June is an iffy month on the Miramichi. Over the years there are many very good seasons that had almost no June component, the numbers in the government’s Millerton fish trap used to count fish bear this out. Other years the early run is at times quite good, but the fish have on the after burners until they are above the mouth of the Cains. There may be certain conditions that cause this, but, …Read More →
I just got back to Maine from Blackville, New Brunswick. The opinion of Mark Hambrook of the Miramichi Salmon Assoc. is that the season is off to a better start than others of recent years. We didn’t land any fish, but I did hook two, and we saw them every morning and evening. Another friend reported getting a salmon and a grilse at the tidal pool in Quarryville, and there were reports of a, …Read More →
It was reported today by the Miramichi Salmon Assoc. that 4 salmon and 1 grilse were reported in the Millerton trap. The Millerton trap, a few miles below head of tide on the Main SW Miramichi branch, captures about 5 to 6% of the run over the course of the year. At this time in June any day with more than a couple of fish is considered decent. It has been one here and, …Read More →
Here is a photo of two, harvested sea-run brook trout sent to me yesterday by a fellow Miramichi fisher. Another friend and I spent three solid days fishing the Main South West Miramichi and the Cains up above Muzzerol. We never saw a salmon – not terribly surprising, but we had hoped – but we did get a few brookies, both sea-run and river resident. At one point Jason Curtis and I had finished, …Read More →
Springers on the Eastern side of the Atlantic and brights in Canada, different names for the earliest run salmon that are now starting in from the sea. Just this week Pete Dube and the Restigouche River Lodge reported big bright salmon from the Restigouche and Matapedia, last night Jason Curtis said that Larry Porter – manager of the Hershey Camp on the Miramichi, located about one mile upriver from Campbell’s and Keenan’s – said, …Read More →
The spring salmon season on the Miramichi is now more or less over. It has lasted a bit longer than normal, and from my conversations with a some of the outfitters and guides who fished it nearly every day, I’d say that it was a better than average fishery for salmon and a bit below normal for grilse. It was, though, quite satisfactory and anything but a disaster. There were some good and consistent, …Read More →
Along with a complete c/r fishery in New Brunswick for Atlantic salmon of all sizes we have a regulation for 2015 requiring the use of single barbless hooks. We could endlessly debate the necessity for either of these new rules, but they are now the law, and we must work with them and still enjoy our salmon fishing. If nothing else it is undeniable that the barbless hooks will save the lives of thousands, …Read More →
4/28/2015 – my annual black salmon – kelt – trip to the Miramichi was delayed twice by ice, and finally I headed up alone for a quick two days on the water with Jason Curtis. It was as much to check out the camps as anything. It is still winter this year in Blackville. There were snow drifts all over the place, and from the camp windows I could see deer day and night moving, …Read More →
It’s been on helluva winter in the North East. The season opened on 4/15 with the river still frozen, but now it is running out. Jason Curtis sent me these great videos from his home. So far this is a pretty and gentle ice-out. The ice doesn’t appear to thick because it was well insulated with snow. This is good because it will produce the least damage to the river bed and river banks., …Read More →
4/17 – This year NB has put an online licensing system in place. No matter how it is handled – online by you or in a shop – a portion of the process must be done online in order to get a special identifying “Outdoor Card” number that will be used in any other hunting or fishing licensing you participate in. Here is the link. Even if you plan to buy your license in camp, …Read More →