The 2025 Fly Fishing Film Tour is just around the corner! Before the films hit the screen, take a behind-the-scenes look at the making of each film in this year’s F3T Behind the Lens series. Plus, don’t forget to check out the 2025 tour dates HERE for the full schedule and to grab your tickets!
In this Behind the Lens article, we catch up with Fred Campbell of Hooké in his newest film Echoes in the Tundra. We discuss the current state of Atlantic Salmon in Quebec and the untouched beauty and ruggedness of the Leaf River. You won’t want to miss this one! Check out the full interview below!
Flylords: Fred what a story and what a beautiful place. This film has so much passion. How did the idea of going to the Leaf River start? Was there a story in mind before you went?
Fred: “We were going to see what happens, but I knew that the colors of the scenery and the salmon were going to be amazing. And there are issues down south with the Atlantic salmon that swim up the rivers that flow into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, too. They have not been coming back like usual; we’ve seen a huge decline. Which is another factor why we wanted to go up there was to check on the salmon run to give us a baseline in comparison to the rivers down south. The Leaf River holds a special place in my heart. It was the location of my first major northern expedition, flying in aboard a bush plane over 20 years ago when I met Alain, the owner and founder of what is now Leaf River Lodge. If it hadn’t been for him and the Leaf River, I likely wouldn’t have created Hooké as a brand.”
Flylords: How long were you guys at the Leaf River Lodge? Did all of these fish come from one day of fishing?
Fred: “Uh, actually, how it happened was Louis caught that giant before mine. Which turns out to be the largest salmon ever caught at the lodge. We had caught so many fish that Nathan, our cinematographer, asked me, “Do we still need to film.” I told him to keep rolling. You never know, and while Nathan was filming an interview, I hooked into that giant. It was such an amazing trip.”
Flylords: For us unfamiliar with the Leaf River and its drainages, what’s so special about the Leaf River and the salmon runs?
Fred: “It’s a huge river and largely unexplored. There are defined pools, but we explore and find new water every time I’m there. Nobody knows how many fish are in the runs, no one knows where they go, no one knows what cycle those fish are on. It’s a huge mystery. We don’t know where they spawn in the system, and no one knew that those big fish were in the system until this trip. I believe where we were catching them isn’t where they are spawning its fast current and huge boulders. The river is 315 kilometers (196 miles) long. It flows from the Leaf Lake to the Ungava Bay in the Hudson Strait, making it an important river for both its ecological value and its historical significance. It’s just such a magical place, and we didn’t show it, but in every other cast, you are catching a huge Brook Trout.”
Flylords: Okay, Fred, in last year’s film, you caught a 48” chrome Atlantic salmon on the Restigouche, and you told me that’s the peak of salmon fishing for you. Were any of these fish close to that 48” mark?
Fred: “Yeah, I don’t know. I believe in karma, and everything lined up perfectly. Whether that is I’m tracking an animal, and he shows up in my face, or we catch a huge fish, I just feel so blessed. It was just great timing, and the fish were there. What’s crazy is no one had fished during the last week of September so it was something new for me and Louis. Not only were the fish there, but the BIG fish were there.”
Flylords: You mentioned a special fly you gave to a friend and then asked for it back for this trip. What fly was it, and who tied it?
Fred: “I had given a fly to a friend called the Royal Hooké Picasse by Marc LeBlanc. I had a few and gave one to my buddy, and when we were there, he opened his fly box, and I saw it. I hadn’t fished one yet, so I took it, and that’s what we caught that giant on.”
Flylords: In September, are you still fishing with Scandi lines and traditional flies? Do people ever fish Skagit lines and intruder-style flies for Atlantic Salmon?
Fred: “If you go back several years, Louis has never used a two-handed rod. His immediate reaction was a hard no. ‘That’s cheating; you can cast too far.’ Only single-hand rods were acceptable. Atlantic Salmon fishing is very traditional and focused on the time-honored tradition of fishing floating lines with a small hitch fly. That’s how Louis caught his giant fish. A floating line and tiny little hitch fly a technique called the riffling hitch. But most of the time we are fishing with Scandi lines and traditional flies. We will maybe use a sink tip, but even then, that’s on the bleeding edge for Atlantic Salmon fishing. But fishermen are evolving with so much technology and plentiful information. I think if a West Coast steelhead fisherman took his two-hand style tactics to that river, he would catch more fish. But at the end of the day, it’s an art form with so much heritage that we don’t want to lose it by going away from the traditional styles of fishing.”
Flylords: Fred, in the film you mentioned last year was the worst run of Atlantic salmon for the rivers that flow into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. What is causing this decline, and what can people do to combat this drop in fish numbers?
Fred: “In our film 2 years ago, Only the Salmon Knows, we had unbelievable fishing on the Restigouche, the Patapedia, and the Causapscal. But lately, it has been horrific. We’ve never seen such a dramatic decline before. It’s the worst it’s ever been. This year, the Restigouche was dried up low and warm; it’s just terrible to see. So next year, if we don’t see the grilse (or the young salmon that go to see for 1 year and come back), it’s kind of the beginning of the end. The issues aren’t the rivers themselves it’s happening in the Gulf. We don’t know if it’s the gulf warming up, the Striped Bass that continue to move north, or the open net fish farms in Newfoundland, so it’s on us to find out why we’ve seen such a dramatic decline and fix it. I didn’t fish in Quebec; instead, we were filming a documentary about the salmon decline. Hopefully, this film can be seen as an example of what the runs can be and we can use this as a call to action for our rivers in Quebec. We all need to work together, get behind the wild rivers and wild salmon movement, and support organizations like the Atlantic Salmon Federation who are doing everything they can to save the wild Atlantic salmon.”
Flylords: The Leaf River is clearly a special place for you, but even more so for Louis and his late father, Alain. Fred, in spending time with both of these fantastic stewards, is there anything you’ve learned and taken home with you?
Fred: “Oh wow, I’ve learned so much from both of them, and I’ll give you a few examples. I think we are steering away from the true wilderness and the hardcore outdoorsman. And guys like Louis and Alain don’t have access to the technology we have up there, so to survive, you had to teach yourself to be one with the land and live off of it. Honestly, that’s what I take away from them is their knowledge of the land and how they taught me to live out there. That knowledge is priceless; whether you are 9 or 100, if you have that knowledge, you will survive. They had a connection to the land not many people have. I want my kids to see the north, to see a caribou, to see the northern lights, and know how special it is.”
Extras:
Flylords: What a trip and what a film. After a special day of salmon fishing like you had, how did you guys celebrate?
Fred: “What’s funny and unique about the Leaf River Lodge is it’s like it was 20 years ago. The experience is the caribou and the fishing. When you hang out in the lodge it’s a nice simple lodge with good stick-to-your-ribs food like grandma made. In terms of celebrating, though, we were so exhausted after every day we would just sit down and reflect after dinner and go to bed early cause we were so anxious for the next day.”
Flylords: Last year was Hooké’s 10-year anniversary, and it sounded like you had some amazing projects lined up. How did it go for you, and what’s next for this year?
Fred: “Yup, we are working on the biggest film project we’ve ever taken on in terms of bandwidth and awareness. We got associated with the ASF (Atlantic Salmon Federation) to share with the world about getting involved with the Atlantic Salmon. I don’t want to be a pessimist, but I thought my kids were going to be able to enjoy amazing salmon fishing in Quebec. But the decline happened so rapidly it’s down almost 80%. For us, we are going to tour the Maritimes and Canada to bring exposure to the issue, and we will be sending the film to be shown in Universities about what can happen. As a fisherman and conservationist, watching the salmon disappear in our backyard is one of the worst things to witness, and we are going to do everything in our power to stop this decline. We need to understand WHY.”
From 2014 to now and beyond Hooké was started with the idea of catching Atlantic Salmon and sharing the emotion that it brings. A huge thank you to Fred Campbell and the Hooké team. We can’t wait to see what you guys release in the future. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Hooke.ca and remember to get outside by the river. “We wanted to create distinctive productions and products, to share our passion with a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts, and to get more people on the rivers with greater awareness for the environment and species preservation.”
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