Over the last week there has been more or less a cessation of Atlantic salmon angling on at least the lower end of the Miramichi.  The water hasn’t been under 70 day or night for about a week.  At least we haven’t had any of the super scorching mid 30C weather that some years bring.  This Tuesday morning a big bunch of rain ran right straight down the SW Miramichi River valley leaving more, …Read More →

Fishing Friends: I promised an update on the latest Barrier counts as soon as available, and we got them today.  Frankly after the numbers of fish reported running up the SW Miramichi, and the good fishing that has taken place, I thought the Dungarvon might well take a huge jump.  It didn’t, but it did move the needle significantly with 17 grilse, 12 small salmon – between 25 and 33 inches – and 8, …Read More →

Fishing Friends – July 11/2020 – there are a number of new and ongoing Atlantic salmon news items available regarding the Miramichi, but none more noteworthy than the surprisingly robust run of Atlantic salmon – grilse especially – that is taking place on the Southwest Miramichi this season. The good numbers of fish that I reported in my last blog on June 22nd were stifled a little by the early heat wave, but that, …Read More →

Fishing Friends – what a crazy month June has been.  Virtually every piece of news coming out of the Miramichi whether it has to do with salmon conservation, the weather, the runs of anadromous fish into the Miramichi, or the ramifications of Covid 19 has a surreal twist. Runs of anadromous fish – Let’s start there because it is probably the most pleasant topic – with the possible exception of striped bass.  I have, …Read More →

Fishing Friends Great news from the Miramichi! On May 31 Jason Curtis, fishing in the upper end of Campbell’s Pool, caught a 12 pound hen salmon on a lime green Green Machine fly tied by Ashley Hallihan. This is our first May salmon since 2013.  Here is Jason’s account of the catch:  Brad, I rolled her twice on a black ghost. First time really powerful roll next one very deep. 15-20 more heartache casts, …Read More →

Fishing Friends As of May 25th I have neither seen nor heard of a bright salmon yet on the Miramichi, but that is by no means unusual. Miramichi angler Bob Bowser e-mailed me that a friend of his had fished the NW Miramichi daily for salmon during the last week but had seen and caught nothing. The NW is usually the first place to produce one. The gauge in Blackville has been working off, …Read More →

The start of the Atlantic salmon fishing season in New Brunswick, normally scheduled for April 15 was delayed until May 1. Then quite by surprise the opening was moved up to Friday afternoon the 24th of April. This was certainly welcomed by anglers, and conditions were excellent with a comfortable height of relatively clear water and good weather. Jason Curtis said that he went out just across from his home in Blackville and in, …Read More →

Fishing Friends – I want to alert you to an opportunity to take some action that could add greatly to the Miramichi River system’s fishing opportunities. As you know, at the right times brook trout are found in just about every stream that flows in to the Miramichi. Generally these are not large fish, and only a very small percentage live to be larger than 12 inches. An even smaller percentage of all brook, …Read More →

Fishing Friends – I received a fair education on the history of Cains River brook trout fishing when I was researching On the Cains.  One thing that I was quite surprised to learn was that many of the largest sea run brookies caught in the last century were actually caught within the last ten or fifteen years.  As recently seven or eight years ago some very good catches of brook trout of Labrador proportions, …Read More →

With the current state of world affairs, and the shelter-at-home situation that we now find ourselves in, I thought I’d start a blog that I will keep open until the ice is out of the Miramichi, tracking the progress on a ongoing basis.  I may not bother you with a notice every time I post a new picture of the river, so just check back every now and then to see if there is, …Read More →