When the topic of fly fishing comes up, fishing for wild Atlantic Salmon in the Gaspe’ region of Canada is at the top of the list. Even though it can be very expensive, it is worth every single penny! I can think of no other place like it where the people are friendly the water is gin clear, the salmon are plentiful and also very willing to take a fly. Even entering the lottery to “win” a chance to try for these incredible fish is exciting!

The lottery is held during the winter month of November (Nov. 1st) and each draw costs $6.00 with a maximum of 10 draws per river. The 4 rivers that I like are the York, Dartmouth, Saint-Jean and my most favorite, Petite Cascapedia. If you are lucky enough to win the draw, you must follow up with a phone call to the Société de Gestion des Rivières du Gaspé between January 16 and January 27, 2006 between 8:30 am to 4:30 pm (Eastern time) Monday to Friday, to reserve rods that have been sold on November 1st.

If you don’t win the lottery for your river but are going with friends who have, there is still a chance if you enter the 48 hour draw once you arrive in Gaspe’. The best time to go is very hard to say as water levels and when the salmon are in the rivers vary from week to week. I have been in June and July and enjoyed both times very much.

After a long day of fishing the last thing you want to do is prepare a big meal so the best thing to do is plan and prepare the meals before your trip and freeze them. That way once you’re back to the campsite, the evening meal is much easier to make which leaves more time to sit by the campfire, sip some scotch and talk about the days events.

Of course if you can afford it, I highly recommend staying at a lodge right on the river. It just doesn’t get any better than this. The lodge will be clean and dry and the food will be nothing short of excellent!

A very important thing to do is hire a guide. A guide will know the rivers intimately, know where the salmon are and most likely will have a favorite fly for you to try. Having a guide will definitely allow you more chances to hook up and could make the difference between never feeling a fish on or landing plenty. Please remember to tip the guide after his or her services. One time I over tipped because my guide let me use his “secret weapon” dry fly and I caught a salmon within minutes of him tying it on!

The weather and water conditions can be hit or miss. The water could be too low on one day and the next day it’s too hot or cold or windy with rain but I’ll tell you something... if you hit it just right, you’ll have a salmon fishing experience that you’ll never forget!

Bruce Dobbins is an Avid fisherman that has traveled to the Gaspe’ Peninsula on many fishing trips. Visit Fishing Around where you can read more about fishing.

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