Osoyoos Elementary School Grade 7 student Bryson Garska may only be 12 years of age, but he’s already a veteran angler as he has been fishing on a regular basis since he was a little boy. Garska proudly shows off the beautiful 8.5 pound rainbow trout he caught recently while fishing off the bridge on Lake Osoyoos. Garska caught a 12-pound rainbow at age six. (Photo supplied)
Bryson Garska, 12, is going to have powerful forearms when he grows up if he keeps reeling in massive fish.
At the tender age of six, Garska caught a 12-pound rainbow trout while fishing on Osoyoos Lake.
Some anglers can fish their entire lives and never catch a beauty like that, said his proud father Brad, a longtime employee of the Town of Osoyoos.
Ten days ago, Bryson added to his impressive collection as he nabbed another rainbow trout that tipped the scales at 8.5 pounds, while casting off the bridge that separates the north and south side of Osoyoos Lake.
Fishing off the bridge is very common for veteran anglers who live in Osoyoos and young Bryson fits right in with them as he spends virtually every day after school and much of his free time on weekends trying to land the next big one.
“I love fishing,” said the friendly youngster matter of factly. “There’s nothing I would rather do. I try and get down there everyday after school and I will spend most of my weekends there.
“There are a lot of really nice fish in this lake and there are a lot of other guys trying to catch them, so it’s a challenge to get some nice fish.”
The Grade 7 student at Osoyoos Elementary School is carrying on the family tradition as his father and many generations in the Garska clan are avid anglers.
“My Dad used to fish, but he wasn’t a fanatic like I am,” said Brad. “But his father lived for fishing and I know several generations before that were also right into it.
“I grew up fishing almost every day and I tried to pass that on to my son and he’s been hooked since he was a little boy.”
The regular anglers who fish from the bridge in Osoyoos treat his son with great respect and know that Bryson knows exactly what he’s doing, he said.
“There’s a great gang of regulars that fish from the bridge and they’ve all taken Bryson under their wing,” he said. “He’s just a young boy, but they treat him great and help him out if he happens to land a big one.”
Bryson said reeling in a rainbow trout that weighs more than eight pounds is a thrill – and a workout.
“I was using a $10 rod and rapala lure and when it first hit, I didn’t think it was a big fish at all,” he said. “It wasn’t until I lifted him out of the water the first time and tried reeling him in up the railing of the bridge that I knew it was a really nice fish.
“It was so big, I had to let go some line a couple of times … it took me about 15 to 20 minutes to finally get him in.”
When he’s not spending endless hours fishing, Bryson does have other athletic pursuits as he’s a talented hockey player who played last season with the South Okanagan Junior Coyotes peewee rep team that qualified for the provincial championships.
“I basically fish in the summer and play hockey in the winter,” he said.
While he releases most of the fish he catches, Bryson and his dad decided to keep his most recent prize catch.
It fed his mom and dad and sister, Bridgette, 15, not only for dinner, but also lunch the next day.
Bryson has no doubts he will be trying to land more big fish for many years to come.
“I find fishing a lot of fun and it’s also very relaxing,” he said. “I’ve met a lot of good friends who also love to fish and I can’t say anything bad about it.”
Bryson says he’s looking forward to getting out of school in a couple of weeks, so he can spend more time fishing.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
