Trip Reports: The Margaree Salmon Museum

Earlier this summer Junior and I managed to carve out a week to head up to Nova Scotia for some summer salmon fishing. We usually go in the fall (I just got back from that trip – more on that later) so this was a bit of an experiment, and while the trip as a whole was great, the fishing was pretty mediocre on account of some extremely low water. That was basically the story all summer long in the Maritimes unfortunately.

At any rate, the trip did give us was a chance to scout some new pools and to say hello to some old friends like guide Ed McCarty, and to just poke around a bit. One of the places we stopped — which I make a point to visit every time I’m in the area — was the Margaree Salmon Museum, which I highly recommend to anyone who loves salmon fishing. Below are some photos Junior took while we were there. There are a number of things that bamboo enthusiasts will particularly like.

The main part of the museum…

A great collection of old salmon reels…

A Pinky Gillum Salmon Rod….

Examining a collection of old salmon rods, including many greenhearts…

A greenheart donated by Pinky Gillum…

A Leonard Salmon rod donated by my dear friend (now departed) Joe Garman…

An interesting collection of old salmon spears…

Another main part of the gallery…

Pinky Gillum making another appearance. He loved fishing the margaree…

Famous rodmaker Everett Garrison hoisting a Margaree Salmon…

A nice salmon model and large map of the watershed…

Paintings and many fly collections…

Flies tied by famous baseball player and fly fisherman extraordinaire Ted Williams…

A “Charmin’ Garman” tied by yours truly in honor of Joe Garman…

Lots to like about old salmon fly collections…

Nice fly collections in shadowboxes…

Lastly, chatting with Frances Hart, a lifelong resident of the Margaree Valley who was worked in the museum for many decades. She is exceedingly gracious and a pleasure to talk with!

If you are ever in the Cape Breton area, make sure to visit the museum and support their efforts to keep a great part of the atlantic salmon tradition alive. You won’t regret it!

-Marc