The bunks and table are nice and sturdy when in service and they fold up completely out of the way to load machines or equipment.

On July 23rd we put the outfit to the test as Mark, Slaney and I loaded up our camping and salmon fishing gear and headed out over the highway Friday evening. Our destination was Jonathan's Pond Campground which would be our base of operations for a few days of salmon fishing on the Gander River.

We arrived at the park approximately 10pm and set up camp. We had lots of gear as light weight camping was not necessary with a 24' trailer, we were aiming more for comfort and convenience. 

With bunks ready, Slaney's outdoor screen tent set up and gear stowed away we were ready for a late supper.

Mark's wife sent along a delicious Cod Fish Curry and white rice. I heated it up on my Coleman Hyperflame stove for a quick and easy amazing feed. This meal was a first for me and absolutely not the last, it was next level outstanding.

Even with bunks set up Mark's 8' wide trailer leaves plenty of room to walk front to back, it's a great setup.

That evening we had a few laughs & beverages in the screen tent while Terry tied up a few flies.

Saturday morning we headed to First Pond Bar on the Gander River fairly early. It was approximately a 20 minute drive down the Gander Bay Highway from the campground followed by a 15 minute hike.

Water levels are extremely low this year but fortunately still cool enough for the river to remain open. This area is frequented by a lot of fishermen but it's not hard to get a spot. While taking a break from casting it was great to chat and share stories about this sport we all enjoy. The whole area was very clean and free of garbage which was a very pleasant surprise give the number of people passing through here.

There were dozens and dozens of Salmon jumping the whole time we were there, we all managed to hook a couple but unfortunately none were landed this time.

On the hike back out to the truck French toppled over in the bog, unfortunately Slaney and I were too nice (too busy laughing) to take a pic and instead helped him back to his feet. LoL

We got back to the campground early in the afternoon to grab lunch as we didn't have much for breakfast this morning.

On the menu today were Costco burgers and a sidekick pasta dish. My Coleman stove and Sea to Summit collapsible X-pot did the indoor cooking this time, while Mark's Charbroil Portable Barbeque handled outdoor cooking duties.

Certainly a great feed after a dandy morning on the river.

These fly screens from Canadian Tire did a great job keeping the bugs out. They were simple to install and worked great. When you walk through, magnets on each half automatically rejoin the screen. We had a small one on the man door and a large one on the rear ramp door.

After lunch the skies opened up and it poured, not letting up. That didn't stop French & Slaney from heading back to First Pond Bar for another crack at the silver bullets. Already tagged out for the season I chose to stay behind where I relaxed and later got some prep work done for supper.

On the menu tonight were beautiful prime rib steaks from Halliday's which I seasoned with Halliday's own steak spice mix. This mix is absolutely amazing, I've been using it for a few years now and truly enjoy it.

When the boys returned French barbequed the steaks to perfection while I tended to some rice and diced mushrooms & onions on the stove. It was the highlight meal of the trip so far!

Sunday morning we had a late start but finally got on the road headed towards Glenwood. Along the way we stopped to check out the fish ladder on the Salmon River tributary, a branch off the Gander River. Water levels were nearly non existent, and unsurprisingly so were the Salmon. Nothing was moving here today including the water!

We continued on down the resource road headed to a spot Terry often fishes on the Gander when he comes out this way.

The road was wickedly muddy and slippery but French's trusty BFG KO2's on his 2019 2500HD Diesel pulled through drama free.

Once again we were skunked landing fish but it was one of the most beautiful spots we visited so far.

That evening we stopped at another popular section of the Gander near the sewage treatment plant in Glenwood. We fished until dark, once again there were a lot of  salmon jumping but very few taking the fly.

Once darkness fell we headed back to the campground and fired up the barbeque for a quick supper of triple meat burgers and hash browns.

Monday morning was another late start, we got ready and headed West on the highway to Grand Falls and the mighty Exploits River.

The section we fished was behind the old Abitibi/Bowwater Paper Mill just down from the bridge.

The topography of this section of river was just spectacular, however it was quite polluted with a ton of garbage strewn about. It was ridiculously disappointing and something we did not experience anywhere on the Gander River.

We could see lots of Salmon resting in the river but none took to our flies, in no doubt due to getting on the river close to 11am under bright skies and warm temps.

That evening while French went to the campground to shower Slaney and I hit up First Pond Bar for one last kick at the cat. The bar was very busy with a lot of people and boats, this was ok as it gave us an opportunity and excuse to explore pools further down river. Once again there were all kinds of fish jumping but very few being hooked by anyone on the river tonight.

Tuesday morning we packed up camp, secured all of our gear and hit the highway East for home. All in all it was a great trip. The camping worked out great, we had all the creature comforts we needed and then some. Earlier starts to the day would certainly help improve the odds fishing, but so would better water levels which is something the river drastically needs. We're already looking forward to the next adventure!

Cheers, MIKE

Copyright © 2025 Michael Smith