Fishing Reports

Miramichi Salmon season opener GREAT!

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:57:00 +0000

OPENING DAY: It was a great start to the 2013 fishing season as almost all of our guests limited out at 10 fish each for the day. The first salmon of the day was landed by Art Mesher from Kitchener Ontario. The largest salmon caught was 48 inches and was landed by Hal Hutchen from N.Y. Overall, it was as good a start as we have seen on opening day for the past few years.
After talking to other Outfitters in Boisetown and Quarryville, it appears that there were lots of fish throughout the entire river system on opening day, which seems to add proof to the theory - which locals believe - that a lot of fish enter the system later in the year after the fish counters close in mid October.

Even though fishing was great, we could still use a slight rise in water levels to continue good fishing into the month of May and we will probably get that with the warmer weather in the forecast. Flies of choice were the Christmas Tree, Golden Eagle and the Country Haven Cardinal.

For more information, contact us at: www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/

Miramichi Season Ends with a Big Bang!

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 19:30:00 +0000

October 17, 2012: The fishing season is now over for another year. It will be remembered more for what it was not than for was it was. After the 2011 season - which was one of the best on record - everyone had very high expectations that 2012 would be a repeat of 2011 - but it was not to be! With the warm weather in July setting the tone for a hot and dry summer without any rain to speak of until late September, we ended up having one of our slowest fishing seasons in quite a while. With any type of fishing, much depends on conditions but with the Wild Atlantic Salmon coming in from the Ocean every day there is always a chance of success even with the worst of conditions. We have been through this cycle in the past and will probably be through it again but after so many great years back-to-back, it was a disappointing season much of the time. The older fishermen on the river say that they remember the banner year of 1967 when every man and his dog were catching fish, then the following year of 1968 was one where they said it was even worse than this one and some were even pessimistically suggesting that salmon fishing was done forever. But here it is - over 40 years later - and we have just had four out of the five past years being the very best years of Atlantic salmon fishing we have seen on the Miramichi in a long time. If Mother Nature cooperates and with a bit of luck, everyone is hoping for another great year in 2013. After all, the Miramich River has always been known as one of the best Atlantic Salmon Rivers in the World for a very good reason

On a brighter note, we again had a very successful fishing season, with over 400 guests and 90% of them returning for at least the second time - from 18 Countries, every Canadian province and 37 U.S. States. With our access to so many private pools throughout the Miramich River System that our guests now have access to, there were times the fishing still wasn't the best, but it was never for lack of trying on our guides' part as each year they always go above-and-beyond in their efforts to try everything possible to make sure guests have the best chance to catch fish - even if it means fishing in Doaktown in the morning and the Nor'west in the evening, wading through muddy wood roads to get to those "special" and "secret" places that only each guide knows best, or packing lunches and doing day trips on the Renous and the Cains rivers! We just can't say enough good things about our guides, staff and all the wonderful guests - many we now consider as friends - who helped to turn an average season into another great one.. .

For more information, contact us at: www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/

Miramichi Salmon Season Winding Down with Big Fish

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:12:00 +0000

October 8, 2012: Another fall week and Spey Week Clinic in the books for another year on the Miramichi, as East Coast Spey from NJ returned for their annual week of clinics and fishing on the Miramichi. With the rise in water levels over the weekend, many of the pools were a bit high and dirty at the beginning of the week but as the week went along, anglers did most of their fishing on the Cains, Renous and on the main River above the mouth of the Cains. Like most weeks this summer and fall, the catches were not as high as the same period in past years, but fishermen still landed some nice big salmon. Again this week almost all of the fish landed were salmon as there have not been a lot of grilse so far this season. Anglers used more fall patterns like the GP, Shrimps and the LT Special. With the rise in water and the fresh fish moving up through the system early last week in the upper stretches of the Miramichi like Wilson's should result in some good fishing when these fish arrive. Among the fall colors our anglers always enjoy fishing the smaller tributaries of the Cains, Renous and the Nor'west at this time of year. This makes for a great day trip for someone packing a lunch and spending the day on a tributary with a good chance of landing salmon or spotting a wide variety of wildlife including moose. A canoe and fishing trip down the Cains is also very nice in the fall season and many fishermen try to do this each fall. With only a week of salmon fishing remaining on this stretch of the Miramichi we all should enjoy it as it will be another long six months before we get back on the water again for Atlantic Salmon Fishing.. .For more information, contact us at: www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/

Miramichi Fall Salmon Season Picking Up!

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:28:00 +0000

October 1, 2012: I must say that in past years, we have seen better weeks for these prime times in September, however with the high quality of our guides and the variety of fishing pools we fish each week and under every condition, fishermen still manage to have success - even when it is not the best fishing! This week we did manage to land 27 fish here at Country Haven. Most of the catches were salmon with a mix of both dark and fresh fish among them. This past week was also our annual UK Spey week, with instructors Bryan Martin and Brian Warrington from England. Although this year's Spey week resulted in the slowest fishing in the past 5 years, the clinic was the best yet with approximately two hours of daily clinics throughout the week. These fellows do a commendable job in making it one of our most educational and fun weeks of the year. Although this week has traditionaly seen a lot more men fishing than women, the ladies are never to be outdone as Mel Shapland was high rod last year and Jackie Grunsell was second this year. They both enjoyed showing up the fellows! It appears that we are finally receiving the rain we had been looking for all summer as the water is rising quickly and we should be fishing our upriver pools, the Cains, and Renous Rivers more this week so we are hoping for better Results. Throughout last week the fish we did land were on such a wide selection of flies that I might need to name off 27 flies. With better numbers of fresh fish now arriving daily at the counters and not a much nicer time to be on the water than the Fall, there still is a a couple of weeks remaining for good fishing.. .For more information, contact us at: www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/

Miramichi Spring Season an Outstanding Success!

Wed, 16 May 2012 02:18:00 +0000

The 2012 spring fishing season is now over for another year and what a great season it was, with some of the best numbers and nicest spring fish landed in a long time. Two things we do know for sure - after this spring there sure were a lot of fish that arrived last year, and how early the ice goes out does not make a lot of difference in how many fish will be in the river come opening day. For more than three weeks the fishing remained very consistent with all our anglers landing fish. It started tapering off this past week due in part to the arrival of the Smelt run and not as many fish remaining in the system. Smelts look much better for dinner than a Darryl Tuckey Mickey Finn. Although there were still fish moving down over the past weekend, they were much harder to catch. With the spring Salmon fishing completed, anglers are now fishing for Trout and looking forward to the fresh runs of June salmon that could start arriving any time now - as they have in many previous early seasons. There are also a few reports of some salmon already landed on the Restigouche - another good sign for early catches on the Miramichi. With the lull in fishing it is a great time for enjoying a canoeing trip on the river, checking waders and changing over your fishing equipment and flies from spring to summer. There won't be a lot of time to get ready after the rumours begin that someone has landed a fresh one on the River. Overall, it was another great spring season. With a 90% return rate among our spring fishermen each year and with over 20 of them being 75 years of age or older, they have become more like "family" than fishermen so it's always an emotional time for everyone at departure time, but like wine, they keep improving with age. We would like to take this time to thank all of our spring guests and look forward to seeing you all again in the future.
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For more information, contact us at: www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/

Miramichi "Big Ones" Keep on Coming...

Sun, 13 May 2012 15:18:00 +0000

So Much for the early ice out and people thinking the fish might move out early, as fishermen are still catching fish from Boisetown to below Barnaby River in the tidal water -.70 km of salmon. Although the number in the upper stretches of the river are slowing down, fish are still being landed every day. This has been another great week on the water with much nicer weather than last week and some very big salmon around. This week has also been a much better week for casters as there was no wind and some trophy-sized salmon have been caught. With the lower and clear water again this week, there are a lot more Salmon showing, making anglers really appreciate the great numbers of fish in the system both this year and last year. We had a fishermen from New Jersey who counted over 50 fish jumping in a single day, near the mouth of the Cains river. Some say it looked much more like September fishing than spring fishing. Although the Salmon fishing has remained consistantly good, there still is not a lot to report on the trout fishing as not too many big ones have been seen as of yet. We are receiving some reports that the Trout fishermen below Quarryville are having more success hooking Striped bass while fishing for Trout than actual Trout. Anyway, there should be more large trout later as we get into May. Any salmon fishermen who might still want to get out on the water for a day or two should have a good chance for a while yet, especially in the lower stretches of the Rivers ( They might need to work harder for them from now on but could catch the "Big" One ). Floating lines or sinking tip only lines with 2/0 Gray Ghost and Smelt pattern spring flies are working well. There are even a few now being landed on #6 White Tail Green Machine.

For more information, contact us at: www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/

Great Miramichi Spring Fishing Opener continues...

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:15:00 +0000

Another very consistent week of Atlantic Salmon fishing on the Miramichi. Great weather and great fishing throughout the river system. With the lower water levels, the salmon are not holding as close to shore this early in the season as in most years, making it more challenging for anglers fishing from shore. Those who are fishing from boats in deeper water locations are having the best results. Almost all of our anglers who have been casting from these locations have been limiting out daily. By all accounts it has been a terrific start to the season so far but the weather forecast suggests we might experience some cooler temperatures with a rise in water if we get the rain that is predicted. Although we really do need it we are hoping for not too much rain until after the Spring season is over. Best flies so far have been the Christmas Tree and Renous River Special.

For more information, contact us at: www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/

Miramichi Salmon season opener - best ever!!

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:01:00 +0000

After the first three days of the fishing season, everyone on the River from Boiestown to Quarryville all agree this has to be one of our best openings for spring salmon fishing ever. With the ice out earlier than usual some anglers were worried that some of the upper river fish might have moved down early. But after talking to fishermen in the Boiestown and Doaktown areas, including Keith Wilson, they said that after the first couple of days it was their best start ever. So once again the old timers are correct - the salmon do not move out until they are ready.

All our fishermen have been limiting out daily here in the Blackville Area and with the great reports from upriver we know there will still be lots of good fishing for us to come. Another plus side to the opening this year due to the ice moving out early is the good quality of the fish. They are looking great and fighting more like fish we would normally be catching in May. Last year we all knew the number of fish in the system was the best in years but this spring sure proves it again with a 60 mile stretch full of jumping and rolling salmon. All flies are working. As for river conditions, water is a bit low but just ideal for great casting using sinking tips or floating lines! After the 70F weather over the past few days, we are experiencing a slight water rise yesterday and this morning. It is good good to get River levels up for fishing into May.

Atlantic Salmon Fly-Fishing on the Miramichi

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 02:12:00 +0000

Miramichi Spring Atlantic Salmon flyfishing season getting closer!

March 26th

It looks like opening day on the Miramichi will be another great one as the ice has now moved out of the river system. If these conditions continue until opening day, with so many fish now in the river system, it will be tough to keep them off your hook.

Even though the ice has gone it is still far too early to know how long good fishing will continue into the spring as much will depend on the conditions. From past experience with early springs when the ice has cleared out, the fish do not start moving down until the right water temperature. We have had early ice leaving seasons with fantastic fishing lasting into late May while there have been other years when the water dropped and warmed up early where the season was shortened by a week or more but this can still happen whether ice is gone early or not. Whatever the conditions, we know we will still have one of the longest spring seasons on the river due in part to our ideal location on the lower stretch of the Main Southwest Miramichi. At our location, we do not just get to fish for all the fish moving down the main river system but also the fish from the tributaries above us, like the Cains and Bartholemew, that swim by our door daily. The fish also tend to move out slower as they get closer and while adapting to the salt water. When conditions are right, our guides also enjoy fishing for the big trout in the faster water of the White Rapids as well as trout and salmon below the mouth of the Renous later in the spring. in Previous years when all the ice has cleared out early, the choice of options and quality of our guides always helps to ensure guests have the best fishing possible - no matter what the conditions are. On opening day our guides recommend using sinking lines and using flies such as 5/0 Christmas Tree, Renous River Special and the Golden Eagle
Although the fishing season is still a couple of weeks away, the guides start working early - fine tuning everything for opening day. This is the time to contact a fly Shop if anything is still needed as many are running spring Specials on equipment. Although most outfitters on the Miramichi have a large selection of flies to choose from there are local Miramichi Fly Shops who have everything you may possibly need to get off and running for another fishing season. Shops such as Doaks (http://www.wwdoak.com) in Doaktown, Curtis (http://www.miramichi...com/curtis.html ) in Blackville, George's Fly Shop (506 622-8226) in Renous and Syd Matchett (506 622-7598) on the Nor'west Miramichi

We enjoyed the past weekend in Bethel Maine where we went to view the "Gray Ghost Production Film premier of Turning Tail", a 70 minute film on Atlantic Salmon, with footage taken throughout Eastern Canada and the US. This is a "must See" film for anyone who has interest in the wild Atlantic Salmon. For more information on this Film, visit : http://www.ggpfilms.com

"Tight Lines" and "Good Luck" for another fishing season

For more information, contact us at: www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/

March 15th

Not a lot to report so far on the 2012 fishing season except it's only one month until opening day on April 15th. As we get closer to opening day and when the season starts, we shall be posting weekly reports (with lots of photos) so do check back often - this year could be a banner one!

As for Spring Conditions we still have approximately 3 ft of Snow and Ice - still solid on most of the River System however with warm weather in the forecast for the next week, things could change very quickly. We are hoping for a clear river on opening day and with the high numbers of fish now in the System it should be a Great One.

Again, this year, we are being represented at many Sportsmen Shows around the World by some great Agents. If there is one in your area,drop by their Booth and tell then Country Haven Sent you - and be sure to ask for our brochure.

We are off to Bethel Maine the weekend of March 24th, for the Western Maine Fly Fishing Expo and to Attend the Gray Ghost Production Film Premier on Atlantic Salmon as some of the footage was taken at Country Haven. We hope to See you there.

For more information, contact us at: www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/

Miramichi Salmon season over - probably best year yet!

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:53:00 +0000

..........

The Crew at Country Haven Miramichi would like to wish everyone a Merry
Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. We would also like to remind
you about our Gift Certificates that never expire and may be used toward anything
Country Haven offers.

October 17th 2011

(1) Chris Snitko,Twin MT, NH - Miramichi River ......(2) A fall hookbill on the Renous

(3) John Norton, Dallas TX - Miramichi River.......(4) Maine Guide Kevin McKay & Miramichi
..............................................................Guide Ken Vickers celebrating after landing a Salmon

Best Salmon year ever? The old Pro's think so!!.. The final week of the season went probably the way it should have as the salmon now have better things on their mind than taking a fly since the spawning season has started. With the beautiful fall weather and lots of fish in the river system, fishing slowed down this week. Our anglers caught 16 on Monday, 15 on Tuesday, 11 on Wednesday, 4 on Thursday, 2 on Friday and none on Saturday - the final day of the season. In all of our years in operation, never before have we seen a year where the final days of the season seemed to be the right time to wrap up for the year. In some past seasons, fishing remained great right up until the final day. I do not know if it's global warming or just that the season started a bit early this year but it was great from start to finish. However, the fish started spawning earlier than in past years and when spawning begins, that means less luck for anglers.

Overall, it was a good week to close out the season, spent with many returning friends. The most productive flies this week were still summer patterns of White tail Green Machine and Undertaker on #8 hooks. We do not know if these flies were working best because they were used more, but the traditional fall patterns were just not too successful this year. Every now and then, with a pool full of fish and nothing taking, an angler would try something out of the ordinary - like a 2/0 Mickey Finn, Black Ghost or something like the 5 inch no-name black fly that Mario Viboux from Quebec used while here - with good results. Sometimes, when fish are holding, it might be that the fish become accustomed to seeing the same fly too many times so something out of the ordinary works -mind you, as all salmon fishermen know, there are times when absolutely nothing works! After all, this is the challenge of the Atlantic Salmon.

With the season now over for another year, all we can say is "What a fantastic season it turned out to be for both the salmon and the fishermen". 2011 will go down in history as one of the best years we have seen in a very long time. Catches were up for all the Miramichi system rivers and the conditions were great for the fish throughout most of the season. Here at Country Haven Lodge we surpassed our catch records from other seasons even with the water being higher than normal. We are located on the lower stretches of the Main River System which is favourable for low water fishing, so with slightly lower water levels to help hold more fish in the pools, it might have even better for us. Even though fishing on the lower stretches of the main river might not have been as great as it has been in past years, we are blessed with having access to so many private pools on other tributaries throughout the system. Another plus side to the season this year was the large number of big salmon. This year's numbers at the counting fences were good and with the higher-than-normal water levels there is a good chance that a lot of fish avoided the counting fences alltogether, probably making the actual numbers higher than the count showed. We must also remember that returns through the counters are only estimated to be between 5 to 10% of the actual numbers of the fish that do enter the system. Another bright point of this season was the fact that the first bright salmon was landed on the Main River in May, compared to some years where they did not appear until late June, and the run continued throughout the whole season.

We landed our first salmon on the Cains River on July 13th - way up at Moors - and the fishing continued on an almost daily basis from then on with our landing approximately 200 salmon and grilse from four pools before the end of the season. The Cains is primarily known as a fall river but there were lots of fish from very early in the season this year.

The Renous River also produced great numbers, with fishermen landing the first salmon on June 7th and depending on conditions, good fishing continued most of the time throughout the season. Our anglers landed over 100 salmon and grilse in only the last month of the season using four pools on the Renous. These are good numbers for both these smaller tributaries of the Main River System.

Although our anglers did not fish the Nor'west as much this year, on the Little Sou'west and the Dungarvon, fishermen enjoyed some of the best fishing in years. The higher-than-normal water conditions might not have been as good for the lower stretches of the Main River but they were ideal for lodges 40 and 60 Kilometers upriver with lodges like Wilsons and Rocky Brook also experiencing some of their best fishing in years.

After such a successful fishing season, the future is again looking very bright for the Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi. Salmon numbers have been great, especially since the closure of the commercial fishery off Greenland, and fishermen and guides all say the numbers of returning fish have been increasing annually since that closure. They still agree that such measures must continue along with the practice of 'hook and release' that many fishermen are now using, if these impressive Atlantic Salmon numbers are to continue. As for the future of the Miramichi Salmon, the biggest concern among many fishermen and guides are the high numbers of Striped Bass now in the system, and their numbers have been increasing at an alarming rate. This species of fish is on the Canadian fish protected list, making many salmon fishermen wonder why, when Stripers are one of the biggest predators of smolt returning back out to sea. We all know the Miramichi River has always been famous for its Atlantic Salmon fishing, with anglers travelling here from around the world, which contributes millions of dollars to the economy each year. We are not sure how much interest there might be for Striped bass fishing but it might help to control the numbers if fishermen were allowed to fish for and keep a few bass throughout the season. Let's hope the Fisheries people in Ottawa make some good decisions on this one because, after all, we want the Miramichi to continue as the "Destination of Choice" for Atlantic Salmon Fishermen for many years to come.

The season has now closed on the Miramichi. From all of us here at Country Haven, we would like to say "Thank You" to everyone who helped in making 2011 another great season - from the guides, the cooks, fly shop owners and all the individuals and businesses we work with throughout the season. From opening day until the end of the season, we could not have asked for a better year! To the new guests and the 85% of returning anglers from 20 countries, 44 U.S. States and every Canadian Province - we could not have done it without you! We hope you had a vacation to remember and that you have a wonderful winter and we look forward to your return visit in 2012.

- "Tight Lines" from Country Haven & Crew

For more information, contact us at: www.flyfishingatlanticsalmon.com/