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Accommodations and other Needs

There are several outfits in the Margaree Valley that cater to the accommodation needs of the travelling angler, too many for this article to list, but here are a few I’d recommend.

Click on Image to visit website

Click on Image to visit website

A grocery store with bank machine access is located in Margaree Forks as is a full service hotel, the Margaree Lodge and Restaurant -  the food is great! They also provide guiding services and guided fishing packages for the travelling angler. Down the hill is a small gift shop where you’ll find a good variety of fishing flies tied especially for the Margaree, and a small selection of fishing gear, accessories and fly tying materials.

On to the Fishing!

The Margaree has two distinct seasons, the early Summer run, sometimes known as the "Strawberry" run, which coincides with the blooming of the wild Strawberry blossoms along the riverbanks. The season opens June 1^st every year and the entire Margaree River System is scheduled fly-fishing only until the season finally ends on October 31^st. 

The second half of the season picks up with a solid raise in water during mid-late September and into October, the fall Salmon Season is wonderful on the Margaree, hills and mountains alive with a blaze of fall colour surround you as you wade through the runs.  The temperature is more comfortable, there is crispness in the air and the smells of fall entice your senses.

The fall salmon season on the Margaree is famous for MSW (Multi Sea Winter) Atlantics that range in size anywhere from fifteen to forty pounds, although the largest fish caught was fifty-two and a half pounds, that was many years ago.

Gear You’ll Need

When it comes to what fly rod you’ll need an all-around rod that will cover most conditions and cast most of the common selection of fly sizes would be a 9 ft., medium to stiff action, single-handed rod for an 8 or a 9 weight line.

 If you were fishing smaller streams for Grilse, then an 8 to 8-½ ft. rod for a 6 or 7 weight line would be adequate.

Fishing the fall season on the Margaree, when the waters run high or at full spate levels, a larger rod in the 9-½ to 10 ft. range, with a 9 or 10 weight line may be required where long casts are necessary to cover the productive water and where there is the chance of hooking an extremely large fish. 

Last season I witnessed many fishermen using Spey Rods to cover the water along the most common beats of the Margaree.  Some seemed to cast more effortlessly than others; one particular gent was having a hell of a time, only to find out this was his very first time Spey casting. It was an educational experience for both of us.  Another gent, I believe a German tourist, cast his Spey Rod as if he were born with the rod in his hand; it was captivating to watch well over 100 or more feet of line turn over as if without any effort from this man other than that of gently lifting the tip, and there it went - a giant roll of line laid out in the most perfect line one could ever hope to see. What a Cast!

The double-handed Spey rod (traditionally 12 to 16 ft. in length), is quite popular in the U.K. and is quickly picking up momentum and gaining a lot of recognition in North America for Atlantic Salmon fishing. Although most rivers in Atlantic Canada can be fished adequately with 9 or 10 ft. rods, there are a few larger rivers or pools where the extra length the Spey rod offers can be beneficial for covering expansive bodies of water and for improved presentation techniques.  Although Spey Casting can be helpful on the Margaree’s larger pools, the majority of water can be very adequately covered with a 9 foot, 9-weight rod.

I won’t go into reel and line selections in this article as it’s purpose is only to give a brief overview of what a visit to the Margaree River might entail and to offer a glimpse into one of my favourite places to visit in Nova Scotia.

What Flies Do I need

Click on Image to Enlarge

The Cosseboom a very productive pattern on the Margaree, The rocks pictured along with the Cosseboom are from the Ross Bridge Pool. Photo and fly by Damian Welsh

"I know no stream in all the world so lovely as the Margaree, and when the soils of life are furled, no better paradise for me. -John C. Cosseboom (1875-1938)

Fly selection can be as easy or as hard as you want it to be.  So what do you need on a trip to the Margaree?   A good selection of hair wings, bombers, dry flies, low water flies and, if you are visiting in the fall, a few larger marabou fall flies will do the trick.

There are some old timers that fish only one fly and no other pattern; a couple I’ve heard about swear by the Blue Charm and never use any other pattern but the Blue Charm -  in varying sizes, of course.

A well-rounded fly box for both seasons on the Margaree would contain the following:

DRY FLIES

Bomber Series Sizes 2,4,6,8, on 1X to 3X long hooks.
Colours - Natural, white, brown, green and orange bodies with various colours of hackle, e.g. orange, brown, grizzly, etc. A particularly productive combination is Yellow Tail, Chocolate Brown Body, and Grizzly Hackle.

Buc Bug Series Sizes 4,6,8,10.
Colours - Varying colours. The Green Machine is a productive pattern, The Wulff Series in white, grey, royal, in sizes 2,4,6; tie a famous Cosseboom (dry) on for a spell in sizes 2- 8 or the MacIntosh in sizes 2,4,6, or 8, created and popularized on another famous Nova Scotia River, the St. Mary’s River. The MacIntosh was created by the late Dan MacIntosh and fished successfully in many different salmon rivers in North America.

WET FLIES These can be tied on heavy gauge wire or if low water conditions exist, most can be adapted to a light gauge wire hook designed for low water conditions, such as the Single Wilson hook from Partridge of Redditch. The patterns include but are definitely not limited to, the Black Bear Series, Undertaker, Big Interval Blue, Ross Special and many others. Tied in sizes 2,4,6 or in 8,10,12 for low water conditions.

Fall Fly Selection

Although most of the summer wet flies are also effective in the fall, the following flies are most effective for late run fish, especially on the Margaree: General Practitioner, Mickey Finn, Magog Smelt, Ally Shrimp Series, The Cardinelle, Margaree Munchie, Canary, and many other marabou patterns, particularly in bright or fluorescent colours.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to fly selection for Atlantic Salmon. In my opinion, if the fish will rise it is going to rise and it doesn’t really matter what the fly looks like or what colour it is.

The Result of 1,000 Casts

Margaree Fishing Guide Ed Woodsworth with a 28 lb. fish hooked on a wet fly he designed called the Chartreuse Charmer. It was in Seal Pool, one of the lower pools, on June 28th 2003. The fish jumped three times with a spectacular cartwheel.

Picture and Caption courtesy of my friend Ed Woodsworth

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Cape Breton Fly Fishing Adventures

Cape Breton Fly Fishing Adventures
551 Hills Road
Albert Bridge N.S.
B1K-3G3
902-371-4347
http://www.cbflyfishing.com/