St. John’s bluesman and painter Scott Goudie reveals his top fishing rivers

For our 2016 Fishing Special issue, Outdoor Canada recruited a supergroup of acclaimed Canadian recording artists, who also happen to be hard-core anglers. And these fishin’ musicians agreed to sing about their favourite Canadian fishing holes—74 in all. For the full list, see The Fishin’ Musicians.

A mainstay of the East Coast blues scene, Scott Goudie of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, specializes in acoustic slide guitar. He honed his craft during a year in Alabama in the early 1970s, studying with Johnny Shines, a contemporary of the legendary Robert Johnson. Later in the 1970s and into the ’80s, Goudie criss-crossed Canada playing music, while also making a name for himself as a painter. His forté is landscapes, including the wilderness rivers he fishes (above, his painting Upper Flowers River); his work now hangs in both fine art galleries and fishing lodges. Fellow angler-guitarist Amos Garrett calls Goudie “a master-class salmon fly-fisher,” and these hot spots show it.

Learn more: www.christinaparkergallery.com

Favourite fish: Atlantic salmon, sea-run trout

Favourite type of fishing: Dry-fly fishing

Favourite fishing song: Tie between “Fishing Blues” by Taj Mahal and “Gone Fishing” by Chris Rea

ADLATOK RIVER, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

GPS: 55.021, -60.788

FISH: Atlantic salmon

WHY: Unique pools, gin-clear water

BEST TIME: Mid-July to September

BEST FLIES: Green Highlander, Bomber

EAGLE RIVER, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

GPS: 53.545911, -57.474221

FISH: Atlantic salmon

WHY: Best river in the world!

BEST TIME: June to September

BEST FLY: Any fly, wet or dry

EXPLOITS RIVER, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

GPS: 48.959, -56.025

FISH: Atlantic salmon

WHY: A 40,000-salmon run

BEST TIME: Mid-July to mid-August

BEST FLIES: Blue Charm, White Thunder & Lightning

FLOWERS RIVER, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

GPS: 55.653, -61.485

FISH: Arctic char, Atlantic salmon

WHY: Huge salmon, lots of char in the upper pool

BEST TIME: August

BEST FLIES: Bomber, Thunder & Lightning

SALMONIER RIVER, NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR

GPS: 47.186, -53.389

FISH: Atlantic salmon, sea-run brook trout

WHY: Scenic river, and easy to wade

BEST TIME: June to September

BEST FLIES: Blue Charm, White Thunder & Lightning