April Vokey began fly fishing as a child. By the time she was a teenager, she had dedicated her life to the sport and at the age of 24, she founded her own guiding operation. Since then, April has traveled the world, established herself as a respected angler, and started a podcast where she interviews some of fly fishing's most influential people. But for the British Columbia native, it all comes back to a deep-seated love for the sport and a connection with the land.
We caught up with April to talk about everything from her origins in the fly fishing world to the joys of living off the grid.
WHEN AND HOW DID YOU GET STARTED FLY FISHING?
When I was a little girl, I was in love with the water. Eventually, I learned that salmon enter the river during the spawn and I was intrigued by the way they swam up such narrow bodies of water. It didn’t take long for me to put two and two together and realize I had a decent chance of catching one if I had a hook in the water.
WHAT DRAWS YOU TO THE SPORT?
Fly-fishing is what you want it to be. Tranquility, excitement, adventure, simplicity, travel. You can choose to relax in a small stream in Colorado or you can travel into the jungles of Bolivia and risk jaguar encounters and other thrills.
YOU WEAR MULTIPLE HATS IN THE INDUSTRY, AMONG THEM ANGLER, GUIDE, PODCAST HOST, WRITER, AND ENTREPRENEUR. HOW DO YOU BALANCE IT ALL?
I don’t do a lot of sleeping and I stay true to my list of to-do’s. If I write it down, it gets done. Professionally, I’m most proud of my podcast. It’s so cool to connect people to one another. Many of my guests are older men and women who’ve never even heard of social media, so it’s been incredible to give them an outlet and watch the younger generation go out of their way to reach out to them.
YOU SPLIT YOUR TIME BETWEEN LIVING IN AUSTRALIA AND YOUR OFF-GRID CABIN IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. WHAT APPEALS TO YOU ABOUT OFF-GRID LIVING?
My husband is Australian, so we share our lives in each other’s countries. I’ve been here at my place in BC for six years now. We aren’t far from running water or grid power, we just choose not to connect to it. Truthfully, we simply haven’t needed to. When you live like this, everything tastes and feels better—plus, I appreciate the little things more. It sounds silly but for me, a major part of living like this is just how incredible all the “regular” things feel when I encounter them. Even gas station bathrooms start to look wonderful! I have a sense of connection and pride with my home that I’ve never had before.
WHAT MOTIVATES AND INSPIRES YOU?
The answer to this has changed since I’ve had a baby. It’s always been important for me to cherish each day, but now that I have a daughter, it’s even more important for me to enjoy the little things (which is also why I do so much of my work at night after she’s asleep).
IF YOU COULD FLY FISH ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
British Columbia for steelhead.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GOAL ZERO PRODUCT THUS FAR AND WHY?
I absolutely adore the Goal Zero Yeti 3000. I love that it silently powers my whole house and then some, and has thoughtful features laced throughout it. I can’t believe I spent so many years in the dark.