Mike Stiles fishes from a dock during the Fishing Forever event organizes by Osoyoos Wildlife Federation for people with disabilities. The private pond stocked with rainbow trout is wheelchair accessible. (Richard McGuire photo)
It’s a sunny warm Saturday and several people are sitting by an idyllic pond dangling fishing lines in the water.
A common scene, perhaps, but what makes it different is that these avid anglers are in wheelchairs.
Fishing Forever is an event organized here by the Osoyoos Wildlife Federation, an angling and hunting group of roughly 80 members. This is its second year in the Osoyoos area.
The event, which gives people with disabilities an opportunity to get out in nature and fish, originated with the B.C. Wildlife Federation and is held by affiliated clubs in other locations around the province.
“I’m a fisherman,” said Norm Eady, who organized the local event, which took place at a private pond owned by Brian and Carolyne Strohmann on Anarchist Mountain.
“I’ve always liked to fish,” said Eady. “Our family, the siblings, my son, my grandson, we’re all fishermen. There’s a peace about fishing that’s not just the fact that you’re catching the fish. It’s the outing itself with the family and that cherished time together.
“There’s no competition, no arguments. It’s just quality time where everyone can get together from grandchild right to grandfather and do the same thing and enjoy it.”
The event, he said, is a way to bring that experience to people with disabilities, who can also participate with their families.
Eady was made aware of Fishing Forever by Al Springer from Peachland, who has been a lead organizer of the event.
Springer told Eady that he needed volunteers and a lake if he wanted to organize an event for Osoyoos.
Eady said it took him about nine months to try to find a lake that was both wheelchair accessible and had fish.
“That was one of the complaints we heard that they got wheelchairs into some of these lakes, but with 25 people fishing and only a small handful catching fish,” he said. “That can be frustrating.”
At last, Eady was talking about the dilemma at a B.C. Wildlife Federation annual general meeting and someone suggested to him that he should try to find a private lake.
He wondered aloud where he could find one.
Standing next to him and hearing the conversation was David Strohmann, the son of pond owners Brian and Carolyne Strohmann.
“We’ve got one,” he offered.
At the first event in 2014, Eady estimates up to 50 people came out.
At the Strohmann’s property, people arrive throughout the morning as volunteers set up a barbecue.
On the end of a dock Mike Stiles from Osoyoos sits in a wheelchair and casts his line. Moments later, he pulls up a rainbow trout.
Stiles has been in a wheelchair for more than 30 years since an equestrian accident left him as a quadriplegic.
“The places I can go to fish are very limited,” he said, adding that he has been fishing ever since he grew up in Alberta. “Sometimes I get out in a boat, which is easier, because once you’re in the boat, you’re free to go anywhere. But lakes and rivers, most of the banks are hilly and very awkward in a wheelchair. At best there’s more wheelchair accessible docks going in all the time, so that’s always a good solution.”
Stiles hopes that an accessible fishing dock can be put in on Osoyoos Lake, perhaps near the bridge, which is a good fishing spot.
“This was a one-day event, but I would like people to keep an eye out for possible accessible fishing locations and contact me because I, and others who are disabled, would love to get out fishing more often,” he said.
Several volunteers help Stiles to put bait on his line, to remove the hooks from the fish and to harvest the fish once he catches them.
There’s a flurry of activity in the water beyond the dock as some large trout jostle for a bit of food that has been thrown on the water. Moments later, Stiles lands a big one.
“Last year I caught a bunch of small ones, but this year I caught a very nice bigger one,” said Stiles. “It’s a great opportunity for people to get out and fish. If people know anybody who’s disabled, they always like to get out and sometimes they need a little bit more assistance. I love fishing, but the wilderness isn’t made wheelchair accessible.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Mike Stiles (right) has a rainbow trout on the line as he fishes from a dock during the Fishing Forever event organizes by Osoyoos Wildlife Federation for people with disabilities. The private pond stocked with rainbow trout is wheelchair accessible. Watching the action and helping out is Gerald Davis, who is director of community services with the Town of Osoyoos when he’s not fishing. (Richard McGuire photo)
Mike Stiles caught this rainbow trout while fishing from the dock during Fishing Forever, organized by the Osoyoos Wildlife Federation. Stiles was an avid angler before a horse riding accident left him a quadriplegic. It is difficult, he said, for those in wheelchairs to find accessible fishing. (Richard McGuire photo)
After landing a couple of smaller rainbow trout, Mike Stiles managed to catch this big one. Stiles, who is a quadriplegic and requires a wheelchair, was taking part in Fishing Forever, organized by the Osoyoos Wildlife Federation for those with disabilities. (Richard McGuire photo)
After landing a couple of smaller rainbow trout, Mike Stiles managed to catch this big one. Stiles, who is a quadriplegic and requires a wheelchair, was taking part in Fishing Forever, organized by the Osoyoos Wildlife Federation for those with disabilities. (Richard McGuire photo)
Mike Stiles caught this rainbow trout while fishing from the dock during Fishing Forever, organized by the Osoyoos Wildlife Federation. He shows it to his daughter Claire, who is 16 months old. (Richard McGuire photo)
