Maple Ridge angler Todd Oishi added to his trophy case at the 14th Canadian National Fly Fishing Championships, which were held in the Interior during the first week of October.
Oishi won the individual gold medal, and also the title of “Top Rod” at the nationals by recording the highest number of fish caught at the 2016 championships with 104.
The event was held at five different venues in the Merritt and Princeton areas, and a total of 47 competitors from across Canada and the U.S. attended. They fished five three-hour sessions of competition that was held over a period of three days.
There were three lake sessions that took place on Corbett, Batstone and Tunkwa lakes, and two river sessions with the competitors fly fishing on the Similkameen River, several kilometers downstream of the town of Princeton.
Rainbow trout were the targeted species of fish in all three lake venues, while rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and whitefish were the targeted species in the Similkameen River venue.
A staggering and record-breaking number of 1,987 fish were recorded by the 47 competitors.
Oishi shattered the previous national records for fish caught in a single session, by recording 53 fish in a three-hour session on the Similkameen River during competition on the second day.
“The conditions and weather were absolutely ideal throughout the championships and allowed the visitors to the area the opportunity to enjoy the splendor of the autumn colours of this region,” said Oishi.
He said the competitors were overwhelmed with the quality of the angling they experienced – the sheer numbers and size of the fish in both the lakes and rivers.
Oishi was also part of the gold-medal-winning Team Cormorant. He was also part of a bronze-medal winning team, the Troot Legends, which also included Evan Paterson of Maple Ridge.
Earlier this year, Oishi won gold at the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships.