Poachers

There is a breed of men who thrive on the excitement of the dark side of things.
Maybe it is the feeling of superiority over those who tread the straight and narrow. Maybe it is the challenge of outsmarting those who enforce the law. I’m not sure why, but there is always someone trying to beat the system, usually at our expense.

Here is a case in point from last season in Newfoundland. I should mention that I’ve driven by this spot many times; always wishing I could stop to wet a fly.

SPAWN reports that hundreds of fish were being taken from the tail race below the power dam at Deer Lake and the poaching was occurring quite blatantly.

In one email they received, a concerned angler revealed:

"He played the fish as good as any seasoned fisherman would and then cleaned the fish on the beach. The other fisherman there (around 5 in total) continued to fish.

To my dismay, however, a car pulls up within 5 minutes and out comes a person with a plastic bag. She proceeds down the beach and the gentleman hands her the fish without tagging it. She took the fish to her car and then drove away.To me it was very disheartening to see this not once, but happen 2 times within a 2 hour span. Another fisherman hooked and landed a fish and surely enough the same car with the same person came for it."

Apparently the tail race had become known as "The Fish Market", at least until thirteen officers took part in an operation which will see individuals face a total of 30 charges.

So once again the good guys win a battle but the war will continue.

I must admit that I have heard some ripping good stories from fellows who have been known to take a chance or two. They feel that the law is plastic rather than rigid and will often bend it a little.

An interesting one tells of a time when they were fishing on a stretch of the Little Sou’ West Miramichi in New Brunswick. Seeing no fish, they began to suspect someone had strung a net downstream. They don’t say how they knew the likely spot but soon confirmed that indeed a net was blocking the river - right where they figured it would be.

Being enterprising fellows they drove up the road and bought from a nearby farmer as much hay as they could cram into their pick-up truck. When it was dark, they parked the truck on the first bridge upstream and proceeded to dump the hay into the river.

The hay drifted downstream becoming lodged in the net. The hay of course became heavier the more sodden it got and finally tearing the net from its moorings, swept the whole mess away down stream.

As it travelled, it cleared any other nets as well and the boys report that the pool was full of salmon by the next morning.

Here is a picture from the William Bullock & Co. Hardware Catalogue circa 1850. It is reflective of the way poachers were dealt with in the past.








Note that this is the humane model. The mind boggles at the thought of the inhumane one.

The Legendary Pinware River in Labrador

Random Phrump over at Random Casts has just written a great story about a trip we took ten years or more ago to the legendary Pinware River in Labrador .

It is amazing to read about an adventure I remember fondly, but as seen through the eyes of someone else.

The only real difference between his version and mine is that I remember a lot more laughing than offers of help on my part, at least the first time he fell down anyway. Oh yeah, I was a lot more heroic and better looking too.

It’s a ripping yarn and well worth a read.


Places like the Pinware breed memories the way a Nova Scotia swamp breeds Black Flies. But, I always figured that the quality of fishing trip has more to do with your selection of companions then your choice of flies, or rods for that matter.

New waders: refer to the quote from Koos Brandt

Garia Bay River -Steve and Gerald

I was recently fishing in Newfoundland on an amazing river that runs through beautiful but difficult terrain. The shore of the river is rocky. When I say rocky I mean a carpet of stones from golf ball sized to watermelon sized stretching for miles.

 There were few big enough to sit on comfortably to rest your feet from the pounding they took walking or standing on this uneven surface all day and comfort became a big factor to being able to fish effectively.

 I mentioned in a previous post that being comfortable is to my mind one of the biggest factors in not just fishing well but to enjoying your day a field. Fly fishing takes concentration and you can’t concentrate if you are distracted by discomfort. It doesn’t take much to turn a trip from a great outing into an endurance contest.

 Knowing from previous experience what this place was like and the challenge of walking and fishing for hours on the stony ground I starting thinking seriously about how to best deal with the challenge presented.

My last trip there I’d worn boot foot waders and boot foot hip boots. By the second day the soles of my feet were so tender that I had to be careful how I placed my feet; by the end of a week – ouch!

The fishing was fantastic and worth every moment but if I could think of a solution to the difficulty it would sure be worth it.

I started looking into stocking foot waders. The logic being that if I was just going to go hiking on that sort of terrain I’d wear the stoutest hiking boots I could find, not a pair of slip on rubber boots.

 That is one of the big advantages to stocking foot waders. The boots are separate. You can find a pair that fits perfectly and are rugged enough for the terrain you’ll be fishing. You also have the option of getting a second pair of wading shoes that are lighter or rubber soled instead of felt soled, for the different locations you’ll be fishing.

In a nutshell you are not confined to a single pair of waders that are designed to be pretty good in most situations. You can instead customize your waders to be perfect for specific locations.

 I remember a guide I met at Grandy’s River who used Wal-Mart sneakers as his wading shoes over a good pair of breathable waders. Grandy’s has beautiful, sandy shores and bottom. Sneakers are the perfect footwear for that location. Instead of spending the money on wading boots, he could buy inexpensive sneakers and get the performance he required for that location. The perfect solution to equipment challenges isn’t always the most expensive.

What I ended up getting was a pair of Cabela’s breathable waders and their branded wading boots with felt soles. The breathable waders were a bit expensive for my budget but after using them on this trip I think it was money well spent. They are so comfortable; it is more like wearing a pair of pants than waders. An added bonus is they are light and roll up into a very small bundle for packing.




The boots are like a good pair of hikers and just as comfortable. They were the right solution for this trip. It was a pleasure from start to finish.
The fishing was great too.

A random thought:
We are always trying to improve our skills when it comes to fishing, especially fly fishing. Luck is certainly a factor in success but what is the old saying, “The harder I work the luckier I get”?



Well that seems to especially apply to fishing. It could be as simple a thing as being willing to walk a mile further than the other fellow to get to places with less angling pressure or as complex as studying the minutia of the insect behaviors in your stretch of the stream.

In fishing, knowledge and effort are both rewarded.

Fishing dry flies for salmon in Newfoundland.

 Just got home from Newfoundland. What a great trip! It is not all about the fishing, although that was pretty good; it is more about the camaraderie, meeting new people and renewing old friendships.

 I love hearing the old stories retold with all of the same enthusiasm as if the events had happened that afternoon instead of many years ago. Its great to rehash the theories of why a salmon even takes a fly or how best to play them.

My brother offered a thought on why salmon don't feed when they come into a river to spawn. He thinks its nature's way of preventing cannibalism. There are lots of parr in the rivers when the salmon are running. If it were actively feeding, a grilse or salmon would do considerable damage to the next generation. An interesting thought. Now, as to why they take a fly....



The flies that were hottest for me were a brown bug during the day cast upstream and fished dead drift. In the evening, a small black bear-green butt fished by the patent method. By small I mean a number 12 or 10. It always amazed me as the light was fading to get a strike on that small a fly. What incredible eyesight or other senses those fish have.

Fishing dry flies for salmon is about as much fun as I've ever had fishing. The rises are spectacular and the take when it comes is stunning. Its like it all happens in slow motion. Most people are so amazed the first few times they see a big salmon rising under their fly that they end up pulling it away from the fish in anticipation of the strike.

Having raised a fish but not hooked it, a kind of buck fever sets in. It takes the conscious exercise of self discipline to make a good cast to the same spot and wait for what seems like an eternity as you see the fish coming slowly up, mouth agape, to engulf your fly. What a wonderful experience.

I released most of the fish, some intentionally, but kept a couple to use for a traditional planked salmon dinner later this summer. Hopefully the same people who were with me in Newfoundland will be able to attend so I can relive once more a great fishing trip.

"This planet is covered with sordid men who demand that he who spends time fishing shall show returns in fish."~Leonidas Hubbard, Jr.