INSIDE.
SPORTS MENU.”

: Me SKEENA ANGLER |
"ROB BROWN

T WAS JUST starting to look like
Fall upcountry when Webb and I
entered the bush in search of the
Skeena. The woods were yellow
with. evergreen streaks, the mountain tops
dusted with snow. Everything else was gray. No
into account but didn’t because images of giants

headed, were swimming through our heads.
The few times I’d fished the place, I’d done

’ the Skecna was neither to be seen nor heard,
direction things looked the same...
walking insecure circular, paths was no way to

spend ‘the afternoon. F suggested we.make our:
best guess as to the direction of the highway

‘humbled by woods so close to civilization.

a short: discussion we decided Webb would

Skeena and was headed back toward my vaice.

He had a blue rod tube arid.a Bick pack.
“Do you know where you're going?”.

- knowingly — and impishly, I thought
¢ May we follow you?’’ I asked.

degrees away from the path we'd been on.
— hand,

. “Tknow. Pm Lou Sequenza, ” ‘he said, °

Skeena and tribs for thirty. years, -

friend and 4 damn good fisherman.”

“Well, I owe him a drink,’’ declared the rail-
road man,

I told him that a lot of anglers, knowingly and:

The original General Practitioner was built by
Esmund Drury, a British army colonel who

believed a fly shaped like a prawn might be an

of which looked more like exotic butterflies’

Golden Pheasant then mounted it so the barred
ends protruded over the bend of the hook like
then gamished with a silver rib, simulated legs.
from the reddish orange coverts taken from a

skinned pheasant also,
The GP. didn’t immigrate to B,C. waters until

eatly in the winter of 1984, Art Lingren, using

every kind of salmonid was a sucker for it.

my way downstream. A fish rolled where the

tied it on, then showed it to the fish: He took it

of backing as he tore through the yellow reflec-
tions on the water, A big male with only. a little
colour on his sides, he was: well over 20:Ib
easily the biggest of the yea oe

sun. No shadows, factors we should have taken -

‘bound for Babine and Kispiox, fish that often-
Stopped to rest in the water for which we were |

well.On those occasions I'd gotten there by ©
boat. We were sure the distance from road-to ©
river had to be only a few minutes; after twenty .

~The sound of traffic was gone, and in every ”

Working up a sweat inside our waders while ”

then strike out after the sound of traffic. Doug’s
“a pretty fair. bush ranger. His, determined look. : |.
suggested irritation at the possibility of being a ae

We squinted toward the: light, strained for a .
glimpse of mountain without success. All land-
marks were obscured by the. thick canopy. After.

strike out along what we thought was the route
to he river while I stood sentinel, within: shout: —
‘ing. Tange, so he might find his way | back at rn
least. After five minutes I heard, then answered.” |”
a faint call, Webb had still not spotted the ] .

~~ When he was within-a few fect I turned; was. oe
*gtartted ‘by, and startled’a fellow charging Past. a

Hi,” I said, greatly relieved,’ then added, ri

The fisher held up a compass, “smiled :

' “Sure,” he said, charging off ina direction ‘ 90 *

> “Pm. Rob Brown,” I told hin extending a. ;

-, It tumed out that’ he worked for. the railroad :
and lived in Smithers. He'd been fishing: the.

- When we reached the river we talked of fish’ :
_ and fishing. ‘My best: ily is:this one,’’ he said
opétning: one of .those ‘black. foam: ‘Wheatley “

: boxes. where a dozen black General. Prac-. -
titioners sat like crows on'a fence,” Ae

. “TL know the guy that invented that: fly,” I told Mie
him. “His name’s Art Lingren . He’s a good

| unknowingly, owed Arthur.J. Lingren a tumbler ~ |
for the invention of the Black General Prace °°:
titioner, but they'd have to show their gratitude ..-[-:
in some other way since Art doesn’t imbibe. °° “Joo

fished highland rivers. for Atlantic Salmon. He’ |
improvement over more tradilional flies, many.

dressed in their Sunday best. For feelers Drury
secured a good length of bucktail at the tail end -
of a large salmon hook. This done, he cleverly ‘”
split a tippel feather from the hood of a Chinese °

eyes. A long orange cock feather, palmered -
along.a shank covered with seal fur dyed orange”

-Atop all'of this Drury constructed a carapace |”

sharp-eyed angling vet Bob Taylor saw its pos- -
sibilities for stcelheading. The fly fished so well |
it was hard to imagine il might be improved, but’ -

black squirrel, black hen and black mohair, did” :
- just that when he created a dark version ‘of.
Drry’s’ prawn, then proceeded | to show that.

Luis fished through the run, then headed for ° 1
the other side of the river. I then began working .

smooth water folded into the riffle. A fish new =: }.-:~
to the pool. I marked ‘the location, thought of .*
my: conversation with Luis, rummaged through ~ °
my wallet and found my last Black Practitionér, ‘;{ 1:

ina boil, fought me for 15 minutes, stealing lots. .

WAYNE GRETZKY and
Teemu Selanne, Bobby Orr
and Gordie Howe — NHL
stars past and present will be
front and centre at this Satur-
day’s Skate ’97. auction and
dinner.

Not that the hockey head-
liners will be there. in in person,
" of course,
But Wayde’ Gretzky and
Teemu Selanne hockey sticks,
a signed and framed Bobby
Orr jersey and a Gordie Howe

print will’ be among the ap- .

proximately 40 items up for
_ auction. as the Rick and. Paul

King Foundation tries to raise

North men name best of the best |

THE TERRACE Northmen

officially’ brought their 1995
“Fugby union season to a close

awards dinner.

+s George da Costa, the squad’s
fleet-footed scrum _half,
“ ‘gathered in‘ this year’s Most

Valuable Player trophy while

ookic of the Year.

fost. Improved Player went
Leon: Schulte, a seasoned
vet who found a new lease on
gger life.

trophy went to
Roger Valdez. Named for one
of “the: ‘founding members of
tie fais the trophy
TeCog ygnizts the player who best

’Despite a nasty scare from
>the: Smithers Camels ‘early ‘in
dhe | Season, _ the’ . Northmen
came” away — yet, again —
with,..the * Dr, RD. " (Dale)

Union League.
This year niarked. the 25th

“season” ‘for the ‘Northmen,: a a

Tmiléstone _ the club “believes

tinuously: . “operating -

‘sports
m i Terrace... ; .

2 “Abbotsford

: tournament.
AL multi-divisional affair in
- ‘previous | years, the Gobbler
~s§was an open contest this time,
~“ pitting the Northmen against

: -first division teams, ©

“The Terracites opened with a
2 3 loss ‘to Langley, a game
Mm which’ the | Northmen
we pressed hard in the second half
but couldn’t get the ball across
ue ‘the line. ae

A TWELVE-FOLD increase
inthe cost of tenting a local
“school gymnasium is threaten-
- ing the future of the Terrace
Badminton club.
“That was the message club
- spokesman Dave Munro’ took
~ fo jlast week's, school board
meeting.
The.club has used the Thorn-
“hill Ir’ Secondaty gym since
fs the = school was constructed

"Secondary." With: a.- histary
- "going back 30 years, it lays
claim to being the longest run-
ning club in the north.
ip ani this: year, the club

At ‘the - ‘longest _cOn- -

(before that Skeena Jr.

ce “Saturday night with the annual ;

os ce ‘Kevin Letawski was named

And ' the " Brian : Kormandy

Greenwood trophy as top team ”
in: the North’ Coast Rugby

closed out its play- “
2 scl edule ‘the weekend be- °-f
“awards, taking: ‘part i inf
Gobbler

money for the proposed sec-
ond arena.
Other players who will. be

- represented through various

pieces of memorabilia include
Pavel Bure, Johnny Bower,
Darryl Sittler, Eric Lindros

‘and Ray Bourque.

Foundation spokesman Bob
Park said some of those items
will be sold through silent auc- -

tion, the remainder through the
usual hurly-burly of bids and
counter bids;

The auction. prevue takes
place at the Coast Inn of the.
West at 6:30 p.m. while the.
auction action begins ” at 8.

‘NORTHMEN scrum half George daCosta (left foreground) prepares to throw itn:
self in the path of an opponent during a game earlier this season. That kind of ag:
gressive play was ‘part of the reason he was named the ruaby t team's VEE -

p.m., following the dinner.

star-studded night

The $100 a plate event also
features . the Vancouver
Theatre Sports League, a high-
ly acclaimed comedy trio.

They’ll take to the stage fol-

lowing. the auction to provide

30 minutes of daring and in-
novative hilarity which will
include focusing on, local is- .
sues and personalities.”

With tickets already begin.
ning ‘to move well last week,

‘Park pointed out only 200°

tickets are being sold,
The evening will include
draws for a number of door |

"prizes, he added- _ ing.

first major money-raiser co
ducted by the society. P;
said any further efforts are’on.”
hold pending the referéndum’
vote, Saturday Nov. 18.

the necessary committees’.
in place and the -saciety
ready to swing, into. action
~ $00n as voter approval ‘fo
‘second arena; is received ;
“added. — ;

7 gether,” : ‘Park’said: Right:no
' it was sitting on the bench. | bu
, “November 19 we'll “be fly

_MALCO LM BAXTER 638-7283

The auction and dinner

But plans ‘have been’ made,

“We have the team al to-.

”

Following. a 7-7° tle’ with
Seattle, Terrace went down
28-21 at the ‘hands of the Cal- -

$120: That's sapped.
cover: the cost ofa niaity
three-hour
janitor.

- While this was’ “news. to: the: e
“nets “and. poles used: by’ the:

club, Munro ‘said the school
board claims ‘it’s been policy
for years, just never en forced,

| “We only: used. “the "In
gym. area and: swept it fr
5 ourselves. M sesiaas MUNRO

call-out for, a
“> board his club: has ‘over. the:

for junior ‘players: and’ ‘pro- -
: vided coaching” for young bad

~. Munro'said. there were up t
. 10° ‘local ' students. who. wer
~ regulars at the club’s nighis.:

Pointing out, the “lub, ‘had
handled the post-games clean-_/ ced
up for years, Munro said, “We: -
- only “used ‘the. gym -area, and:
’ ‘swept it ourselves.??.-/< 5:
The: $120 acl ror fojcel

treasurer: Batty | Piersdorff.con- :
‘ceded the: badminton club. id)

“gary Armed Forces feam..
‘But they. weré. able to ‘le
out ‘ona: positive note, an-:"*

club is challenged dj whe:
warned.

Munro. also reminded | ‘the ;
years bought all: the badminto:

school, donated travel. moniey’.

While Suggesting’ the board |
Coup - ‘its. costs;
‘oups, ‘secretary~

‘{ALTHOUG
could. ‘well:

‘tlonal swim meet, -Bluebacks ::
-swim, coach Mike. Carlyle will ;
‘be keying on technique rather

it makes a big difference as we
‘approach’ the provinclals,”* he’
explained. us

. derway 10:30 a.m, Saturday
9 ae

alll at ‘this.

In particular, he'll, b : looking

‘for’ improvement on starts and}:
furia, particularly. importan
‘during the short course season.
“If we can get efficient now, |.

“Saturday will be. devoted to.

short events — 50m: d 100m.

with all relays being held «.
‘on Sunday. Racing. gets

(FOOL records | 7

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