And old saying we hear a lot in New Brunswick is “Make hay while the sun shines.” With such a range of climate – from summer heat to iced-over in winter – the Maritimes of Canada know how important it is to take advantage of optimum conditions.Nothing could be more reflective of this than our just-concluded autumn season. While the lodge is now safely battened-down for winter, just weeks ago it was brimming with activity and already we’re planning for its triumphant opening in April.
September started us off with Al and Melissa Romans visiting from Tennessee. The Romans visited quite a bit of Eastern Canada, and actually found their way to New Brunswick via the train from Montreal. The water level was ideal during their stay, allowing them to fish home pool with great success each day.
We also entertained guests from Massachusetts, and even one from Japan!
The river had found its comfortable low fill and fishing was just getting ideal for the end of the season when Hurricane Kyle threw a wrench in things with days of torrential rain. Fortunately we were equipped with Spey rods, which originated in Scotland and are designed to have no back-cast. This is ideal for fishing from the banks, which our guests were eager to do, even though it was a bit soggy. In fact, a guest who visits from the United Kingdom debuted his Spey rod four years ago, proving once again that if you want to spot a trend, just look to the heart of the source … after all, Atlantic salmon fishing originated in Scotland.
October ushered in the peak of the wing shooting season, which is a popular activity alongside the fall run of salmon. Since the river was still high, a father/son group from Ohio sent to us from Frontiers Travel spent quite a bit of time hunting the elusive woodcock and grouse over pointers with our guide Jerry. Fortunately they had quite a bit of success in the woods, but one stood out on the river: Bryan landed a Cains river salmon on his 4 weight rod, the result of hard work and practice on his casting.
