Ben Lypka
Mission Record
The pursuit of perfection in his meticulous work never ends for Mission resident Karl Eha.
His workshop is jammed with archery, hunting and fishing gear, all with the goal of passing on the knowledge he’s learned in the wild, on the water and behind the bow.
But, his journey from Europe to Mission had several unique stops, and a few bumps along the way.
He’s been a cowboy, a master archer, ran sporting goods and pawn shops, traveled to South America on a motorcycle, caught a 90-pound sailfish with a bow and arrow, survived World War II in Germany, and now spends his days perfecting bows and arrows deep in the forests of Mission.
Karl Eha settled in town in 1993 and created the unique Trout Creek Farm. His love affair with the wilds of Canada began almost immediately after he and his family left Germany in 1952.
“Back in the old country we would make our own slingshot or fish catching tools but everything over there was considered poaching,” he said, sitting in his workshop chair. “It was illegal and if you got caught by the warden you would get a licking. When I saw this country [Canada], I thought oh ‘my God.’ It opened my eyes that a country like this can exist. You can really become anything you want in this country.”
It was in 1970 that Eha opened the BC Sports Exchange sporting goods store in Downtown Vancouver.
For nearly a decade, he served customers and continued to hunt, fish and enjoy the great outdoors. In 1974, Eha created headlines all over the sportsmen world by catching a 90-pound sailfish with his bow and arrow in Mexico. The catch was considered a Guinness World Record at the time.
He also got involved in real estate in the ’70s, buying and selling properties in Vancouver. He also ran jewelery and pawn shops in Cloverdale in the 1980s and 1990s. Eha decided to come to Mission after years of outdoor activity in the area and has never looked back.
He now runs Trout Creek Farm which features two ponds filled with rainbow trout, and anyone can learn and experience the sport of fishing. There is also an archery range, where Eha can pass on his years of experience with a bow and arrow. He also sells and repairs firearms.