BY SCOTT HADDOW
Wild Northerner staff
Adam Vallee has turned his passion for angling into a job, and he hopes it will become his career.
After being a firefighter EMT for more than eight years, Vallee, 32, was done not chasing his dream of working in the fishing industry and actually making it work in life.
Last year, Vallee did a mock season of guiding in the Algoma area of northern Ontario – his stomping grounds. It worked well enough for Vallee to start his guiding business this year and jump into all in. He has served and provided numerous clients so far this year, delivering bruising bass to bulging brook trout. It was not an easy decision to make for Vallee. Life is full of hard choices and making poor ones results in tough consequences. Vallee gave up what was a known commodity in what he had established in his life. He had worked hard to get to this point. Vallee has his heart and soul into his guiding venture. He has the same tenacity as always and knows he can make it a success. Vallee took time out to give with Wild Northerner a rundown on his first season as a professional guide.
Q - Tell the readers about where you are a fishing guide, how you got the job and what your job as a guide encompasses?
A - Angling Algoma is a guide corporation that encompasses the area north of Sault Ste. Marie to the Sudbury district. I created the company to start a job that I truly loved to do and to start driving tourism to my local area.
Q - What kind fishing experience do you have that makes you a resourceful guide?
A - For fishing experiences I have been on most of the bodies of water that I guide for 25 plus years giving me a lot of experience on these water ways. I am a tournament professional as well who travels to lucrative events through the United States and Ontario. For example, 2013 Michigan state team qualifier 3rd in the state that year.
Q - What can you tell us about your passion for fishing?
A - My passion for fishing runs deep. Since I was as young as I can remember I would fish every day I had a chance and all day long. I have now been blessed enough that I can turn my true passion into my career.
Q - You have extensive tournament fishing under your belt. What is it like to go from a tourney angler to a guide?
A - Tourney angler to guide are definitely two different worlds that have some similarities mixed in. Guiding tends to mix in with the ability to adjust to break down water quickly, and knowing what to tell people to use and teaching techniques for what is going on that particular day. The main difference that most people fail to realize is that guiding for a living is not fishing for a living. Guiding is the ability to put other people on fish and give them the memories and experience of the memorable first catch or day on the water. The best part of my job is knowing that. The memories made in my boat will be life long.
Q - You’re in your first year of official guiding after doing it for a one-year mock trial. What are some things that have stood out in your first season as a guide?
A - Everyone always remembers their best fishing stories. Some things that stood out for me so far are how much less fishing time I get on the water LOL, and how many great people I get to meet doing this job. People from all over the world. I have had people from Australia and Scotland and various places in the United States and western Canada.
Q - What do you do to help ensure clients not only have a chance at fish, but, overall, a good time on the water?
A - I try to always be personable and teach while I am on the boat. About 90 percent of the time we are fishing without bait so teaching a technique gives the client something to take home at the end of the day as well.
Q - What does it mean to you to share your angling passion through guiding?
A - Sharing my passion is one of the best things about the job. Opening people’s eyes on the industry itself as well as helping make those life lasting memories that people never forget. Highlights would include the amount of great people that I have had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with from all over the world. Helping a kid or even adult catch that fish that makes them smile uncontrollably.
Q - What has been a few of your highlights so far as a guide?
A - Highlights would include the amount of great people that I have had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with from all over the world. Helping a kid or even adult catch that fish that makes them smile uncontrollably.
Q - Have you learned anything new about yourself and/or fishing in this first season?
A - I have learned how much patience is involved and how little fishing is involved in the business. I personally try to learn new things and take something from the water every day I can. Whether it's adjusting to conditions to put people on fish or a new lure or niche from a guest.
Q - Fishing isn’t always easy. As a guide, how hard do you work each day and week to make the best experience possible for clients? Is there extra work behind the scenes?
A - I work endlessly; basically, there is always something fishing related being done. Behind the scenes work is also endless. Any day possible to be in the office has to be taken. Just an idea of some of the behind the scenes work include boat and equipment maintenance, returning calls, emails, setting up meeting places each day, chasing partnerships, constant driving, invoices, articles, networking, social media, website etc.
Q - To realize this job and make it happen for you and your family, what does this mean to you personally?
A – Personally, I feel blessed to be able to put everything into something I have always had a very strong passion for. I'm excited for the future going forward.
Q - How crazy was it to try this and make it work? There must have been some anxious times?
A - It was beyond crazy to make it work. Took me roughly a year and a half to set things up and even with the amount of work that I had put in there was still a lot of unknowns.
Q - How much, would you say, of your heart, sweat and soul have you put into realizing this next step in the industry and has it changed you in any way?
A - I have literally put everything into this next step. To say I jumped in with both feet would be an understatement. It is changing me in too many ways to even comment. Just mindset and health alone are huge factors I have noticed.
Q - What is truly awesome about being a guide in northern Ontario? What do you love the most and why?
A - I would say the best part is being able to show guests how lucky we are in northern Ontario and kind of show off what I think is the best part about living in the North. We are beyond blessed in the North it is truly any outdoors mans dream up here.
Q - What are you looking forward to as you get more experience as a guide and into the future?
A - I'm looking forward to hopefully growth enough to supply employment and to see how much better I become as a fisherman overall, and always being on the water day after day.
Q
Tell the readers about where you are a fishing guide, how you got the job and what your job as a guide encompasses?
A
Angling Algoma is a guide corporation that encompasses the area north of Sault Ste. Marie to the Sudbury district. I created the company to start a job that I truly loved to do and to start driving tourism to my local area.
Q
What kind fishing experience do you have that makes you a resourceful guide?
A
For fishing experiences I have been on most of the bodies of water that I guide for 25 plus years giving me a lot of experience on these water ways. I am a tournament professional as well who travels to lucrative events through the United States and Ontario. For example, 2013 Michigan state team qualifier 3rd in the state that year.
Q
Tell the readers about where you are a fishing guide, how you got the job and what your job as a guide encompasses?