Where Are They Now?

Photo supplied. This giant Pike was fattening up for the winter when he was caught.

Ryan Gregory Produces Arctic Fishing Series in Yellowknife

Ryan Gregory caught the fishing bug early. At two years of age two, his father Wayne set him up with a fishing.  Growing up around the corner from the Mill pond, he took full advantage of local fishing spots. As he got older, he would spend the whole day further afield with his gear, fishing in Port Hope and Wilmot Creek near Bowmanville.  As his skills developed, he began to fish competitively in the bass tournaments in the Kawartha’s.

Ryan managed to incorporate his fishing obsession into his work as a teenager.  During his high school years at St. Peter’s Catholic School, he helped out at the Linwood Trout Farm in Campbellcroft- the source of the fish stock poured into the Millpond each year for the fishing derby.  Later he worked at Gagnon’s Sports, a large sporting goods store in Oshawa.  He eventually left  the outdoor retail industry and attended Fleming College where he earned a diploma as an Environmental Technician.

Nine years ago, Ryan and his wife moved to Yellowknife.  The capital of the Northwest Territories (NWT), this city is located on the shores of Great Slave Lake, and surrounded by thousands of lakes and rivers.  It was established in the 1930’s after the discovery of gold brought prospectors seeking their fortune, and is a vibrant community embracing the outdoors, with an average resident age of 33.  It is also considered a world class destination for anglers.  He is the Coordinator for Aquatic Research and Monitoring for the NWT.

The ice comes out of the lakes in June, so during the short summer season, Ryan takes advantage of the days of 24 hour sunshine to chase Northern Pike, Inconnu and Lake Trout on Great Slave Lake.  During the long winter, a Skidoo he takes to the ice, visiting pristine lakes where plenty of Walleye, Whitefish, Northern Pike and Lake Trout await.

His film activities began later in life.  In 2017, he pitched a local film festival for the opportunity to produce a film about fishing, and it aired on the local community channel in 2018.  The following year he was awarded funding and sponsorship, and the original film became the pilot for what is now a fishing series called Fish’N The Arctic, where he explores local and remote arctic watersheds throughout the year.  For the series, Ryan teamed up he teamed up with a young professional fishing charter company that provides private fishing trips with a local guide to help visitors catch their trophy on day or overnight fishing trips on Great Slave Lake.

Season 1 consists of three new episodes in addition to the original pilot and is currently airing on NorthwesTel Community TV, as well as on WildTV, a specialty cable channel focused on fishing, hunting and outdoor adventure.  It airs this Friday at 8:30 am on WildTV.  Ryan produces and hosts the series which follows him as he pursues different species of fish in different waters and seasons.

According to his parents Wayne and Marg, Ryan is living his dream- and one that he foresaw at an early age.  He described his future in fishing, environmental protection and fishing adventure film production in a grade school assignment when he was twelve.

Ryan is taking his success in stride, and enjoying every minute and hopes to extend his fishing adventures to offering guided trips in the future.   Given his track record, one shouldn’t bet against him.

To follow Ryan’s adventures, visit his YouTube channel www.YouTube.com/c/FishNTheArctic where he shares his adventures, tips and trophy catches.  KG

 

 

 

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