
Larson said he, Pirnke and some of the original club members will be holding a meeting on March 30. For additional information please call Larry Larson at 250-837-5398 or send him an e-mail at lplarson@telus.net.
“It’s a great way to learn techniques, share ideas and strike up fish friendships,” he said.
