The first dog days of August have passed, and another group of happy anglers departed the lodge today. This was a week of greenhorns of all ages! There were a couple of experienced anglers in the mix, but we had a contingent of young corporate guests wetting salmon flies for the very first time, right up to our eldest pair of guests on record at 83 and 85 years young and also their first time fishing for atlantic salmon. Proof that it is never too late to try something new! Tom and Don deserve special mention. Don wasn't physically up to getting to some of the best pools, but they persevered and both hooked two fish each, and Don landed a lovely grilse in Govnor's Pool that the guests enjoyed at the dinner table! These two gentlemen were a pleasure to host, as were all guests.

The high water did flush the Lower Eagle of most of our holding fish so we were relying on what was coming in daily. While slower than the perfect water conditions we had a few weeks ago, there were still fish to be had for these guys, and for their experience level they did very well. The most committed of the group had days where they hooked up to 8 fish a day. Others had days with 0-1, but everybody in camp hooked fish. Very few made it to dip net to be kept or released. Experience played a big role there. Even the best anglers we see often don't get 1 out of 3 to the point of being landed. As one guest put it this week, "your salmon have a lot of piss and vinegar!", "boy they sure run!". Lol, don't we know it.

This is our last group of the 2022 season. That is a crying shame as conditions on the river are quite good. The water is still at a moderate temperature ranging from 62-65F this week. The water level is getting good again and some of the best pools in the world are forming up again. Essentially, we are closing down when the CPUE is likely to be 3-4+ for the next couple of weeks. Conditions will play a role as always.

For 2023 we are going to push hard to sell dates further into August. We fish the river in August. Have been for years. We have successfully fished in September. We will be adjusting pricing for our August dates. Some may view the pricing as discounted 'because the fishing isn't as good'. Not so. We view it as pricing it at exactly what it is worth. There is a very high demand on our statistical 'prime' dates, but it is time this place be experienced well into August. Right now it is pretty much only fished in August by our neighbours below the gorge at the Eagle River Salmon Club as it rotates through their club membership annually. They are a lucky bunch to basically have the entire Lower Eagle to themselves for 2-3 weeks! Hey, we like you guys but it's time the rest of the world come get some! Some of the best atlantic salmon lodges in eastern Canada have CPUE averages of less than 1. Ours is usually pushing 5 and August can and does produce numbers that are at or near our average. It's an off week or two that brings the average down to what it is! So, lets be perfectly honest: You will very likely not get as many fish here after the first week of August as you would in mid July. But that doesn't mean there is no value to fishing August. It has great value, and we will be pricing it accordingly.

If I get back for a fish in August, I will update the Eagle River Report again. For now, we say c ya later. This was an absolutely stellar year here at PFSL. Thank you to all guests who braved the chaotic airline industry to spend some of your time with us.

We leave you with a few photos contributed by Peter, who departed today and had a great week!