Books about Fishing

There are several kinds of books on the Atlantic salmon – books about the salmon and its behaviour, books about the joys of salmon fishing and books about the experience of travelling to a fishing camp and landing the big one.

Invoice for books on salmon fishing purchased by Robert W. Reford in 1923

Canadian rivers have inspired many books. The great fishing rivers, like the Cascapedia, are the subject of large and beautiful tomes that pay homage to their illustrious history. The books are social histories, chronicling the stories of the fishermen but also touching on the lives of the men and women for whom the fishing club and the river have been their livelihood.

Plates from The Fly-Fisher’s Guide, Illustrated by Coloured Plates, Representing Upwards of Forty of the Most Useful Flies, Accurately Copied from Nature, 1816

Not every river has been so lucky. Many of the most famous clubs have been victims of fires, that have taken both the historic buildings and many of their unique documents. Other clubs are private and prefer to keep their secrets to themselves. Preserving the rich story of fishing in Eastern Québec and making it available to visitors from all walks of life is one of the objectives of the museum in Estevan Lodge.

Page from Salmon Fisheries of the St. Lawrence and its Tributaries that describes fishing on the Metis River by Richard Nettle, 1857.