How could we sum up the last two weeks of June?
Familiar faces, Fresh memories and Salmon on the move. Yup! That sounds about right!
As we turn the page on the final weeks of June, there is a wonderful sense of life and momentum flowing through our rivers and lodges. While rain jackets have remained close at hand, the rivers have responded beautifully, maintaining healthy water levels and creating ideal conditions for our Atlantic salmon to enter the equation.
And enter they have.
We are delighted to report that the salmon runs are strong, and fish are now well established throughout the Bonaventure, Grande Cascapédia, and Petite Cascapédia Rivers. There is a special energy that arrives with those first consistent runs of fish. A feeling that the season is truly underway. Early mornings are filled with anticipation and our high-water pools hold the promise of something memorable.
The forecast over the last two weeks has been a mix of everything. Fresh mornings (layer up!), a sneak peak of sun throughout the day, many many clouds, a good amount of rain and very cool evenings.
Let’s review our river levels. During the last half of June, the Bonaventure River fluctuated between 27.3 and 40.18 cubic meters per second. After a healthy rain, the Bonaventure peaked at 88 cubic meters per second on the 22nd of June. The Grand Cascapedia finished the month of June flowing at 40.44 cubic meters per second. As we progressed through the last two weeks, she peaked once at 136.9 and once at 124 cubic meters per second. The Petite Cascapedia River began the third week of June flowing at 26 cubic meters per second and ended June at 35.8 cubic meters per second peaking on June 22nd at 79 cubic meters per second.
While some believe that salmon are always at the heart of what we do, we believe the true joy of our season has been found in the people who have joined us. We absolutely love welcoming back familiar faces, guests who have become family and who return year after year to share another chapter of their fishing story with us. Watching old friendships rekindle around the dinner table, hearing stories from seasons past, and seeing anglers reconnect with their favourite stretches of river reminds us just how fortunate we are to call this home.
At the same time, we have been equally blessed to welcome a few new guests to the 3Camps family. It is an honour to introduce first-time visitors to these remarkable rivers, our dedicated team, and the traditions that make life in camp so meaningful.
With salmon continuing to arrive, rivers in excellent shape, and many exciting weeks still ahead, we look forward to all that the remainder of the season will bring. New stories will be written, old traditions will continue, and countless memories are still waiting to be made.
Here’s to health, happiness and tight lines.
Julia