Atlantic Salmon Fly Fishing on Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula

Apologies to all for my lack of posts lately. I tell  you, it was tough, but somebody had to fish. That’s my excuse. Actually, I just spent eight days in pure bliss on Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula hucking for Atlantic salmon.

I have to tell you that the trip exceeded my expectations in every way. The lodges, Salmon Lodge on the Grand Cascapedia River and Bonaventure Lodge on the Bonaventure River (http://www.campbonaventure.com/http://www.thesalmonlodge.com/), were top notch and the hospitality was phenomenal. The guides were as entertaining and knowledgeable as any I’ve been around in my life. And the fish were fantastic.

That’s not to say that fishing was easy. I arrived during low and clear water conditions and after a long, long dry spell. The fish were what the guides called “stale” and weren’t really eager to move for flies. But we established a routine of working those fish with different flies until, finally, finally, one would eat. I landed 10 salmon in seven days and lost two others that were on the line. I had two other fish grab, but only long enough to know for sure that it was a fish and not a rock. That was plenty for me. I always go into trips for anadromous fish taking everything with a grain of salt and saying that catching one fish will be enough. I did that in spades and have killer images to share. I’ll offer a few here to give you a feel and I’ll follow up with more over the days to follow. Eventually, meaning this fall, I’ll put together a broader description of the trip and why you might want to book now for next year. This is one of those trips of a lifetime, I discovered, that every angler should try to do at least once. Atlantic salmon are a great fish and you see hundreds of them while fishing these two rivers. Just watching those fish is worth the visit. That we can cast to them and gauge our angling abilities just makes it that much better. This, I have to tell you, was a great life experience and I now have new friends, guides and other clients, who will last a lifetime, I’m sure. Enjoy.

NOTE: Big thanks to photographer Geoff Moore who’s based in Williams Lake, British Columbia and works for the Caribou-Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association, http://www.landwithouglimits.com He was a dedicated eye behind a camera that followed me around the Gaspe and without his help I wouldn’t  have near the photo library to begin sharing with all of you.

Photog Geoff Moore throwing on the Grand Cascapedia after a heavy fall rain.

This was the fish of the trip, a big 25 to 27-pound hen that was fairly bright.

Some might call this fish ugly, the angler, too. As far as the fish goes, I think it’s beautiful.

Francis, you were good to me.

Did I really get three that day. Or was it two? Hmm. Can’t remember.

I love Atlantic salmon.

Nine a.m. Just landed a bright hen. Why not have a sip while fishing with Bruno.

Man, sometimes life is good.

Not a giant but I’ll take these all day long.

They all went back.

A memorable fish on a great day.

Hucking big on the Bonaventure.

This entry was posted in CANADA, Photography, Travel, US & Canada and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to Atlantic Salmon Fly Fishing on Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula

Leave a Reply to Todd Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *