TRURO, N.S. — In early October, Greg Beliveau, the owner of Bass Barn Fishing Charter & Tours, invited me to an early morning breakfast at Four Seasons Retreat in Economy.
The breakfast, hosted by retreat owners Greg and Aleyda Knight, was to thank sponsors who advertised for fisheries and tourism and to recognize the amazing world-class fishing and history found nearby. For four days, the filming crew of television’s Fish’n Canada had been guests of Four Seasons Retreat and were among approximately 20 attending the breakfast.
As most of my own fishing experience had been during my youth with an alder rod and borrowed line, it would be a learn-as-you-go process. Arriving early, I observed a sign out front, which read: “Welcome To Four Seasons Retreat, fully equipped cottages nestled in nature’s surroundings.”
After parking my car, the first person I met was Alan McNeill with the Province of Nova Scotia. McNeill is a director with fisheries and aquaculture inland fisheries. We walked together to the dining area.
“We’re just beginning to promote sport fishing,” McNeill, whose office is in Pictou, said. “We work closely with the Nova Scotia Guides Association. Our mandate is the management of fresh-water sport fishing. My objective today is to learn more about the charter boat fishery for striped bass, we’re interested in promoting any recreational species that can bring revenue to Nova Scotia.”
We talked more and agreed the beautiful retreat, which overlooks Cobequid Bay, could be an ideal retreat for partnering with a fishing guide to provide a full-service package for out-of-province anglers.
In the dining room, about 30 minutes of informal mingling and conversing took place. It gave me an opportunity to thank Beliveau and meet his wife Amanda Perry. Greg and Amanda had sponsored a meal, a big panfry of striped bass earlier in the week; additional ingredients were provided by local sponsor Pat’s Broardwok.
In operating Bass Barn Fishing Charter & Tours based in Five Islands, Greg is the captain and Amanda looks after advertising, promotion, bookings and business matters. The couple, who have shared their treasure chest of fishing secrets to people from all over the world, reside at their Five Islands cottage during the summer and spend the rest of the year at Poison Lake near Collingwood. Greg and Amanda are both Springhill natives.
Before breakfast and during the delicious fishermen’s feast, it was good to renew acquaintances with Gordon Mathews, a former Truro contractor and the previous owner of Four Seasons Retreat. I also reminisced with Dave Fulton of the Dominion Store Company in Bass River.
I enjoyed meeting Ontario native and former portrait author Warren Mitchell, a 14-year employee of the retreat. Cameron Sleep was another interesting introduction; he authored “Adventures of A Fishing Fool.” The Halifax area resident had his book available for the occasion.
The highlight of visiting Four Seasons Retreat would come later when Greg and Aleyda gave me an interesting personal tour of the grounds and cottages. The Knights, who purchased the retreat in March of 2019, have unique backgrounds. Greg, from Tecumseh in southwest Ontario, near Windsor, was a high school physics teacher. Aleyda is a small-town farm girl from Colombia.
“All the cottages are water frontage,” Greg said. “Every cottage has privacy, there are trees kind of hiding one cottage from another cottage. You have a good view of the ocean, the tide coming in and going out.”
There are 10 cottages spread over 30 acres – nestled in nature’s surroundings (as the sign said), a mixture of trees – birch, spruce, fur and maples – appear friendly and protective. The fully equipped cottages are all named after flowers such as Violet, Buttercup, Blue Flag and Morning Glory.
“For me it’s amazing living here every day,” Aleyda said. “It’s breathtaking, there’s such beauty, I never get tired of looking at it all. But, it’s not just about us, we enjoy customers, but we want our business to be good for this whole area – Parrsboro, Bass River, Masstown, Truro and area shops.
“We’ve been pleased with business to date, we like it when tourists come to Nova Scotia. If we get more business we’ll be able to employ more people, it’s good for everyone.”
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Lyle Carter’s column appears every second week in the Truro News. If you have a story idea, contact him at 902-673-2857.
