Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/742011
The evenings at camp were perfect, with mild, slightly chilly weather, a refreshing respite from the Carolina heat and humidity we'd left behind. Eric's wife, Sandy, arrived while we were fishing and prepared a "much better than your typical fish camp" dinner in the roomy cooking and dining tent. After our meal, it was over to the fire for a few glasses of wine and a sunset serenade by a coyote choir. In the background, always, was the subtle roar of the Bow. The last day was spent beneath blue skies and white puffs of clouds. The trout were hungry, and we caught rainbows on dries like the elk-hair caddis and wets like the Bow River Bugger. And, of course, the hopper- dropper. The rainbows measured up to 18 inches and each put up a feisty battle, complete with dramatic leaps and line- stripping runs. There was the occasional break-off, but all in all the fishing was fabulous, with an average of two dozen catch-and-releases per day. If you'd like to fish the Bow River with Eric, visit www.silvertipbowriver.com. L ock-jawed Atlantic salmon S i t t i n g j u s t n o r t h o f M a i n e , Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula is blanketed with huge forests laced by refreshingly unspoiled rivers flowing to the ocean. I had the opportunity to combine a Gaspé bear-hunting trip with fly-fishing for Atlantic salmon. If you've ever cast a sinking line into a deep crystalline stream, hoping to entice a 20-pound Atlantic salmon to snap up a wet fly, then you've attempted one of the most challenging feats in freshwater angling. The greatest hurdle lies in the fact that you're trying to entice a fish that's on a major hunger strike. If you're fortunate enough to land one, as I did a few years ago, consider yourself one persistent, lucky son-of-a-gun. The reason these sea-run salmon are so finicky is that they're on a single-minded mission to spawn in the upper reaches of the rivers. As an angler, you're teasing the fish, trying to annoy it or otherwise piss it off until you trigger its instinct to attack a smaller critter. It's not going to happen often. One salmon brought to hand in a morning is admirable. 170 • S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S