She's married now? Has her own show on the World Fishing Network? How did I miss all this. If you haven't seen her show yet it is called Shorelines. You can watch the first episode here.
If you're like me you'll watch anything related to fly fishing even if the video is crap. This kicks it up a notch but it's still hard to look past April looking pretty on the river over the other content. The show advertises itself as a documentary/reality show where April tells the history of steelhead runs in British Columbia. The dialog and music are a little over dramatic at times. They really should get a different person to do narration. Aprils a great fisherman but I wouldn't say a great speaker. You still get enough great fishing footage thrown in to make watching worth while. Say what you want about her show but Aprils doing what she loves, getting paid and doing it her way. You have to respect that. So what is it about April that so many of us find attractive? The obvious thing is her looks but I think what more of us like about her is her love of fishing. We can relate in that way and it's neat to see a woman with more passion for fishing then most of the men we know.
I can't believe it has taken this long. When I saw the fame April Vokey was getting I was waiting for copycats to come out of the woodwork. There were a few attempts here and there but it seemed no one committed to the whole "I'm an attractive woman and like to fly fish" niche. That was until I ran across Rebekka.
If you want to meet the legends in fly fishing I can't think of a better place than a fly fishing show. What's great about the show is it is very interactive. You can share ideas with fly tiers and other fisherman. Take classes, listen to seminars and talks about fishing exotic locations. There's chances to get heavily involved or just watch from a distance. There's deals on gear and the newest gadgets in the industry. My favorite part is the ability to get up close with celebrities and ask them questions from their books.
This year I sat through a talk by Bob Clouser. I didn't know much about Bob except for the obvious things. He's considered an expert in fly fishing for bass and the inventor of the Clouser Minnow. After watching his presentation and talking to him I realized what he shared just scratched the surface of his knowledge. Another person I can never get enough of is David Whitlock. The Whitlocks drive from show to show. It has to be stressful traveling all the time and hardly ever sleeping in your own bed. Emily and Dave are always kind and friendly whenever you talk with them. Dave's art speaks for itself. I walked by his booth several times during the day and each time I saw something that caught my eye and had to stop.
Out of all the vendors and booths the one I saw the busiest dealt with Tenkara. Every time I walked by there was a group of people gathered around. Loften Deprez is a local from NC and an accomplished fly tier. The amazing thing is how much he has achieved at a young age. He's only 15 and tying flies commercially. At the show he was demonstrating how to tie Tenkara flies.
Sorry there isn't a ton of pictures. I forgot my camera. The fly show was in a new location for NC this year. The booths had a lot more room and the talks and seminars were in nice rooms with big screens and great sound. I'm happy it's not too far of a drive from Raleigh. I talked to many of the vendors and tiers. It seems many are happy with the new location and talking about how they can expand things even further next year.
The biggest surprise happened on my way home from the show. I got a call from a number I didn't recognize and when I answered.....
"Hello Kevin, this is April Vokey."
I had been talking with April via email for the last few months. Our talks were around her giving a presentation for the Triangle Fly Fishers. It has been a struggle since April requires a certain reasonable fee and many members of TFF are older and not quite sure who April is. I'm sure once they know what she is all about it will be a no brainer to get her to present for us. Still when I answered the phone I was wondering if maybe I was getting punked. I mean this was someone who I follow quite a bit. I read her blog and have watched many of her videos on youtube and listened to her podcasts. Having her call me was a little over whelming. I kept calm and tried not to seem star struck. I'm glad she called because there was some confusion on where exactly TFF was. She was visiting NY soon and hoping she could combine speaking at our club. When I explained we were in NC she laughed and explained the situation. I was amazed at her professionalism and candor on the phone. I'm still amazed she took the time to call me.
On my facebook I saw an update from Korker talking about a girl named April Vokey. There was a pic of her holding a huge steelhead and it looked like the stereotypical advertising shot. The model holding a fish, probably never has touched a rod before. I looked at April's website and realized my first impressions were not even close. She definitely has a passion for fishing and a appreciation for other women interested in the sport. Her blog is a good read and her pictures aren't hard on the eyes either. To find out more about her and her fishing adventures check out. http://flyaddicts.com/flygal/
