They are all around us, and yet so many barely know they are there. For others, though, birds are a major fascination — an obsession, even. I’m Robert Koopmans and today on The Outdoor Narrative, we’re talking to an expert birdwatcher.

 Rick Howie has been pursuing birds for more than 40 years. The Kamloops habitat biologist, now retired from a career with government, has long been recognized as ‘the’ local expert, the guy you turn to when you when you have a question about a bird you have seen but don’t know what it is. If anyone will know, Rick will.

 I met Rick near a local wildlife reserve recently to talk about some of the activity’s unique aspects, including competitive birdwatching, the role of trust and reputation amongst birdwatchers, the ethics and the equipment.

In every community, there are those who are recognized for mastery in a chosen craft. I’m Robert Koopmans and today on The Outdoor Narrative, I’m talking with a true master — Kamloops fly-fisher Mo Bradley.

There are many adjectives one could use to describe Mo Bradley, and it’s likely most have been used by someone at some point. Of all of the adjectives, though, passionate is likely the most accurate. Now 81 years old, Mo is still as hooked on fly-fishing as he was when he came to Canada from England more than 50 years ago.

Mo was also known for having strong opinions about fly fishing and how it should be done. He still has strong opinions and a willingness to share them.

Mo was one of the area’s fly-fishing pioneers, a keen observer of the natural environment who joined other notable pioneers, including the likes of Jack Shaw, in pursuit of rainbow trout with fly patterns that mimicked natural insects instead of the wet flies and attractor patterns used by previous generations.

 Mo even went as far as keeping aquariums in his basement where he could watch insects in various stages of development, so he could build fly patterns that better fooled fish.

Several years ago, Mo suffered an aneurysm that stole most of his vision. While many would see such a blow as an end to fishing, Mo refused to set aside his passion. Today he is still tying flies, building rods, and getting on the water as often as he can. But most importantly, he is still trying to help others wade though the mysteries of fly-fishing, something he says he will do, “until the day comes …”

 Just recently, Mo and Vancouver writer Mark Hume released a book called Trout School that pulls together the knowledge he has accumulated through decades of pursuing Kamloops trout.

 I had a chance to sit down with Mo recently to talk about his book, and his love of fishing for Kamloops trout …

Angling in B.C.’s lakes is mostly possible because of our extensive fish hatchery program. Today on the Outdoor Narrative, we’re visiting a trout hatchery.

The Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC is a not-for-profit agency created to manage the province’s six fish hatcheries. Supported entirely by money received from the sale of fishing licences, the society raises eight million trout, char and kokanee every year and releases them into more than 800 lakes.

I took a drive to Clearwater, B.C., to visit the Society’s trout hatchery there. Hatchery worker Jeff Kuhn gave me a tour through the facility as his team gets ready for the upcoming release of trout and kokanee into local lakes…

Two weeks ago, when I spoke with Dr. Dave Kreutzweiser, a retired Canadian Forest Service research scientist, about glyphosate spraying in forests, I also reached out to B.C. MLA Mike Morris, whose ad opposing its use sparked my interest in the subject.

 I couldn’t reach Mike then, but we had the chance to talk the other day and I wanted to make sure that Mike’s perspective is heard. In this brief episode update, I spoke with Mike about what has led him to want to ban the use of glyphosate all together from BC’s forests.

After our conversation, I understand better why Mike is opposed. He’s not disputing the science so much as the effect of the chemical’s use in areas he knows well — areas he has spent a lifetime trapping and hunting.

I don’t doubt Mike when he says he has seen reductions in wildlife across the places he travels. It’s his country. He knows it better than me, and better than scientists from outside the area. Perhaps it is possible that glyphosate and its effect on vegetation in Mike’s area has affected animal populations, by displacing them elsewhere.

Whether that means we should ban its use is another question, and one I don’t have an answer for.

The Canadian Forest Service says the chemical is an important forest management tool and banning it would have financial consequences on forest companies, mills and perhaps even communities who suffer the impacts of a reduced wood supply.

This is a difficult issue to balance, and I hope that as we consider it, we will  make a decision that balances impacts against benefits in a way that makes sense for the broader community.

I’m not sure where I heard the term ‘switch rod,’ but when I looked into it, I was immediately interested. A switch rod is a two-handed fly-fishing rod. It’s like a big spey rod but smaller.

This style of rod is designed to meet the needs of angler who fish for trout, and even steelhead and salmon, in smaller lakes and rivers. Like any gear-related topic, it has its own terms, like Skagit heads and scandi heads, Snap Ts and snake rolls.

To learn more, I headed to Trout Waters in Kelowna to talk with Nick Pace, the shop’s owner, to get some advice.

With my new rod in hand, I decided to follow Nick’s advice and get some proper instruction about how to cast a two-handed rod.

I reached out to Jordan Oelrich, a Kamloops-based fishing guide who has fished with two-handed rods for many years.

We headed for a local river one evening to wade the current and learn the basics of water anchors, roll casts, Snap T casts and double spey casts and shooting line.

After my casting lesson, all that was left was to put it all together and chase some fish. I headed back to the river a couple of days later for an early morning river cruise in search of rainbow trout.

There’s an ongoing debate in B.C. and Canada around whether we should spray growing pine forests with glyphosate, a herbicide made to kill aspen, poplar and other deciduous trees. The chemical is used as a forest management tool to give young conifers a head start.

Today we’re talking with Canadian Forest Services research scientist Dr. Dave Kreutzweiser about aerial spraying in B.C.'s forests ...

Ask anyone who is interested in stillwater fly-fishing on B.C.’s interior lakes and they will tell you they have heard of Brian Chan. There are likely no anglers around who know more about rainbow trout and the best ways to catch them than Brian.

Now retired, Brian is a former government fisheries biologist who has also devoted much of his life to sport fishing. More importantly, he has been willing to share with others all the knowledge he had developed through the years.

He is the author of numerous books and guides on stillwater fly fishing. He is an expert fly tier and has an amazing body of knowledge on insects and their life stages. He has been featured in countless videos, hosted many workshops and helped countless numbers of anglers learn how to catch fish with flies in our local lakes.

I had the privilege of sitting down with Brian recently in his Kamloops home to talk about rainbow trout, and why our part of the world is home to such spectacular angling …

On today's episode I chat with Kyle Stelter, the president of the Wild Sheep Society of B.C. His group, a non-profit registered society, is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of B.C.'s bighorn sheep. We talk about a wide variety of issues, including about the society's recent convention in Kamloops.

Today on The Outdoor Narrative I'm talking with Kamloops-based hunting guide Mike Ritcey about all things geese, especially finding and hunting the birds in the spring.

Mike has been chasing ducks and geese for more than 50 years and has a great deal of experience to share. Topics touched on include getting started, finding places to hunt, gear, hunting with dogs, and field safety.

Mike shares his experiences guiding hunters in Saskatchewan, where millions of birds darken the skies and hunters hunt over decoy spreads of more than 800 birds. He discusses his newest quarry as well — sandhill cranes.

 We wrap up with a quick chat about this year's spring goose season in B.C.'s Interior, with looked like a great bet until winter rolled in hard in early February.

Today I spoke with Rick McGowan about the Nicola Fish and Game Club's six-year fight with the Douglas Lake Cattle Company over access to two grassland lakes near Merritt. The club won a key court victory in December, however, despite that, the path forward seems unclear...