Adrienne Comeau of Western Canada has been impressing anglers for a while now with big steelhead and beautiful fly fishing photography. Further, Comeau is an accomplished caster and writer, and she has been hitting the road – pursuing fish in new locales. Comeau recently sat down to take on some questions for the Venturing Angler:
1. Where in the world have you fly fished?
I’ve fished throughout British Columbia and spent time in Alberta, Washington, Idaho and Oregon. I’ve fished the Grand River in Ontario and the Margaree River in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Fished in the Florida Keys, and the Kanektok and Arolik Rivers in Alaska, as well as the Rynda River in Russia.
2. What is your favorite destination and why?
Any of the steelhead rivers in British Columbia. Each one is unique, with its own character and mood, and the fish in each system reflects that. Steelhead are where I began my fly fishing obsession, and each day I target them I feel that excitement like it’s my first time, yet I feel at home.
3. What is the most memorable travel experience you have and why?
My most memorable trip would be traveling to Russia to fish the Rynda River. The journey to get there (two full days) on my own was a little scary yet exciting. The river itself was beautiful, the wading was difficult, the terrain unfamiliar and I caught Atlantic Salmon, a fish at that time I didn’t know if I would ever get to target. I was literally half way around the world from my home, and experiencing so many firsts in my fishing life.
4. What has been the best trip so far and why?
This is a tough one, because I’ve had some really incredible trips – my first time to the Florida Keys with my best friend, a steelhead trip to Northern BC with a group of great female anglers, etc. But I would have to say my first trip to the Dean River would be the best. I had heard stories about the Dean before I even started fishing, and all I have ever wanted is to just be able to step into that water. When that finally happened it was one of the most surreal moments of my life. To top it off, it was a week with my best friend and two other dear friends, and we had a tremendous amount of fun. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to experience the Dean for the first time.
5. Do you have any travel coming up?
This fall I’ll be spending a week on the Bonaventure River on Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula, and am planning on spending at least a few weeks in Northern BC for steelhead this fall.
6. Is there a specie that you are dying to catch? What is it about that fish?
My list of fish I would love to catch is long and seemingly ever growing, but I would have to say that I am dying to catch a permit. I had a close encounter with a very large one the first time I went to the Keys, and that fish will haunt me forever.
7. When you are not on the water, what do you want the most out of a trip and why?
The most important thing to me on a trip is being with good people. It makes such a difference to fish with people that you can relax and have a good time with. And there is nothing better than being able to tell stories and have some good laughs at dinner and over drinks after a long day on the water.
8. What is your dream trip and why?
My dream trip is to fish at St. Brandon’s Atoll in the Indian Ocean. Its remote location means that it sees little pressure, and the abundance and variety of fish is astounding. It’s stunningly beautiful, incredibly difficult and expensive to get to, and would truly make me feel like I was in the middle of nowhere.
9. If one song were to play in a video short of your last fly fishing trip, what would it be?
My last fly fishing trip was actually a fly casting trip to San Francisco to compete at Spey-O-Rama, and the song to go with the trip would be Disclosure – You & Me ft. Eliza Doolitttle (Flume Remix).
10. What is the one piece of gear you couldn’t bear to leave at home?
My Abel pliers. I’ve had them for at least 7 years, have traveled everywhere with me and are still going strong.
To check out more from Adrienne Comeau, please click here.