Atlantic Salmon on Dry Flies; Looking for Partner
Off chance anyone interested in splitting expenses on a Nova Scotia trip?
Destination: Margaree River, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Time: TBD, late June-early July or late September-mid October 2023.
Species: Atlantic Salmon on dry flies and/or dry lines only, Skagit is a dirty word. In the fall sea-run Brook trout are available, running up to 5-6 lbs. incidental Sea-run Browns and Steelhead possible on nearby rivers.
Costs: With Canadian dollar (CAD) exchange rate very favorable I am confident that $2K USD excluding airfare to Halifax or Sydney, Nova Scotia would more than cover guides, license, car, lodging with kitchen facilities, incidentals for a 7-10 day trip.
I was first there on a trip hosted by Kiene’s in 2019, haven’t been back due to Covid-19 and general border and airline problems but I felt this year should be good to travel. The Margaree is a small river by our standards, guessing about 600-800 CFS would be ideal flows. No boats, all bank fishing and all waterfront property is accessible to the public. That said, some of the more popular runs have lines to fish but all are polite and woe to those who, either through ignorance or malice, attempt to low hole or crash a line. I never had to wait behind more than one other person and was amazed when after walking across a nicely manicured lawn to access a nice run, on returning to the car the landowner came out of his house and asked how the fishing was, saying so-and-so got two there last night. The river has been fished since the 1850s, strong tradition and the nicest people ever.
The salmon run from 6 to over 20 pounds, I saw pictures of two over twenty caught when I was there last week in June. Fish over 30 have been taken.
As an added attraction, there is a whisky distillery and a world-class golf course (Cabot Links) about 40 miles away.
Need a reliable partner who can make a decision in next 30 days, you won’t regret it.
