Fishing across the Canadian Rockies just got easier
By Nicholas Allen - for the Lethbridge Herald on May 3, 2022.
Fishing enthusiasts of the lakes, rivers and streams in the Canadian Rockies have a new guidebook to help.The second edition of Fishing the Canadian Rockies by southern Alberta author Joey Ambrosi updates the information from the original with more detailed descriptions and colour maps for easier comprehension. Joey Ambrosi, the writer of three hiking and three fishing books, says that things have changed since the first edition was published about 20 years ago.
“There’s always new fish stocked in lakes or some lakes. They have winter kill or all kinds of things happen,” said Ambrosi. “So I knew that the 2001 version was getting out of date, but it’s a big effort to redo one of these.”
Ambrosi said that some of the lakes in his guidebook you would need to hike four days into the woods to find. He says that getting government records for what they have stocked is important to see if new fish have been put into lakes. According to Ambrosi, he visited roughly 700 lakes over two years to develop an accurate guide that includes two new areas of the Rocky Mountains.
“It’s very well updated and all colour. All the maps are colour and they’re very accurate,” said Ambrosi, “They’re all from Google Earth or Google Maps. So, everything is right where they should be.”
Ambrosi said that the process of self-publishing the first edition was a hassle, and he sought to simplify the process by finding a publisher. After completing all the maps, he sent a chapter and the introduction to ten different publishing agencies. Hancock House out of Vancouver was the first of several to respond wanting to work together on the book.
“I don’t think I’ll make as much money on this one, but the distribution will be better because the professionals are taking over that part of it,” said Ambrosi. “I’ll get a little bit of money once in a while, but it was always just a labour of love.”
There is an increase of people finding that same love of fishing, according to Ambrosi. He said there are lakes with close to 50 people fishing that only had one or two before. Ambrosi has no problem with this, saying, “I think it’s just great that people are sort of rediscovering the outdoors, whether it’s hiking trails or fishing.”
To find a copy of Fishing the Canadian Rockies, visit your local bookstore or go online to get it directly from the publisher Hancock House. 2
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