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interview
and photo
by Jim McLennan |
Dave Brown
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Western
fly fisherman, bird hunter,
fly shop owner and tireless guide |
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Whether he’s tying flies at his Fernie, B.C., fly shop,
Elk River Angler, or working the fields with his bevy of Brittany
bird dogs, Dave Brown is one dedicated outdoorsman.
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ON
BECOMING AN ANGLER
I fished with my dad when I was three in southern Ontario. By
11, I was a smallmouth bass fanatic on the Grand River, using
spinners. At 12, my mother bought me my first fly rod, and about
three years later I started hanging around with Sandra Knott,
who is Ted Knott’s daughter. Ted was a well-known cane-rod
maker in southern Ontario, and he’d take me out fishing.
ON A TYPICAL WORKDAY
Generally I’m up at six, tying a few last-minute flies,
checking my e-mails. By eight our shop manager is in, and about
nine the guides start to appear. By 9:30 the clients start to
arrive, and it’s all about filling out fishing licences,
selling flies and ensuring that the guides and the clients are
compatible. Then they’re off, and I’m usually off
at that time, because I guide, too. For me there’s a big
sigh of relief as soon as I’m on the river. The cellphone
is turned off and there’s no e-mail to look at until the
night. Generally, we’re fishing till about 7:30 and then
we’re back in with the clients. We drop them off, I go
wash my boat out and get ready to do it again the next day.
The company will do about 700 guided fishing trips a year, both
in B.C. and in southern Alberta. And we’ll do about 30
guided hunts this year in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
ON THE OFF-SEASON
When all the guides are paid and it’s time to shut down
for the year, I just start hunting—checking out new areas
to hunt in southern Alberta, keeping the dogs in shape and getting
some personal space.
ON THE BEST PART OF HIS JOB
There are lots of best things. One is that I’m always
outside, which I just love. And the people—meeting people
from all over, usually North America, but sometimes the world,
and exposing them to our environment and our country and our
great fishing and hunting, which, as Canadians, we usually underrate
rather than overrate.
ON BECOMING A HUNTER
I was stationed in Petawawa [Ontario] with the Canadian Airborne
Regiment. The mailman who delivered to my house was an avid
ruffed grouse and woodcock hunter over Labs, and we used to
train dogs and shoot a little trap, and that’s when I
first started getting into upland birds. I really left bird
hunting alone until about seven or eight years ago, when a client
of mine took me out to a shooting preserve. That’s all
it took, and I’ve gone nuts ever since. You either go
all the way or don’t go at all.
ON HIS LOVE OF BIRD DOGS
What takes bird hunting to a different level than fly fishing
is the fact that you’re involved with a live animal that
is bred to go out and find, point and retrieve birds. If you
want good dogs, you have to commit to those dogs. I’m
more interested in getting the dog-work than filling my freezer.
ON WHAT’S MOST REWARDING
In the fishing department, it’s getting children into
fishing. Recently, I had an 11-year-old girl in my boat. She
landed one fish the whole day, but that was just stellar. Hopefully
it plants a seed for her. Hunting-wise, watching a young dog
point and do it all right. I really like watching the lights
turn on in a young dog, or when it comes to fishing, a light
going on in a young person. 
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