Roger’s Waters
In June we had the pleasure of hosting Roger Waters and his production manager, Trip (aptly named), for 3 glorious days of trout fishing on the Chilko River. A legendary rock celebrity from the band, Pink Floyd, Roger arrived by A-Star helicopter after his concert in Vancouver. I am not the type to be star-struck but was the first to admit it was all quite surreal – as my favourite song as a youth was “Wish You Were Here”. For the record, and contrary to rumour, I did not try and force Roger to listen to my acoustic version! I felt his three refusals and threats of a restraining order were a good indication that he was reluctant to hear it.
If you have ever seen Pink Floyd or Mr. Waters in concert, you will know that they are polished and well prepared. This fishing trip was no exception. They sent up a float plane in advance for us to hop from lake to lake to cast lines and check productivity. We had a crew of experienced guides at their disposal: Avid fisherman and Blackcomb Helicopter founder, Steve Flynn, was the lead reconnaissance and pilot/guide, Peter Nori, was the helicopter pilot extraordinaire. Local knowledge and boat handling was provided by myself and Clint Goyette of Valley Fishing Guides.
Our guests had requested peace and quiet and reserved the entire lodge accordingly. Chef Rebecca, who has cooked in Europe for many dignitaries was up to the task of orchestrating fine dining and we had our sommelier, Andy Butler, sourcing out the finest wines he could muster out of Vancouver.
Roger Waters is an accomplished fly caster and has fished throughout the world. At this time in June, most of the province was washed out (flooding) but the Chilko has the unique distinction of being B.C.’s clearest drainage and the cerulean blue waters did not disappoint. The fishing was not outstanding but good, and our guests were pleased.
The real highlight for me was listening to Roger tell stories about his 40 years in the music industry. He was charming to our staff and thanked each and everyone personally on his departure. To be candid, I hadn’t heard much about Mr. Waters over the years but perhaps him being so friendly and gracious doesn’t make for much in the way of People Magazine fodder?
I also realized that celebrities must love traveling to places like Chilko Lake so they can just be themselves. They can spend time with their colleagues and friends and not have a camera stuck in their face.
In a way, we are as remote as “The Dark Side of the Moon”. But our service is better.