A great adventure at the Northern end of vancouver Island turned into a spectacular journey of wildlife encounters.
while filming for TRAK Kayaks new TRAK FILES webisode series we encountered curious sea lions who allowed me to create this wonderful campaign starter for TRAK.
Enjoy! (yes our hearts where racing at the time these are big animals!)
Summer in Canada and the first Sockeye Salmon Run for the year was on in Port Alberni, Vancouver Island.
I had never Fished
for Salmon on the River Before so this was an exciting time for me,
almost 8 years in Canada and I had only Fished on the Ocean for sea Run
Salmon, mostly Pink Salmon, and Coho Salmon, trolling a Lure behind a
Runabout or Sea Kayak.
This was very
different fishing on the river as not only were you fishing shoulder to
shoulder with a bunch of other fisherman, casting and retrieving in
almost frantic pace, you where also targeting fish that had stopped
eating, though where aggressive and competing too spawn.
The
eta cit for casting, is to let the person down stream from you cast
first, then you go and then the next and so on (quite stressful to start
with and can be avoided by supper early fishing in the morning).The
popular fishing rig used here is a sliding float, about six feet up
from your weight and Lure (basically what ever length to let the Lure and
weight bounce along the bottom but not get snagged in rocks), tube
lead weight and feathered or wooled hook.
The
weight is lead tubing cut to length on a Quick Release system of
silicone bands or light test nylon, the amount is enough for the flow of
the river and to get the float to stand straight up and down; the
length is correct between float and Weight if you can feel it bounce
along the bottom but not snag.
Same setup, though with a Orange bead
The lure is often
coloured wool (Red, Blue, Green, a mix?) tied to the base of a Barb less
hook, you can also use fish egg gel like add ons. The idea here is that
the Salmon want to strike and destroy any other fishes row (eggs), seems
to work; others say its just because everything is annoying to them and
just a hook would work!
Click Here for a good article on bottom Bouncing Set Up.
One of my fish and the Setup I used (you can see the pink wool hook in the mouth of the fish)
Casting is kinda
like fly fishing in that you try to guess where the fish will be sitting
in the river flow and cast up the stream and let the lure drift through
them, where you hope to get as strike and hook up. You feel the fish
hit the lure and you strike then the fun begins. The only problem now is
the other twenty fisherman you are standing in line with. You now yell
"fish on!" every one down stream of you pulls in there lines and gets
out of your way as you real the fish in to the side. once you are out of
the way some one else steps into your place in the line and every one
goes back to taking turns casting in the river for there two fish they
are allowed daily!
It took me two days
though I finally Landed 2 fish on my second day! I have since fished the
Fall (autumn) run of Chum Salmon on the east coast of Vancouver Island
using the same technique, very good way to stock your freezer with fish,
while enjoying the outdoors, all at the Price of a $60 annual fishing
license.
Watch out World, Lendal is back and the new paddles are looking out of this world!
I am super excited to see Lendal Finaly stepping up to the new technology Werner has been hogging these last few years and it looks as though Lendal may be back in the lead! Good job Micheal Duffy, Dave Hulburt and Nigel Denise! www.lendalna.com www.lendal.com
Lendal® Introduces the New X-Range Paddle --- the Strongest, Lightest Lendal Ever
Rochester, NY. (August 3, 2011)—Lendal North America announces the
launch of the Lendal X-range touring paddles; a major step forward in
innovation and technology.
Lendal’s new X-Range combines the renowned performance of the Kinetik
Touring blade with the latest in composite engineering. Designed by
kayakers for kayakers, this four piece paddle features aerospace carbon
technology and customized Paddlok® design. Our new manufacturing process
ensures that X-Range paddles have the highest quality, are extremely
lightweight, and remarkably strong. The four-piece paddles continue to
demonstrate exceptional rigidity due to the patented Paddlok system,
with a new ergonomic, elegant design. Handcrafted in America, the
X-Range represents Lendal’s commitment to quality and innovation.
Based on feedback from world-class paddlers, X-Range shafts feature a
bio-engineered grip that is formed directly into the shaft reducing
hand fatigue and increasing hand comfort. Two grip profiles accommodate
paddlers with smaller and larger hands along with straight and modified
crankshaft versions.
The X-Range series blades currently consists of our most popular
Lendal blades, the Kinetic Touring 650 and Kinetic Touring 700. We
replaced the center rib with a foam-filled, foiled back face for a more
fluid feel on the water while retaining proven power face geometry. In
the words of Neil Baxter, World Champion kayaker and the original
designer of the kinetik blade, “The new shaft adds to the sensations of
control. In a quite awkward sea and wind I felt totally at home with the
blade in minutes always knowing the exact position of the blade to
water and wind. Overall a very pleasant experience. On the downwind
using stern draws and the ever present reverse steering stroke it was
masterful. I would give the blades a 10 out of 10!
The new Gopro 2 is out! packing a bunch of awesome new features like, external mic in, 11mp still photo, bumped up lense clarity and video quality! this little camera is a powerhouse in your pocket, check it out!
You love it! click below to get yours, woo yah mines coming soon!
View the trailer here or feature length at bottom of Blog
For more info on what you can do to help Visit www.pacificwild.org
This film is one of the outcomes for the Great Bear Rainforest RAVE.
The International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) has teamed up with Pacific WILD, the Gitga’at First Nation of British Columbia, LightHawk, TidesCanada, Save our Seas Foundation, Sierra Club BC, and the Dogwood initiative to carry out a Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition (RAVE) in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia. We are focusing our energy and cameras on this pristine region in response to plans by Enbridge Inc. to build a pipeline for heavy crude oil from the Alberta tar sands across British Columbia to the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest.
The tar sands in northern Alberta are arguably one of the world’s most environmentally-devastating extractive industries and the proposed pipeline would put one of our planet’s most ecologically-sensitive and intact marine ecosystems at risk for a catastrophic oil spill through increased mega tanker traffic.
The 14-day expedition to the Great Bear Rainforest called upon 7 world-renowned photographers and 3 videographers to thoroughly document the region’s landscapes, wildlife, and culture. The RAVE provided media support to the First Nations and environmental groups seeking to stop the proposed Enbridge Gateway pipeline project (and thus expansion of the tar sands) and to expose the plan to lift the oil tanker ship moratorium.
Article from the Vancouver Sun National Geographic magazine
has again focused attention on Alberta’s oilsands, this time with an
article on Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway project titled “Pipeline
Through Paradise.”The magazine will hit newsstands this week, but the online version is available now.
The
article details the sinking of B.C. Ferries’ Queen of the North in
2006, and the oil still leaking from the submerged vessel, suggesting
this is a taste of what is in store for the north coast of B.C.
“With
the Northern Gateway proposal, the Gitga’at (local First Nations) and
the rainforest that surrounds them have been caught up in a great
geopolitical oil game. The Northern Gateway isn’t just a pipeline. It’s
Canada’s bid to become a global player in the petroleum market,” the
article says.
It continues: “The issue is no less critical for the
Great Bear Rainforest, a wild stretch of western red cedar, hemlock,
and spruce forest that runs 250 miles down British Columbia’s coast.
Whales, wolves, bears, and humans thrive in the rich marine channels and
forests of the Great Bear, whose boundaries have never been precisely
defined.”
Doug Neasloss, a Kitasoo/Xai’xais wildlife guide and
marine planner is quoted as saying: “We don’t want another Exxon Valdez
on our shores.”
In 2009, an article on the oilsands in the magazine’s March issue
highlighted such issues as loss of aboriginal homelands and destruction
of boreal forest amid photos of industrial tailings ponds.
For Enbridge, the new article is a disappointment.
“We
spent a lot of time and effort with National Geographic, and in the end
they didn’t say very much about the information we provided,” spokesman
Paul Stanway said.
“They were given extensive information about
the safety features we would employ along the pipeline route and the
maritime portion.”
The article, with gorgeous photos of the region
and a detailed map of tanker routes, appears to have a purpose — to
generate support for creating a protected area designated as the Great
Bear Rainforest, he said.
“We are fully supportive of that, and we
don’t believe tankers going in and out of Douglas channel (between
Kitimat and the ocean) would interfere with that in any way, since
Kitimat is outside the Great Bear area,” Stanway said.
Enbridge
plans to spend “a great of money” on new navigational aids along the
coast, which will generally improve safety for all shipping.
A
Canadian Coast Guard report has documented the need for much better
navigation aids on the North Coast, he said, adding: “We will build
several new maritime radar stations as part of this effort.”
The Gateway would deliver up to 525,000 barrels a day of diluted bitumen from the Edmonton area to the port of Kitimat.
The
National Energy Board willbegin hearings on the proposal in January at
locations along the route, with formal quasi-legal hearings to commence
afterwards. It is expected a final decision will be made before the end
of 2012.
If approved, the pipeline would probably not be in operation before 2017.
SPOIL from EP Films on Vimeo.
This film follows the International League of Conservation Photographers as they team up with the Gitga'at Nation of British Columbia to document the Great Bear Rainforest before an oil pipeline changes it forever.
To raise vital funds and awareness of the growing threat of
development on WA’s Kimberley region John Butler has teamed up with his wife Mama Kin (Danielle Caruana) to release a very special new recording of his track “Losing You”.
The song was recorded in Butler’s home studio and is available to purchase via iTunes here.
Furthermore John Butler and Mama Kin had the folks at Shoot The Player shoot a live version of the “Losing You” duet while on tour in New York, the result of which you can view below:
Read more about the project here.
