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MINIPI'S TROPHY BROOKIES - 2006 TRIP REPORT
During our second
trip to Labrador’s Minipi River in 1999, we met Dave
Ellis who had been making a two week trip to the
Minipi annually for several years. When I asked him
why he keeps returning, his reply was: “my brother
and I have fished all over the world searching for
opportunities to sight cast to big trout with dry
flies. While New Zealand does offer some
comparisons, we have not found a spot where we can
consistently catch and release 5-to-8 pound fish
with over 90% of them taken on the surface like we
can here.”
Couple Dave’s answer
with the remoteness (we haven’t seen another
fisherman except those with us) and you can
understand why we just completed our fifth trip to
this wilderness destination. This is one spot on
the globe that hasn’t changed. Everything is the way
it’s always been, including the giant brookies and
the massive mayfly and caddis hatches. While
weather can always be an issue in Labrador, we’ve
been fortunate during our five trips, including our
most current one.
Bob Noyes and Lisa,
Jeff, and Bill Reinke joined us (Jim and Andrew Hine
were on their second trip to the Minipi, but had to
return home upon arriving in Goose Bay due to a
family emergency). The guides monitor the fishery
carefully. All fish over 3 pounds (termed “book
fish”) are weighed and the information on where
caught, which fly, and who caught it are recorded.
That information is consolidated into an annual
report which they have published for many years. If
you want numbers of small brookies, you can fish the
faster riffles – however, the only reason that
justifies going that distance is to take a real
trophy brook trout on a dry fly. Some trip
highlights:
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Bob bookended
his trip with spectacular days starting with a
6.5# beautiful male brookie in spawning dress on
his first day and wrapping up with five “book
fish” to 5# his last 24 hours, most on small
caddis flies. Bob also had the largest pike at
8.5 pounds.
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Lisa, a relative
newcomer to fly fishing who’s skills are quickly
developing, took a 6# pike on the surface in
some lily pads and had the largest fish on our
last day, a 6.25# brookie near a small inlet
into a lake.
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Jeff had the highlight day of the week with
three 6+ pound brookies on the surface, in
addition to smaller fish.
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My son, Scott, and I had our usual collection of
the good, the bad, and the ugly managing to take
6 fish over six pounds and several five+ among
our mix for the week. However, for us, the main
highlight of our trips to the Minipi is always
just watching those big fish sipping flies,
sometimes small caddis and at other times large
mayflies, on the surface!
When the flies are hatching and the big brookies are
on the surface, this is one of the great hunting and
stalking experiences in fly fishing.
TRIP REPORT
Fly Fishing Adventures
888-347-4896
flyfish@napanet.net
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