Exploring the Restigouche River in glorious New Brunswick

In this destination travel article, my father and I travel to one of my favourite parts of Canada, the historic east coast.

My first Atlantic salmon (Salmo Salar) was 43 pounds and was caught on a dry fly in distant Labrador. I'll never forget the colour of that fish, chrome with an absolutely beautiful amethyst lavender patina that faded to a gorgeous blue.

I was on a sky-high euphoric feeling after that unicorn of a fish, and I fell madly in love with the "king of the sea". I’ve been to the east coast on approximately 11 trips, each to different lodges (for multi-species of fish), and this was my first NB lodge visit.

New Brunswick is home to world-class Atlantic salmon fishing and has a long tradition of fly-fishing.

Our destination lodge for this trip was the Glen Eden Salmon Lodge, settled on the banks of the Restigouche river, bordering Quebec and NB.

The salmon are noteworthy, bright and fresh from the ocean. The lodge is a drive to location, with full staff, guides, and a luxury setting, all with stunning front row views of the gin-clear, famous Restigouche river.

Pools, pockets, and riffles await.

Upon arrival from the Fredericton airport (a lengthy 4-hour trip by car from airport to lodge), our guide (Vaughn, lodge manager & guide) picked us up at the airport, and it was a delightful chat about the fishing and the history of the area, and soon after, I grabbed a nap along the way and arrived refreshed!

I peered down upon the river for the first time as we drove up to the lodge, and the sight that met my eyes was mesmerizing.

It was late in the day, and after a relaxing dinner along with a meet and greet with the other guests, the sleepiness became too much, and it was time for bed.

After a hearty breakfast, the sunlight pirouetted through the daybreak mist as we meandered to the river's edge. The air was infused with the smells of summer along with endless shades of green from the forest that follows the river's curves. My anticipation grew as I assembled my rod and threaded my line through the guides.

With my dad as my right-hand man, he stowed the camera and fly gear into the classic 26-foot Sharpe canoe. With both of us settled in the vessel, Vaughn (our main guide for the trip), assured us of a beautiful day and that the fish awaited. Off we went, up river on the mighty Restigouche to the first good pool.

I made the first cast and my heart was beating loudly, trying to remember all of my lessons from previous trips for Atlantic salmon. In particular, was a short saying, "God save the Queen," thought prior to setting the hook to ensure successful timing. Being a predatory-fish angler, setting the hook swiftly is engrained in me. Every swing, I nearly held my breath until it reached slack water. The long sessions of fishing were in the comfort of the canoe and with great conversation between my dad, Vaughn, and myself. We cracked some ridiculous jokes as I continued to fish in a grid pattern, casting and swinging the fly until I came tight to a beautiful grilse salmon (an Atlantic salmon that has been to sea once and returned). 3-8 lbs is the usual weight for these young salmon. I was lucky to practice on many grilse, and it was a few days before all the hard work produced a nice, healthy, hefty salmon. Fishing for these unicorns is all about time spent on the water, and being ready when the reel starts to sing. One of the guests hooked into a beast of a salmon while I was enjoying a coffee on the deck of the lodge. I gingerly grabbed my camera and quietly went down near the river to watch the theatrics. His guide came rushing in with the net. One could feel the adrenaline and stress of hoping to land such a massive fish. Then the angler put too much force on the fish and tried to rush it to the net, and with one big forceful whoosh, the fish straightened the hook and was gone. I had not seen such a disappointed angler in a long time. He was looking "broken". I quietly walked back up as if I had never seen the commotion, and no one talked about the battle for the remainder of the evening. lol Bruised egos come with the territory of Atlantic salmon fishing!

Did you know?

The IGFA world-record fish was caught in 1928 on Norway’s Tana River, weighing in at 79 lbs. 2 oz. The fly fishing record was 47 lbs. from Quebec’s Cascapedia River in 1982!

My time at the lodge was extremely fulfilling. I even caught brook trout in a lovely stream that fed into the river next to the lodge.

My dad and I thoroughly enjoyed the days on the river. He took tremendous photos, shared stories to keep us laughing as we floated through the clear waters, and, as always, he was my cheering section when I came line-tight to a fish.

One of the fondest moments from the trip was relaxing in the evenings when Dad played his guitar and entertained us all with some great tunes. My father is a professional musician, and it was so much fun to see the lodge guests light up with smiles on their faces and sing along to some great classics.

He made fast friends at the lodge, and a return trip awaits us. It was extremely rewarding for me to share this experience with my dad, and I count my blessings.

The highly acclaimed Glen Eden Lodge is a place to not only check the highly acclaimed Restigouche River Atlantic salmon off the ol’ bucket list, but it’s also a luxury lodge with a private chef to enjoy 5 star east coast meals such as fresh lobster and seafood, enjoy sublime local NB distillery spirits and brews, and meet other amazing people from around the world all while nestled off the grid.

I highly recommend booking for the early season.

All in all, it was a world-class trip, and we look forward to our return.

Until next time, I wish you tight lines and big fish!

Rebekka Redd