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  Story by Mark Hume, with illustrations by Loucas Raptis
But Loucas Raptis, an artist, fly fisherman and naturalist who lives in Victoria, British Columbia, manages somehow to get it just right. His fish not only look like they should, but they contain an inner energy that seems about to be released. Born in Athens, Greece, Mr. Raptis felt drawn to nature as a young boy. He watched nature shows on television, devoured books on the subject, and used to take a city bus to go fishing in the harbour.
Digging some worms from a compost heap and taking “an old, dusty spinning rod” from behind a cottage door, he soon landed a large-mouth bass - and became irrevocably hooked on fishing, and Canada. After moving to the West Coast with his wife, Allison Benner, he became a dedicated fly fisherman. Like many of us, Mr. Raptis explored the waters of Vancouver Island by first reading the works of Roderick Haig-Brown, who lived in Campbell River, about a five hour drive north of Victoria. “When you read him you are looking at your own soul,” says Mr. Raptis, who is a member of the Haig-Brown Fly Fishing Club.
Now underway is an ambitious project to produce a series of 30 limited edition prints of the fish he has encountered on his journeys. The Freshwater Fishes of Vancouver Island series includes the small mouth bass drawing a bead on the little green frog, as well as portraits of spawning chum, and coho salmon and a brace of sticklebacks. A portrait of brown trout is nearing completion. We can hardly wait to see what he does with steelhead. A portion of the proceeds of his series is donated to environmental causes like the Haig-Brown Kingfisher Creek Society, which is restoring a salmon spawning stream that runs through the Haig-Brown estate, in Campbell River.
After Haig-Brown’s death, his dream was kept alive by friends and by the mid-1980’s the small stream had largely been restored. Happily the coho have found their way back into the creek and several pairs are now spawning there,” reports Mr. Raptis, who, in 1996, illustrated a limited edition of Haig-Brown’s classic work, Pool and Rapid. His work is sold exclusively by Silhouette On Beacon, 2492 Beacon Avenue, Sidney, B.C. Canada V8L 1X8. Phone (250)- 655-4900. Details on subscribing to the art can be acquired by contacting Mr. Raptis by e-mail at: benrap@islandnet.com or by visiting his web site: http://www.islandnet.com/~benrap/TheFreshwaterFishesofVancouverIsland.htm |
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The bass is poised just the way it should be, tilting slightly upwards, its mouth just starting to gape. Above it, resting on a lily frond, is a bright green frog that seems coiled so tight it appears ready to jump off the page. Will it spring away in time? Or will it disappear in a huge swirl and a snap of jaws that leaves the lily dangling in the lake in shreds?
Mr. Raptis came to Canada in 1981, when he was 20, to study at Concordia University. While visiting the cottage district in Ontario, where there seems to be a great bass lake every few miles, he rediscovered his interest in fishing.
With his sketch book and fly rod in hand, he has been exploring the rivers, lakes and streams on Vancouver Island, many of which used to be fished by Haig-Brown.
Mr. Raptis says that Haig-Brown had always wanted to restore Kingfisher Creek, after it was ruined by being forced into culverts. But he died before he could see his goal achieved.
