Belleoram and Bay du Nord River

R.C. Grey described the voyage from Grey River, " We cruised on to Hermitage Bay and en route passed more tempting rivers…our voyaging had now resolved itself into a search for large salmon.  These we were promised at Bay du Nord River.  Here, we were told, the largest salmon of the south coast rivers were found. The river empties into Fortune Bay which is famous for its great schools of herring and large tuna.  The market fishermen in and around Fortune are prosperous; one glance at the fishing villages tells the story." One of those communities they visited was Belleoram:

Sadly, we have no images of the Bay du Nord River from that trip though the fishermen found the big salmon they sought.  R.C. Grey wrote, "A bright day or two showed us big fish through water too clear to fool wise old salmon with a fly.  Some were from 30 to 40 pounds in weight and they maddened us with their indifference to our lures." Though Carney does not seem to have taken any photos, one look at the river today reflects its beauty in 1929:

The fishermen did catch several smaller salmon in the Bay du Nord River and, indeed, there was one glimmer of Atlantic salmon-fishing legend described by R.C. Grey:

"Suddenly there was a big swirl in the water.  A heavy fish fled upstream with the speed of an airplane.  Never before had Z.G. been hooked to such a magnificent salmon. He was headed for big rocks, rapids and a low falls. 'This is going to be my finish,' Z.G. groaned. Covering a distance of about 300 feet in less time than any world-famous sprinter, the salmon plunged over the first falls. Z.G. ran stumbling along the bank, performing wild acrobatic leaps from one rock to another. He had earned one fine salmon; the long hard trip should have brought him some reqard.  Then, with magnificent propulsion he [the fish] shot up, shook his head and freed himself from the hook while in the air.” 

For the next two days it rained and the camp would soon be flooded, Zane Grey shouted, “All aboard for California!”  So, the fishing adventure was over… almost.