I escaped for my second fishing trip of the year this past weekend and again got a first-time salmon fisherman out on the water with me. He didn’t do so well the first day, struck by sea sickness, but days 2 and 3 showed improvement and though the fishing was slow, there was no shortage of excitement on the water! We saw numerous bears scooping up mussles on the shoreline, including a sow with two of the smallest cubs I’ve ever seen. There were more bald eagles than I’ve ever seen there before and I am continually amazed by their size and keen eyesight. The orcas (killer whales) also put on a show for us on Sunday as they seemed to dance all over the water and somehow miraculously not touch a single fishing line. I don’t know how they do it, but somehow in all my years of fishing I have never seen a pod of whales disrupt any fishing gear. I’m sure anglers in Alaska feel differently though with recent reports of whales there that have taken to stealing salmon right off anglers’ lines! So best be on the watch if you are in that area or your salmon may end up like the one in this video.

I see all of this wildlife fairly regularly and continue to be awed, inspired and rejuvenated by it. So if you’re thinking of getting out fishing this summer, stop thinking about it and just do it! You’ll rarely regret getting OutThere! and enjoying all that nature has to offer. Don’t forget to take a friend to help grow the sport, and to check out the RBFF’s Take Me Fishing page.

Well this was it: the 2008 Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival was finally here. As we gathered at the race site on Saturday morning, there was a nervous anticipation in the air. More than 150 teams from across North America had gathered in Vancouver for the biggest dragon boat event in North America. Some of the teams were fun recreational teams full of team spirit, positive attitudes and crazy costumes that included wigs and super-hero capes; others were more serious competitive teams that had trained hard all year for this weekend with an intense mix of dry-land training and on-water practices. It was a fantastic weekend of festival fun and on-the-edge-of-your-seat racing that was capped off by the Guts & Glory race. The top 16 placing teams of the event (including that of yours truly - yay team!) competed in this 2000 metre race - the equivalent of 4 races in 1 - that required sheer determination and grit. Crazy passes, sharp turns and near-collisions excited the crowd as the 16 boats progressed the course. In the end the FCRCC team proved the victors of both the overall event championship and the Guts & Glory competition. Kudos to them and congratulations to my own team for such a great showing this weekend! Go team go! Thanks also to all the crew of 450 volunteers coordinating teams in the racers village, at the marshalling area, down on the docks and OutThere! on the water.

This past weekend marked the 16th annual Painter’s Lodge Women’s Salmon Fishing Derby. Hosted by the great folks at Oak Bay Marine Group, my fishing buddy and I took to the water with almost 100 other women in search of the derby winner. We were skunked on Friday and had a bit of a wild ride back to the dock as we took “Greenies” (waves) over the front and side of the boat…but it was more fun than any roller coaster we’d ever been on! Our guide got a good chuckle out of it as we shrieked and laughed with every wave. Thankfully we were bundled up in our flotation suits that kept us warm and dry throughout the day and protected us from the gallons of water pouring into the boat!

Saturday and Sunday were absolutely gorgeous with calm water, a light wind and beautiful blue skies. Jill caught her first-ever salmon on Sunday and was pretty ecstatic about it as you can see in the photo! We caught another one just a few moments later and then spent the rest of the day taking in the scenery as our fishing weekend came to a close. Chalking up my first weekend of fishing this season as a successful one with nice fish and LOTS of fun, I can’t wait for my next fishing trip in a couple week’s time. Until next time, stay safe on the water and have fun OutThere!

Click here to see more photos from our trip.

I was out paddling last night when a fellow paddler got caught by a bad combination of wind and waves that capsized her boat. Thankfully she was wearing a properly fitted PFD and popped up to the surface right away. She’s not a strong swimmer, but with the assistance of the PFD and another paddler she was able to get her boat flipped back over and haul herself out of the water within a few minutes. Crisis diverted, right? Wrong. It didn’t take long for the effects of shock and hypothermia to set in. With intense shivering and difficulty breathing, she was helped out of the boat, re-dressed in dry clothes and wrapped in blankets. A call to the ambulance and a trip to the hospital later, she is now at home recovering from the incident. She was lucky, though her experience should serve as a reminder to us all to always be prepared for the unexpected and to never underestimate the effects of cold water. It’s worth noting the paddler had just purchased her new MV5801 Deluxe Paddling PFD on Thursday of last week; it sure didn’t take long for it to pay off. Paddle safe and have fun OutThere!

Mother’s Day is this Sunday and the phone lines will be burning up and restaurants will be packed as kids (young and old) mark a day just for mom. If your mom likes to get out on the water one of our limited edition Inflatable PFDs with HIT in hot pink might be perfect for her. You can find a dealer on our main website.

If you are far from home or have some time Sunday check out the Toyota Texas Bass Classic on CBS. Two Mustang Survival sponsored pro-anglers are featured in the show. Dave Mercer of Facts of Fishing is the event emcee and also provides color commentary. BassMaster Elite Series Angler Mike McClelland is one of the anglers and was part of the top pro-am team in the event.

A new dragon boat season is upon us and teams are out practising on Vancouver’s False Creek in preparation for the region’s biggest festival of the year - the Rio Tinto Dragon Boat Festival. Since my team’s practices commenced in February we have endured rain, wind and even snow, all in the effort of having fun and becoming as strong a team as we can be for the festival. Training however is just part of peak performance; the other part is equipment. I figure my part in ensuring my team is well-equipped is to make sure they all have the best new paddling PFD on the market: Mustang’s MV5801 Deluxe Paddling Vest! I wore prototypes of this vest last season as it progressed through its design stages and have to admit that I have completely fallen in love with it. It is without a doubt the most comfortable paddling PFD I have ever worn. The tapered sides allow me to bend and twist, the comfort features on the shoulder straps, waist and armholes keep me chafe-free and the Dri-Lex (R) lining keeps me dry and comfortable all day. I haven’t even gotten to the pockets big enough to fit my camera, keys and pretty much anything else I could ever want to throw in there, the good-looking style lines or the contoured fit yet, but I think I’ve probably boasted about it enough for one day (Plus if I go on anymore I’ll ruin the surprise you’ll have when you try it on for yourself, realize just how comfortable it is and wonder how you’ve ever paddled in anything else.)

After the Ice Rescue training at Lifesaving Resources I headed to the warmer climate of Florida for the Miami International Boat Show. It was great to see some of the amazing new boats out there and to dream about finding myself on one cruising the Keys. After waking up from my daydream it was down to business, checking out the countless displays and meeting with some of my contacts in the boating media.

One person that I was pleasantly surprised to meet while I was there is Bruce Wright Recreational Boating Safety Specialist with the US Coast Guard. Bruce travels for many months of the year with this amazing trailer he’s built to show people how comfortable lifejackets are now and gives them an opportunity to try different ones on to see which one is right for them. It was great to check it out first hand.

One of the coolest parts of the trailer is a simulator for kids. They get to put on a lifejacket and sit on seats that actually show them how a boat moves in the water while they can see what would be happening on a big screen in front of them. Its really quite cool.

If you are ever at an event where Bruce has the trailer its really worth checking out. Not only is it fun, it will educate you about being comfortable and safe on the water too!

From all reports the Toronto International Boat Show was a huge success. Our friends at BoaterExam.com sent us these pictures today from their booth and seems even Toronto Maple Leafs Centre Nik Antropov and Defenceman Ian White had stopped by the show to see what was new this year. Great picture guys. Thanks for sharing! We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled at the Vancouver Boat Show for some Canucks as not to be out done!

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