Earth Scientist by Training
fishThere are a lot of truck bed accessory options out there. Ultimately, what drove you to DiamondBack?
John: Two main things drove me to DiamondBack: quality construction and quality design. I expect a lot from my equipment and have learnt the hard way that construction matters when it comes to longevity and things functioning the way they should, even if it costs a little more. These lessons also apply to design and DiamondBack executes that really well, right down to collaborations with other companies so that accessories fit and function like the covers do.
While we may all dream 24/7 about that one spot, or our next outing. On a typical day, where would we find you?
John: On a typical day, you would most likely find me on the Bow River in Calgary fly fishing for the next brown or rainbow trout. The Bow is a powerful, beautiful, and humbling river for any angler but when you hook into a 20+" trout after you have thought about how you would fish that day and with what, looked at the weather and flow conditions, and ultimately read the river right is a feeling that can't be beat.
You’re headed out on a weekend trip. Where are you headed?
John: The eastern slopes of Alberta are an angler's paradise and when time allows, fishing for cutthroat trout on the Oldman and Livingstone Rivers is magical. The scenery is spectacular and random camping is excellent. Alternatively, if we are in New Zealand, the trout rivers around Lake Rotoiti in the South Island ramp up the skill challenge for sight fishing - some of the most easily spooked fish I have ever come across.
Variety may be the spice of life, but what is one faithful fly you won’t leave home without?
John: The one fly that is always in my fly box, no matter where I am fishing, is a Will's Chai-T jig nymph. These are tied by a local angler here in Calgary, AB, Will Stokes, and trout of all varieties just cannot get enough of them.
What is one piece of gear you’ll never fish without?
John: There's a long list of angling tools like nippers, forceps, wading staff and so on but the one thing I never fish without is actually a sunscreen stick! One is kept permanently in the truck and one in my fishing bag.
Give us an inside look at your bed setup. What is one thing we could always count on finding underneath your DiamondBack?
John: There will always be a Diamondback Cross Bin 8 which is typically full of fishing rods and the gear that you hope to never have to use, but should have with you anyway! In addition to the Cross Bin, I typically have two Rotopax fuel containers attached to the box sides - this keeps them out of the way in the bed itself and as they're under the HD cover, they're protected from direct sun and light fingers!
Tell us about one trail or trip that you’ll never forget?
John: This trip was a few years ago in New Zealand, where I grew up but didn't fly fish (unlike my mother, father and grandfather) on a tributary to the famous Buller River. When I was young, my father used to spend hours fishing for those elusive New Zealand brown trout on that river- often without success. Even so, the taste of the occasional trout he brought home remains seared in my memory. Fast forward to the present day - I thought I would try my luck using one of my father's old dry flies that was at least 50 years old - a rusty brown and raggedy caddis like imitation. It was a hot day and water levels were low but I thought I'd try my luck on that small tributary. Drifting that fly along a short run that was maybe a foot and a half deep next to a grassy bank triggered a well hidden and large brown trout to erupt from under the bank. The fish was side on to me when it took the fly on the surface and I swear it was looking directly at me as it inhaled the fly. Things seemed to pause as I was struck by the most spectacular markings I have ever seen on a fish. Then the line tightened and, after a brief fight, it was gone. I still think about that fish.
