Margaree Valley, N.S. — A popular outdoors television series now filming in Cape Breton is expected to reel in more visitors to the scenic Nova Scotia island once its episode on fly fishing for salmon on the Margaree River is aired.
Crew with “The New Fly Fisher,” an Ottawa-based fishing show, began shooting in the Margaree Valley in mid-July. The show, which has been on the air since 2001, previously visited the area during the 2015 fall salmon run. Primarily hosted by Colin McKeown and Bill Spicer, the long-running series can be seen on the World Fishing Network, PBS and Sportsman Channel Canada. The show also has its own YouTube channel.
The new episode on the Margaree will focus on dry fly fishing for Atlantic Salmon in which the lure floats on the surface of the water.
The show’s production team is staying at the Normaway Inn, which is located just three kilometres from the approximate midway point of the Margaree River, just as it did seven years ago when exposure from show brought scores of anglers to the area.
Owner-operator David MacDonald said he’s optimistic that lightning will strike twice.
“Since they were here the first time, we have hosted hundreds of anglers from all over the world who saw us on the show and booked a trip to Cape Breton to fish the Margaree,” said the longtime innkeeper.
“It’s nice to see the river with healthy stocks and anglers coming to fish. It’s just great news that more people are coming to enjoy the Margaree which is, of course, world-renowned. There are so many great places to see in the Margaree but many of them are hidden because the watershed is so large.
“And the neat thing about fishermen is that they tend to stay longer than the average guest and they are more likely to return.”
HEALTHY RIVER
MacDonald said the river became increasingly popular with anglers in the early 1980s.
“When I got here in 1976, there were 120 fish that were angled that season, according to the reports, and three years later that number had increased to more than 3,000 fish,” he said
“So the river had a very nice recovery for a couple of reasons — a local association was formed and conservation efforts were undertaken and the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the federal government bought out the commercial fishing licences so we saw a huge increase in the number of fish caught. And the Nova Scotia government did really good promotions back in the ’80s.”
MacDonald also noted that the Margaree River has about 20 fishable miles with about 30 recognized pools. However, he added that changes to the river have meant fewer pools are now being fished.
HOOKED ON CAPE BRETON
Mark Melnyk, producer of “The New Fly Fisher,” said he’s thrilled to be back in Cape Breton .
“It’s one of the most accessible and affordable salmon fisheries in the world,” he said.
“The river is in good shape, the summer salmon run is on and it’s going to be a great show. The highland scenery is stunning and the people are wonderfully warm and welcoming. Nova Scotia is a favourite destination for our international viewing audience and we’re looking forward to showcasing the Margaree.
Melnyk noted that the show is also broadcast outside of North America in places such as Poland, Switzerland and France.
Destination Cape Breton Association CEO Terry Smith acknowledged the importance of promoting niche markets such as sportfishing.
“It’s fantastic — we’re always looking for exposure for markets like that and we plan to do more promotion in the future,” said Smith.
“People have been going to the Margaree to fish for more than 100 years and ‘The New Fly Fisher’ is a great vehicle that is going to help us get the word out about this wonderful experience that we have on the island.”
The show also has the support of Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Steve Craig.
“Anglers from all over know that if you want to fly fish for Atlantic salmon, then the Margaree River is a great place to go,” he said.
“Nova Scotia has built a reputation for providing among the best and most accessible sportfishing experiences in the world and I’m thrilled to see The New Fly Fisher showcase that to their audience.”
QUICK FACTS
• Sportfishing on the Margaree River is estimated to have an economic impact of more than one million dollars annually for the surrounding communities
• Sportfishing contributes more than $70 million per year to the Nova Scotia economy.
• More than 79,000 sportfishing licences were sold in Nova Scotia in 2021
Credit: Source link
