Recently our friend Pam came out for a day of guided fishing at Lake Minnewanka, the largest lake in Banff National Park.  "My initial reaction was to laugh. I haven’t gone fishing since I was 12 years old...With fond memories of larger than life fish stories, I made the 15-minute drive from the Banff townsite to Lake Minnewanka." Ian our fishing guide met Pam on the dock with the gear needed for the trip, they jumped in the boat and the day began.  During the fishing trip they traveled along the shores of Lake Minnewanka spotting bald eagles and learning all about the people and history of this area. Ian took her to all the local hot spots and showed her the tricks to down-rigging and jigging, “the art of fishing”!  

"I jigged up quickly and felt a big pull. I had a fish! The problem was that my line was still 100 feet away. My right hand ached and my left hand felt awkward as I tried to reel in my catch. Ian held my rod and coached me through the motions. The fish was fighting, I was smiling and giddy as a school girl on her last day of school. I wanted to fish, like now! After a few minutes of fighting we could see my fish through the water. He was a big one- well bigger than our first catch of the day. Ian grabbed the net as I kept reeling in my catch. When it was finally onboard the boat, I wanted to do a little dance, I was so excited."  

To read more about Pam's fishing adventure in the Canadian Rockies read her blog at SpunkyGirl Monologues.