I've included dates in this article, it's more for my future recollection! My first adventure on the water was May 22nd at a pond near the highway with Bassan. It had a decent size river flowing in so after trouting the pond near the run-in I began lessons in fly fishing the river which is a totally different game then fishing still water on the pond. Learning where fish lay in flowing water and how current affects floating line and presentation of the fly was an awesome and interesting educational experience.

In addition to my fly rod I started picking up some necessary and some comfort fishing gear starting with a Patagonia Vest Front Sling pack (from Outdoor Pros). This would hold my gear including fly boxes, license, nippers, floatant, forceps, fly dope, snacks, water and more. It has worked out great. It's more comfortable than a vest, lighter than a backpack, can be worn with a t-shirt, sweater, jacket and still be comfortable. Most commonly used items are kept in the front pockets, (including fly box & cell phone), a sling pack does not have to be taken off to access the rear larger pouch.

I also invested in a high quality Loop Gielas rain shell. It's made using their version of Gortex material which is waterproof but light weight and breathable. This jacket has worked very well as a windbreaker and rain coat. When it's not raining it can be found rolled up and stored on the outer straps of my sling pack so it's at the ready for a sudden rainfall. The jacket is very comfortable and stylish which makes is multiuse for more than just fishing.

On this first fly fishing trip I even managed to catch my first keeper trout, a dandy mud trout.

On May 29th, Bassan and I headed down the Southern Shore to try for sea trout in Mobile near the salt water.

We had a bawl catching and releasing Salmon Parr. We never struck into any sea trout this day, which is OK because I am primarily interested in logging casting hours!

On May 30th I headed out the highway and hit up a few fishing spots on the new transmission line with my fly rod.

Most of these places were new to me and a lot of these ponds were rock strewn. I figured the fly rod would be a great way to avoid snags, and my assumption was correct! A lack of trees in this area also helped this new fly fisherman avoid snags on my back cast!

Once again I was fortunate enough to snag a few trout for the pan!

Learning to fly fish is all about practice, the more time spent casting the better. What better place to do so than on a beautiful pond, on a beautiful sunny day in a nice open area and no wind.

With Salmon fishing set to open on June 1st I picked up the last few necessary items I would need. I purchased a pair of relatively inexpensive Compass 360 stocking foot chest waders, then I chose a pair of great quality wading boots. Salmon fishing will mean spending a lot of time on your feet so I wanted really good boots. The Korker Darkhorse came highly recommended from Bassan. They feature a one handed no laces BOA M2 fitment system, swappable soles from felts to rubber (great if you have a long distance to walk) and are very comfortable.

Next we hit up Bassan's fly guy who set me up with an assortment of dry (pictured) and wet flies. I chose a couple of SHOR cases which are silicone inside so they will quickly dry out and not go funky over time.

I also picked up some Fly Agra which is a pre-treatment for dry flies which will help keep them floating better and longer without the need for additional floatant being applied in the field. This was another suggestion from Bassan but the name and bottle label had me sold anyway!

On June 5th Bassan, his father Peter and I headed to Aquaforte to pour and finish a concrete slab for our buddy Troy's new garage. We took our fishing gear with us and planned to hit a river or two on our way back to town.

Leaving Troy's we headed over to the Spout river and hiked down a section of the East Cost Trail that parallels the river from the Southern Shore Highway almost all the way to the salt water.

Troy's son Duncan tagged along and we all enjoyed an awesome afternoon on the river.

Peter who will be celebrating his 80th birthday this year has been fly fishing for decades, he still hits the rivers every opportunity he can. It was an honour and privilege to pick up some pointers from him today!

On June 6th Mark French and I took a run out to the NE Placentia River for the evening to see if any salmon were on the move yet.

This was my first time on a licensed Salmon River, so with license in hand and having all the necessary gear I was pretty excited!

We only had a couple hours of daylight so we started by the falls and fished our way down river just below the bridge. We haven't had much rain in the last 6 weeks and water levels are apparently much lower than they should be.

Although we found no sign of Salmon in the river today, I had a great time logging more casting hours and managing for the most part to keep my line out of the trees!

June 8th brought a drizzly, foggy start for an early morning adventure to the Colinet River. Today Jeff Thomas, Bassan and I took a 45 minute trek through the country and thick woods to Mile Pool.

We weren't on the river long before Jeff hooked a dandy 2-3lb (estimated) sea trout, unfortunately it tossed the fly while being played out and escaped to be caught another day.

Thankfully by mid morning the fog burned off and the sun came out, just an incredible transformation!

Years ago River Wardens would be stationed at riverside camps all across the island ready to help fishermen and to keep an eagle eye out for poaching.

With low water levels and still being early for this river we saw no sign of Salmon today but we had a ball catching and releasing small trout and Salmon Parr.

June 11th Roger Butler and I got up early and headed out to the NE Placentia river.

Today I had pretty good success catching a few keeper size brook trout and releasing lots of small trout and Parr.

We fished the river from the falls all the way to the salt water and back again. We ended our day by the bridge in the early afternoon.

On June 17th I was back on the NE Placentia River again, joined today by Bassan and Roger. This time we had even better success. Bassan hooked and released a Salmon near the falls and I managed to land a half dozen nice size trout!.

Water levels are still really low, many rivers on this part of the island are on the verge of closing to all day fishing.

Having successfully graduated the first levels of the "Bassan fly fishing academy" I was invited to join him, his father Peter and Roger Butler on their annual Salmon fishing adventure to the Lomond River which is located on the west coast of our province.

Near the end of our week long adventure on the West Coast I managed to break the tip off my Scott A2 fly rod. It has warranty and can be fixed but has to be shipped to the states which will take awhile.

In the meantime I decided to invest in a decent quality backup rod and picked up a Loop Q series combo set from Atlantic River Outfitters. This a really nice, reasonably priced, quality set that comes complete with 4 piece rod, a beautiful reel, matching line and a case. I chose a 9' 7wt rod which is a little lighter than my Scott A2 and may be more adept for trouting.

I chose the Loop kit for a couple of reasons, first it's great value for the price. I chose Loop because you can attain replacement parts right over the counter here at Atlantic River Outfitters in St. John's which is a game changer to me. Replacement parts are warranted free for one year, but rod sections can be replaced for $60 each if you break one, again right over the counter.

Having just returned from our West Coast adventure and wanting to try out my new set up, June 29th Bassan and I headed out over the highway. We first fished the NE Placentia then headed over to the SE Placentia near Beaver Falls.

With high water temps and low water levels these rivers were restricted to morning fishing only meaning you can fish from daybreak to 10am. The signs were deceiving, but we confirmed with a fisheries warden that the river was not in fact fully closed but restricted to morning fishing only as indicated on the In Season River Status webpage at DFO. They haven't had new signs made yet to post accurate information on the rivers.

Top of Beaver Falls

With rivers now closed, we ended today's adventure stopping at the flats of Salmonier River watching to see if any fish were on the move.

Fish in my house rarely go in the freezer. I truly enjoy pan frying them which to me is the whole point of catching them!

This story is already pic heavy so I will break up my summer fishing adventures into a few articles.

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2025 Michael Smith