Nova Scotia’s 2009 Salmon Angling Seasons

If you are still in the dark regarding Nova Scotia’s 2009 salmon angling seasons, website www.rivermagic.ca home page, bottom right corner, has a link to a copy of DFO’s (our federal Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans) announcement.

The 2009 salmon angling season for the St. Mary’s River is the same as last year’s season, with the West branch of the system closed to salmon angling due to DFO’s  “live gene banking” project. When DFO pitched this project at a presentation a few years ago, they made no mention of this closure, and they also made no mention of a policy prohibiting stock supplementation in any part of the system during the term of the project. In other words, we supported the project without hearing the bad news. The only recent good news from DFO regarding the project is that it will end in 2010, after which we can only hope they will take themselves and their projects elsewhere.

Blue Charm

The Blue Charm began as a simple British feather-wing pattern; often tied as a small “low-water” fly.

Since then it has become a popular and effective fly pattern everywhere Atlantic salmon are fished.

Variations include adding elements of the original such as an ostrich herl butt or Golden pheasant topping. The original turkey and teal feather wing has been replaced by grey squirrel tail, sometimes with a Krystal Flash underwing. Newfoundlanders often substitute moose hair for the wing, or, recently, a white calf-tail wing. Other variations include hackle substitution of iridescent blue peacock neck feather or a lighter blue colour such as Silver Doctor blue.

Thread:              Black 8/0 UniThread

Hook:                 Wet salmon hook, barbless, in sizes 4, 6, 8, 10, or 12

Tag:                   Fine oval silver tinsel behind yellow floss

Tail:                   Golden pheasant crest          

Body:                 Black floss

Rib:                    Oval silver tinsel

Throat:               Deep blue hackle

Underwing:        4 strands purple Krystal Flash

Wing:                 Grey squirrel tail

Head:                 Black thread with 2 coats of glossy finish such as Angler’s Corner Wet Head Cement.

Please stay on the line …