Fly Fishing Insider Podcast
Atlantic salmon in western Newfoundland are fished on public water from June 1, with small wet flies in sizes 8 and 10 while the river is still cold. Once water climbs into the high 50s Fahrenheit the fish become active, and a hitched fly skated across smooth current draws explosive surface takes.
David Hartlin is a Newfoundland guide who runs Atlantic salmon trips on the rivers flowing into Bay St. George and hosts a video interview series recorded with guides from across the industry.
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When does Atlantic salmon season open in western Newfoundland?
The Atlantic salmon season on the west coast of Newfoundland opens June 1, and there are already big fish in the rivers on opening day, usually in higher water. A guided program there does not typically start on the first day: the week before opening is spent scouting all five rivers to learn where fish are holding and what conditions look like, so the guesswork is finished before clients arrive. Clients then fish Monday through Friday after a Sunday evening arrival.
What flies do Atlantic salmon take, and when?
Fly choice for Atlantic salmon is driven by time of year and water temperature rather than by hatch matching. Through June and into early July the water is still cold off the North Atlantic and the fish are lethargic, so small wet flies on a heavy black wet-fly hook in sizes 8 and 10 do most of the work. Once water temperature climbs to roughly 58 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit the fish become noticeably more active, and that is when dry flies and hitched flies come into their own. Large articulated streamers of the kind used for Pacific steelhead would not make a summer top-20 list on these rivers.
What is the Portland Creek hitch, and why does it work?
The hitch is a half hitch of leader tied in behind the head of the fly, which forces the head to stand out of the water so the fly skates across the surface instead of swinging under it. Over smooth, glassy water with a good current the technique produces violently explosive takes. The origin is practical rather than clever: merchant traders brought classic gut-eyed salmon flies to the northern peninsula of Newfoundland, the gut eyes eventually rotted and snapped, and local anglers on Portland Creek kept fishing the eyeless flies by half hitching the leader behind the head. The method outlived the problem that created it.
How long should it take to land an Atlantic salmon?
The working rule in good water conditions is roughly a pound a minute. A five-pound grilse that has jumped three or four times, tail walked and run to the tail of the pool should be in hand within four or five minutes on a nine-foot 8-weight. Even a fresh 15-pound fish rarely needs 15 minutes in the hands of a competent angler. Light leaders are used deliberately: a broken-off fly costs nothing, and pressuring a fish hard to land it fast does less damage than a long fight.
What is the best time of day to fish for Atlantic salmon?
The last five minutes of daylight are the most productive window of the day, and Atlantic salmon are no exception. Bright light pins salmon down - they are still in the pool, but under high pressure they are very hard to move. As shadows lengthen the fish leave the runs and move into the pools, which is why anglers who fish from five o'clock until the mosquitoes get bad at eight-thirty and then head back to camp routinely quit right before the fishing turns on. Planning the day around that window, and taking the middle of a bluebird day off, keeps anglers fresh through Thursday instead of burned out by Tuesday.
Do non-residents need a guide to fish Newfoundland salmon rivers?
There is no private salmon water in Newfoundland, Labrador or Nova Scotia - it is all public, and an angler can fish wherever they like. What Newfoundland and Labrador does require is that a non-resident be accompanied by a guide, with a maximum of two anglers to one guide. That restriction is part of what keeps the fishery from being overrun, and it is one of the reasons the fishery still reads as remote and hard to access from the west coast or the American midwest, where a flight to Alaska is the easier default.
Why are Atlantic salmon numbers declining, and what does closing a river do?
Atlantic salmon once ran the entire eastern seaboard of the United States and north through the Canadian maritime rivers, and the stock decline is real but not attributed to a single cause on air - acid rain, silted spawning beds, longer dry spells that lower oxygen in the river, and predation on parr concentrated into a shrinking water column all get named. Rivers on the south coast of Newfoundland and the eastern side of Cape Breton Island may be listed as species at risk, and a listing closes the river to fishing entirely. The guiding concern is that closing a river takes the anglers off it, and taking anglers off a rural river takes the eyes off it too.
Key takeaways
- Fish small wet flies in sizes 8 and 10 through cold June water; wait for roughly 58 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit before expecting surface activity.
- A half hitch of leader tied behind the fly head makes the fly skate, which is the most productive presentation over smooth, well-flowing water.
- Use a pound-a-minute rule of thumb for fight time - a five-pound grilse should be landed in four or five minutes on a nine-foot 8-weight.
- Do not use a glove to tail an Atlantic salmon; use a proper landing net if you are not confident hand tailing.
- The last five minutes of daylight are the highest-percentage minutes of the day - build the fishing schedule around them.
- All Newfoundland, Labrador and Nova Scotia salmon water is public, but non-residents in Newfoundland and Labrador must fish with a guide, two anglers to one guide maximum.
