Reviews
Words from Our Happy Guests
“Wrap up at Salmon Hole Lodge ! This facility is amazing and will get better by the hard work that the new owners are putting into it. If you like remote, super low preasure salmon angling, this is the place. In 40+ years of salmon fishing, this has been the most memorable and productive trip of my career. Thanks Salmon Hole, we hit it out of the park!!”
Robert Heal (July 2023)
“Hi Scott: 2017 was another fine year for us on the LaPoile at Salmon Hole Lodge. We hooked fish every day. We had a new fisherman in our group this year. He had not cast a fly rod or fished in 20 years. With a little practice and excellent coaching from our guides he did very well indeed. This was my 36 th trip to the LaPoile River in 37 years (I regret the skipped year greatly). I went up this year with the intent that it be my last as trip organizer, and since I have no successor in my group, figured it would be my last year. But once there I realized that I’m not ready to give it up and will organize for another year at least. So please count on us returning in 2018. I’m already looking forward to another week with the wonderful Salmon Hole Lodge staff .”
Jim from New Hampshire (June 2017)
“ Our trip was great! My son said he loved everything about it. He caught his first Atlantic salmon and that memory will be with him for a long time. Alex and Monford (the guides) and Eileen (our cook) are great people and they did a wonderful job. More than that, they made us feel like family. You are very lucky to have them as staff and we were as lucky to be with them. Please let me know which weeks are available for 2018. Thanks again to you, Alex, Monford and Eileen for giving me, my son and the other guys in our group a great time together .”
Sandy from Nova Scotia (July 2017)
“ Hi Scott, I had a great time and enjoyed the whole experience. This was my first time to Newfoundland. I really enjoyed getting to know the Newfoundland guides. They were very attentive, helpful and dedicated to making the trip a good one for us. Our cook, Eileen, is a sweetheart and did a great job with the food. The facility was really great and pretty much what I expected. What a beautiful location/setting. Again, this was an awesome experience and you have a fine operation . “
Dave from Massachusetts (July 2017)
“Hi Scott – Just wanted to let you know I had a good time at Salmon Hole Lodge. Since it was my first time fly-fishing, I learned a lot from all your people. They were all very nice. Overall good food, good people, great scenery. Enjoyed it very much.”
Donald from Virginia (July 2017)
“Hi Scott, our group had a great time at Salmon Hole Lodge! Everyone loved the food (Eileen did a great job as usual!) and really enjoyed the company of the guides. Even though the fishing was a bit slow (18 salmon over 5 days), everyone in my group had an experience that they will never forget. Thanks again for the opportunity to visit my favorite place on earth!”
Tom from New Hampshire (July 2017)
“I really enjoyed the trip. The guides were very good and Alex (head guide) & Eileen (cook) added a special touch with respect to quality of food and overall oversight. These folks really care about the sports enjoying themselves . They want everyone to have a tremendous experience. You have a very strong team working for you. Overall, the facilities are good and I enjoyed my time there.”
B. McMillan – PEI, Canada (2016)
“ I had a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed all the guides and Eileen (the cook). In fact, Eileen was incredibly helpful to making the camp run efficiently. What I most appreciate about Salmon Hole Lodge is it’s rustic character, low key atmosphere and approach towards the experience you provide. This is what makes it unique. Thanks!”
J. Austin – Vermont, USA (2016)
“My son and I had a great time and the scenery was unbelievable. Your guides were wonderful hosts and the meals were delicious and always more than we could eat. The highlight of our trip must have been, while using a fly I had just tied, my son and I each caught a salmon right in front of the camp – what a thrill! I hope to return one day and I will certainly pass along our great experience to our fishing friends”.
M. Fischer – Vermont, USA (2016)
“Hi Scott – My son and I had a great trip! It was just what I needed. I was looking for seclusion and found it. I wasn’t anticipating the beauty of Newfoundland. It was gorgeous! Your staff was great. All of your guides were very attentive and great company. I loved the various pools you offer. Thanks for the trip and tell the gang I said hi.”
S. Ellis – Massachussetts, USA (2016)
In the Media
Featured in the Winter 2009 Issue of Atlantic Salmon Journal
Writer and photographer Hugh McKervill has written a very informative article, titled “Outport Comeback”, about his July, 2009 visit to Salmon Hole Lodge on the LaPoile River. Along with several beautiful photographs, some taken by Mr. McKervill and some taken by Mr. Shaun Lowe (from Halifax, Nova Scotia), the article paints a vivid picture of the history of North Bay and the evolution of the sport fishery on the LaPoile River. The article discusses the important relationships that exist between Salmon Hole Lodge and the fishing guides that it employs, the local economy and the environment in which it is located. To enjoy Mr. McKervill’s story, please click here.
Featured in several issues of the Angling Report Newsletter
Thank you to several of our guests who took the time to send a report on their Salmon Hole Lodge fishing vacations to The Angling Report newsletter. Their experiences and impressions of the Salmon Hole Lodge and the LaPoile River are featured in the “Outfitter Critiques” section of the January and April, 2009 issues and the September, 2010 issue of the Angling Report newsletters.
To read these informative articles, please see page 12 on the following links:
The North Bay Narrative
The North Bay Narrative is the remarkable story of a remote Newfoundland fishing village and its evolution from a community of a few families where men built boats by hand to today’s collection of cottages, including the Salmon Hole Lodge, where local residents guide visiting Atlantic salmon anglers.
Author and ardent fisherman Walter Staples made his first trip to this wild area of southwest Newfoundland in 1980. He had heard about the beautiful LaPoile River valley and its prolific runs of wild Atlantic salmon. What he discovered, however, was a much more complex story about rugged pioneer families who moved far from the nearest village in hopes of carving out a livelihood from the dense forest.
North Bay’s first settlers began building ocean-going fishing boats, cutting trees by hand, pulling them from the woods to the banks of the LaPoile River, and floating the logs downstream to the village. The logs were pulled ashore in North Bay and cut into boards by men using pit saws. The completed vessels, some sixty feet long, were launched by hand to the river, and sold to fishermen along the coast. From 1890 until 1968, three generations built over 150 vessels.
The people of North Bay, never more than 80 at any one time, began moving away from the village after World War II. Although the last year-round resident left in 1968, the village was already in transition. Many former residents returned during the summer and old houses were replaced with cottages.
The LaPoile River still runs by the revived village of North Bay and local residents, working at the Salmon Hole Lodge, guide fishermen who cast their flies for Atlantic salmon.
Until this book, the old North Bay existed only in the memories of the few remaining people who were born and lived there. In the North Bay Narrative, their story lives on – a reminder of other small Newfoundland communities now abandoned and soon to be forgotten.
Go to Amazon.com to purchase the book:
“All That Glitters” Magazine Article featuring the Salmon Hole Lodge
The following article, titled “All that Glitters”, first appeared in the June 2003 edition of Eastern Woods and Waters magazine. It tells of the author’s experience while fishing the LaPoile River in the 1980’s and staying at what is now known as the Salmon Hole Lodge.
Some things have changed since Mr. Munro’s trip – the old house in North Bay has been replaced with a modern, comfortable cabin known as the Lower Camp; the retention limit for salmon has been reduced from 2 per day to 2 per season (with mandatory catch and release thereafter); and feasts of capelin have been replaced with fabulous meals featuring moose and fresh codfish. Of course the facilities have been upgraded with the addition of showers, icemakers, propane fridges and the like.
Other aspects of the trip haven’t changed at all – salmon that are eager to take a fly continue to return to the river in great numbers every year; the LaPoile River water is still gin-clear; sightings of other anglers on the river are rare; and of course, the friendly dialect of the guides can, at first, be hard to decipher!
Thanks to Eastern Woods and Waters magazine and publisher Jim Gourlay for permission to show this article.
“Fishing Guides I Have Known”
Magazine Article featuring Salmon Hole Lodge Guide Sid Chant
The following article, titled “Fishing Guides I Have Known”, first appeared in the Summer 2000 edition of the Atlantic Salmon Journal. It tells of the author’s experience with various fishing guides – including fishing the LaPoile River in the late 1970’s and staying at what is now known as the Salmon Hole Lodge.
Mr. Gourlay, the author, has high praise for Sid Chant – one of the four talented guides that work at the Salmon Hole Lodge. On the second page of this 2-page article, the author “awards” guide Sid Chant the “Oscar” for ultimate service in unfavourable circumstances. The unfavourable circumstances being a very long hike to the most remote pool on the river, with Sid carrying a heavy load and wearing an old pair of rubber boots – not waders.
Readers will be happy to know that Sid still works with us, he’s just as dedicated and hard-working as he was in the 70’s, and he now wears felted waders that are somewhat more comfortable than those old rubber boots! And with his fellow guides – Alex and Phil – these men form a team of the best fishing guides you will find anywhere! They have spent their entire lives in this area and know every rock in the LaPoile River!
Many thanks to the Atlantic Salmon Journal for permission to show this article.