BRENDAN & AMBER TONER

FLY ANGLERS | PHOTOGRAPHERS | CONTENT CREATORS | DAD & MOM

@thebugparade

Growing up in Calgary, Alberta the outdoors are something that's often ingrained in you. At least that's how it is for me. I was fortunate enough to spend part of my childhood living on an acreage that overlooked the sheep river valley with the rocky mountains in the distance. Hunting and fishing were something I was exposed to right away as a kid and even after moving away for art college and living in a big city, the draw for nature and moving water was always there.

Meeting my now husband, Brendan, the first thing we bonded over was the outdoors. My husband grew up with 4 siblings and fly fishing was a big part of their lives. With a joint appreciation for nature and fly fishing we spent the early days of our relationship camping, travelling and checking off bucket list fish. Brendan has always had a love for fly tying, he ties not only the majority of the flies we use but also ties a lot of intricate and beautiful atlantic salmon flies. For me, photography and telling a story is something I've always enjoyed doing and this blended perfectly into fly fishing and our family. It's a good trade off, he ties the flies... I take the photos.

The family aspect to our life together has always been there. Brendan's son, Matteo, was 3 when I met him and became a part of our adventures whenever he'd be here visiting. Fast forward 7 years and we were welcoming our son, Lochlan into our lives. One thing always remained true for us, we were absolutely including our kids on our adventures - no matter what. It's important for us to instil that same appreciation, respect and love for the outdoors with our kids that was instilled in us. No matter the work or effort, it's always been worth it. Of course we can't forget our wirehaired pointing griffon, Zetti. She joined our family in February 2021 and has been the perfect piece to complete our family puzzle.

-Amber Toner