Jason Doucette has caught a big one.
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“I was elated. It’s not something you ever think is going to happen. There is no money involved so this is all about putting the results down and getting personal satisfaction,” said Doucette.
It will mark his third time competing in the coveted international competition since he first began to fish competitively in the 1990s.
Born in Edmonton, Doucette has been fishing in Alberta and abroad since the age of three. He began to partake in various local tournaments, derbies, and competitions with his brother as he got older.
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“The quality of anglers coming out of Alberta nowadays is really good. The fishing here is challenging and of high quality which only grows the quality of the anglers and keeps our group coming back every year,” said Doucette.
This year, Doucette became the number-one ranked fly fisherman in Canada for the first time, accumulating a total of 651 points on Fly Fishing Canada’s 2022/2023 National Ranking Points Ledger.
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Each year, points are gathered by competing in both monthly provincial competitions and annual nationals. In 2022, Doucette placed first in the ACFF Provincial Championship and fourth overall at the Fly Fishing Canada National Championship.
“I’ve always done very well in the national rankings but last year ended up being the perfect storm to put me in the number-one ranking this year,” said Doucette.
In June, he will join five other anglers from across the country who will collectively represent Canada in Scotland at the CFFC. The location of this year’s competition, the island of Islay, is the same location as Doucette’s first appearance at the CFFC in 2009. The last time he competed was in Tasmania, Australia, in 2012.
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His selection for Team Canada comes after a difficult year in which Doucette lost a longtime job he loved. He said losing his position forced him to find himself again and focus on what really matters. He began to spend more time with his wife and daughter as well as honing his fly fishing skills.
“It feels really good to overcome hardships and see something on paper that says it was a good year. This result doesn’t just speak about fishing it speaks about becoming a better person and growing a stronger family,” said Doucette.
With improved skills and equipment, he feels confident he can better his results from 2009 in Islay this summer. Overall, his main goal is to try and ensure Team Canada wins its first CFFC medal this year.
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He said achieving these goals will depend on good preparation, being flexible and adaptable to changing conditions, and being a good problem solver — a skill he believes lies at the core of being a successful angler.
“Fishing is about problem-solving. You’re given a new set of variables every time you go out and everything changes throughout the year. Nothing is ever static. The best anglers in the world always adapt to what is given to them on a specific day,” said Doucette.
“With the help of friends and family and fly fishing over the last year, my mind has grown, I’m in better physical condition, and I was able to focus on the good things in life. That positivity has really translated into a lot of good things and I’m looking forward to going back and seeing how much I’ve improved since the last time I went to Islay,” said Doucette.
