Worth the Wait
After all of the work getting to the Grandy's Brook fishing pools, it would have been a shame if Zane Grey's fishing team had not enjoyed good fishing. Truthfully, the fishing could have been better. Recent rains had left the stream running high and no one caught one of the "fifty-pounders" for which Newfoundland's rivers are famous. However, they did experience catching some nice Atlantic Salmon. Today, salmon in Grandy's Brook typically run in the eight pound range.
R.C. Grey using gaff to land a large Atlantic Salmon caught by Zane Grey in Grandy's Brook, NL.
George Takahashi with a nice catch taken from Grandy's Brook, NL. We don't know if George just took off his hat net for this photograph, or whether he fished without the protective covering. Same Zane Grey experts may expect this image was actually from a trip to Oregon. It is taken directly from Daniel Zirilli's photo album of the Newfoundland trip.
Romer Grey with Atlantic Salmon caught in Grandy's Brook, NL. Notice the net over the hat. In a letter to his wife, Zane Grey mentioned that they had to wear hat nets at Grandy's Brook to get away from the flies.
Zane Grey holding Grandy's Brook Atlantic Salmon.
There are not any pictures of R.C. Grey catching fish on Grandy's Brook. The trip's photographer, Bob Carney, seems to have stayed close to his friend, Romer, and his employer, Zane Grey. However, R.C. Grey enjoyed success as well. Here he paints a vivid word picture of one experience with Frank Benoit:
”Frank Benoit introduced me to a fashion of salmon fishing extensively used on the rivers of the west coast of Newfoundland. One day he and I took one of the skiffs and drifted quietly downstream to a shallow stretch, so clear that the bottom was visible as far as I could see. Benoit anchored the boat as stealthily as an Indian. He told me to stand up and look around. This I did. There were salmon all around me. I took the rod and cast over three salmon a short distance from me. It took a while to acquire the [Benoit’s] knack of holding the fly to the surface, but to my amazement, I raised a big salmon. This salmon came to the surface, opened his mouth and took the fly. Then he turned and away he went. I hooked him and had an entertaining fight with him. Benoit’s method of fly fishing was very successful in shallow, swift water where you could see your salmon. The results were amazing.”