COUNTRY HAVEN MIRAMICHI

Throughout the 2012 season The  Miramich will be hosting three Spey Clinics again this year  From July 1st through the 7th  and again from Sep 30th through Oct 6th Andrew Moy and Jody Plonski from East Coast Spey will be hosting  US Clinics  and From  Sep 23 rd through Sep 30 Bryan Martin and Brian Warrington From Devon England and be hosting a week long UK  Spey Clinic  These three clinics will be At Country Haven Miramichi .and have become a annual event . For more info on these clinice visit  http://www.flyfishin...m/packages.html

Miramichi Spring Atlantic Salmon flyfishing season getting closer!

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 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/
 

 

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/