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The Deep In Backing Blog
About the Author
My name is Jocelyn LeBlanc. I am an Atlantic salmon angler, fly tyer, guide with more than 25 years of experience, and the owner of The Feather Shed.
Atlantic salmon have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Over the years, I have watched our rivers change, salmon returns decline, and the challenges facing this remarkable species continue to grow. Those experiences inspired me to create Deep In Backing.
This blog is not about claiming to have all the answers. It is a place where I share field observations, research, data, and personal reflections on Atlantic salmon conservation and river management.
My goal is simple: to encourage thoughtful discussion, promote evidence-based conservation, and help ensure that future generations will still have the opportunity to witness wild Atlantic salmon returning to their home rivers.
Because protecting Atlantic salmon is about far more than fishing—it's about preserving a natural legacy for generations to come.
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COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS | JULY 2026 WATER TEMPERATURE: MATANE VS NOVA SCOTIA
New section — Analysis Series With Before the First Cast , my goal has always been to put the salmon before the fishing, to better understand our rivers, and to give anglers the tools they need to make more responsible decisions. Today, I'm adding a new, more technical subsection to the blog: the Analysis Series . This series will go beyond the usual segments. It will serve to examine in depth publications, management decisions, scientific reports, tables, graphs and certain
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jul 182 min read
Salmon and anadromous brook trout must not become collateral damage from striped bass
Striped bass management plan 2026: protecting one species should not weaken others Atlantic salmon and anadromous brook trout must become genuine decision criteria Quebec has just published its 2026 Striped Bass Management Plan. This is a serious document, structured around six orientations, fourteen objectives, and forty-three actions. The plan recognizes the need to monitor striped bass populations, protect their habitats, regulate their harvesting, and better understand th
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jul 1611 min read
Protect the Salmon—or Fill the Rivers with Anglers?
13,620 Licences, 49,458 Fishing Days, and 13,133 Salmon Counted: Where Is the Limit? Editorial on Salmon Fishing Pressure in Quebec in 2025 The 2025 Atlantic salmon report for Quebec calls for a discussion that goes far beyond the simple question of fishing success. It forces us to ask whether the way we use, manage, and promote salmon rivers is still appropriate given the current condition of the resource. For the 2025–2026 season, 13,620 salmon fishing licences were sold in
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jul 106 min read
Atlantic Salmon in Peril: When Today's Harvests Erase Tomorrow's Rights
Subsistence fishing, recreational fishing, and Atlantic salmon: we must have the courage to talk about it Talking about subsistence fishing, recreational fishing, and Aboriginal rights in Canada is not simple. It's a sensitive subject. There's history involved. There are rights, traditions, wounds, and social and cultural realities that cannot be dismissed out of hand. But there is also another reality that we can no longer avoid: Atlantic salmon are disappearing from several
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jul 310 min read
We know what to do. So why are we waiting?
2024. 2025. 2026. Time is against the salmon. For the past two years, one question has been constantly recurring in my mind: how much longer does the salmon have before we finally make the necessary decisions? By 2024, many of us were already sounding the alarm. Low salmon runs, increasingly frequent heat waves, low water levels, and the effects of high temperatures on salmon survival were already well documented. Scientific studies existed. Biologists were discussing it. Ang
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jun 275 min read
Running the Gauntlet
The Atlantic salmon's arduous journey When we talk about the decline of Atlantic salmon, one question constantly comes up: what is responsible? For years, we've been searching for a simple answer to a problem that is anything but simple. One year, we talk about climate change. The next, striped bass. Then come seals, aquaculture, disease, food shortages, bycatch, or even heat waves in rivers. Each new study adds another piece to the puzzle. Yet, I sometimes get the feeling th
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jun 253 min read
Never-ending pilot project: cut-rate protection becomes the norm
We formalize the bare minimum and are content with that. While the rivers are heating up, protection remains limited. The ministry's announcement regarding the temporary closure of certain rivers when the water temperature exceeds 22°C in the morning is, in my opinion, good news. For what? Because it finally officially recognizes a reality that many fishermen, biologists and managers have observed for years: when a river reaches certain temperatures, the salmon enters a zone
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jun 225 min read
The Aux Rochers River: a true gem of the North Shore
Nestled in the heart of a wild territory and fed by the crystal-clear waters of the majestic Lake Walker, the deepest lake in Quebec, the Rivière aux Rochers is undoubtedly one of the best-kept treasures of the North Shore. Renowned for the quality of its salmon habitat and the beauty of its landscapes, the river also stands out for its exemplary resource management. For many years, its managers have been pioneers in conservation. The complete release of salmon, the constant
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jun 202 min read
The salmon are returning from the sea. It's up to us to give it a chance.
When the survival of the salmon still depends on us The first week of salmon fishing for the 2026 season is now behind us. Yet, once again, social media is flooded with photos of salmons completely out of the water for a few seconds of fame. What is even more concerning is that many of the most important measures to reduce the impacts on salmon survival during their upstream migration remain unclear, incomplete, or simply unofficial at the Quebec level. Yet, in a context wher
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jun 77 min read
Choosing a perfect grizzly rooster cape for fly tying
La cape de coq grizzly est très prisée pour le montage des mouches sèches. Elle offre des plumes fines, régulières et résistantes, idéales pour imiter les pattes et les hackles des insectes aquatiques. Le motif grizzly, avec ses barbes alternant clair et foncé, apporte un réalisme et une texture naturelle à vos créations.
shedaplumes
Jun 14 min read
Thermal refuges: the last line of defense for Atlantic salmon
Heat protocols are often discussed in salmon rivers, but few people truly understand their role and importance in the current context. Yet, the principle is relatively simple. As water temperatures rise, the amount of available oxygen decreases while the salmon's needs increase. The fish must therefore expend more energy simply to maintain their vital functions. Under these conditions, any additional effort becomes more difficult to sustain. This is where sport fishing comes
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Jun 13 min read
Synthetic Materials for the Feather Shed
Synthetic materials: when technology meets the art of assembly For generations, fly tiers have built their reputation on the use of natural feathers, hair, and fur. These materials remain essential today and continue to produce some of the most beautiful flies in the world. But in recent decades,synthetic materials have opened up a whole new world of possibilities. Holographic reflections, UV fibers, phosphorescence, improved movements, increased strength and exceptional dura
Jocelyn LeBlanc
May 284 min read
Atlantic salmon are suffocating while the industry is still being protected
The Radio-Canada Bas-Saint-Laurent article highlights a problem that many still refuse to acknowledge: Quebec's salmon rivers are now reaching temperatures that are dangerous for salmon survival, to the point where temporary fishing bans are necessary. These rivers regularly exceed critical thresholds during heat waves. The real problem is that we are still acting as if these temperatures were exceptional… when they risk becoming the new normal. Photo Riviere Trinité 2025 Whi
Jocelyn LeBlanc
May 253 min read
The last survivors are not trophies.
Atlantic salmon are probably going through one of the most serious crises in their modern history. And despite this, the 2026 season begins exactly like the previous ones: same behaviors, same excuses, same collective inability to recognize the true extent of the collapse. Our kelts. Our black salmon, thin and weakened, that spent the entire winter in the river after spawning in the fall. Fish that have barely eaten for months. Exhausted survivors now undertaking an extremely
Jocelyn LeBlanc
May 222 min read
Travel Diary — Ontario
Part 3 — Manitoulin Island, the great steelheads, and the beginning of the return journey After my approximately two-hour crossing from Tobermory to South Baymouth, I finally reached the shores of Manitoulin Island. Even upon arrival, I felt that something was different here. The water in Georgian Bay was almost unreal in its beauty. Turquoise greens, deep blues, incredible clarity. The islands seemed to float in the evening light. At times, it was almost like the sea. The fe
Jocelyn LeBlanc
May 146 min read
Travel Diary — Ontario Part 2
Part 2 — Saugeen, the wind and Georgian Bay The first day on the Saugeen River was mostly a day of exploration. Many kilometers. Many country roads. Many stops trying to find access points where I could actually wade in my waders, because the Saugeen isn't a small, intimate river like some of the rivers on Lake Ontario. It's wide. Very wide in places. A real big river with a strong current, long pools, and a lot of water to cover. I drove up towards Walkerton. That town rang
Jocelyn LeBlanc
May 104 min read
Travel Diary — Ontario
Part 1 — Finding something true Sunday, May 3rd, morning, 6 a.m. I left home heading towards Ontario. The road was beautiful. Not too much traffic, not too hot, just a light breeze that gently rocked the truck. A true spring day to hit the road and rack up the miles. I was looking forward to returning to Ontario. My first stop was in Montreal, more precisely in Beloeil, before continuing west. Then, a mandatory stop at Sail to restock: sinking tips, leaders, and most importan
Jocelyn LeBlanc
May 86 min read
A Troubling Testimony From a Sentinel River
Total run GS Adult Salmon and PS Grilse Trinity River is one of the most troubling examples because we are talking about an indicator river scientifically monitored for decades. This is not based on impressions. These are not anecdotes. These are data collected year after year through a fish ladder and counting system operated by the Ministère de la Faune, des Forêts et des Parcs. Since 1984, every salmon run has been telling the same story: a gradual, constant, and now alarm
Jocelyn LeBlanc
May 51 min read
When we protect the image, we forget the salmon.
They attack the messenger because the message makes people uncomfortable Let me make something very clear. I have never attacked sport anglers. I have never attacked biologists. I have never attacked associations, guides, volunteers, people on the ground, or anyone who gives their time, energy, and heart to Atlantic salmon, never. What I am pointing at is not the individuals who love salmon. What I am pointing at is a system. A system that, in the face of a historic crisis, s
Jocelyn LeBlanc
May 24 min read
If salmon disappears, everything else becomes folklore.
When salmon becomes secondary, we’re no longer managing a resource—we’re accompanying its decline. At some point, we have to stop lying to ourselves. Atlantic salmon in Québec doesn’t need to be celebrated more. It needs to be protected. For real. Now. When podcasts, magazines, mentorships, banquets, film festivals, photo contests, and the entire culture surrounding salmon take up more space than the salmon itself, there’s a deep problem. Not a minor issue—a complete drift. W
Jocelyn LeBlanc
Apr 302 min read
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