CHRISTIANA WIENS ‘SKEENA -ANGLER ROB BROWN Frenchmen viding is something I’d never done before. I’m up for novel experi- ences though, so when the op- portunily to guide for my long-time steelheading, colleague, Stan Doll, came up I jumped at the chance. Stan, who grew up in Terrace and has been chasing after fish since he was in knee pants, is the master of the Kalum River and as good a chinook fisher as you’ll find anywhere. He’s an excellent steelheader, and coho fisher as well. Though fly fishing is not his specialty, Stan has caught more than his share that way, and has, in the last few years put enough smiles on the faces of European flyfishers to find bimself ia an overflow situation. Since I know a bit about flyfishing, Stan set me up wilh a pair of JPs: Jean-Pierre and Jean-Paul, two Frenchmen from Paris. Jean-Pierre, grey with a quick smile and gen- tlemanly bearing appeared to be in his late fifties. Jean Paul, quict and reflective, had long ereying hair in a pony tail and was about 10 years younger. Theit English was about good as my Pidgin French, which, I soon learned, would not make my job easier. The three of us rattled up Copper River Main, They pointed at canyons, mountains, water falls and the river, following each point with a flurry of French, An bour later we were in the Jurassic. section of the Zymoetz. I sipped into my new old waders, the ones Bruce Hill had kindly picked up for me at a garage sale for twenty- five bucks, Next I threaded my old and wrinkled double tapered floating line through the guides of my beaten up Hardy six-weight, noting that the two guides I’d stuck back on with fly tying thread and nail polish, were still firmly ia place. I put on my beloved, olive Tilley hat given me by the late Ed Chapplow, hung my fly wallet around my neck, and then waited as ‘‘Les Pecheurs de Paris’” got ready. We veteran steclheaders travel light and move quickly operating under the principle that the number of fish caught is roughly proportional to the amount of water covered. Not so with the European flyfishers, ginned up on ‘How To’’ articles from fishing magazines and believing every word apparently. As I watched in- credulously, JP and JP unpacked the best in fly gear: Gore Tex waders, Loop Reels, leading edge lines with fancy loops to accommodate all manner of sinking heads. They pulled out fly boxes full of brilliant flies, all of them far too big and much too bright than they needed to be, then unpacked cameras — still and moving. After 20 minutes they swung their 50 pound packs on their backs and we made for the Stream. It occurred to me then that I] had to maneuver these guys around the river, and these packs were a Liability. At the pool they shed their burdens and began fishing badly, wading too deep, moving to slow, casting too far. I nageed them gently and they began to improve, but the run was not deep enough for the Icaden lines they were fishing. I cursed Jim Teeny, then waved Jean-Pierre over, I showed him a floating fly then cut off the hook. As he watched intently, I cast to where I knew steel- head lay and in a matter of minutes one boiled up under my impotent fly. ‘‘Voila,’’ I said. “Oni,” said he, then proceeded to line the beast. Once all the fish had been pul down 1] ex- plained that the closest good pools meant a wade, [ pointed to the spat we had to cross. They fooked sheepish. ‘"We don’t have to go,’” I said, opening a back door. ‘‘Non, we go,’ said Jean-Paul gamely. I grabbed his arm, told bim to grab mine, then set out keeping him in my slip stream. When we reached the far bank he was panting but thrilled to be alive. I dug in the staff and made the return wade, not an easy one, then picked up a Teluctant Jean-Pierre, who wanted to cun out of harms wade and had to be restrained all the way across. Meanwhile the other JP captured the crossing on video, We reached the other side where | poiited out the next hurdle to my two French backpackers, Between us and the next pool stood a tower- ing bluff which we then laboriously traversed on a narrow game trail. The labour was worth it though, The pool probably held a dozen fish. Working over the pool like a couple of surgeons the JP’s caught one cach, their first, It was wonderful to cujoy their unbridled joy, and the gentle reverential way they handled the fish. Catching those fish myself would not have given me nearly as much pleaswre as steering my clients into them. At the end of the day I'd given them an ad- venture they won’t forget I felt I'd earned my money, ; _ 638-7283: THE WINNERS: Congratulations to the Western Pacific for shutting cific award winners include goaltender Gil Rego, playoff mvp Tony out Home Hardware in a tough playoff championship. Western Pa- THE FINALS were a very tight competitive game which remained scoreless until late in the first half. The turning point in the game came shortly before halftime when a Home Hardware player was ejected from the game with his second yel- low card. Playing with only 10 men Home: Hardware couldn’t contain the Western Pacific team who scored early in the second half to make the game 2-0. Westem Pacific then scored on a penalty shot after Tony Luis of Western Pacific was deliberately hauled down on a break away. Home Hardware was then unable to score late in the game to break Pacific’s shut out. Awards went out to Super BM for being the league season champs, Western. Pacific. as ' playoff champs, and the best defensive player was Ted Ewald of Home Hardware. League top scorers were BM’s Jason Barros Luis and league top-scorer (tied) Percy Fowler. Best goalkeeper was Gil Rego of Western Pa- cific and playoff mvp was Pacific’s Tony Luis. Most inspirational player went to Nick Kollias of Forestry. Forestry also took home the most sporstmaniike team trophy, kak hk The Terrace men’s soccer association is laok- ing forward to its indoor soccer season. An organizational meeting will be held Sept. who tied wilh Western Pacific’s Percy Fowler. YES! Left: Western Pa- cific's keeper Gil Rego - with the playoff trophy. ’ Right: The team gets ‘ready to accept the ‘trophy after shutting out Home Hardware 3-0. Mud bog draws speedway crowds Mud Bog Atv’s and snow- mobiles Rager Hladon Jeff Barnett Steve Devosst p cats (Unilmited) Brutus McCarron Wilf Rondeau Lana Beier. . Motorbikes _ Dean Campbell Tuff Truck Dunebuggles and two- Aty's and Snow- wheel drive — ’ mobiles Steve Devost Brutus McCarron Rick Devost Blake Bedford Dean Campbell Aclass (smaller tires) D _ Dale McDonald Dunebugales and wor Giver" Patry Steve Devost Darcy McKeown “Giver” Patry Rick Devost B class (34-38” tires) Four-wheel trucks Steve Flanagan "Giver" Patry Steve Burkett Darcy McKeown Bob McLuckie C class (bigger tlres) Alvin Eichhorst Gord Goheen "Giver" Patry - ANYONE who loves mud would have definately en- joyed being at the Terrace Speedway Sept. 13. The wet weather mad for an abundance of mud and an interesting time for competi- tors in our Mud Bog and Toff Truck Competition, Roughly 40 vehicles en- tered this year, with the mud bog being the popular event with eth majority of compe- titors. And the bog was challeng- ing again this year, with only the C and D classes being able to run the full length of the mud pit, Also: skimming over the ~ top were the lone snow. mobile and motorbike enter- ed and one of the dune bug- gles. The other class winners were determined by how far | ’ of a mun was completed. -Next. week: The dreaded demolition derby update. 28 at 7 p.m. at the Terrace Public Library, Rox games hit Caledonia THEY’RE young exited and coming here to give Terrace teenagers a good talking to. The ROX games intend to turn Caledonia’s gymnasium Sept. 28 into a multimedia entertainment centre featuring sumo simulation, neon moonball and a game called warp- factor whirl. High school classes will be brought in for 55-minute whirl-wind sessions, Afterwards, ihe team of 14 musicians, crew members and professional athletes chat with teens abont self-esteem and peer pressure. “Our goal is to inspire students to be positive role models for their friends and to encourage them to reach out and get help if they are hurting,’? says Reg Parks Reach out for excellence’s regional director, “So by this big high-tech production , we want to get their attention and say ‘Hey, teach out for excellence. Don’t settle for second best.’’ And when Parks says high-tech, he means it. The Kelowna-based troup usually rolls into cities with a five-ton truck which houses the group's huge stage, video and music equipment. Local organizer Rod Freeman says people here decided to ask the group to come after they set a date in Kitimat. - But bringing them here still costs about $3,000 said | Freeman, who hopés enough money can be raised through Caledonia’s contribution, private individuals and local youth groups. The group's originates from college-oriented Christian group and hopes churches here will also give money. When asked if the crew would talk about religion at ‘Caledonia, Freeman said no, At least not until an evening session that’s open to members of the public. “It’s a pub- lic school,”’ he said, eee meena Tae ee eee eh ar wa!