MARGARET SPEIRS

f SKEENA ANGLER

ROB BROWN

Long rod capades

he solution to the vexing puzzle of how

to properly wield the two-fisted salmon -

rod was still exasperatingly distant. 1
thought. of tracking down Maison-Pierre,
not a particularly difficult ‘task, I reasoned; how
many Maison-Pierres could there be in Washington
State? Someone at Kaufmann’s Streamborne Fly
shop would know of him.
“Uh..['m looking for a guy with a long rod who
goes by name Maison-Pierre,”
saying. »

“Oh, you mean House Peter.” I imagined the

Kaufmann clerk saying, then chuckled at the absur-

dity of it all.

The problem was, on the evidence of the few:

casts I’d seen him make, Maison-Pierre didn’t seem
to know the proper two-handed technique either, so
I saved the cost of a distant phone call.

One day a ray of hope came.via post in the form
of the Totem Topics, the club magazine of the To-
tem Flyfishers. Inside it, I-found an article by Art
Lingren that dealt with fishing steelhead with a
two- handed rod. "

The next day, I phoned Art and gave him the

dimensions of my dilemma. My plight must have:

touched him. Two weeks later a package arrived.
Inside it was a video cassette and note from Art tell-

ing me the videotape was copy of one made by the -

I imagined myself"

famous British salmon angler, Hugh Faulkus.
Trembling in anticipation I fired up the VCR and
pushed in the tape. After some shots of the English
countryside accompanied by some bucolic music,
the camera focused on a corpulent cotton-topped

-gent standing in a river with a long rod casting a

long — and I mean long -— line.

This, then, was the famous Fauikus, legendary
salmon fisherman with years of experience on the
best beats of the single-syllable salmon rivers of
Scotland. .

In a few seconds the opening frames of that tape
taught me more than all the arm wrenching labour
of the past two months. At last I was able to see how
it was done and sce that I was doing it all wrong.

“You must make a dec,” said Hugh ina way that
suggested a man who'd had plenty of experience
giving orders, a retired military man perhaps.

Yes, that was it: an officer in the RAF. F could
picture him as a younger man, sporting a handlebar
mustache, dashing in his crisp uniform, urging his
squadron on and up into the sky for another scrap
with the Jerries.

“You must attempt to break the rod,” exhorted
Faulkus as he whipped his two-hander across his

chest and pointed it skyward, whereupon the tangle
of white fly line lying in a heap at his fect snapped
to altention and formed a majestic ellipse.

He hesitated for what seemed an awfully long
time as the loop of line billowed out behind him.
then brought the rod forward slicing through the air

with a loud swish.

The line surged out above the water, unfurling in
a languorous loop, extended to what appeared to be
a full 90 feet, stopped arrow-straight with an almost
imperceplible shudder, then dropped gracefully
onto the surface. It was a beautiful sight.

Faulkus repeated the performance then changed
hands and executed its mirror image.

“Provided one creates the dee,”
can cast from any angle.”

As I puzzled over what Faulkus meant by “the
dee,” he deftly fired cach arrow in his casting quiv-
er, executing both single speys and double spceys
with both hands and over both shoulders.

I rewound the tape and pushed the slow motion

he said. “one

button. Faulkus* casting balletics were even more

impressive this way. -

Then, on one of his double spey casts, I saw it,

a giant capital D, its back the big rod, its belly the
white fly line. Here was a D indeed, the one Faulkus
kept talking about, but hadn’ (defined. or if he had,
I'd missed it.

“If you've mastered the single and double spey
casts with both hands,” said Faulkus before launch-

ing into an impressive display of spey casting with
a one-handed rod, “then you will be able to master
any problem of wind or water.”

I had no idea how much more there was to fly cast-
ing. Like most anglers, 1 could throw a decent length
with an over hand cast and a little bit more than, that
with the judicious application of a single or double
haul. I could flip a roll cast out. though I seldom did.
But here was a world of exotic maneuvers about which
I was almost completely unaware. ,

Soon [ was on the river attempting to emulate Hugh,

_ with limited success. unfortunately. True, ] was able

to. put together a few double and single speys off my
strong side, but the majority of my attempts failed and
my arms, nowhere near as well muscled as Faulkus’
popeyed limbs, throbbed. When fishing is work, you're
doing it wrong. But where was I going astray? -

Next week: help in an unlikely place.

TERRACE STANDARD

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 23, 2005 - B5

638-7283

SCOTT Van Dyk, left, uses a beacon to search for another beacon hidden in the snow to simulate a person trapped under an avalanche: |

while dad Andy watches during the Mt. Remo Backcountry Society’. 's Avalanche Awareness Days at Shames Mt. on Feb. 6:

| Avalanche knowledge and gear

crucial for backcountry safety ©

By MARGARET SPEIRS
BE AWARE of the potential for
avalanches when enjoying — the
backcountry.

To keep skiers and snowboarders
on their toes, the Mt. Remo Back-
country Society held its annual Ava-
lanche Awareness Days Feb. 5 and 6
at Shames Mountain.

Those who took part learned to
find a lost buddy with a beacon and
saw how a rescue dog locates a per-
son buried under the snow.

Duncan Stewart said a person
travelling outdoors’ in the back-
country needs three items: a beacon,
probe and shovel.

The beacon, or transceiver, i

those remaining topside switch their
beacons to receive and scan the
snow for their lost friend.

The beacon beeps fouder the clos-
er they come lo the buried skier.

A probe is then used to mark the
spot where the person is believed to
be and keep that spot located while
the rest dig away the snow.

Another essential for avalanche
awareness is practice.

“The biggest thing I would say is
be prepared,” Stewart said.

“Go with somebody experienced |

or take a course.
Weekend avalanche courses can
prepare backcountry goers.

but his expericnced group of friends
dug him out.

“It’s not just knowing what to do.
It’s practice too,” he said, adding a

- person will be under stress after an

avalanche hits and knowing what to
do will come easier with practice.

A large avalanche area visible
from Shames served as a reminder
of conditions just outside the moun-
tain’s controlled runs.

A crack in the snow along the top
of a mountain ridge could be scen
from the top of the t-bar area.

A sign like that signals instabil-
ity and that any other slope in’ the
area could be prone loan avalanche,
Stewart said.

country.

The Canadian Avalanche Asso-
ciation posts avalanche reports on
its websile (www,avalanche.ca) ev-
ery three days.

Mountain trip talk allows skiers

“and snowboarders to post their own

observations for others travelling. to
the same area.

“I can post observations [that
are] more local and more accurate,”
Stewart said.

Forecasts for the website are ac’
curate but come from. Revelstoke,
Stewart said. "

Backcountry packs with shovel,
beacon and probe cost about $500,

bul are a reusable one-time pure

strapped to the body underneath
clothes. a
If an avalanche traps someone,

T ERRACE RCMP responded to an assault at the
Terrace-Smithers bantam rep game at the Terrace
Arena Feb. {1. ,

Terrace bantam coach John Amos said the
Smithers assistant coach was leaning over the

Travelling in groups of three or
four is recommended.

Stewart said last winter a local
person was buried under the snow,

Terrace bench yelling at the players and Terrace °

assistant coach Mike Hayworth responded.

“He pushed the guy back on his side of the
bench. He didn‘t punch him, he just shoved him
back.” Amos said.

The Smithers bench called the police, who

Amos said arrived and commented “you called
me here for this?”

Both assistant coaches received a grass mis-
conduct and will sit out the next three games.

Amos said he and Hayworth have talked to the

_players about responding to other people's ac-

uons.
“T told .the kids. even the assistant coach told
the kids, you cant get provoked into that stuff,”

Checking

he said, adding that Hayworth admitted selling a
bad example by reacting the way he did.

Amos said the Smithers assistant coach didi
yell at the Terrace team on Friday when an older.
more experienced referee oversaw the game,

Younger officials can be easily intimidated by
some couches, Amos said.

“Isa learning process for the young guys.”
he said.

“Refs have to understand that coaches should
never be talking down to them. That's basically
what happened and the ref reacted to that.”

Amos said Smithers couch Merle Logan called

the ref over and told him the Terrace players were:

doing lots of things he didn’t see and afterwards,
‘Terrace started receiv ingaw hole sw wack of penal-
ties.

“You can’t let a.coach call the game for you.”

Amos said.
Hayworth was concerned that Amos would be

the’ weather forecast
for avalanche conditions is another,
slay-safe way to. travel the back

chase.
Weekend avalanche courses are
available through Azad Adventures.

Bantam coaches battle on the bench

angry with him.

“What that guy was doing was wrong and
he (Hayworth) had a lot more patience than {,”
Amos suid.

The gross misconducts will be sent to the mi-
nor hockey district director in Fraser Lake for,
review,

Amos said the worst disciplinary action he’s
seen is a coaching suspension, but this situation
“wasn't that bad.”

Amos believes a decision regarding disciplin-
ary action will be made this week.

Set. Scott Lovell of Terrace RCMP said the -
investigation is ongoing.

_. He said statements are being taken and so far.
show that a number of witnesses didn’ t see the
assault.»

He believes the investigation will take tvo
weeks.and said charges will be recommended if
there’s a reusonable likelihood Of conviction.

By MARGARET SPEIRS
THE 46TH All-Native Basketball
Tournament finished up with two new
winners and two repeat winners.
Local teams played their hearts out and,

Kake Alaska scored second, Kitamaat -
took third and Bella Bella finished fourth.
Mayne Stevens from Greenville’s team
was chosen for the All Star team.

The

New winners, all stars at ANBT

Bantams

Intermediate = division = saw

although finishing out of top spot, several

honorable mention.

Women’s division saw Greenv ille take
third spot behind repeat winners North
Pacific Rain, second Metlakatla Crest and
fourth place Kitamaat.

‘Yvonne Campbell ‘of Greenville won
the most promising player award and
Sheree Alexander received an honorable
mention.

Campbell and teammate Lori Philips
made the All Star team along with Danica
Adams from the New Aiyansh team.

In the Masters” Division, local teams
failed to place in the top four.

Hydaburg. Alaska topped the division.

players received individual awards and .

Metlakatla, Alaska score their first win
since 1997, Bella Bella come second, Hyd-
aburg. Alaska finish third and okidegate
take fourth.

James Vickers from Greeny ille’s team
was named to the All Star team.
In the Senior division, Hydaburg

Alaska won its fifth ina row, followed by
Ahousat.. Bella Bella and Vancouver.

New Aivansh team members Dan Wal-
ters and Justin Adams were picked for the
All Star team.

Former Nass Valley resident Gene
Wolff, who played for Vancouver, was
named the division's top scorer with 212
points in five games and named to the All
Star team.

GENE WOLFF,
of the Nass Valley, was
named top scorer in the All
Native Senior Division.

FILE PHOTO

split pair

By MARGARET SPEIRS

“BANTAM REPS splita pair
of games against Smithers
over the Feb. 11 weekend.

Terrace lost 5-1 Friday
but rallied to a 6-4 win Sat-

~ urday. a

Alex Redpath — scored .
Terrace’s lone goal on Fri-
day. but failed to score Sat-
urday.

Ryan Holtom took a hat
trick, Curtis Desousa found
the twine for two and Chap-
en Leblond scored one on
Saturday. .

Redpath took over on de-
fense after Matt Marcellin
left the game after fighting
a Smithers player, who ran
over the Terrace goalie.

| formerly

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