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Updated on Mar 25, 2021
Editor's note : This article was written in September 2020.
Right in the heart of Granby, there’s a well-hidden very pleasant fishing destination: The North-Yamaska river, which, for a distance of more than 8 km, was developed for practising this sport. I cast my reel here with Serge Cintas, the friendly president of the Association des chasseurs et pêcheurs de l’Estrie (The Townships’ hunting and fishing association), who gave me a fly-fishing lesson. Bring it on, you trout out there!
By Simon Diotte
I’m a weekend fisherman and when I think of fish, I always imagine myself somewhere in the back country, by a waterway, casting my line. However, Serge Cintas has shed some doubt on this certitude. There’s no need to travel hundreds of kilometres to reel in the fish. A pretty cascading river, in the middle of an urban zone, will do quite well.
President of the Association des chasseurs et pêcheurs de l’Estrie, Serge met up with me in Fisher Park, a stone’s throw from downtown Granby, to experience what it feels like to fish on the North-Yamaska River. For 40 years, his association has been developing fishing zones over an 8 km section of the river. Several times a year, they restock the river with speckled trout, pleasing the community of fishing enthusiasts of Granby and all around. “Our river attracts visitors all the way from Montreal and even from Quebec,” says Serge Cintas. And, very soon, I would understand why.
By way of Fisher Park, two river pools are easily accessible from the parking area. Once we’re standing beside the water, we’re surprised by how quiet it is here. The river flows through an area where you find little evidence of human activity. The noise of the cascades hides all the surrounding urban clamour. The illusion is perfect. We truly believe we’re on the shores of a river in one of our National Parks.
On this beautiful September day, Serge Cintas took to heart to teach me how to fly fish. However, this great fisherman before the eternal wasn’t expecting such an ungifted student! Indeed, I would discover that the elegant fly fisherman’s swing, is far from being as elegant when done by a novice. “You have to make your pole do the work,” he kept repeating to me, but being a true lightweight-casting angler, I have the reflex of swinging my pole with as much strength as possible.
“Cast your fly into the current. That’s where the trout attack,” he told me. A great tip, but I couldn’t get a hang of it. My aim was off and I would swing my line into the branches. It wasn’t, of course, surprising that two hours into the lesson, I hadn’t yet felt a bite. “It’s normal,” Serge reassured me. “This time of year, the speckled trout isn’t very active. We need to be very patient.” Spring is the high season for speckled trout. It’s when it becomes especially active, in colder water.
However, Serge Cintas was already convincing me to try the adventure in winter. Surprisingly, the north section of the Yamaska River doesn’t freeze over because of the steepness of the watercourse’s current. “It’s the best season for fishing. Covered with a freezing fog, the landscape is magnificent here and there are no flies.” The slow flow of the water allows us to easily access the pools where we can make some great catches.
As we left each other, we quickly set a date to meet again in January. Until then, I still have a couple of months ahead of me to improve my fly-fishing technique. If not, I doubt that Serge will still be smiling at my efforts!
To fish in this well-developed section of the North Yamaska River, you’ll need to purchase your ACPE membership card for $25. The summer fishing season starts on the last friday of april and ends the second sunday of september.
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