The Lagreve River has resident and sea-run brook trout that migrate from Ungava Bay in the Arctic Ocean. In September, both types of brook trout rise to hatches of Blue-winged Olives. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Turner)
January 22, 2026
By Ross Purnell
This series originally appeared in the February 2008 issue of Fly Fisherman.
When I first read Internet rumors about a 12-pound fly-rod brook trout caught in Quebec, I was in disbelief. The all-tackle record (from 1916) is 14 pounds 8 ounces, and all the IGFA fly-rod record catches are between 8 and 10 pounds-and these represent some of the largest fish ever caught on the world's best brook trout rivers. Twelve pounds would be the biggest recorded brook trout ever caught on a fly rod.
As it turns out, Jeff Turner's fish never became an IGFA record because he did not weigh the fish on a certified scale (he didn't go there looking for a record) and instead of preserving the fish on ice, he released it. According to a common length and girth formula (lengthXgirth2 / 800) Turner's 28.8-inch trout with an 18-inch girth weighed approximately 11.6 pounds. The interesting part of the story is that the fish was not caught on a large streamer or lemming pattern as many large brook trout are, but on a #14 Parachute Adams.
Turner, who fished the Lagrève River in Northern Quebec with his father and brother in early September 2006, said a Parachute Adams was the hot fly all week and the best day of fishing was cold, rainy, and windy. They caught dozens of brook trout per day between 3 and 5 pounds, but Turner says they also caught many fish over 6 pounds on drys. Turner says a #14 Parachute Adams was by far the most productive fly during his one-week stay and there was rarely a need to resort to wet flies.
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John Beaven has fished the Lagrève for many years and plans to return in 2008. He says the late August and early September hatches of jumbo Blue-winged Olives (#14) are the main event, and luckily coincide with the migration of Arctic char (up to 20 pounds) and sea-run brook trout from Ungava Bay. The char rarely take drys, but the brook trout (both resident and sea-run) rise to mayfly hatches and even take attractor drys on days when nothing is hatching.
Like Turner, Beaven says a #14 Parachute Adams is deadly on the Lagrève, but he also recommends #14 Ausable Wulffs, #10-12 Madam Xs, mouse patterns, Bombers, and floating Muddlers for hatch-less days. Bring 5- to 7-weight rods for brook trout and use nothing lighter than 3X tippet as the trout are not leader-shy and are strong from the salt water. To target Arctic char you'll need an 8-weight rod and sinking-tip lines up to 300 grains. Beaven says the best streamer on the Lagrève for both trout and char is an olive and black Double Bunny 2 1/2 inches long. Tunulik II Fishing Camp, run by Arctic Adventures is the only outfitter on the Lagrève.
Use 3X tippet or heavier for Lagreve brook trout and Arctic char. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Turner) The river is not large by Arctic standards and in normal conditions is easy to wade. The camp is located on a granite bluff overlooking a wide spot in the river just 1 1/2 miles from Ungava Bay. Inuit guides use large freighter canoes with outboards to move from one area to the next. The guides speak English and know where the fish are but are not expert fly fishers.
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Tunulik II is open just four weeks per year and handles only six guests at a time.
Click here to read the entire Trophy Brook Trout series.
Ross Purnell is the editor and publisher of Fly Fisherman.
