Into August we go!
The first two weeks of the month brought us beautiful summer weather, a few days that were perhaps a little too warm (my gosh, we are picky!), healthy river levels, pools holding stunning salmon, and no shortage of memorable moments across Camp Bonaventure, Salmon Lodge and The Club on the Bonaventure.
August also brings with it some of the most exciting moments in the Atlantic salmon season: dry fly fishing! There are few things quite like watching a salmon rise through gin-clear water to inspect a fly dancing across the surface. You see it coming. You hold your breath. You wait…
Sometimes they take. Sometimes they tease. And sometimes they give you the fin and simply disappear, leaving you replaying the moment and wondering what you could possibly have done differently. But isn’t that part of the sport?
The anticipation, the challenge and the possibility that the very next cast could be the one.
At Camp Bonaventure, we added the saltwater of the Baie-des-Chaleurs to the experience as our guests ventured out in search of striped bass. This adventure delivered exactly what we had hoped for: exciting fishing, beautiful days on the bay and plenty of action. It has been wonderful to add another dimension to the Camp Bonaventure experience and share a completely different side of our region with our guests. A big shout out to the Orvis Avon store that hosted a trip with us this season and introduced some of their favorite people to Camp Bonaventure.
Familiar faces are one of our favourite parts of every season. Both Camp Bonaventure and Salmon Lodge had the pleasure of welcoming back Henrik for another season of hosted trips. Year after year, these weeks bring together a wonderful mix of anglers, friendships and shared time on the river that we are grateful to be part of.
Over at The Club on the Bonaventure, August began with a combination of seasoned anglers returning to the water and newcomers discovering the magic of Atlantic salmon fishing for the very first time.
At just 14 years old, one of our youngest guests landed his very first Atlantic salmon, a magnificent 20-pounder! A first Atlantic salmon, a personal best and a memory that will undoubtedly last a lifetime for us all. There are moments in this sport that remind us exactly why we love what we do, and watching a young angler experience something like this is certainly one of them.
Our river levels offered each their own experience through the early weeks of August. The Grand Cascapedia looked a little like a roller coaster, beginning the month at 12.82 m³/s before jumping to 73 m³/s on August 5th. She settled back down before receiving a couple more welcome bumps to 30 and 37 m³/s as we approached mid-month. The Petite Cascapedia began August at 9.57 m³/s, climbed to 13.08 m³/s on the 5th and finished the first half of the month flowing at 11.32 m³/s. The Bonaventure wasn’t quite as lucky with the rainfall, the showers simply didn’t fall in the right places, but thanks to our cool evenings, she remained remarkably steady and clear at around 10 m³/s for two consecutive weeks.