Mark Anderson Memorial Journal Entry

 My writing will never be nearly as eloquent as Mark’s, but here it goes. Fly fishing is a passion that if savoured, never let go of. I still ponder the thought of what makes spending thousands of dollars to go catch fish sometimes no longer than 20cm, worth it. I believe that its a number of things. It likely begins with that moment of uncounted emotions when your line tightens. The feeling of excitement, rushing nerves and uncertainty of what the waters will offer you in that instance. However, the drogue sets as you begin to travel to parts of the earth that you never would have seen had you never picked up a fly rod. Especially, the people you encounter along the way.

Mark Anderson and wife Catherine Lindquist in 2008.
Photo courtesy: Caroline Philips

Mark had several loves in life that I knew of, fly fishing, journalism, music and his beautiful wife Cathy. They were an embodiment of happiness, they glowed off each other like that of true soul mates. I first met Mark at a young age, he would come over to watch football as we'd all sit around and watch the Vikings get crushed. Luckily his angling skills were better than his choice of sports teams. Mark is one of the most decorated Canadian anglers to ever cast a line on the national level. He has captured every colour on the podium except gold, sometimes twice over. Mark was a well oiled fishing machine, a team player and one fishy S.O.B. He was able to stick to a team plan for 2:45hrs of a 3hr session and still have faith that he was going to catch a fish. And for the most part, he always would. 

Mark Anderson and team in Scotland, 2009
L-R: Wayne Yoshisawa, Sorin Comsa, Mac Stark, Rob Stroud, Jason Doucette, 
Graham Murfitt, Mark Anderson, Ernie Kalwa, Todd Oishi, Arron Varga, Chris Pfohl
Photo courtesy: Ernie Kalwa

After Mark passed away, Graham Murfitt, Ivo Balinov, Catherine Lindquist and I decided that it would only be right that we have a competition every year in Mark's name. This competition would focus around friendship and rejoining with the fly fishing fraternity to celebrate the life of an amazing individual. We first held this competition on the first weekend of October 3-4, 2015 amongst the beautiful fall foliage in Kenauk Nature. Although the priority of the competition is to spend quality time on the water with the guys who share a passion with you, there was a great field of anglers. And it wasn't going to be an easy task to be the first one to claim the title. I stayed consistent and managed to finish with less placing points then everyone else. Luckily for me we had coincided this competition with the provincial championship which meant I was also the provincial champion. Nonetheless, I was more satisfied with the trophy in my right arm (below) then anything I had ever won before that. It is a gorgeous wooden fly box made by Graham Murfitt which contains some of Mark's most coveted flies. These included a smorgasbord of wooly buggers, pumpkin heads, Atlantic salmon bombers and a medley boobies. Besides the flies there was a journal; a journal that the recipient would need write in, about a fishing experience (possibly with Mark's flies). As to be passed on to the next winner with the addition of a few of my favourite patterns. Guilty as charged, I never touched the flies. Every time I opened the box and went to grab a fly, something inside me told me not to. Therefore I decided that I would begin the journal with an introduction to Mark and the history of the trophy. I have added some flies to the box that sum up my year of competitive angling. Besides that, I have composed a small journal of tricks and tactics that I hope the next angler lucky enough to take home this trophy might benefit from.

Receiving the Mark Anderson and top rod trophy in 2015.
Photo courtesy: Bradley Keenan

Now, this past year I have competed locally, provincially and internationally. Having success at all 3 levels I have learned one thing that needs to happen in order to stay at the top and that is consistency. I'm going to come back to consistency in a bit. Local competitions are a matter of experience and local knowledge, the more time you have on those local waters, the higher the odds of you doing well are. Similar to the international level, except local knowledge can only take you so far. When the top anglers from all across the world pre fish certain venues for at least a week, there aren't too many secrets. However, there are always some that separate the men from the boys. This year I learned something important, at a level of competitive angling like the worlds. Technique is the same, flies are the same, lines, tippet, rods, reels, nets and tools all the same. There are two things that set the good anglers apart from the great ones. What it comes down to is experience and time management. Experience means putting in hours upon hours on the water, learning your surroundings and being able to recognize the slightest of change. Adjusting to changing conditions, time of day, hatches and knowing what line and flies to use and when to use them. Additionally, applying your findings in different situations, going out of your comfort zone in order to discover a more productive method is essential. Experience is putting yourself in as many situations as possible, learning from as many other anglers as you can and blend it all together into something that works for you. The only way this can all be applied is if you are able to pick out every arrow in the quiver under pressure. This is what separates the champions from the runner ups, being able to harness your knowledge and apply it under pressure in the given time frame.

Team Canada White, Commonwealth Champions 2016.
Photo courtesy: Guillaume Vincent

Competitive angling on a regional or provincial level is much different, primarily being stress related. I don't get hyped up or overwhelmed over these comps. However, when the horn blows, it's all business. When I get to a lake session I begin by observing the lake (which everyone will do) looking for rises. Not only am I looking for where they're rising to give me an indication of where the pod may be but I'm looking at the types of rises. If they are porpoising with a tail following the rise they are generally up high cruising the surface. That is the only type of rise that I'd be inclined to start with any line between a fast glass and floating line. Otherwise, the fish are coming up from the thermocline (depending on visibility) and diving back down. This is what the majority of the fish are generally doing and what I would be most inclined to base my line selection off of. Therefore, I would string up with a Di5, either an Airflo sixth sense or sweep. My leader is usually 18ft long, 6ft between every fly with a tag never smaller then 6 inches. Regardless of which lake I'm on (Quebec), the vampire is going to be on my team of flies. Typically it will be on the point or middle, i'll have a merganser, damsel or another vampire in the middle and a blob, booby, viva or sparkler on the top dropper. This doesn't really change with seasons, mind you there are some patterns that are added to the roster of flies given the time of year. For example, a purple egg sucking leech, this fly has won me a lot of sessions at Kenauk Nature and Pourvoirie Baroux in the fall. I've found that these fly patterns fish most effectively depending on which retrieve is used at carrying depths. In the fall, especially late October and early November, the water is cooling off and the epilimnion is beginning to mix with the thermocline, which generally triggers increased feeding habits. This means the fish will be feeding but they will also be feeding closer to the surface because the water temperature is favourable and the oxygen levels are more beneficial. Given these circumstances I would start with a 5 and work my up to a 3 then a fast glass in order to locate the mass of fish. You can easily search with the 5 by speeding up your retrieve to a fast strip or rolly polly to cover that upper water column. Retrieves in the fall are favoured to be sporadic and inconsistent, blending multiple methods of retrieval with lengthened pauses throughout. Mind you sometimes, nothing can beat a steady figure of eight. These fish like to nip and short take during this type of retrieve and are the hardest to hook (unlike the rolly polly). This is when the strip set becomes your best friend, I will never strip it more than 20 inches on the set because I know that at least 50% of the time, I'm going to get a second shot at that fish or another close by (if I didn't pick him with the hook). By doing this, you are multiplying your odds of catching fish and also increasing fishing time. Where if you use the famous Bob Izumi bass master classic hook set, not only are you pulling your flies 10ft away from the fish but you've also ruined that cast. The hang is so important, sometimes lasting for upwards of 20-30 seconds pending the wind is on your side (which rarely happens in my home province of Quebec). Being able to find the fish, convert on your inquiries and make the changes before it's too late is the name of the game. I was lucky to learn this trick young, John Horsey told me that if you're thinking about changing, it's too late. Meaning that the time its taken for you to process this thought, is already long enough and you need to trust your intuition without over thinking and second guessing.

I was lucky enough to repeat my performance in 2016. 
This beautiful box is staying in Chelsea, QC.
Photo courtesy: Colin Huff

It isn't the same showing up to a comp without Mark. Always expecting his late night humour and uplifting spirits. There was never a dull moment with him, and he sure left a mark on the Canadian fly fishing scene, his Mark. It also made me realize how important it is to spend time with those who matter in your life and to do things while you can. Henry Thoreau said that many men go fishing all of their lives with out knowing that it is not fish they are after (Walden, 1854). I think the thing that we are after is the moment, and being in that moment with people that matter most. Then being able to cherish that memory in the outdoors forever. I've made a lot of memories since I picked up a fly rod and the most memorable are those with friends and loved ones. See you on the water, Mark.

Mark with a beautiful brook trout on his last adventure to Tunulik II Fishing Camp, 2014.
Photo courtesy: Donald Thom