Friday, April 17, 2009

FFF Update


Alright.  So by now you probably know that I am working on a fundraiser called Flies For Fins where people donate their flies to raise money for the love of so many of our lives; BC steelhead.
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Long live BC steelhead! (Ralf Raacke photo)
Perhaps it’s not fair to expect those who have not fished for these wild beasts to understand my passion for them, but for those of you who can empathize, you appreciate that the wild in BC’s steelhead is undoubtedly a wild that runs in the West-Coast steelheaders blood.  That’s right; we’re wild, bucking, and not ready to be broken.  It’s amazing what a fishery will do to you.
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The only sport in the world that can keep me focused for longer than five minutes (Richard Gibson photo).
So when I started this fundraiser to get everyone pulling together to make a difference, I never for one second imagined the hoards of support that would pour in from people from all over the world.  Japan, Ireland, New York, Idaho, England, New Zealand, New Brunswick, Toronto…..The list is endless!!! Those who didn’t know how to tie steelhead flies, did their best, and those who didn’t tie at all, donated whatever they could to help.  It was heart warming for me and instilled a whole new faith in society and man-kind, proving that together we can make a difference.
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People from BC started bringing in their flies to the shops, and customers went out of their way to support the cause.  It was awesome!
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A generous contribution of flies from Aaron Goodis.
To date, on the sale of flies alone, we have made over 00.00 (since January), pretty impressive…..especially since the boards are still so full!
Now, as the steelhead season is getting ready to pass (or just get started, depending on how you look at it) it would be amazing if we could sell off the rest of the flies, to maximize the amount of money Flies For Fins has raised. If you live nowhere near any of these shops (let alone BC), please feel free to mail out a cheque made out to the Steelhead Society of BC, letting me know how many flies and of what variation you would like (the flies are more than reasonably priced and all donations are welcome).  Cheques can be mailed to:
8505 Norman Crescent Chilliwack, BC V2P 5C6
Words cannot express how grateful we are for every single person who has gone the extra distance to show that they care.