Diana and Steve Crook live in Surrey, U.K., just outside of London, and tried out ice fishing in Canada for the first time in 2005.
Ever since then, they have returned to Lake Winnipeg every winter — this year marks 14 years of fishing trips halfway around the world.
“We might not catch fish all the time but just being here is beautiful,” said Diana, showing Global News one of the couple’s fishing spots north of Selkirk on Saturday.
After a few years of trying out the sport, they began to invest in their own gear, and not long after that, Manitoba became the couple’s second home.
“Everybody is so friendly, especially when they know you’re English. They all want to talk to you and take you out somewhere, and the fishing is absolutely fantastic. We love it,” she said.
The Crooks are nearing their 40th wedding anniversary.
It’s fair to say their friends and family back in England aren’t as thrilled about the thought of being out on the lake as they are.
“They all think we’re mad fishing in these temperatures, but the people are lovely and we’ve made so many friends that we just keep coming back for more.”
They’ve made so many friends that the Crooks have a vehicle to use and a place to store their gear when they arrive in Manitoba every January.
“We’ve been everywhere in Europe, and probably Canada is the most friendly country we’ve ever visited,” said Steve.
Since the weather doesn’t co-operate enough in England for ice fishing to be a staple in the country, the Crooks have taken it upon themselves to share their love of the sport back home.
They’ve recently begun to promote ice fishing at trade shows around Great Britain.
“People are so interested, but when you tell them about temperatures, they say: ‘Oh my god, it’s too cold, we can’t go there,” Steve said.
For Steve, a -30 C day means more layers of clothing and extra coffee — quite a different mindset from most English people.
“I don’t think global warming exists when you come here — you’ve got plenty of ice. If you go back to England everyone says we’re warming up … well come here and you’ll see ice.”
WATCH: ‘Heartwarming’ fishing derby in Selkirk raises thousands for sick children
Comments