Dear Potential Fishing Partner;
Thank you for your interest in our Newfoundland fishing adventures.
The main river we fish is the Humber River which is recognized by Atlantic
salmon fisher's globally as one of the best in the world! Moreover, the
Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans has designated the Humber as one of the few
rivers in Canada to receive CLASS I status and has the highest retention
limits in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (which contains 68%
of all North American Atlantic salmon rivers). This is a testament to the
strength of the Atlantic salmon runs in this river. In addition, it also
means the river will not be closed during periods of low water when salmon
are more concentrated. On the lower section of the Humber we are blessed
with the cooling effects of the very deep Deer Lake during times of little
rain and salmon concentrations. We are also mobile should fishing slow
down in any one of the dozen pristine rivers within a short drive of the
lodge. An advantage?
All packages include:
It takes a minute (2.3 Megs) but is worth it" |
The following is a list of frequently asked questions:
1) When is the best time to book a trip?
2) How many fish should I expect to catch a day?
3) Where will I be fishing?
4) What style of fishing can I do?
5) Are there "locals" on the river?
6) What is the weather like?
7) How about biting insects?
8) What are the accommodations and equipment like?
9) What gear should I bring?
10) Can you outline a typical trip?
11) Are there any "hidden costs" associated with the trip?
12) How do I combine my fishing with a Newfoundland hunting trip?
13) How do I reserve a trip?
Got another question we missed? Please let us know.
EMAIL eureka@nf.sympatico.ca
1) When is the best time to book a trip?
This depends on the kind of fishing you want to do. Large trophy
class salmon are most abundant from late July until the season closes
in early October and are catch and release only for salmon in excess
of about 6-7 lbs. (24.75 inches) all season long (please play them hard
and fast). Photos and measurements can be taken for a fiberglass replica
as taxidermists no longer need the fish's skin to make a mount. Salmon
under this limit (a.k.a. grilse) are most abundant from mid June
through early August. However, some rivers, like the Humber, have a
Fall run and others like SW Brook have a late May/early June run. The general
peak on most rivers for numbers of grilse caught is during late June and
July. The daily retention limit is 2 grilse per day. The best trout
fishing is had in late May through early June and late July through
the first week in September for fresh silver sea runs of trout. However,
we can still have good trout fishing during non peak times; for example
late June has a major ant "hatch" in the Humber Valley, while the first
week in July has a major caddis fly hatch. The many other hatches, including
midges, caddis, stone fly, mayfly, etc., are available throughout the season
at various times on the different rivers. Brook trout and sea run brook
trout are caught throughout the season with a daily retention limit of
5 lbs. or 12 trout which ever comes first (NB: the 5 pound mark is most
likely). Bait, spinner, and lure trout anglers will have peak results
in late May.
2) How many fish should I expect to catch a day?
Ahhh... a question on every new potential guest's mind and probably the most difficult/impossible for us to answer and control. The Provincial, un-guided, season long average for all rivers is about 0.75 salmon per rod day. A guided trip, on a good river, during a good week, can be much higher. However, as every traveled atlantic salmon angler knows this expectation is best erred on the side of caution so as not to be disappointed as landing salmon should only be part of any trip to a new river. Even some of the best locations in the world for a given game species will have slow days and occasionally a disastrous week - despite all efforts, mobility, and premium world class offerings (know anybody that got skunked on Pinoi ? I do). We will not leave you stranded on a few pools or beats with no salmon or water that is too warm or with just stale colored salmon to cast to - our mobility and amount of rivers and water available insures this. Similarly, we do not book guests or fish areas when catch rates are traditionally very low - we want you to return to fish with us again.
Our typical catch depends on many factors such as: timing/dates of trip, Atlantic salmon angling experience, fly fishing experience, weather, water level and temperature (on the smaller rivers), the number of heavy daily runs of fish encountered, etc. Keeping these factors in mind, from June 18 through July most people (even beginners) land 1 or 2 grilse per day with some misses/loses throughout the day. Skilled atlantic salmon anglers combined with our knowledgeable guides make a formidable combination and frequently catch 2-3 grilse a day, again, with some misses/loses throughout the day. Exceptional days of 4 grilse (the legal maximum allowed to be released) with even more misses, hook-ups, and loses are most common during the peaks in the grilse runs but also occur throughout the season. Atlantic salmon fishing is considered good if you catch 1 fish a day and even on the rivers in Newfoundland we occasionally return without meeting a fish! This is Atlantic salmon fishing - even on the world's best rivers. We have catered to guests from all the major atlantic salmon fishing area in the world including Norway, Sweden, England, Scotland, Ireland, Finland, USA (past), Canada, and Iceland. In combination these seasoned anglers have fished most of the premium atlantic salmon rivers globally - virtually all were thoroughly impressed (sadly a few were disappointed with the catching due to poor conditions - but never the fishing). Then again, they were fishing the #1 ranked river in Newfoundland and one of the top ranked rivers in the world with a veteran local guide!
Trophy salmon (20+ pounds) are fairly uncommon during the early grilse runs (June and most of July) and are best fished during late July through early October when hooking a trophy salmon is often realized. The current IGFA world record for atlantic salmon on a 3 kg tippet is 25 lbs 5 oz. A seasoned Atlantic salmon angler will truly feel he/she is in heaven when sight fishing the rises of these magnificent fish. And well, when a pressure wake of enormous proportions chases your wet fly or a fish with a 6 or 7 inch width to it's back rises to your dry fly it is truly an experience. Often some time during the week the guide will let you view a few trophy fish laying in 4 to 6 feet of water - most are 36 to 48 inches long! When being viewed most of these fish slowly swim out of their lay a few feet off the side of the boat or canoe and return minutes later; although some spook like bullets never to be seen again. Experience, timing, and specific knowledge about the lay is the key.
Please make sure you have at least 200 yards of backing. In 2002 we had two guests get spooled on 25 pound class fish despite fishing from a motorized boat with a quick guide! Most traveled and experienced anglers rank this fish as the most powerful fresh water game fish in the world and 700 feet of fly line and backing can leave the reel very fast. Most anglers are shocked by the stamina and power in a 20+ pound atlantic salmon. A few anglers have asked me if 200 yards of backing was really necessary - none have asked me after hooking one on the Lower Humber. I am yet to see a 30+ pound salmon landed on the lower Humber by a wading angling - every single one I know of that was hooked like this was lost. A local trophy salmon guru who used to do a little wade fishing had 400 yards of backing on his home built reel. I fish with 650 yards of 30 lbs gel spun backing. We like to wade fish for the lower Humber giant salmon but be ready for the crying towel if you hook a monster and are in waders - even a 20 or 25 pound fish can clean a reel of line. Even with a boat we lose most of the monsters we hook, but as one repeat annual guest has said, " I wouldn't trade 30 seconds of battle time with the 30+ pounder I lost this year for the bunch of 8 and 9 pounders I landed last year." Industrial strength tackle, a boat to chase the fish with, and a 10 pound tippet is recommended.
Generally, brook trout are fished in different locations in the rivers than salmon and catches vary from a few 1 pounders per day to non-stop action with 2-3 pounders depending on hatches, location, dates, and angling skill. Spin fishing for brook trout is also available on non-scheduled salmon rivers with fish ranging from 1/2 to 6 pounds. These fish average 1/2 pound to 2 pounds with 3 pounds being considered a real good one. The best bait or lure fishing for trout is in late May through early June. For the fly fishing enthusiast, the peak period is during the major sea runs which start in mid to late July through early August and generally finish by late September for the fresh silver fish. However, trout can be caught all season and we rarely find ourselves short of a dozen trout landed after a day of serious trout fishing.
3) Where will I be fishing?
You will likely be staying near the scenic village of Steady Brook
right on the banks of the world famous Humber River. However, we
are mobile and can fish any of a dozen plus salmon and trout rivers available
nearby and thus we may move to a resort that is closer to a current hot
spot than the main lodge. All resorts used are 3+ Stars out of a possible
5 Stars by government rating. This allows us the advantage of moving
to a better location due to water levels, temperature, salmon runs, fly
hatches, etc. As every angler knows this can be a very significant advantage.
However, 80 or 90% of our guests remain on the Humber River with fish caught
minutes from the lodge. We also offer 2+ day over-night remote canoe
trips on many of the rivers offered. Visit the
MAPS
link at the bottom of the page for a detailed map of the Humber, Sop's
Arm, Lomond, Harry's and Serpentine Rivers as well as Hughes Brook. More
maps to come soon.
4) What style of fishing can I do? (A.K.A. I like to Spey cast,
I like to wade fish, I like to boat fish, I like to dry fly fish, I like
to wet fly fish, I like to nymph fish, I like to spin fish with lures and
bait).
5) Are there "locals" on the river?
(AKA are the rivers crowded?)
Newfoundlander's are internationally known for their hospitality and
simple, giving nature. Tourism is everyone's business and good paying tourism
jobs will soon be #1 in our economy......its in our nature.
This is a common question from anglers that have never fished in Newfoundland
but have fished rivers on mainland North America or Europe that require:
private waters or small beats where angler can't move around from pool
to pool or river to river to fish and explore; have to rotate fishing locations
so everyone can get a chance to fish prime sections of a pool; or have
to fish in more populated areas where there are other people at every good
fishing location. Most anglers will find themselves completely alone while
fishing and we have many stretches on our rivers that are fished by less
than a handful of people for the entire season and you won't see a single
angler on miles of river. By all accounts our rivers are not crowded
and most days you will see only a few anglers spread over miles of water
and a plethora of excellent fishing areas, or simply no other anglers at
all. The one area we occasionally fish and where a good sized group of
residents will be seen is Big Falls from June 18 to July 15. However, they
are only taking Lee Wulff's advice that "this area has to be visited at
least once in every salmon anglers life". The reason this area is visited
at this time by the residents is obvious once experienced; as it surely
must have one of the greatest fish/rod day averages and awe-inspiring scenes
in the world of Atlantic salmon fishing! Imagine a waterfalls 12+ feet
in height with salmon continually leaping into the air to overcome it!
In one area of the falls you can sit or stand on the ledge right next to
the jumping fish not 4 feet away - bring lots of film!
The simple answer to this is - we have it all. We fish about
12 rivers and 100s of kilometers of water. Most of these rivers are what
people call good sized "streams" and can be crossed in many places with
chest waders (but not everywhere) from one shore to the other and consist
of pools, steadies, and rapids. The Humber River is the largest of the
rivers, but can still be waded with chest waders in almost all areas we
fish. The water of the Lower Humber River is the only area we generally
use a boat to both move around and occasionally fish from as some
of the shoals and islands are in the middle of the river and can not be
waded to from shore or the lays are in fast 4 foot deep water where wading
is very difficult. There are also small boats available at Big Falls where
the wading can be slippery in some areas with flat bedrock. A boat can
also help during any high waters of June and early July. However, for those
who have trouble wading, even in slow moving shallow water, fishing from
a small boat or canoe in a comfortable padded seat with back rest can be
done on many rivers. We generally fish from a canoe or boat on a lake when
bait and/or lure fishing for trout.
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8) What are the accommodations and equipment like?
The comfortable lodges vary from 3 to 4.5 star by government rating
and all include: spacious living and dining areas, semi-private or private
rooms with bathroom, fly tying equipment, full time cook, excellent dining,
well maintained canoes, boats, and outboard motors. Any local driving
is done by 4X4 jeep,minivan, or 12 passenger 1 ton van. For water transportation
and fishing on the lower Humber River and surrounding lakes we use large
freighter canoes, and genuine 25 foot White Wulf - Gander Bay river boats
specifically designed for our types of waters and customized for fly fishing.
These magnificent traditional Newfoundland salmon fly fishing boats are
manufactured by the highly acclaimed boat designers and manufacturers Geange's
Manufacturing. Everything for a memorable and comfortable experience.
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10) Can you outline a typical trip?
Every trip is custom tailored to the anglers needs; however
here are some generalizations. We greet you at the airport in the small
town of Deer Lake, Newfoundland, Canada for the 20-30 minute drive to the
lodge. Your flight will likely arrive in the late afternoon or evening,
so generally this is followed by an evening of introductions, conversation,
orientation, and traditional Newfoundland hospitality and food. Guests
can also drive from the Continent but must cross to the Island on the largest
ferry in North America from the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada ( see the
How
to Get Here link). Specific meals can be requested and the cook is
always eager to please. Breakfast is served as early or late as you'd like.
Typically, fishing starts some time around sunrise. Should you be fishing
the Lower Humber and staying at our main lodge, you simply walk down to
the river and climb aboard the boat with your guide for the short ride
to the first hot spot of the day. None of the rivers require a boat
to effectively fish except when fishing for the giant salmon of the Lower
Humber as most fly reels have less than 300 yards of backing and the fight
may take place over a 1/4 mile of river or more. For out-tripping we drive
to a local river. This may be very remote and require a 4x4 jeep; however
most are accessible via a remote dirt road with a 12 passenger full sized
van (some are only minutes away from the main lodge - see Maps).
Fly-in trips are available via helicopter or beaver float plane but the
airfare is not included in our package and will not likely result in more
fish being landed (~$600USD/hr for a 5 person beaver and ~$1300USD/hr for
a 5 person helicopter). We also offer remote over-night canoeing/camping
trips on many of the rivers we offer, but please try and reserve this in
advance so we can prepare. Our trips are fitted around the anglers schedule
so some guests return to the lodge for lunch and some remain on the river
with a box or shore lunch. Fishing is usually finished shortly after sunset
when you are returned to the lodge for a freshen-up and the evening meal,
or snack if you returned earlier for dinner. Bring lots of film!
At the end of your stay with us we will drive you to the airport for your
return home. Any fish to return with you are wrapped, frozen, and
packaged for transport. A complimentary video of your trip is provided
thanks to the steady hands of our guides/cameramen.
11) Are there any "hidden costs" associated with the trip?
12) How do I combine my fishing with a Newfoundland hunting trip?
13) How do I reserve a trip?
See you on the river;
Bill Bryden
Got another question we missed? Please let us know.
No. Some anglers purchase local flies, wines, etc. Most tip
the cook and guide if they make an impression. Some bring a few salmon
and trout home with them which can cost extra if the airline requires an
"extra baggage" fee (typically $20USD). Framed flies are available as are
other "gifts for that friend back home" and stopping in a local fly shop
seems to be popular.
Simply reserve a spring bear hunt or fall big game hunt (moose, caribou,
bear) and add the days of fishing you require. Ask for details or visit
our web site at http://home.thezone.net/~canada.
Note: Big game hunts start at $3275USD.
Reserving well in advance (6-18 months) is recommended as space
and guides are limited. We require a $1000 USD per angler deposit to confirm
your trip with us. This is only refundable if a replacement can be found
in time to fill your reservation. Rescheduling for a time more suitable
for you is always offered. Deposits can be made to:
Eureka Outdoors Inc
PO Box 1141
Corner Brook, NL
Canada
A2H-6T2
Phone (011 (0))1-709-638-8098
EMAIL eureka@nf.sympatico.ca
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PO Box 1141 Corner Brook, NL, Canada, A2H-6T2 +1- 709 - 638-8098 Email eureka@nf.sympatico.ca Please include a phone number |
