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Please check in at 2006 fly fishing photos to see some great action pics of our most recent Atlantic salmon fishing season.

The most recently concluded fly fishing season at Grey River Lodge was without a doubt one of our finest in the 14 years of operation of our wilderness lodges. The run arrived earlier than normal and there were simply more fish than normal. From the arrival of our first guest on June 12, fishing action was as good as most would want it to be. There is no doubt that a number of salmon had already passed by our lodges prior to this time, as our first party of anglers had action as good as any of the later guests, with excellent action even being encountered on early upstream hikes . For the majority of our season the fishing action remained steady, with a continuous supply of fresh fish moving through on a regular basis. Almost all days of June would have produced salmon landed with sea lice still attached.

Our Salmon Brook Lodge provided excellent action upon arrival of our first guests and the action was excellent each day of that lodge’s operation. A period of lodge maintenance prior to arrival of the first Salmon Brook guests showed salmon already moving through that area. Staff at that lodge remarked that 2006 showed the most salmon they have ever seen passing through this section of the river. Fishing action in the lower section of Salmon Brook near The Forks Lodge was also very good throughout June and early July, providing a large number of quality days of hiking/fishing expeditions for guests of that lodge.

The Forks Lodge showed it’s best fishing action right in the home pools adjacent to the lodge. Very uncharacteristically for that section of the river some pools which normally offer marginal action were very hot, possible due to the consistently high water levels. Hikes downstream from The Forks were generally unproductive until the 2^nd week of July, due to the high water level of June, during which conditions the salmon do not hold in the pools of that section of river.

There were no surprises regarding the most effective fly patterns, with the Blue Charm easily being at the top of the class for much of the season. Honourable mentioned goes to Black Bear Green Butt in the wet fly category. While dry flies did provide action almost every day throughout the season, it was during the warmer water conditions that they were best, with Brown Bombers usually being the most effective dry. An exception was a few days during the first week of July when an orange hackled Green Bomber with white wing and tail proved to be deadly .

Water levels started out high and cool in mid June, remaining that way through the first week of July. It was without a doubt our most consistent season of prime water levels ever. Weather was cool, with a high number of foggy days in June, and substantial rains at regular intervals of June 11, June 16, June 24 & July 1. As well, there were a number of additional days with showers and drizzle, which also helped. While excellent water levels were great for anglers, it was equally as good for the fish, as they moved easily upstream unimpeded. By early July water levels were beginning to get low, but just as this was happening the main stem of Grey River received new water which was released from the hydro development far upstream, as per the original project agreement. This process raised the river to a very acceptable level and maintained that flow until rains came on July 21.

As we have noticed in almost every year of operation, the south coast region of Newfoundland, and in particular the area in which Grey River is located, summer of 2006 provided substantially more rainfall than all other regions of the island. Follow-up investigation indicated that most NL rivers experienced low and warm water conditions again this past summer, and further make me realize how fortunate we are on Grey River regarding water conditions which are favourable to angling.

Fishing action slowed only during the 2^nd week of July due to warm weather and high water temperatures, but remained acceptable until July 19 when the action shut down, becoming the first day of our season when no fish were hooked. Our fishing season concluded on July 23, with our last morning at the lodge producing 5 salmon hooked for 3 anglers, following improved water conditions the previous day. An overnight expedition to The Forks Lodge by one of our guides and a friend the following week produced 10 salmon hooked in that section of the river, so a significant number of fish still remained in the pools.

As any seasoned Atlantic salmon angler might expect, a season of excellent water conditions is probably not as friendly to sun bathers. True to this form, and with the exception of mid July, 2006 provided us at Grey River Lodge with a high number of cloudy days with fog and various levels of precipitation. Most found this situation to be to their liking as it provided a very pleasant fishing atmosphere with the fog very mystically shrouding the surrounding hilltops. For most who are wearing chest waders, the scarcity of hot sunny days was a blessing.

However, one group who are not normally as appreciative of the dull foggy days is our helicopter pilots. It seemed that every guest changeover day was blessed with foggy conditions. Despite this situation, there was only one significant blemish in our helicopter service which impacted guest arrivals and departures, resulting in our first overnight delay in at least 6 or 7 years. Full credit must be given to our pilots for their skill in completing their service on a number of other days when weather conditions were marginal for flying. Such marginal situations also highlight the value of our satellite telephones enabling us to keep the lodges in contact with the helicopter base of operations. The phone system also proved to be essential in making alternate travel arrangements for those delayed at the lodges due to the poor flying conditions.

As is normally the case, and more especially following such a year of exceptional fly fishing action, many of our most recent guests have already confirmed reservations, or are scrambling to make arrangements to fish at Grey River again in 2007. While a number of periods are already filled for next year, some excellent openings may still be possible with prompt action.

To see a few  photos from the past two fishing seasons, please click 2004 fly fishing photos or .2005 Fly Fishing Photos  Also, check in at  Photo Gallery for a pictorial sample of previous fly fishing action or at 2002 Season Summary , 2003 Season Summary ,  2004 Season Summary or 2005 Season Summary for details of those summer's fly fishing stories.

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