Highwater has serviced B.C. anglers for more than 36 years.
The staff at Highwater Tackle represents a collection of dedicated anglers, though a high degree of angling experience has been appreciated by all, each member excels in his or her own area of expertise. Questions relating to every aspect of fly-fishing, gear fishing, spin casting, saltwater angling, custom rod building, fly tying, downrigger maintenance or current fishery opportunities should be asked.
Meet Our Team
Jin has always been a keen fisherman but started his career in the kitchen. He achieved professional Chef status in his twenties before finding his way into the Fishing Lodge Industry, where he worked over 20 years in a variety of roles at luxury BC fishing resort, Queen Charlotte Lodge.
In addition to 20+ years salt-water fishing in the seas of Haida Gwaii while at QCL, Jin has many years of both single-hand and spey fishing experience. His casting shows just that! He also doesn’t mind throwing roe with a centerpin.
Come by and pick Jin's brain for anything related to your fishing or apparel needs and he'll be happy to help.
If there was ever a case exemplifying an osmotic metamorphosis of the predisposed it would certainly involve Gillian. Her evolution into the competent angler she is today comes from an innate understanding of all things fishy combined with a curiosity that continually searches for answers. Her fly fishing prowess was born in the Skagit Valley, refined on a number of interior lakes and eventually utilized to realize successes in the fast flowing waters of the Thompson River.
Over the years Gillian’s field of expertise has widened enormously, she’s become a well rounded steelhead fisher and an expert Coho angler. Her skills as a trout fisher go without saying. Inquisitive by nature Gillian has spent years following her father into canyons, accessing pools at day break and bush-whacking through coastal rain forests, all the while absorbing every tidbit of information available. Funnily enough and with respect to the osmosis factor it’s Gillian’s awareness of the very specific that sets her apart. Whether providing advice on how to spine a blank, engaging in a knot tying demonstration or describing a casting technique this young lady excels. Gill is always willing to share her knowledge and is more than happy to help with any fishing related question. I am forever impressed by her attention to detail and unrelenting patience. Whether you searching for tyees on the West Coast or looking to perfect a dead-drift, Gill is more than capable of giving you a hand with setup, tackle choice and applied technique.
Gill carries on her father’s passion and pride, following in his footsteps to serve anglers of the North Shore and beyond.
Born and raised in Tokyo Japan Mr. Suzuki represents Highwater’s window into angling traditionalism. Matt moved to British Columbia in 1992 and fell in love with all that was available to the passionate fly fisher. Though Matt began his career in the fly shops of Japan his dedication to detail and focused approach enabled him to quickly develop the skills and knowledge base that best defines an accomplished west coast fly fisher. In today’s world Matt is well respected as an accomplished Spey Fisherman, tournament single handed distance caster and consummate tier of classic steelhead and Salmon flies. Though Mr. Suzuki’s self proclaimed focus centers around the pursuit of Summer Run Steelhead his knowledge of what it takes to become a successful fly fisher is vast. Matt’s list of endeavors is highlighted with endless hours spent on interior lakes and profound understanding of Province wide Steelhead opportunities. In addition to his finely tuned familiarity with fly fishing and fly fishing related topics Matt possesses an extensive knowledge of vintage fly fishing rods and reels, those manufactures by the Hardy Brother’s clearly being his favorite.
There is little doubt that the fine tuning of Spey fishing systems is clearly Matt’s forte, in fact I would strive to say that amongst the services we offer it’s likely the one that he most enjoys undertaking. If you’re looking to purchase a line for a Spey or Switch rod drop by and benefit from Mr. Suzuki’s knowledgeable recommendation. If you’ve got a reel and you’re wondering if it will accommodate a particular line the procedure is exactly the same, drop on by. Though I’m clearly stating the obvious, Matt Suzuki is fluent in Japanese and regularly delights those of Japanese origin who are yet to feel comfortable conversing in English.