2006 Gander River Report (Newfoundland, Canada)

[CaseyBentley]

The 2006 season on The Gander is best described in one word, ”water” and lots of it!

Strong runs of grilse entered the river on high water in mid June. Water levels remained high and dropping, with good angling conditions until late July when the rains came, water levels came up and stayed up, buoyed by yet more rain until the season end in October.

Anglers on the river during June and July enjoyed very good angling. Lots and lots of action, fish in the air everywhere, anglers enjoying tight lines daily. It didn’t seem to matter what fly you used as long as it was a Blue Charm. The dry fly guys, not to be outdone had equal success with The Brown Dog, lots of rollers bumpers and most importantly takers. While The Gander is noted primarily for grilse, anglers reported landing several fish in the 10 – 12 lb. range, considered to be brutes in these days.

Angling through August until season end was good, it’s just that the catchin’ wasn’t as good as it could be due to the high water conditions. Anglers on the river reported seeing lots of fish but as is typical in high water they were blasting through to the headwaters and the spawning beds.

On the bright and positive side, all the high water flushed the fish to the upper reaches of the river and the spawning grounds. Couple this with the ever growing live release ethic, increased enforcement and dedication of local conservation groups, and the future for 2007 and beyond is positive.