I had the pleasure of sharing a boat with two members of the Canadian Jr. Fly Fishing team last weekend in beautiful Kenauk, Montebello. Based upon their knowledge and maturity; it was hard to believe these people were considered "kids." My fly casting was a little rusty, however, it didn't take long observing Colin Huff and Mike Lennox cast flies at such ease that I found myself pushing my skills (and my fly) a lot further.

I met Colin early on Friday morning and we set out to fish a few different lakes. Our first mission was to tempt a speckled trout into taking my fly. The conditions were perfect - a slight ripple on the water and hundreds of insects to provide the trout with some well-deserved nutrition. Within moments Colin landed the first speckled of the day, a beauty 16" fish which we quickly photographed and returned her home. A half dozen fish later and we decided to move on for rainbow trout at a nearby lake.

These rainbows were feisty and hungry which equated to great success for both Colin and I. As it turns out, the big one did get away. I lost a trophy rainbow only a foot or so from the dock where we had stopped to cast. This only empowers me to return to those great waters sooner and better prepared…

After a quick sandwich, we hit our third lake of the day looking again for speckled trout. From 6 - 8 p.m. we had found trout nirvana! We landed over 25 trout, including my first on the fly. Fish were rising everywhere! An accurate cast to where the trout rose would almost always result in a strike. It was one of those magical nights that you wish could have gone on forever. I've had visions of rising trout every night since…

The great day was closed with a superb pot-luck dinner with members of the senior fly fishing team. It was your perfect setting: the "old guys" staying up late sharing many laughs and stories of fishing past - there was a bit of a pool playing lesson for the "kids" as well.

The following day, we met Mike Lennox to fish a smaller lake and had a great time once again conquering the mighty trout. I picked up a bunch of new techniques from both Mike and Colin while adding a few feet to my casting distance.

A fundraiser lunch capped off the journey to Kenauk. This meal took place at Whitefish Lake with a wonderful meal prepared by James from the Chelsea smokehouse (www.chelseasmokehouse.com) and Chef Miguel. Many people showed up to support and help raise funds for the Jr. team who travel annually representing Canada in the World Championships.

Special thanks to the great people at Kenauk, Montebello (Bill Nowell, John Huff), Mepps, Williams, Live Target lures, David Bishop for the flies (www.salmonsteelheadflies.com), and Colin Huff and Mike Lennox for a fabulous and memorable experience on the water.

Take someone fishing, it may make their day and you may learn a thing or two - especially from the kids!

Jamie Pistilli
Host- Big City Fishing www.bigcityfishing.com
Ocean Kayak Pro Staff
www.fishchelsea.com