Atlantic Salmon and Brook Trout Fishing Trips on the Goose Arm River Newfoundland, Canada

Generally the first cast on an undisturbed pool is the best one - and on some lays, at the right time, you know there is going to be a strike. After suggesting to the guest where the first gentle cast should land, the guide was ringing a miniture crystal dinner bell and saying "dead fly coming down river" - the dry fly drifted about 2 feet.........pow!

Access to this relatively remote river is via the Goose Arm logging road system (click here to see a map). The river is about a 50 minute drive (by the easiest route) from the main lodge located in Steady Brook. This route follows the river closely up the valley from the ocean on a de-commissioned logging road from nearly 40 years ago, but a bridge which crosses the river half way to the first main lake (Cloudy Pond) has a history of washing out in the spring and should be checked prior to any trip. However, the fishing is quite good down stream of the bridge. A second access point can be had off the Great Northern Peninsula Highway via the Goose Arm road and then following the old logging road that leads to Goose Arm Lake and ends at the Ocean in Goose Arm. This second route requires a good 4x4 and the road should be checked prior to any trip. Finally, a third option is a branch road at Weasel Pond, but this requires an all terrain vehicle as the road is impassable at the pond outlet without a lot of guts and some good 4x4 experience. A helicopter or float plane can also access this river, but after you land you may want a canoe to get around in. The river provides excellent canoeing with the only portage being the falls. It is also deep enough to use a small outboard motor in most streches above the falls.

Fishing is done from either the river bank or while wading. Salmon can be taken with dry flies on virtually all pools, however a few fast pools will provide ideal wet fly presentation results. Generally, we do not fish salmon above Cloudy Pond, but do visit some good trout pools upstream of the pond. Between Cloudy Pond and Alder Steady are some deep holding pools that are excellent for both salmon and trout. Below Alder Steady the river is fairly slow moving with long straight pools with a fine stone bottom spotted with a few smooth rocks. Below the bridge it speeds up for a few km and then meets a small water falls as it flows by the twin hills called Sugar Loaves. Fishing the Falls Pool on this river is socially acceptable as it is on another river we fish - the Serpentine. However, on most rivers, fishing within 25 meters of a major obstacle (to migrating fish) in the river is illegal. This is a law which prevents unsportsmen like conduct and unfair fishing as salmon and trout can reach extreme concentrations below some obstacles (eg Big Falls on the Humber River and the Falls on SW Brook). Below the falls the river is fairly fast but still has meandering and island formed pools.

This river is primarily a grilse river (salmon 3-6 pounds) but a few triple and multisea winter salmon (10-18 pounds) will be seen. I am yet to see a fish over 18 pounds landed on this river, but I have heard rumors from a local trapper and woodsmen that lives on the river in summer and who also fishes. The run of salmon in this small river is between 500 and 2000 fish annually.

While 5 pounds of trout is the legal daily limit, guests are encouraged to limit catches. This angler decided to have this fat 16 inch trout for dinner.

This river is best known for its strong run of large sea run brook trout. While using nymphs will catch more fish, trout will also be taken on steamers and dry flies. These silvery trout start running the river in mid or late July and average between 1 and 3 pounds and occassionally 4 or 5 pounds. Like most of the rivers we fish, trout fishing on this river is a wading affair and the more river one walks/fishes the more trout will be caught. Each pool we fish will usually give up a few trout before it will need to be "rested" and the angler must wait or move to another pool. Like most runs of sea trout in our rivers, the trout in Goose Arm River migrate en mass. That is, a pool that is full of lovely fat trout one day may empty after a rain as the entire school moves up stream to rest in another pool. Hence, knowing which pools they hold in will help prevent wasted time while looking for trout. Most salmon pools will also hold some brook trout - but not all. Similarly some beautiful looking pools will be virtually devoid of trout while other poor looking spots will be full. Some colored brook trout (non-sea run) will be found in most pools and in both Alder Steady and Cloudy Pond. River Otter are plentiful on this system but will usually only be seen at Alder Steady or Cloudy Pond during the daylight. This Valley abounds with wildlife and the visitor will likely see: a few moose, bald eagles, ospreys, beaver, muskrat, and sometimes a predator such as a mink, fox, lynx, or black bear. Do not leave unattended fish on the beach if you don't want to feed the plentiful mink! Sometimes we will visit a great horned owls nest on castle pond brook (hard hat anyone?).
 
 

A repeat guest from the USA puts the wood to a thick Goose Arm River grilse. Lulled into a false sense of security he figured it was safe to put away the 9.5'  9 weight and use his little trout rod after landing two 4-5 pound grisle on this small river. The next take was in a big steady with a long rapids below - a fresh 12 pound silver missile on a medium action 6 weight rod bent from the handle and a screaming reel! It was a nail biter!

Typical guided catch rates are 1-2 salmon and 10 to 20 trout per angler per day. The river is best fished by no more than one angler at each pool at any given moment although in some spots we can fish 2 or 3. Below Cloudy Pond, this river is best fished in late July when both salmon and sea-run brook trout will be found in good numbers. Fishing the early morning and late evening high tides (false and true) at the tidal pool at the river's mouth in early July will also produce both salmon and trout. Fishing above Cloudy Pond is best saved for August and the first week of September. Fishing two days after a good rain will result in fish that are fresh from the ocean and waiting in shallow pools between the deeper holding pools. God bless old man Moss and the years he spent in isolation on this river.
 

The tides for this river are the same as the Corner Brook tides (see humber river tides)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 





 

Click your mouse on map position/river you  want to enlarge below.  It will open a new  window with a 1:250,000 scale map or  a 1:50,000 scale map of some of the pools. There are over 200 salmon rivers in the Province of Newfoundland  and Labrador. These are only a few (but some of the better ones).  Note that not all salmon and trout rivers in this area are marked.

Click the link below for a description and photos of the river. Salmon Rivers We Fish 1) Sop's Arm River 2) Upper Humber 3) Lower Humber 4) Lomond River 5) Goose Arm River  7) Serpentine River 8) Pinchgut River 9) Harry's River 10) Fox Island River 11) South West River 12) Bottom Brook 13) Little Barachois River 14) Flat Bay River 15) Fishell's Brook Others on occassion Brook Trout  Areas We Fish 2 & 3)Humber (lower and upper) 4) Lomond River 5) Goose Arm River 6) Hughes Brook 7) Serpentine River Deer Lake (and 4 tributaries) Aides Lake Goose Arm Lake Sandy Lake Cloudy Pond Secret Spots Others 30 Day Water Flow Rates, Temperatures (updated daily or hourly) Humber River (at various locations) Main River (at Paradise Pool), and Harry's River (at the bridge).

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