Raised in the Canadian province of Québec, Sylvie Malo-Clark was introduced to the sport of fly fishing while living in New Brunswick and attending St. Thomas University. It was here that she met her husband, Peter Clark, in 1977. Malo-Clark quickly became enamored of the sport, and soon the couple made frequent fishing excursions for trout and Atlantic salmon.

Malo-Clark, a trained artist, became a teacher in Fredericton, New Brunswick. This background led her to enroll as an instructor with the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s Fish Friends program, which teaches children the life cycle of the Atlantic salmon and the importance of conservation. Malo-Clark also incorporated art into the curriculum. For her fifteen years of volunteer service to the program, the federation honored Malo-Clark with a certificate of appreciation.

Finding inspiration in her surroundings, Malo-Clark works in watercolor, oil, and acrylic. Many of her works feature her antique tackle collection of creels, fly wallets, and reels; others feature the world outside her home. Two of Malo-Clark’s works have been published as illustrations on the covers of books by Peter Clark: Treasured Memories and More Timeless Stories of New Brunswick.

In recent years, Malo-Clark has added the art of fly tying to her resumé. Malo-Clark was taught by her husband (who is considered a master tier) and instructors with the Fredericton Fish and Game Association; she ties the popular patterns that attract fish and prefers to gift them to friends. Always trying to find ways to encourage children to fly fish, she started a ten-week fly-tying program at the public school in Fredericton three years ago. This popular program continues to graduate young tiers and anglers.

Malo-Clark is a member of the International Women Fly Fishers and the Fredericton Fish and Game Association. Through countless art and fly donations to help raise funds, she supports the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Miramichi Salmon Association. She is also a level II fishing guide in Canada.

Sylvie Malo-Clark and her husband live in New Brunswick, where she fishes the Miramichi, Cains, and Restigouche rivers; ties flies during the winter months; and sketches and paints. She recently retired from teaching but continues to inspire younger generations to learn about fly fishing through art and fly tying.

Note: this text was written in 2011.