Izaak Walton called salmon "the king of fresh-water fish." In New Brunswick's famed Restigouche River, the Atlantic salmon are not only king-size (up to 48 Ibs.), but the sport of hooking them takes a regal bankroll. Fishing leases cost up to $25,000 a year for the exclusive Restigouche clubs, where rosters are studded with names like Du Pont, Vanderbilt and Whitney. Even in the limited government waters, the fee is $40 a rod per day, and only 70 permits are issued each year.
Along with their permits, visitors to the government's fishing lodge get a chance to sample the famed "Trail Blazer...