Great Angling Rivers - Goose Lane Editions

Transcription

Preview copy only © copyrighted material
Salmon COUNTRY
Edited by Jacques Héroux
New Brunswick’s
Great Angling Rivers
Doug Underhill
Photographs by
André Gallant
629-6_Salmon_Book 1.indb 1
1/11/2011 6:27:42 PM
Text copyright © 2011 by Doug Underhill.
Photographs copyright © 2011 by André Gallant, unless otherwise indicated.
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any retrieval system, without the prior written
permission of the publisher or a licence from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright).
To contact Access Copyright, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call 1-800-893-5777.
Edited by Rebecca Leaman.
Cover photographs by André Gallant.
Cover and page design by Jaye Haworth.
Art direction by Julie Scriver.
Printed in Canada.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Underhill, Doug
Salmon country: New Brunswick’s great angling rivers / by Doug Underhill;
photographs by André Gallant; edited by Jacques Héroux.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-86492-629-6
1. Salmon fishing — New Brunswick — Pictorial works.
2. New Brunswick — Pictorial works. I. Gallant, André II. Title.
SH685.U53 2011
799.17’56097151
C2010-907807-1
Goose Lane Editions acknowledges the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts,
the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP),
and the New Brunswick Department of Wellness, Culture, and Sport for its publishing activities.
Goose Lane Editions
Suite 330, 500 Beaverbrook Court
Fredericton, New Brunswick
CANADA E3B 5X4
www.gooselane.com
629-6_01_FRNT_PRF1.indd 2
1/12/2011 1:25:07 PM
&
&
We dedicate this book to George Routledge
for all he has given to the sport of angling and conservation,
and for his kindness and support of youth summer camps
To all Atlantic salmon anglers, tyers, conservation groups, guides, outfitters,
lodge owners and staff, First Nations, writers, photographers, and individuals
who work for the conservation, protection, and restoration of wild Atlantic salmon
To those whom we meet on the rivers or wherever stories and photos are shared
in making The Leaper King of Gamefish
1/11/2011 6:27:42 PM
1/11/2011 6:27:45 PM
CONTENTS
7
Foreword
9
Introduction
11
King of the River
13
Atlantic Salmon in New Brunswick
Past, Present, and Future
21
Angling for Spring Salmon at Ledges Inn
33
Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures
41
Big Hole Camp
51
Quarryville
The Miramichi’s MostProductive Salmon Pool
67
The Atlantic Salmon Federation
and New Brunswick Salmon Council
75
Conservation and Management
Behind the Scenes
85
Hope for the Saint John River System
97
New Brunswick Crown Reserve Waters
105
Larry’s Gulch
117
Cheuters Brook Salmon Lodge
129
Restigouche River Lodge
143
The Sharpe Canoe
153
Pioneer Fly Tyers of New Brunswick
163
Jacques Héroux Modern Fly Tyer
171
Atlantic Salmon Flies of New Brunswick
183
A Day with Rodney Colford
193
Casting Lines at Wilson’s Sporting Camps
203
Fishing Metepenagiag
215
Country Haven
223
A Day on the Nepisiguit River
235
Cains River: The Reel Story
243
The Atlantic Salmon Museum
253
Acknowledgements
255
Index
1/11/2011 6:27:49 PM
1/11/2011 6:27:49 PM
Foreword
Wild Atlantic salmon and the historic rivers of New
Brunswick have enriched my life beyond measure. I
cast my first fly for Atlantic salmon in Secord’s Pool
on the Kennebecasis River more than thirty years ago.
I didn’t know much about Atlantic salmon angling
on that first trip, having spent all my fishing time
until then chasing brook trout, but I was lucky enough
to meet a few local anglers who took me under their
wings and pointed me in the right direction. On my
first pass through the pool I hooked a lively grilse on a
little Brown Buck Bug. I was in a euphoric daze as my
salmon ran and jumped about the pool and tore line
off my small dragless Hardy Perfect Reel. My heart
was in my throat for the five or ten minutes it took me
to beach my trophy. I’ve fished a lot of salmon rivers
and hooked and released my fair share of salmon since
that first happy introduction to this great sport, yet
every fishing trip since — every cast and every salmon
I’ve been lucky enough to hook — has excited and filled
me with as much wonder and reverence as that first
little grilse.
Since that first experience on Secord’s Pool, I have
fished most of New Brunswick’s well-known Atlantic
salmon rivers and many of its lesser known but still
fine salmon streams as well during the ensuing three
decades. We New Brunswickers are blessed with some
of the world’s great Atlantic salmon rivers in our own
backyards: the Miramichi, and its many wonderful
tributaries such as the Northwest, Little Southwest,
Dungarvon, Sevogle, Renous, and the sweet little Cains
River that flows so seductively through the central New
Brunswick wilderness. The mighty Restigouche, one
of the great big-fish rivers of the world, has attracted
the rich and famous from all corners of the globe and
its many productive tributaries, the Upsalquitch, Little
Main, Kedgwick and Patapedia rivers.
But there are many other salmon streams as well,
like the Kennebecasis where I caught my first grilse
and others like the Big Salmon, Tobique, and the
great Saint John River, once one of the most prolific
salmon rivers on the planet, which have all seen their
wild Atlantic salmon runs decline from robust to
threatened during my lifetime. The Atlantic Salmon
Federation, our New Brunswick Salmon Council, and
many dedicated volunteer groups are working hard
to conserve, protect, and restore all of our province’s
precious salmon runs and the rivers they depend upon
for survival.
Salmon Country: New Brunswick’s Great Angling
Rivers is a fine tribute in prose and pictures to New
Brunswick’s rich Atlantic salmon angling heritage.
Between the beautiful covers of this attractive book,
are the rivers, pools, lodges, anglers, guides, fly tyers,
and men and women who have devoted so much of
their lives to safeguarding the King of Fish, and
our beautiful salmon rivers, irreplaceable treasures
that contribute so much to our rural economies,
communities, and quality of life.
Jacques Héroux and his team, well-known outdoor
writer Doug Underhill and talented photographer
André Gallant, have put together a terrific book.
Salmon Country will be enjoyed by anglers, fly tyers,
conservationists, and anyone interested in the King of
Fish and the Picture Province.
Bill Taylor
President, Atlantic Salmon Federation
Saint Andrews, New Brunswick
7
1/11/2011 6:27:49 PM
1/11/2011 6:27:49 PM
Introduction
The pursuit of the Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar,
in New Brunswick, Canada, has a long and storied
history. For centuries, the province has been a popular
destination for fishermen worldwide who are interested
in fly-fishing and the opportunity to hook the “King
of Game Fish.”
To augment this pursuit, the idea for a book on
salmon fishing had been percolating in my head for
quite some time. The challenge, however, was not to
write a book but to create one that did not duplicate
what had already been published in this field. Finally,
I made a choice.
Firstly, the book would be about the experiences
of salmon fishing. Secondly, all people, anglers,
stories, lodges, and flies included had to be found
within New Brunswick, Canada, as there was no book
that covered all of these subjects strictly within our
province. Thirdly, besides text, there had to be lots of
photographs. Thus was born the general framework
for Salmon Country: New Brunswick’s Great Angling
Rivers.
The distinguishing features settled, I needed a
reputable team with which to work as I am neither
a writer nor photographer! I also needed a good
publisher.
To find one of the best writers on Atlantic salmon
fishing was easy. It took me five minutes to convince
Doug Underhill to jump aboard! Doug is a retired high
school literature teacher, the author of eleven books,
a long-time writer about Atlantic salmon fishing, and
an avid fly fisherman.
Next I began to look for a publishing house. Doug
suggested I contact Goose Lane Editions with my idea.
So I did and soon received an email from the publisher
Susanne Alexander telling me that they were very
interested in our project. This could not have turned
out better. Goose Lane Editions has an excellent
reputation, is based in Fredericton, New Brunswick,
and is Canada’s oldest independent publisher.
To complete this book, I needed the best outdoor
photographer available. I received some names from
the publisher and decided to contact André Gallant
from Saint John, New Brunswick. André is a freelance
photographer who travels the world taking expressive
photographs. He is the author of numerous books
and recipient of two National Magazine Awards for
his photography. I contacted him, and he, too, readily
agreed to come on board. Now the team was assembled
and ready to work.
Our assignment was not a “how to” book on salmon
fishing, but one that would capture the ambience of all
the experiences within the sport of angling for salmon.
This necessarily included not only the angling aspect,
but also some of the sport’s history, the organizations
that protect and conserve our rivers, the pioneer fly
tyers, the various lodges and fishing spots on both
private and open water, the Atlantic Salmon Museum,
the Sharpe Canoe, and most importantly, what one
experiences while fishing the various rivers. In short,
this would be a book about people, places, rivers,
canoes, and salmon flies created in New Brunswick and
by New Brunswickers.
It took us three years to travel the Province of
New Brunswick capturing these special moments on
the rivers, and we honestly think that we did it with
success. Amazingly, Doug’s pen and André’s camera
always seemed focused exactly on the same perspective
of our task. They worked together as one mind,
9
1/11/2011 6:27:49 PM
presenting a unified piece of art so that its beauty
could be appreciated. Not only did we work together
excellently, but we had a lot of fun in the process.
We also enjoyed so much hospitality from everyone
we encountered, and we made many friends. The result
is a book that captures all the wonderful experiences
and memories from our fishing trips in New Brunswick.
It was a great privilege for us to do this, and one that
we will never forget.
Finally, a special thanks to our sponsors who offered
financial support: L. G. Fly & Rods, the Dieppe Fly
Tying Club, Groupe Savoie, G. Loomis, and Torrent,
and to Bill Taylor, president and CEO of the Atlantic
Salmon Federation for writing the preface to this
book.
Jacques Héroux
Dieppe, New Brunswick
10
1/11/2011 6:27:49 PM
King of the River
Sunlight dances through morning mist as we make our
way down a winding path to the river’s edge. Waders
squitch-squitch, knocking dew from low over-hanging
bushes. The air sharp but infused with sweet smells
of an early June morning with its hundred shades of
green. Birds chirping. A doe ahead on the path turns,
eyes deep and dark as the pool to which we are heading.
She watches, sniffs, twitches tail, then the white flag as
she bounds into forest. Our senses alive before we even
step into the cool morning water of the Miramichi in
pursuit of the King of the River.
Our rods assembled in anticipation, lines threaded
through guides, clear leader pinched and drawn through
the eye of the hook and tied, loose end clenched by
teeth, an extra yank for security, and clipped close to
the knot. Then line pulled off the reel like a favourite
dream we love to live again and again. Gray shore-rocks
rattle under foot as we make our way to the water. We
are ready. The first cast, a glinting silver arc over the
head of the pool, fly snapped gently as it drops to the
surface and is grabbed by current.
The line swings, heart beats loudly in the ears. Fly
skidding across pool, eyes watching it cover every inch
of its swing, breath held until it reaches slack water.
Nothing. Step forward. Repeat. Only the quiet gurgle
of river over rocks. Cast again. A swirl! A moment of
paused time, muscles tense. The fly floats by. The line
cast again, waiting, waiting, . . . and then a splash
of fury as water erupts, line taut, rod almost pulled
from hand. The reel squeals as line cuts water and is
ripped, downriver. A jump, silversides flashing, heart
pounding, a splash as the King of Fish lands back into
the water. Another jump as it tail-walks across the
pool, head shaking, water slapped as it drops back into
the current. This is as good as it gets.
Line retrieved, gently, but firmly, keeping tension
on the hook. One cannot hurry, or pull too hard, or
the dream is lost. Another run, or two, maybe another
jump, and finally the salmon is brought ashore. Hook
removed. Then the release, nose into current, gentle
cradling of belly, hand around tail fin, back and
forth, back and forth, oxygen through gills. Patience,
patience, then a powerful tail-snap, white splash, a dark
back snakeing to deeper water, journey continued, to
spawn in the fall.
There are high-fives. The day perfect. The magic
of a Miramichi salmon made real. The story melds, is
told, and retold, of the King of the River!
Doug Underhill
Miramichi, New Brunswick
11
1/11/2011 6:27:49 PM
 Kouchibouguac Village sign with a Cosseboom salmon fly.
 Help salmon by
purchasing a
conservation
licence plate.

NEED CAPTION
1/11/2011 6:28:00 PM
Atlantic Salmon in New Brunswick
Past, Present, and Future
The Atlantic salmon has been a much sought after species since earliest times. It was certainly
one of the food staples for First Nations peoples, and during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and
nineteenth centuries became the target of commercial fisheries. Many companies in Miramichi
and around the province of New Brunswick, Canada, bought the salmon catches and shipped
them to international markets. Until the mid-1950s, it was common to see numerous salmon
stands with gill nets erected along most rivers of the province. Fishermen in boats plied the
waters of Chaleur Bay, Miramichi Bay, the Bay of Fundy, and along most coastal communities
in search of salmon catches. Salmon was essentially a food fishery, and the philosophy of the
time was to catch as many as possible with little thought about the future of the species. Even
as late as the mid-1950s, many local people would net a night or two in the fall to get their
winter’s supply of fish. They would then salt them and keep them in a barrel full of brine to
have over the course of the winter.
13
1/11/2011 6:28:04 PM
During this same period rivers were used for
economic development with forestry and hydroelectric
interests given priority for the water’s use. During each
spring of the first half of the twentieth century, many
rivers carried logs to mills. From the 1950s onward,
hydroelectric dams became a common sight along the
Saint John River. Mining operations and large mills
spewed industrial pollution into the water, and rivers
were the septic systems of communities.
People seemed to take for granted that salmon
would always be here, until stocks began to dwindle
and the fishing industries suffered. Gradually, the
emphasis turned to a conservation-orientated approach.
Commercial fishing was banned within territorial
waters during the second half of the twentieth century,
and more emphasis was placed on scientific research
and environmental concerns.
While this transition from commerce to conservation
evolved, the sport of angling for Atlantic salmon was
slowly beginning to establish itself. This is not to say
that angling for salmon was never done prior to the
emergence of conservation, because it certainly was,
but the art of angling with a fly was not common to
most anglers. It was mostly the “sports” from away
that used them. Most local people went to the rivers
with the purpose of bringing home fish for food. Bait
and tackle was more apt to catch the fish than a fly.
However, about the mid-1950s, more and more anglers
began to use flies for fishing salmon.
Edward Weeks wrote in The Miramichi Fish &
Game Club: A History (1984):
In the last half of the nineteenth century it
was game rather than fish which attracted
sportsmen from Ne w York and Ne w
England to the Northwest Miramichi in
New Brunswick. The tundra and forests
were then alive with caribou and moose; a
moosehead with a fine spread was a valued
trophy to be hung in one’s billiard room,
proof of the hunter’s virility, if not his
aim, as the moose is the largest animal in
North America and on its favourite feeding
grounds, swamps and shallow lake shore,
presents a favourite target.
When the rivers of New England, and some
in Europe ceased to have an abundant supply of
salmon, “sports” began to turn to New Brunswick as a
destination for Atlantic salmon. As early as the 1870s,
those who could afford it bought or leased large tracts
of land and water from the provincial government
and built private camps. People “from away” also
began to buy up private property that had belonged
to local residents. Many of these pieces of land came
with riparian rights when land was granted to the
early settlers. During tough times for both farmers
and woodsmen, when taxes drained meager incomes,
they were happy to sell land and water rights. Today,
many of these properties are literally worth millions
of dollars.
Throughout the twentieth century, the provincial
government had been leasing particular stretches of
water to the highest bidders who would then control
these stretches for periods of ten to twenty years. In
the last few years, stipulations have increased upon
these leases. For instance, successful bidders must now
employ a certain number of people and must have a
warden to patrol the waters.
During the mid to late twentieth century, the
provincial government also began to set aside stretches
of water that became known as Crown Reserve sections.
These were, and still are, granted only to residents on
a lottery basis for a few days. To advance conservation
efforts, in the last twenty years some rivers became
designated as “Fly-Fishing Only.”
As well, daily and season bag limits reducing the
number of fish caught and retained were put in place.
A tagging system came into use whereby anglers were
given a fixed number of tags for the season. Any fish
retained had to have one of these tags attached or it
was considered illegal. Once the allotment of tags for
the season was used, anglers were not allowed to fish for
grilse until the next season. Gradually, the number of
tags was reduced, and as of the printing of this book,
the maximum for a season is eight. At one time anglers
had very few limits on the number of fish that could
be hooked and/or retained in a day or for the season.
Catch limits went from ten daily to six, to two, and
in the past decade or so, to one per day. As a further
conservation measure, anglers may choose to buy
14
1/11/2011 6:28:04 PM
Restigouche Sam: a 28-foot (8.5-meter) stainless steel statue in Campbellton, New Brunswick,
honours the Atlantic salmon heritage of the Restigouche River.
“Hook and Release” licenses which means that they
receive no tags as they do not plan to retain a fish.
Another conservation measure required the release
of all salmon that were approximately 24 ¾ inches
(over 63 centimeters) fork length. This measurement,
taken from the tip of the nose to the middle of the fork
in the tail, meant that only grilse could be retained
by anglers. This allowed the larger females to proceed
upriver to the spawning grounds. Although there may
be exceptions, the average female grilse will have 2,500
eggs, while a mature female would have about 8,000
eggs. Each river’s salmon may have a slightly different
egg count, but a rule of thumb for determining egg
counts on the Miramichi system is 650 eggs per 1
pound (0.45 kilogram) of fish. As a rule, the bigger
the female, the bigger the eggs. The bigger the egg, the
more protein it has and thus a bigger hatchling with a
greater chance of survival. Ultimately, the more eggs
we can get into the rivers, the greater possibility of
more salmon in the long run.
Some stretches of rivers also became designated as
“Live Release Only,” allowing both salmon and grilse
the opportunity to spawn. Even the spring salmon
season changed in terms of the number of fish allowed
to be hooked in a day. From basically no limit, the
number of fish landed and released was set at ten a
day. Included in this limit was the fact that all salmon
had to be released. If an angler kept a grilse, fishing
was over for the day for that individual. This regulation
results in less stress on the salmon that have spawned
the previous fall and wintered over before going back
to the ocean. If fewer are injured or killed, the odds
increase that more of these fish will return to spawn
again.
15
1/11/2011 6:28:07 PM
1/11/2011 6:28:11 PM
1/11/2011 6:28:15 PM
Badge worn by licensed New Brunswick guides
with the year of issue.
Angling for bright grilse and salmon (those that
enter the rivers from late May to October) was also
limited to four a day with live release, or one a day if a
grilse is retained, which meant the angler was finished
for the day. All salmon still had to be released and were
counted in the allotted four-a-day number landed.
Many of the outfitters and camp owners have moved
toward strictly “Live Release” angling and advertise as
such. Anglers who do retain a fish are being encouraged
to release female grilse in an effort to increase the
number of spawners in the system.
A move to use more barbless hooks has also worked
its way into conservation strategies. A barbless (or
pinched barb) causes less damage to a fish that is to be
released and therefore increases its chance of survival.
All spring salmon angling now requires barbless hooks,
and some stretches of water are also designated as
“barbless” for the entire season.
Over the years, government and conservation
groups have steadily expanded their conservation
efforts. The provincial government has finally started
to impose more environmental requirements on
industry, particularly in terms of leaving a buffer zone
of trees near rivers to prevent silt run-off, as well as
more stringent regulations for changing any brooks or
feeder streams. Environmental impact studies are now
required for many development projects, so progress
is being made.
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Canada (DFO) has been conducting more and more
scientific research regarding all aspects of the Atlantic
salmon. Charitable organizations such as the Atlantic
Salmon Federation and New Brunswick Salmon
Council, together with many local associations, have
been heavily involved in conservation projects from
habitat restoration, enhancement, and preservation,
to stocking and research. There are now trap nets,
hatcheries, and counting fences to facilitate data
collection. Work has been done to have First Nations
people involved in many of these projects. The
Pabineau First Nation, who operate the counting
fence on the Nepisiguit River, are a prime example
of successful co-operation in efforts to restore and
conserve salmon populations.
The economic spinoffs of salmon angling are literally
in the millions of dollars, and gradually, federal and
provincial governments are coming to realize just how
important the sport fishery has become. Still, more has
to be done. The Atlantic salmon is a vital resource and
more effort has to be taken to protect it.
Tying salmon flies has steadily become an integral
part of the sport of angling. At one time, there were
a very limited number of tyers who performed their
art for tackle shops. Now the formation of local clubs
is on the rise. A good example is the Dieppe Fly Tying
Club, which encourages and teaches the art of tying.
People like Jacques Héroux and many dedicated club
members have begun an annual Fly Fishing Forum
that takes place at the end of March/first of April.
Held on the New Brunswick Community College
(NBCC) Dieppe Campus, it is now a two-day affair
that attracts thousands of interested anglers and a host
of various exhibitors. As interest grows, so does the
drive to protect and enhance the numbers of salmon
within our rivers.
For a period of time in the latter half of the
twentieth century, salmon stocks were at an all time
low. Of late, there has been encouraging progress, and
numbers seem to be on the rise. It is fragile progress,
but progress just the same. Many salmon protection
groups are now working internationally. There are
18
1/11/2011 6:28:20 PM
As American poet and angler A. O. Hill once said:
“A man has to believe in something. I believe I’ll go
fishing”
ASF
salmon conclaves and groups such as North Atlantic
Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) that
have many countries from North America and Europe
formulating policy and conducting research toward a
common goal.
For about twenty years, I wrote a weekly fishing
column for both local and provincial newspapers. When
that job ended in 2008, I began a weekly online fishing
report. Already, there are over 1,000 subscribers, not
to mention a high volume of online traffic. Subscribers
include many New Brunswickers, as well as people from
most provinces of Canada, the New England States,
and beyond. I mention this only to illustrate how the
sport of angling for Atlantic salmon is growing both
locally and internationally.
Huge efforts are taking place to build up stocks and
to restock rivers that once boasted fine salmon runs.
By working together, there is hope for a brighter future
for the Atlantic salmon. It is time for the King of Fish
to again rule the waters of our province and beyond!
Wild Atlantic
salmon
populations
in different
streams are
genetically
distinct from
each other.
19
1/11/2011 6:28:24 PM
Chef Luc Schofield prepares
a hearty midday meal.
1/11/2011 6:28:27 PM
Angling for Spring Salmon
at Ledges Inn
Since childhood, we have heard the familiar refrain, “wish upon a star” for something special we
desired. Anglers can now try wishing on “four and a half stars” for their special experience on
the river as this is the rating for Ledges Inn, located at 30 Ledges Inn Lane at the western edge
of the village of Doaktown, New Brunswick, that awaits Jacques, André, and me as we meet
for an early May day of spring fishing.
Ledges Inn where dreams come true.
21
1/11/2011 6:28:31 PM

New Brunswick fiddleheads, a spring
delicacy to complement fresh salmon.

Guide Derek Munn (left) and Jacques
(right) cast for spring salmon on
Main Southwest Miramichi,
while Doug (middle)
waits his turn.
I turn down the unpaved L-shaped Ledges Inn Lane,
where I drive past rows of raspberry plants ready to
bud for another season and last season’s sunflowers,
their heads black and bowed like a group of mourners.
Last fall they could have been a natural Vincent Van
Gogh painting, their riot of yellow faces worshipping
the sun. I park my truck in front of the inn itself, a
three-story structure of pine-coloured wood, fitting
beautifully into its natural surroundings. Verandas
and staired balconies ring the lodge like fine jewelry.
The front entrance has a small patio with inviting
chairs. There is a guest/meeting building very close
by. Bird feeders are busy. Flat sandstone steps welcome
visitors to the water’s edge where the Main Southwest
Miramichi flows lazily through the village.
This day we will be angling for spring salmon,
22
1/11/2011 6:28:35 PM
which are locally also known as “black salmon” or
“kelts.” Some even refer to them as “slinks.” These
are last year’s salmon that have entered the river any
time between late May and late October. They spawned
last fall and now are dropping back to head out to the
ocean where they will stay for a year and then return
again, and hopefully, several more times.
Angling for spring salmon that have wintered under
the ice and are now heading back to the ocean is almost
the opposite of angling for bright salmon, which enter
our rivers any time between late May and late October.
One fishes for spring salmon in eddies and slack water.
Flies used for them are large and known as “streamers.”
Some favourites are the Black Ghost, Mickey Finn,
Renous River Special, Golden Eagle, Miramichi Smelt,
Blue Smelt, and a variety of Marabou patterns.
23
1/11/2011 6:28:38 PM
24
1/11/2011 6:28:39 PM

The ledges Inn Guest Room:
A home away from home at Ledges Inn.

The Ledges Inn: Ledges Inn Lodge
overlooks the Main Southwest Miramichi River.
25
1/11/2011 6:28:43 PM
Guide Lloyd Lyons
prepares to push off in
search of spring salmon.
26
1/11/2011 6:28:46 PM
Need caption
We meet our guides Derek Munn and Lloyd Lyons.
Jacques and I go with head guide Derek who has been
guiding here for eight years, with a few years on the
river before this. André shares a canoe with Lloyd who
has been a guide for forty-two years, having worked at
Wilson’s twenty years before joining Ledges.
“I come from a fishing family,” says Lyons. “My
brothers used to take me fishing when I was small,
so I learned about the river early, and guiding came
naturally. I have handled a lot of big fish over the
years, one as big as thirty-six pounds. The biggest I
have ever caught was thirty-two pounds.”
The day is cloudy when we start out. The bow of
the canoe plows white waves as we head upriver. Two
common mergansers with pointed bills swim away to
a safer distance from us. We drop anchor at Flo’s Pool.
A hairy woodpecker pounds a pole in the distance.
The water is flat, flecked with silver. Derek points out
legendary baseball player and angler Ted Williams’s
first Miramichi fishing camp along the shore.
I put on a Black Marabou streamer and fish longline
from the middle of the boat, while Jacques casts from
the bow. About twenty minutes in, I hook a salmon
and pass my rod to Jacques to play it, while André and
Lloyd close in for photos. Unfortunately, the salmon
gets free before we can get it close enough for some
good pictures. I tease Jacques for losing my fish!
There are no more takers, so we pull anchor and
continue upriver, picking our way over Kelly Bar and
through Kelly Channel where a man-made rock wall
protects against erosion. Large deadwoods lay on top
like beached walruses, and exposed roots of fallen elms
stretch skyward with long, eerie fingers.
We stop off Hardy’s Shore at an unnamed pool I
suggest be named “Derek’s Pool” in honour of our
guide. Red-winged blackbirds cackle from the hedges.
We hear the distant drumming of a male grouse. This
is spring mating season and the shores echo with a
medley of birdsong. But there is no Song of the Reel
to tempt us to linger so we head further upriver to
Sutter’s Pond.
The river is low for the time of year as we have had
an unusually early spring with ice-out in early April,
well before opening day on the fifteenth. As the canoe
skims along, the water is a dark mystery except for
places where the sun breaks through, illuminating the
bottom. We see fish shadows darting away from the
canoe. We drop anchor once again and the canoe is
pulled taut as the rope gnaws gently back and forth.
We cast toward an outcropping of shale guarding the
shore. There are good numbers of fish here, but we
soon learn they are not in a taking mood. André and
Lloyd go ashore across from us to take photos. They
discover several small four- to six-inch (ten- to fifteencentimeter) black lamprey eels in puddles along the
water’s edge.
27
1/11/2011 6:28:49 PM
Guide Lloyd Lyons casts for spring salmon on the Main Southwest Miramichi River.
Following this, we decide to return to the lodge
for lunch. As we make our way downriver, we see two
canoes nosing shore as other anglers enjoy a shore
lunch. There are bright green shoots of skunk cabbage
along the banks.
We pass Norm Betts’s camp. Derek notes that
Norm has his own line of canoes known as Oak Ledge
Canoes. We reach the inn where Derek eases the canoe
to shore and holds it steady as we head to the lodge
for dinner.
Chef Luc Schofield has prepared hot bowls of fish
chowder followed by tender steak with vegetables.
The meal is topped off with a blueberry dessert with
blueberry sauce drizzled over it. After this excellent
meal, we examine a perfectly canoe-shaped coffee table
and a preserved ruffed grouse that add to the décor
and atmosphere. We are shown around the inside of
the premises, which includes a conference room for up
to fifteen people, and eleven bedrooms.
Ledges Inn has seven private pools on the Main
Southwest and four private lakes for trout angling.
They also have a 200-acre (80-hectare) pheasant
reserve and take bookings for upland bird hunting and
woodcock, as well as some waterfowl during the fall,
providing the opportunity for a little “Blast ’n Cast.”
They are open year-round with hiking trails and in
28
1/11/2011 6:28:53 PM
the winter with snowmobile trails. At one time they
even offered a spring pheasant hunt to go with early
angling. This was unique as there had never been a
hunt in springtime. They have a wine cellar and their
own private chef. Recently they have added Mountain
Channel, a classic 1930s lodge with private angling
waters below Blackville, New Brunswick.
Following the tour, we head back into the canoes
which have dozed along the shore to head for Russell
Rapids for an afternoon fish. We hear the grating screet,
screet of a belted kingfisher and the spring mating calls
of the male pheasant. On the shore there are bleachedgray chunks of poplar that have been chewed by
beavers.
The fishing is great, but the catching is another
story. Just as we are about to pack it in for the day, I
get a tug but come up empty. Shortly, a salmon jumps
just beyond the stern of our canoe. Derek manoeuvres
the canoe to within casting distance. I tell him to go
ahead and cast as he is closest to where we saw the
fish. Two casts later, the line goes tight and the battle
is on. He passes the rod to me, but I give Jacques a
second chance at redemption, passing the rod back to
him. André and Lloyd have brought their canoe close
in hope of some photo ops.
The salmon makes a couple of leaps before Jacques
gradually brings it toward our canoe, head shaking and
pulling, taking out line only to be reeled in again. There
is splashing, a silver swirl and a dorsal fin cutting the
water as the salmon is drawn closer to the canoe. Derek
stands ready with the scoop-net, which seems a pale
gray curtain lifting the fish from its element.
Guide Lloyd Lyons prepares to pinch the barb of the hook for easier release of spring salmon.
29
1/11/2011 6:28:58 PM
Perfect ending to a day’s angling: Derek Munn holds spring salmon
as Doug (middle) and Jacques (left) share the moment.
30
1/11/2011 6:29:07 PM

Great Angling Rivers - Goose Lane Editions

Transcription

Similar documents

WHOLEY NORWEGIAN SALMON FILLETS 1

REC Section - Ravalli Electric

California Central Valley Salmon

Restaurering av Testeboån för vandrande fiskarter

Sandy Steelheader August 2015 - Sandy River Chapter of the

tailor made - Swizzle Stick Bars

to the PDF Version - Salmon Arm Economic Development

Kauai Catering Menu

Bristol Bay Lodge - Conservation Benchmarks

pdf Brochure

American Museum Of Fly Fishing

MATANUSKA-SUSITNA SALMON - Matanuska

2010 - The North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization

Report of the Working Group on North Atlantic Salmon (WGNAS)