Fly-fishing guide April Vokey is drawn to water

  • By Mike Benbow Special to The Herald
  • Friday, November 23, 2012 1:14pm
  • Life

April Vokey, of Chilliwack, B.C., is the owner of Fly Gal Ventures, a business that provides fly fishing guides and seminars for male and female anglers as well as equipment and clothing.

Vokey, 29, started the business at age 23, but she’s been fishing much longer. When she got her driver’s license at 16, she started taking herself to the river to learn more about catching steelhead.

Now she guides regularly on the Dean and the Skeena rivers, two of world’s best for wild steelhead.

Vokey, a casting instructor certified by the Federation of Fly Fishers, is a fly fishing ambassador for apparel and gear manufacturer Patagonia. She writes a column about steelhead fishing for Fly Fusion magazine and speaks about fly fishing and fly tying around the world.

She recently met with members of the Evergreen Fly Fishing Club in Marysville to talk about the sport. Afterward, she answered six questions from The Herald:

Q: Clubs like this one are mostly comprised of older men. What would you like to tell women about fly fishing?

A: It has always been a shame to me that fly fishing is perceived as a man’s sport. There is truly nothing overly masculine about it.

When explaining one’s desire to fly fish, finesse, timing, passion, excitement, intrigue and dedication are all descriptives that come to mind, descriptives that are not sole features of either gender.

I urge women who have not given this sport a try to skip their next yoga class or hike. Tranquility or excitement, whatever it is that you’re looking for, why not follow Mother Nature to the river instead? What if you absolutely love it?

Q: What would you like to tell young people in general about fly fishing?

A: This is an important question for me. I truly believe that we as human beings have forgotten what our natural inclinations are. We turn so quickly to computers and social networking that many of us have forgotten that we are here to exist, survive … to live!

Fishing is one of the last sports where we may truly dig into our inner selves, into the deep embodiment of who we are at our core, and spend the quality time that we need for mental clarity, sincere independence, and satisfaction of reward.

I am a catch and release advocate with many fisheries, and while I’m not trying to spread the word that we all need to go out and kill, I believe it is important that we at least all get outside to gain appreciation for who we once were and who we have the potential to be.

Q: What got you interested in fly fishing?

A: Nobody in my family really fished when I was young, but my parents would bring my sister and I down to the river to explore and seek adventure. Inevitably, during the salmon run, we found a washed-up (still chrome) chinook salmon. I was fascinated at a very early age that such a large creature had to journey through such a narrow commute. Putting the equation together, I figured that the limited space made my chances of catching one higher. Years later, the week I got my driver’s license, there was no keeping me away from the river.

Q: What has fly fishing meant to you?

A: Fly fishing (fishing in general for that matter), has truly been a life-saver for me.

I grew up in a rough neighborhood (Surrey, B.C.) and had friends that I shouldn’t. When things got rough around me, I went fishing to escape. It cleared my mind, strengthened my independence and showed me just how little I was when trekking through the forest.

I soon realized that life is so much more than what I was being exposed to in the city, and before long I moved away from it all to the country. I found myself on the river and continue to find myself every single day that I step foot in that water.

Q: What’s your favorite fish and why?

A: Wild steelhead. They were always the draw to me. With a name like steelhead, how could a 16-year-old not be intrigued?

They were wild, hard to catch, fierce, angry and mean. I saw them as a metaphor and as corny as it may sound, related to them for it.

It’s been almost 15 years of chasing these beauties, and I still cannot get enough. I don’t always need to catch one, but I always need to know that they’re there.

Q: You’ve developed a successful business based on fly fishing. What advice would you give someone trying to start a business from what most people would consider a hobby or pastime?

A: I would say to follow your heart and don’t ever let anyone tell you no.

We only live one time. Once. It can be a scary thought; a potential pay cut, a zero-guarantee gamble. But life is too short to be small, and if 50 hours of your week is spent doing something that you count down the hours waiting for it to be over, then perhaps it is time to ask yourself just how much living you really are doing?

The things that mean the most are never the things that come the easiest.

Learn more

You can find out more fishing trips and workshops, and check out April Vokey’s blog, at www.flygal.ca. Or follow her on Twitter: @ AprilVokey.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.