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Thursday May 21st, 2020 River Report. Things are shaping up to be quite good for this coming weekend. The forecast is for warm weather, our rivers are holding making the tributaries good for canoeing, and we continue to hear good comments on the fishing. You can really see things greening up along the shorelines and the poplar and maples are budding and coming to life. Fiddleheads are being picked on a daily bases now. Salmon (Kelts) are still being caught below Blackville in the Quarryville area. The golden eagle being one of the more popular flies. With the water temperatures raising the trout and bass are much more anxious to feed and the fishing as a whole is continuing to get better. We are hearing of anglers catching trout on a daily bases now. Bass fishing has been quite good especially in the Miramichi City area but are also being caught further up the South West Miramichi towards Doyles brook and Quarryville. Things are dry and fires were not permitted the last I looked. I would check on this depending on the zone you are in to make sure. Especially those who are canoeing and camping in the backcountry. This is a great time of year to be on our rivers. Enjoy and be safe. Friday May 15th, 2020 River Report. Just a quick posting going into the long weekend. River levels are good and some people are even starting to do some shore fishing. Tributaries are great for those who want to get out with their canoes. Salmon and trout are still being caught below Blackville and anglers are picking up Bass in the Quarryville area. The forecast is showing a little rain for tomorrow but nothing major. Temperatures are on the rise and today couldn't have been better on the river. It is noticeable how things are in the early stages of turning green and lots of buds are sprouting on the hardwoods, especially our Maple trees. This is the weekend a lot of people begin angling, canoeing, opening camps, etc here on the Miramichi for the season. It certainly is shaping up weather wise to be a good one. Enjoy the weekend. Be safe. Sunday May 10th, 2020 River Report. Things are quiet here today in Blackville. I think the continuous snow all day yesterday and into last night along with the 4" - 6" blanket of snow on the ground has most people inside where it is warm. No doubt there is the odd angler on the river but most will probably wait for the snow to melt. This snow won't last long once the sun hits it. Rivers continue to be up and word of the odd salmon being hooked this past week by some anglers was mentioned at the tackle shop. Expect we will have a two day lull in angling and then it will pick up again. We will see a facelift along the Miramichi as this snow melts. Things will green up even more. Those warmer sunny days are coming and with it the urge to be on the river will be even more enticing. Our canoe bookings are already picking up as people are planning their annual canoe runs on the tributaries. Water levels are high and canoeing should be good on the tributaries this Spring. The forecast is showing more rain this coming week along with sunny days. I will post more as things change along the river. Tuesday May 5th, 2020 River Report River levels are running quite high here in the Miramichi watershed. Last Fridays rain brought the rivers up over the weekend. More rain Sunday night, Monday, and today will continue to keep the rivers at Spring levels. Haven't heard of many salmon being caught in the last two days. They were catching them though over the weekend. The slideshow on the left gives you an idea of how much snow is in the area. The snowbank on the side of the dirt road was taken along the Dungarvon Road here in Blackville. The picture with part of my finger in it is of the Dungarvon River. The other picture is from the veranda of my cabin on the Renous River. You can see snow on the shore below the cabin. These pictures were taken Sunday afternoon. So quite a bit of snow left to melt north of the Miramichi River. Trees are starting to bud and the snow today will really green the lawns up over the next couple of days. Will post as I here more. Be safe. Sunday April 26th, 2020 River Report. Yesterday proved to be quite successful for quite a few anglers. Lots of reports from anglers catching large numbers of salmon. Being the first day of the season no one really new what to expect. Almost everyone we talked to were hooking salmon. Some of the boats were hooking 20 plus salmon and that was before 2:00 in the afternoon. There is no denying the smile that shows on an anglers face whether he has caught one salmon or a much higher count. We could hear the motor boats on the river all day yesterday from the tackle shop making it feel more normal for our community here in Blackville. It has been so quiet on the river. These reports were all from anglers fishing here in the Blackville area. We will start hearing more from other parts of the river over the next few days. One of the comments from a few of the anglers was the absence of large numbers of boats on the shoreline in front of some of the big camps and lodges along the river. Sometimes these lodges will have upwards of 20 boats in front of the lodges ready to go with sportsman from all over the world. We have been hearing from quite a few salmon fisherman especially from state side who are missing their annual fishing trip to the Miramichi. It doesn't make it any easier to read reports like this of excellent salmon fishing on the river. It certainly is a wake up call for those of us who took our angling for granted. I am sure when this is all over we will have a much different appreciation for the experience of being free to fish on our rivers. So, a quick message to our friends to the south and internationally . Seeing the various fishing parties after each weeks turnover at the lodges arrive at our tackle shop is always a pleasure and we really miss catching up on how everyone is and seeing you at the begining of our salmon season. We hope you are well and safe from this covid19 pandemic. Salmon fisherman are really a small but very unique and special group in the angling world. We really miss sharing this unique experience with you. I am optomistic we will see you in 2021. Take care. The fly's of choice yesterday were the Christmas Tree ,Renous Special and Blue Smelt. River levels are dropping so be careful of the rocks and bars. I will update as things change and we hear more on river conditions. Be safe. Friday April 24th, 2020 River Report. Good News!!!!Restrictions were lifted today in N.B on fishing. Our phone started ringing this afternoon and it has been non stop. The excitement is unreal. It has been a long 6-7 weeks of being cooped up in our homes and not being able to do anything. Norma and I had to comment on how good this news is for the locals who live along the river. We cain 't help to grin from ear to ear at some of the people who have been by the tackle shop. One young man who stopped by to pick up fishing licenses for his father, uncle, and himself, commented that his father and uncle were like having two bad young lads wanting to go fishing. They couldn't wait for him to take them to the river. River levels are dropping and we heard of someone hitting bottom damaging the prop and leg of their motor. This was further upriver in the Doaktown area. It looks good here in the Blackville area but be careful as it may be low here too. The municipal park was opened today here in Blackville so access to the boat ramp is possible. We are trying to make arrangements to open the tackle shop tomorrow. We may have to restrict people in the shop. At this point we have been leaving things outside for people to pick up. As we learn more on the changes we will keep you informed. The forecast is for nice weather this weekend. For those of you heading to the river......enjoy, be safe, and best of luck angling. Sunday April 19th, 2020 River Report When I downloaded these pictures I couldn't help to notice how little snow there is in the background of the pictures. Don't let that deceive you. There remains quite a bit of snow in the area. The upper and lower slideshows are pictures taken today from the N.B Trail going through Blackville. The smaller river is Bartholomew River and the larger river is the Miramichi. This years ice out didn't seem to do much damage along the shoreline. As you can see, everything is quite clean along the rivers. The same applies to current conditions on the river. It would be really good fishing right now. The 3 pictures of Dr's Island give you a good idea of river levels. The river is dropping but not down so Marilyn's Rock (named after Marilyn Munroe) is showing. So boating is still quite good. There are a few boats on the river but nothing like what we would normally see. The rainfall this Spring hasn't been what we normally would get so the rivers are dropping. There isn't much rain in the forecast and with cool evenings our snowmelt isn't creating any major raise in the rivers. All in all, great fishing conditions, but fishing restrictions for this year are keeping us off the river. We can only be patient and see what comes in early May. Take care and be safe. Friday April 17th, 2020 River Report. Normally I would be reporting numbers of salmon caught and the fly of choice for the last two days but not today. I can give you a sense though of how things look here on the river. Norma and I took a drive last night to check the rivers out . I need to say it looked very inviting and the lure to want to be out in a boat angling is very difficult to suppress. Both the Bartholomew and Miramichi here in the Blackville area are running high but no where near flood levels. Both seemed to be quite clear with no signs of grass, ice or debris floating down them. The angling conditions look very good in this area. We just couldn't help to notice though the absence of boats and anglers on the river. Never in our lives have we not seen early fishing and boating activity this time of year on the river. It certainly isn't normal for our community. You could only explain it as having a silent, quiet appearance. I have to share an experience we are having at the tackle shop. In our area there are a lot of older riverman who have been Spring guiding all of their lives. They are watching the river and know with the conditions being what they are what fly to be using, the length of anchor rope required, what stretches of the river to be fishing, etc. They constantly are touching base with us, have their licenses purchased and boats and rods ready to go. Even though they are aware that our sportsman from Canada and internationally will not be here this Spring they still cain't help to be readying for the river. Norma and I comment every time another old guide makes contact how they must miss being on the river. This is certainly a season we will not forget on this old east coast salmon river. I will try to get some local pictures in the next day or two of the river. Be safe. Sunday April 12th, 2020 River Report. The pictures on the top left slide show were taken yesterday along the Dungarvon. It gives us an idea how things look north of the Miramichi. Still lots of snow and ice in the river. Long stretches of open water combined with stretches of solid ice and a few ice flows that are starting to jam in places. The tributaries north of the Miramichi tend to be a little later opening compared to the Cains and S.W Miramichi. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow and this will speed things up. Although the Miramichi is now open this gives us an idea of how some of the other rivers look. The Renous will be similar to the Dungarvon. It is even further north so upriver sections are probably iced over in areas. Snow from the Thursday and Friday storm is rapidly melting and will raise all the rivers. Lots of snow remains in the woods so the melt will continue for some time. Thursday April 9th, 2020 River Report. As we isolate and do our part to help fight the covid19 virus ,it is apparent, that opening day for the 2020 angling season will be much different from anything we as salmon fisherman have ever seen. Most of us here on the Miramichi and those of you who have cottages along the river, generally are excited about the longer days, warming temperatures, snow melt and ice out conditions. The anticipation of another angling season and everything involved in preparing for it is always a nice time to look forward too. I have to confess, although I still have that feeling to see the seasonal change and angling season approach, I am not quite sure how to approach this coming season. Most of the riverman I have been communicating with all seem to feel the same way. These are uncertain times and the livelihood of quite a few people are in question. For a small community like Blackville our seasons are all based on salmon fishing. My father, who was a teacher and was proud of the fact his students referred to the seasons as - Spring salmon fishing, Summer salmon fishing, Fall salmon fishing, and Winter closure, often commented on this as it was an important part of our culture. Everything is related to salmon fishing. So you can only imagine how this will impact the locals in our small communities along the river if our Spring salmon season doesn't open on the 15th of April. So, what are things looking like along the river. Here in Blackville the ice moved a few days ago on the lower section of the Bartholomew. Ice has been moving on the Main Southwest for a couple of days. A significant snowfall is expected today and tomorrow and that will add more melt increasing river levels. You can expect the river to continue raising for awhile and as it does ice will continue to flow downriver. The municipal park here in Blackville was closed today and a gate will be put up. The ramp for launching boats has not been plowed and will not be accessible until further notice. There is still quite a bit of snow in fields, along the shoreline, and in the woods, and getting to camps or accessing the river will be difficult for some time. This is my first report and it took awhile to motivate myself to get started. I know how some of you enjoy the reports and often look forward to the pictures, so will do my best to keep you abreast of the river conditions. In the mean time - be safe. We look forward to seeing everyone once things get back to normal. All the best for the 2020 angling season, Cathy, Norma, and Brock. Tuesday October 15th, 2019 River Report. It is the last day of our salmon angling season. How fast things can change in a few days. We have had pretty good fishing in some areas the last couple of days, especially on the Cains. Reports of more than one salmon being caught in the 40 plus inch size have been coming in since the weekend. Most anglers we talked to were fishing the lower section of the Miramichi here in Blackville or the Cains River. I haven't heard much on the Renous and Dungarvon but am sure things picked up there too. Weather conditions couldn't have been better for this time of year. Temperatures were quite warm and winds were down. The perfect ending to the season. Salmon counts will soon be coming out from the counting fences. Most of us are curious as to how many salmon will be coming in after the season closes. It was estimated that 90% of last years salmon came in after the season closed. That is most of our salmon that we were not able to angle over. Guess we are wandering if that will be the case this year. For those of you who had the opportunity to fish to the end of the season and have frequented our tackle shop during the past few days, we thank you for supporting our business. For others who have been in during the 2019 season we would like to thank you and hope to see you all again next season. Enjoy the off season and see you soon. Friday Oct 10th, 2019 River Report. Jake Stewart and I were able to fit in one last fishing trip with the boys last weekend. Rivers were low and dropping ,angling was slow but, the scenery was well worth it. The slideshow to the left is of some of the places on the Renous and Little Southwest we were able to get to in our side x sides. The boys had a great weekend and we enjoyed discussing new equipment and more fishing trips for next year. Things seemed to shut down since last weekend on the river. Anglers haven't been seeing many salmon and few are being caught. We had some anglers mention getting a few on the Little Southwest and further upriver here on the Main Southwest along with a few on the Cains but other than that it has been quite slow. Some anglers have had success matching the hatch and have hooked into salmon and trout using small light colored flies.We know the larger Fall runs are going to start soon but they just haven't come in yet. A bit discouraging as some anglers will be returning home this weekend knowing any day now things will change for the better. More rain is in the forecast, lots of green left on the hardwood trees and another 5 days left to the season. For those still fortunate enough to be on our rivers there is still lots to enjoy with the scenery and the anticipation of Fall salmon moving upstream. Lets hope things will turn around and fresh salmon will start moving upriver. I will report as things change. Monday Sept 30th, 2019 River Report. After a week at the cabin fishing and exploring the Renous and Dungarvon rivers it is really hard to get back to the normal everyday life again. The slideshow on the top left are photos during my week at the cabin. A beautiful time of year, a time my father cherishes and has instilled in me the same desire to be on our rivers or in the woods just enjoying nature and the outdoors. If you ever get a chance to spend time listening to an older outdoorsman talk about what it was like on our rivers and streams years ago you should take advantage of it. Their outdoor experience is absolutely priceless and the changes they have seen should be considered when we consider future conservation changes. They know the way it was and offer a true indicator into what healthy rivers and forests were really like. The gentleman preparing the meal on the tailgate of our UTV is my 83 year old father who was nothing but an inspiration from being the first up in the morning to enjoying every minute of his time during his week in the outdoors. All while being surrounded by his son, son inlaw, grandson, and very close friends. Just a quick note on angling above the Dungarvon bridge accessed from Blackville(locally known as the Furlong Bridge). Angling above the bridge is closed as of September 15th. This is not posted in the area and not all anglers are familiar with our watershed. I met two fine young gentleman on two different occasions who were enjoying the angling and we had a great chat but were unaware this section of the river was closed. It is nice to see the younger folks on our rivers becoming salmon fisherman. Be patient, and give it time. The wait is well worth it. So, now to the angling. I covered all the upper stretches of the Renous and Dungarvon rivers. All the way to the Narrows on both rivers. I would say a trickle of salmon are in those areas but the major fall runs haven't reached that far up yet. The heavy rain early last week brought our rivers up and it is nice fishing. Though I didn't hook into many salmon last week, I can feel the time is very near that we will be seeing large numbers of salmon runs. The timing and conditions are there. Over the weekend it seemed to pick up and salmon were hooked on all the tributaries and Main Southwest Miramichi. Anglers coming into the tackle shop and those I met along the rivers were seeing salmon and hooking them mainly in the lower sections of the rivers. Today we heard from anglers of large numbers of salmon below the Quarryville area. This is really a prime fishing time to be angling for salmon on the Miramichi. We should be hearing of good size salmon runs soon. The bonus is Fall colours. Enjoy. Monday September 23rd, 2019 River Report. This will be my last report for this week. I am heading into the cabin for the next 7 days. Will be reporting angling conditions when I get back. The rivers have been dropping and a lot of salmon seem to have lock jaw. Anglers are seeing lots of salmon but they have been tough to catch. Many anglers predict rain will change it up and start the Fall runs once again. The forecast is showing substantial rain starting later today and through tomorrow. This is what we need. If one considers last years Fall runs they made up approximately 90% of our annual runs. Personally ,I am going to be out there enjoying the Fall colours and the results of an increase in river levels due to the forecasted rainfall. Some of our best angling is about to start and many anglers are here to take advantage of it. This past week the colours have really changed along our rivers and this coming week we will see more of the same. This is the best time of year for a lot of us salmon anglers. The end of the season is quickly approaching so it is best to get out on the river and enjoy it. Best of luck and enjoy the angling. Wednesday September 18th, 2019 River Report. You can see in the photos to the left early signs of Fall. The scenery improves on a daily basis now. River levels are nice for wading and lots of anglers are seeing salmon jumping. Salmon are showing in all the tributaries. It is typical early Fall fishing where some pools just seem to have salmon with lock jaw while others are producing good numbers. More anglers are getting out to enjoy the Fall fishing. We are going to have a nice Fall fishery. I spent another weekend with some youngsters on our First Annual fall fishing trip. These boys are becoming very intense anglers. (You can see them to the left in the top photos).So intense that they seem to wolf down their food at the dinner table and run to the river. An absolute pleasure to see this age group taking part in such a great sport. We had a great time. Jake Stewart(Minister of indigenous affairs) his two sons River and Roman, myself and the grand kids Brennan and Shamus spent time angling, working on casting, discussing fishing, and local conservation initiatives. Kids of this age might be young but they are quite sharp when it comes to the environment. Discussions around forestry practices ,small mouth bass, and striper bass were hot topics. One has to remember, these kids are inheriting our current forests and rivers and they want to fish. It is so important we have young anglers getting into and enjoying fly fishing. They are the future who will be protecting our forests and rivers, which really comes down to a healthy environment to live in. Friday September 13th, 2019 River Report. More rain Wednesday brought our rivers back up again, more so on some tributaries than others. Anglers told us it raised the river enough on the Cains to slow things down. Anglers have been hooking salmon all along the Miramichi though all week. Generally as the rivers crest and start dropping the angling picks up. Our rivers are now at a nice height as they have been dropping. This should be a good weekend here on the Miramichi. Fresh salmon are being hooked throughout the system and river levels are nice for wading. Weather forecasts are favourable so it would be a good time to be out there on one of the rivers. You will notice early signs of Fall as the days are getting shorter, temperatures are cooler, and the Maple trees are showing colour in some areas. The harvest moon is tonight. This is generally considered a good time to be angling as the Fall salmon runs will start coming in larger numbers. We will be seeing more anglers in the area this weekend. In fact some of the hard core salmon anglers are now here for the remainder of the angling season. I will be spending my weekend at the cabin on the Renous so will not be reporting until early next week. This is one of my favourite times of year to be angling here on the Miramichi. I cain't imagine a better place to be for a salmon fisherman. Enjoy, stop by the shop and say hello. Let us know what your angling experience has been. We appreciate the stories. Tuesday September 10th, 2019 River Report. Today is one of those early Fall days that is absolutely beautiful to be on the river. A bright sunny day with very little wind. While the rivers are high ,they have crested Sunday and started dropping last night. Though it is still a bit high for wading some anglers who were coming into the tackle shop today were catching salmon. I expect all branches of the river will be producing salmon in a couple of days, if not sooner. We needed a good rain to raise the river levels and bring in fresh salmon to all the tributaries. As the water levels start dropping we should hear of salmon being caught throughout the whole watershed. This is exactly what we needed to start off our Fall fishery. The general thought among anglers is, as the river continues to drop we will see quite good fishing. Expecting better fishing over the next couple of days so will post as I hear more. Sunday September 8th, 2019 River Report. I was away over the weekend and was anxious to see the river when I came home today. The results of our latest hurricane was on my mind. A quick take on the river here in Blackville just before dark was showing quite an increase in river levels. It was pushing the shoreline well into the grass. Probably an increase of a couple of feet. Last week we were hearing of fresh salmon being caught. This raise in river levels may put fresh salmon into the tributaries opening up a broader range of angling for our Fall fishery. It will continue to raise well into tomorrow so, how high the river gets before cresting is hard to say. Lots of debris was floating down the river tonight but that will clear up hopefully by tomorrow. These conditions will improve in a couple of days and generally the Fall angling will too. This is really what quite a few anglers were hoping for. I cain't wait to get out on the tributaries later in the week. The river levels are going to be up for quite awhile allowing fresh salmon to move into spawning areas. Things will be quiet for a day or two but this should really make for good fishing as the rivers start dropping. Will post as I hear more. Tuesday September 3rd, 2019 River Report. So, the news we have been anxiously waiting for is when will fresh runs of salmon start coming in? Our conditions have been right , and it has been just a matter of when? Not sure what the numbers are yet but we received reports from anglers today of catching fresh salmon. Some of us were thinking they might have shown up this past weekend but it happened today. We continue to get rain off and on now and more rain is in the forecast. The evenings are quite cool and it has the water temperatures in the mid 60's F. This may be the beginning of the Fall salmon runs. Always good news as the salmon we have been angling over have been in the river for quite awhile and get a bit stale. As some anglers have been telling us, there are lots of salmon jumping around them but they don't seem to want to take. These fresh salmon will hopefully make things much more exciting. Will continue to post any changes as I hear more. Saturday August 31st, 2019 River Report. Just a quick addition to yesterdays report. The river has raised throughout yesterday and overnight last night. It has probably come up at least a foot to two feet so far, making it quite nice for angling. When I was at the river yesterday morning you could see it had come up but this is the height we were looking for. These are nice angling conditions and the forecast is showing rain for early next week. Hopefully our Fall rains will maintain this level for the rest of the season. Haven't heard of any fresh salmon being caught yet but people have mentioned seeing salmon jumping. I just came back from putting canoers in at the park here in Blackville and they will have a nice afternoon run. This mornings wind seems to be cooperating a bit more and with less wind it should be much better on the river this evening casting. All of our customers at the tackle shop seem to be going to the river so we haven't been getting anyone coming in yet who are hooking into salmon. Things are going to change and we are anxious to hear of anglers hooking into fresh salmon. Will post as I hear more. Friday August 30th, 2019 River Report. I was just down to the river here in Blackville. After yesterdays rain I was curious to see how things looked. The river is up about a foot and is probably going to come up a bit more before it crests. Water temperatures are in the 68F range. There isn't any murky water or objects floating down the river. In fact, I would say it is quite clear. A very nice level for wading. All in all this should loosen things up and bring some of those fresh salmon in from the Bay. Over the last couple of days anglers have been hooking into grilse. We have been hearing from a few salmon anglers at the tackle shop who mentioned catching grilse. Not large numbers but it seems to be picking up. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next couple of days. For those of you who plan to be on the Miramichi over the weekend I would think it would be a good time to be here. The low water pools could possibly start fishing much better. The rain was still coming down quite hard here last night up to about 10:30 or later. If a fresh run of salmon was going to come in we should start hearing something later today or tomorrow morning. As more anglers come in for the weekend we will start hearing more. For those who are on the river now it is quite nice out there. Clear skies and very little wind. I cain't think of a better place to be. Enjoy the weekend. Wednesday August 28th, 2019 River Report. Just a quick mid week river report. I checked the river temperatures Monday night and the thermometer was showing 68F. Water levels are quite low but salmon are taking. These are stale salmon that have been in the river for some time. One needs to put much more effort into enticing these fish to take. We need a raise in river levels and it is looking good for tomorrows forecast. They are predicting 25 mm/1inch of rain for Thursday. This will probably bring in a fresh run of salmon from the Bay. Some of us enjoy being on the river and angling during a rain. Things can turn on for the salmon and be a lot of fun. So, will a good rain change things up? I think I will be on the river tomorrow. Friday August 23rd, 2019 River Report. I haven't been keeping up with my river reports lately. It is always slow this time of year and angling isn't always the best. My parents used to call this time of year "Dog Days", and would warn us to stay away from the river. Not sure why, maybe because the river was generally warm and low. Things really haven't changed much as the river at this time is warm and low. That being said and on a positive note, following Dog Days is Fall fishing, and that is just around the corner. The weather forecast is showing single digit temperatures for the evenings and low to mid 20's during the day for the next few days. For the angler who is connected to the river you are probably feeling that slow change. Just an early touch of Fall in the air. I already am hearing from anglers who are anxious to get on the river and experience Fall fishing on the Miramichi. The next week or two will bring the change we are waiting for. No word of an August run yet. Things have been quiet. Most of us want to hear of a fresh salmon being caught. River conditions haven't been optimum but, that is going to change as things cool down. (Older seasoned salmon anglers used to say when conditions are like this that the August salmon will wait it out and come in later). The rains we received this week didn't amount to much. Maybe that scenario will play out this season. In my last report I mentioned how the geese were molting. During this time they congregate in groups along the river losing feathers. They cain't fly and just seem to turn their backs to us as we canoe by. Last weekend I heard them as they flew over. More and more of them have been taking to the air all week. So another phase of the summer is behind us. Even the pesty flies are much more easier to get along with. Soon people will be complaining of the cold and saying "where did the summer go". For those of you arriving for the weekend and will be here next week ----enjoy the river. There are a few salmon being caught, not many, but there is a whole lot of other activity on the river to entertain yourself with. Tune in and enjoy. Thursday August 15th, 2019 River Report. Though tonight is the actual full moon we did our annual full moon river run in August last night . A group of friends join us to experience an evening on the river watching the moon come up while canoeing and kayaking the river. Later in the evening the temperatures could be felt at various times getting cooler. Regardless, we still saw hatches on the water, salmon laying in pools, and a beaver escorted us for a good ways down the river. Joining us this year were three youngsters age 11,12,and 13. All boys who seemed to have a great time in their kayaks. Also along with us were good friends who work in Kuwait and own property on the river in the area. We always admire these folks as they seem to enjoy the basic lifestyle of us locals as much as we do and become connected to the river while here on holidays just like us. They are leaving for Kuwait today...….we miss you guys. Thanks Grant and Dianne for the use of your gazebo and the best hot dogs in the world. There wasn't a run of salmon on which we were hoping to see. But that is still possible in the next few evenings. A few salmon are still being caught but not a lot of anglers are back on the river yet. This weekend should bring more anglers to the clubs, lodges, and camps, which gives us a better reading on the river. I will post as I hear more. Saturday August 10th ,2019 River report. Just a brief update. Things are looking quite good for the river. Water temperatures are improving and at the moment we have heavy steady rain in this area. Rivers are low so the rain is a welcome. With the cold water pools reopened on Friday we should soon start hearing of how the fishing is. Most of our customers are stopping in to get items to go fishing but aren't returning yet with river reports. I have been taking water temperatures all week and we are now seeing temperatures below 70F. A good rain will help get the river up and possibly bring in fresh salmon. Hopefully we will have positive reports early next week. Enjoy the weekend. Wednesday August 7th, 2019 River Report. Word from DFO is they will be opening all salmon pools this Friday August 9th. Water temperatures are dropping and rain is in the forecast for the next couple of days. These cool evenings are really changing things. Two nights ago a friend contacted me to let me know he counted 10 salmon jumping in front of his camp. He felt these salmon were moving upriver. Hopefully by the weekend angling will be back to normal. Forecasts are looking good so we are optimistic anglers will be on the river soon. I will post as I hear more. Wednesday July 31st, 2019 River Report. Another notice to anglers by DFO will begin tomorrow. All angling on rivers in the Miramichi watershed will be from 6:00AM to 11:00AM only ,due to warm temperatures. Keep in mind the 27 cold water pools are also closed throughout the watershed. If you want more information just check out the DFO website. Tuesday July 30th, 2019 River Report. Be aware that DFO has put in place the warm water protocol for 27 pools throughout the watershed this morning. These pools will be closed until things cool down again. Forecast show a cooler front moving in by Thursday. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon. This heat for some of us is getting a bit old. I just picked up two parties of canoers I had on the river today. They mentioned seeing salmon jumping and quite a few laying at the mouth of brooks. Another observation they made was the amount of white feathers they are seeing along the river. It is always interesting the changes that one will see on a daily, weekly, and monthly bases when spending time on a river. What they are now seeing is a time period that the geese start molting and losing their feathers. It started last week and is still happening with geese along the river. The geese I saw were in fairly large groups of 16 - 24 in an area. Apparently the old feathers fall out and new ones grow in. Most of the tributaries are quite low now. We are still good for canoeing here on the lower section of the river. A good rain with cooler evenings would be a welcome. The forecast is showing rain and cooler weather, lets hope we get it. Anglers coming into the tackle shop yesterday were still hooking into salmon. Hopefully this is short term and all will be back to normal in a few days. Will update as I hear more. Thursday July 25th, 2019 River Report. I spent the day canoeing the lower section of the Main S.W Miramichi river between Upper Blackville and Blackville yesterday. The morning had cloud cover making it perfect for fishing and by mid day the sun was out which really added to the perfect day on the river. My brother in law is home from Florida so dad and I helped organize a river run. Dad is 83 and his old buddy was game too come along too ,so in total we had 7 guys ,all locals who grew up on the river. It was sort of a celebration for Dad and I as we have been renting canoes for 40 years this summer on the Miramichi. I registered my business when only 18 years old. We had been renting prior to that but felt it was time to run it as a business.Dad had also done a restoration on an old Chestnut canoe this past year and has been wanting to try it out on the river. If you are a paddler and like canoes you will appreciate the difference there is in these old canoes. If the conditions are right I wouldn't be caught in anything less . An absolute pleasure to paddle. We couldn't help to consider just how many miles the two of us combined would have in a canoe on this watershed. One thing for sure, the two of us couldn't have been happier together, being in a favorite canoe on our favorite river. We all agreed and spoke of it many times coming down the river, that for this time of year we couldn't believe how good a shape the river conditions are at this time. We could use rain, no doubt about it , but we paddled with ease with lots of water to carry us over the bars. I measured the water temperatures all along the river and it was a constant 70F - 72F in less than 6" of water. I expect the deeper parts of the river would be much cooler. We saw plenty of eagles and salmon too. In fact as we passed through one pool an angler had a beautiful salmon on. This was mid day and the salmon were still taking. Since then I have heard of 20 salmon landed at one pool, another 6 at another, so things are picking up quite well for salmon hook ups. DFO lifted the warm water protocol yesterday and it is nice to see they are reacting to the river conditions much faster now. We had a great day and spending it with two old fellows who talked about the old family farms we past along the way was like a history lesson. The Brophy, Colford, Hogan, Hallihan, Burke, Hennessey, Curtis, Keenan, were just a few of the family farms and properties with families still in the area they discussed along the way. It is times like these that I realize just how lucky I am to have been able to grow up on such a beautiful river. There are few ecosystems that can match the Miramichi watershed. It is just that unique. No wander I start getting the itch when only a few days away from the river to get back to it. Enjoy the upcoming weekend. Best of luck angling. Friday July 19th, 2019 River Report. Just a reminder that DFO has put into affect the warm water protocol throughout the Miramichi watershed. This does not mean the river is totally closed for angling. In fact, most of the river remains open. If you are interested in fishing make sure you check to see what brooks and tributaries are closed. We have seen great salmon fishing over the past couple of weeks. Things started slowing down this past Saturday. As the temperatures increase we normally see the angling slowing down. The forecast is for cooler day and evening temperatures next week so hopefully the closures are short lived. Anglers and canoers continue to see lots of salmon jumping along the river. Rain and cooler temperatures are high on anglers priority list at this time. I will report as things change. Hopefully it won't be long. Enjoy the weekend. Saturday June 29th, 2019 River Report. Over the past two weeks I have been focussing on youth and their interests in fly fishing here in the local area. While some anglers coming to the Miramichi this week were under the assumption it has been hard fishing ,as you can see for others that was not the case. The 2 pictures in the slideshow to the left are of Ivan Connors fighting and landing a nice grilse. Ivan is 5 years old and like a lot of local youngsters here on the Miramichi following in the footsteps of their fathers he is already becoming a salmon fisherman. The early part of this week saw some amazing salmon fishing for some anglers. I talked to quite a few locals who are seasoned salmon fisherman and spend a lot of time on the river. The typical comment from them was" I haven't seen a run of salmon like this in quite a few years". Things seemed to slow down Thursday but anglers are seeing a lot of salmon jumping and there is still quite a few salmon being landed. It has really been what some anglers refer to as -- salmon fishing weather. Cloud cover, cooler temperatures, nice water temperatures, good water levels and not so bad winds along with salmon moving through the system, it all adds up to nice angling conditions. So, with good conditions, the weekend should bring nice salmon fishing. For those on the river enjoy the Canada Day Weekend . Monday June 24th, 2019 River Report. These pictures are from a trout fishing trip I was on this past weekend. Joining me on the fishing trip was Shamus Gunter, Carter Curtis, and Brennan Gunter ages 11,12,and 13. The picture with the ATV's in the background was on the Dungarvon and the rest were from the veranda at our cabin at Munson Landing on the Renous. River levels were perfect and the water temperatures were in the 15C-16C range. It was quite an opportunity to hang out with three high energy youngsters. These young gentleman are really into fly fishing and are like sponges when you show them something. Most of the weekend was spent improving their casting, fishing,swimming, and the evenings going over knots. Though there was not a lot of trout caught these young fellows are much better equipped for the future and there is no doubt in my mind they will be quite the anglers down the road. While our fishing trip was not that successful for trout the salmon angling went much better on the Miramichi for quite a few anglers. We are hearing of numerous stories of grilse and salmon caught by those coming into the tackle shop. As a lot of people predicted, the rainfall last week really helped the angling for salmon and for those out there on the river they seem to be doing quite well. The general feeling is it will be good fishing for awhile with these conditions. |
Saturday June 22nd, 2019 River Report.
I put a group of canoers in the river yesterday afternoon around 3:00PM. Though it was raining this group were not deterred from making their annual run on the Miramichi. The river looked good and water temperatures were quite cold to the touch. The rain Thursday night and Friday has brought a nice change to the river. One text this morning from a guide and pool owner in the Upper Blackville area suggests it should make for nice salmon fishing. While river levels were on the rise last night one of his anglers hooked a large salmon but unfortunately didn't land it. Although the grilse seem to be outnumbering the salmon in the river right now the salmon we are seeing are big fish. These are not always easy to land. Some just seem to have a mind of their own and cooperating with the angler isn't it.
Other reports from Thursday indicate salmon, grilse, and shad being caught here in the Blackville area. Actually, there is quite a few shad in the Blackville and Upper Blackville area right now and for those who angle them they can be a lot of fun. Not as much fight as a salmon but still a nice fight for that first run. Another bonus is you can keep a shad.
The river levels should start dropping today and with that we sometimes see salmon taking better on the fly. This is a beautiful time to be fishing our rivers right now. Most of the anglers we are talking to coming through the tackle shop are commenting on how healthy things look along the river. The trees and foliage have those rich colours only seen this time of year. Not to mention a river with an abundance of bass, good salmon returns, and a nice run of shad all for the angling.
I took Brennan our 12 year old grandson out trout fishing Monday night. He has been showing an interest for the past couple of weeks so I took him to a trout hole I tend to fish not far from our house. We spent some time going over the fly rod and the basics of casting on the grass before going to the river. His first cast he hooked a 6" trout. Before the evening was over, and we only spent 2 hours on the river ,we had hooked 3 trout . Tuesday night his bicycle was here at the house and the trout rod was gone. I noticed this around 3:00 PM shortly after school would be out. He couldn't wait to get to the river. I am telling this story because we are seeing a number of parents this season who are getting their kids out on the river. We tend to see this generation engaged in cell phones, computers, etc and not interested in the river and fishing. For those parents who stopped fishing after hook and release was mandated for salmon angling they are finding it quite enjoyable to be back on the river. I guess we have to ask ourselves, just because we cain't keep a salmon, should we stop angling even though we have some of the best fishing for bass, trout and shad which we can keep? This generation of kids want to fish. Lets get them on our rivers. You soon will find out our old values may not be that important to them at all. These kids are much more aware of our environment than most of us are. Lets give them the chance to be future Stewarts of our rivers.
I am off to the cabin on the Renous for the weekend. Will not be reporting for a few days. As we get back next week I will get back to my updates. Enjoy the weekend.
Monday June 17th, 2019 River Report.
I was able to do a follow up today on whether the Shad are this far upriver. I was curious as some anglers enjoy these fish and like to know when they are in the Blackville and Upper Blackville area. Normally I will confirm this information from a couple of guys upriver, and Randall Connors had called me to join him at his farm for a morning of fishing so I took him up on it. He brought along his 5 year old son Ivan who is a very fortunate youngster. Ivan can already run the boat motor and fish using a fly rod. Of course growing up on the banks of the river is a bit of incentive.
We left the farm and headed down river to Randalls lower pool. It was a beautiful morning with the sun out and very little cloud cover. The first thing we saw on an island to our left was a Bald Eagle. Then on river right we saw another Bald Eagle. Both were large mature birds who much like us were looking for fish. Randall claims there is a Bald Eagle about every 4-5 miles along the river now.
As we reached the pool and kitted up to fish for Salmon Randall pointed out how the island had changed and the run was much faster on his side of the river, all to his advantage. Saturday night was the last time a bright salmon was hooked in his pool and he was anxious to see if there were more in the pool. He was telling me how these bright salmon haven't been showing at all but are there. He also noticed how they will lie in the pool and not show any interest at times in a fly. That seemed to be the case this morning. We were really there to see if any shad was this far up the river so after a few passes through the pool we motored upriver and did a float down through the pool. Sure enough, we counted 8-10 salmon and grilse and lots of shad. Excited to see the pool again we did another pass and counted more shad. Once we verified there were shad in the area we decide to motor as far up as the Upper Blackville bridge and float down through the different pools. The bridge pool showed 1 grilse and lots of shad. Further downriver at Randalls upper pool we couldn't count the shad. There was just to many.
To top the morning off we also watched a groundhog swimming across the river. He was not a very fast swimmer and we discussed how they must make prey for the Bald Eagles.
After talking to anglers today at the shop we know they are also catching the odd bright salmon upriver in Doaktown and further up towards Boiestown. For whatever reason they aren't showing a whole lot at this time and in Randalls case his pool seems to be producing more in the evenings as they hooked 3 the other evening. The river is up due to last weeks rain and the water temperatures today around noon were in the mid 60's.
I really enjoy this stretch of the river. It is easy wading and your back cast is free of any obstacles. It is always a pleasure to spend the best part of a day on the river with locals like Randall. They grew up on the banks of the river and have farmed its shores for generations. This local knowledge is a very valuable asset as they understand how any change in the river, temperatures, water levels, etc can impact the fishing. Thanks again Randall. Really appreciate hanging out on the river with you and your son Ivan.
Saturday June 15th, 2019 River Report.
For two weeks now or a little better we have been hearing of early bright Salmon being caught mainly on the lower section here of the Miramichi. Generally it is spotty as this time of year the only people on the river fishing are those select anglers who want to hook into a Rocky Brook Salmon or bright June Salmon. With few anglers around the reports are few. Things always tend to change quite fast though around mid June and as the lodges and clubs start opening we get more reports of Salmon being hooked.
Yesterday, I heard of a number of Salmon being hooked below Blackville. This morning I received a call from an old friend in the Upper Blackville area to tell me they are doing quite well in his pool. Last night they hooked into 3 bright Salmon. All large Salmon and what a joy the anglers had bringing them in. Prior to last nights catch they have been watching a good number of Salmon lying in the pool but wouldn't take. These are early bright Salmon just coming in from a long migration from Greenland. We are also hearing from people who are on the river of quite a few Salmon jumping as they move upriver.
From the reports I am getting there seems to be a healthy run of Salmon on at this time. This is good news for the Miramichi and maybe the work of our conservation groups with Greenland is finally paying off.
River levels are good for wading in most pools, the water temperatures are cool, and with Salmon showing like they are we should have good reports over the next few days.
There has also been a report on Shad here in the Blackville area. I have a local guy that I need to see who will verify that for me.
So, things are shaping up to be good fishing for the next while, we can only hope this will be early signs of a great season here on the Miramichi. Time to get your rods out and get on the river. Enjoy the angling.
Tuesday June 11th ,2019 River Report.
I had the pleasure last week to spend some time with and old friend canoeing the Miramichi from Halfmoon to the Norrad Bridge in Boiestown. The last part of the week I spent on the Renous. Lots of river time. I have to comment that this old friend absolutely loves to fish and be on the river. He spends a lot of time on the river salmon fishing and is considered one of the best salmon fisherman in our area. We had a trip of a lifetime. Water levels were dropping so we spent most of our time paddling to get down river to better river levels. The upper part is quite fast and with the river dropping we wanted to get below Push Be Damn.
Lots of hatches and we could see trout coming to the top feeding within minutes of putting in at Halfmoon. The pollen was plentiful and the shoreline in places was completely yellow. Bald Eagles and Hawks along with Kingfishers kept us company all along the river. This time of year is always alive with wildlife along our local rivers.
Although salmon and sea run trout have been caught in the lower section of the river we didn't see much on the upper section. It was like they haven't made it up that far yet. We talked to one club caretaker and he said they will be opening for this weekend and they generally start fishing around mid June. So we may have been a bit early.
Here on the lower section of the river there has been word of salmon being caught in Quarryville and also salmon showing in the Upper Blackville area.
I also talked to a couple of Bass fisherman who were doing quite well. They said they quit fishing after landing 100 Bass between the two of them.
More anglers are starting to get their kits ready to start salmon fishing for the season so as we get more people on the river the reports will start coming in about salmon being caught. It is a bit early but things are going to change fast.
Sunday June 2nd,2019 River Report.
I initially did my river report earlier this morning and while having a late breakfast Norma and I were discussing the weeks fishing and changes on the river. After giving it some thought I felt it time to acknowledge a very small group of anglers who are really part of an elite group in my mind. This is a group of anglers that if offered a trip to New York, London, Paris, etc they would have to decline as they could not be anywhere else other than on the Miramichi chasing bright early run salmon and sea run trout. Most of these guys are usually locals but a fair number are camp owners along the river who are lured by the river and its early season angling. It is really interesting how some of them know it is that time of year to be on the river. Years of running a local tackle shop have given us the opportunity to meet most of these characters and get to know their annual habits. How is it that they know the time is right to start fishing early run salmon? All of a sudden they will show up at the tackle shop for a salmon license, purchase a few flies and other odds and ends and then off they go. Sometimes it may be only hours and other times it may be a few days but then we hear they have hooked into a bright Rocky Brook Salmon. Yes, a very select group of salmon fisherman who I have the utmost respect for and once again tip my hat too. Hats off guys. If you are reading this know that you are being recognized as part of a group of very select salmon fisherman on the Miramichi.
Getting that out of the way now to the past weeks river report. This is probably one of the most exciting times for some anglers on the Miramichi. There is always that small group who are engaged in the river and are anticipating the return of bright salmon and sea run trout. It is felt by some the ultimate angling experience on the Miramichi is hooking into large sea run trout or an early bright salmon. Some of this small group feel it is time ,while others spend enough time on the river watching the changes in river levels, blossoms on the trees ,insect hatches, etc and know it is the time to get out there. For this group that time has finally arrived. There have been numerous accounts of both sea run trout and bright salmon being caught here on the S.W Miramichi in this past week. We noticed earlier in the week some anglers using dry flies and being successful for sea run trout. These are the best of the best for some anglers and hooking into a Rocky Brook Salmon is the ultimate experience.
River levels are dropping and we will soon find some of the tributaries will not be as accessible in the near future. Rain will help and hopefully we will be able to get another few weeks of good canoeing in. Our trees in the last week have really come alive. It is hard to believe how fast things will green up in one week.
If you are spending any amount of time canoeing and fishing it is advisable now to bring fly repellent as the hatches are starting. A great time of year to be on our rivers. Be safe and enjoy.
Sunday May 26th, 2019 River Report.
Reports from anglers around the tackle shop this weekend indicate changes on the river. We were told a few salmon are still being caught upriver in the Blissfield area but it has slowed down in the Quarryville section of the river. Fewer large trout and hardly any bass are being caught compared to the last couple of weeks. The slow down seemed to start last Thursday and hasn't picked up yet. We did have some great angling for a couple of weeks in this area. There is word that sea run trout are being caught upriver in the Boiestown area.
The focus now will be on Sea Run Trout. We are already having anglers asking about them who are out there hoping to get into a big one. No word yet of any bright salmon on the S.W Miramichi. There was mention of one being caught on the N.W Miramichi.
River levels remain good for canoeing the tributaries and we had canoers on the Dungarvon who said the fiddle heads were plentiful. We are not hearing of many brookies being caught on the tributaries yet. Most people are canoeing the tributaries and not focusing on the trout fishing. We will soon hear of anglers picking up nice trout as we are approaching that time.
A word of caution in regards to camp fires. The woods is really quite dry even though there has been a lot of rain. Things are starting to green up and the leaves are slowly coming out but a lot of underbrush is very dry. This is a time when forest fires can get out of hand very fast.
Enjoy the fishing. This is one of the best times of year to get your gear out and get on the rivers. I will report as I hear more.
Tuesday May 21st, 2019 River Report.
It was an interesting long weekend in that the weather was really not that great for angling, canoeing, camping, etc, but a lot of people enjoyed it anyway. We were quite busy outfitting people with canoes and shuttling them to the drop off and take out points. Our tributaries in this area have perfect river levels at this time for canoeing and quite a few people are taking advantage of the good conditions.
Whether canoeing, fishing, or enjoying the abundance of fiddle heads that are available everyone we talked to seemed to be anxious to enjoy the outdoors regardless of the wet, cooler weather.
Most of the lodges have seen the last of the sportsman here to chase our Black Salmon. Though there are probably a few late salmon still lingering in the river most of the anglers now are concentrating on the trout and bass. Here is how a typical day looked last week for anglers. Salmon were mainly caught in the mornings while trout were hooked easier in the afternoons, the evenings then produced some extremely good bass fishing. There seems to be mixed reports on the bass fishing but our customers fishing with flies have been very successful. This has been a trend for over a week now. While other areas are not producing very many bass and some say the water is to cold, etc the Main South West Miramichi in the Quarryville area has had what one customer termed "ridiculous fishing". We have seen videos and pictures of the river boiling with bass in this area along with some ear to ear smiles. I guess it is important to know that depending where you are fishing the results can be quite different. Many of our locals find they can put their boats in here at the park in Blackville, enjoy the boat ride to Quarryville, and have great trout and bass fishing for the day. One really cain't complain about that for a day on the river.
Thursday May 16th, 2019 River Report.
Cold, wet, windy conditions haven't kept all anglers off the river. Though conditions haven't been the greatest those who are braving the elements are having some success. Rewards of salmon, good trout, and bass continue to be the talk by those coming into the tackle shop for gear. There seem to be good pockets of time during the day that produce quite well.
We continue to hear of salmon still showing upriver and here on the lower section they are being caught in reasonable numbers for this time of year. My impression from anglers and guides are that there is a much better showing of larger trout this year. Almost everyone we talk to who are angling for salmon are quite happy with the trout they are catching. If you are fishing in the Quarryville area the norm now is salmon, trout, and bass on the fly.
We have rain in the forecast and a gradual rise in temperatures. Most anglers feel the fishing will continue to be good for awhile yet. For those who like to chase the trout now is a good time to be on the river. Dress warm and enjoy the fishing.
Tuesday May 14th, 2019 River Report.
We continue to hear of salmon being caught. Not the large numbers as before but it hasn't been that bad in the last day or so. The odd angler is actually doing quite well. Once again ,this week seems to be showing large numbers of trout being caught while fishing salmon. Quite a few anglers are also hooking into bass in the Quarryville area. In fact it is really good fishing at times.
The weather is cold and cloudy and tomorrow we have rain and possible snow in the forecast. Dress warm and enjoy the fishing.
Monday May 6th, 2019 River Report.
Just a quick update on the river. I did an early morning report yesterday and up to Saturday we were having quite good fishing. Through the day yesterday we were hearing from more anglers coming into the tackles shop that they were catching fewer salmon. Today that trend seems to continue. There are some lucky anglers out there that seem to be doing O.K but others not so good. This seems to be following the up and down trend that we have been experiencing in the past couple of weeks. We still have salmon upriver so there will continue to be salmon coming downriver for some time.
This is salmon fishing and as things change I will keep my reports updated. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. Lets see if that will change it up.
Sunday May 5th 2019 River Report.
Fishing conditions are quite good at this time. A lot of anglers are catching salmon and we are getting more reports of higher numbers of large trout being hooked. It isn't uncommon to hear from anglers here at the tackle shop who have caught a dozen plus salmon in the morning and were going out again for the afternoon. Lots of fisherman on the river. We did a fly casting course yesterday and would see a minimum of three boats at any given time fishing within our view.
Water temperatures remain quite cold and the salmon continue to stay low in the river. Those having the most success seem to be fishing with fast sinking lines. We still have a lot of snow in the woods and the melt is keeping the river temperatures cold. Our daily temperatures are getting higher so that can change quite fast. It has been a nice couple of days on the river and we have more in the forecast.
The buds are becoming more noticeable on the trees and things are changing fast as each day brings change. It is a great time to be on the Miramichi. Looking forward to this week. Everything is coming to life and the fishing couldn't be better.
Wednesday May 1st 2019, River Report.
By Friday of last week the angling was quite good. Rain on Saturday raised the river and by Sunday water levels were high enough to have grass, etc floating down it. The rivers started clearing by Monday and a few salmon were caught. Today the reports were more positive and we seem to be back into good fishing again. Along with salmon being landed we are also hearing of large trout being hooked. The smelts are in at Quarryville and some people are fishing them. The forecast is showing warmer days ahead so angling should continue to be good.
We are now seeing more of the seasoned salmon fisherman on the river. It is always good to see the guys back for another season. Good weather over the next few days should yield positive results. I will post as I hear more. Enjoy the fishing.
Friday April 26th, 2019 River Report.
End of day report.
It was a good day on the river today. A larger number of anglers are on the river and almost everyone coming into the tackle shop were reporting hooking into salmon. Even this evening trucks are still going into the park here in Blackville to unload boats and get the remaining evening fishing in. One group told of hooking upwards of 19 salmon today, while others are not so lucky, they are hooking salmon. Popular flies are Golden Eagle, Black Ghost, and pink colored flies. I haven't replaced my pictures yet but hope to get new ones soon. The river is really quite a bit lower now than the existing pictures show. Expect tomorrow to be another good day.
Just a quick morning report. The river continues to drop, in fact it is becoming quite fishable. I am surprised at just how much it has dropped in the last two days. Forcast is for sunny and warm today with rain tomorrow. Expect we will see good fishing today and over the weekend. Will continue to report any updates.
Thursday April 25th, 2019 River Report
Addition to todays report - Things are quickly changing on the river. This afternoon we had quite a few anglers in telling of hooking into large salmon. One angler had hooked into 4 himself. Others were telling of hooking and losing salmon. The popular fly at this time is the Golden Eagle. The rivers have been dropping and are low enough now for the salmon to take. As word gets out more anglers will start launching their boats and we will continue to hear stories of hooking into the big ones. I will report as we hear more.
I checked the river last night at the park here in Blackville and it is slowly dropping. Both the Bartholomew and the SW Miramichi are showing signs of a gradual drop in water levels. More boaters are starting to get out on the river but still not hearing much yet on salmon being hooked. We need to remember that it usually takes a few days to a week for the river to clear and drop after the ice starts moving. With so much rain and the large amounts of snow in the woods we can expect it will be longer this year for angling conditions to get better. Snow on the ground here this morning. Much better weather in the forcast for tomorrow and weekend. Hopefully the weekend will bring positive angling news.
Monday April 22nd, 2019 River Report.
The slideshow contains pictures I took Sunday evening at the park in Blackville and the old train bridge on the Bartholomew River facing down river towards the Miramichi. As you can see the river is quite high. This morning when I looked it was still quite high with no ice or debris that I could see. It is slowly dropping but continues to remain high.We have more rain in the forcast for tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised to hear of boaters out in the river soon. I will post updates as I hear more.
I put a group of canoers in the river yesterday afternoon around 3:00PM. Though it was raining this group were not deterred from making their annual run on the Miramichi. The river looked good and water temperatures were quite cold to the touch. The rain Thursday night and Friday has brought a nice change to the river. One text this morning from a guide and pool owner in the Upper Blackville area suggests it should make for nice salmon fishing. While river levels were on the rise last night one of his anglers hooked a large salmon but unfortunately didn't land it. Although the grilse seem to be outnumbering the salmon in the river right now the salmon we are seeing are big fish. These are not always easy to land. Some just seem to have a mind of their own and cooperating with the angler isn't it.
Other reports from Thursday indicate salmon, grilse, and shad being caught here in the Blackville area. Actually, there is quite a few shad in the Blackville and Upper Blackville area right now and for those who angle them they can be a lot of fun. Not as much fight as a salmon but still a nice fight for that first run. Another bonus is you can keep a shad.
The river levels should start dropping today and with that we sometimes see salmon taking better on the fly. This is a beautiful time to be fishing our rivers right now. Most of the anglers we are talking to coming through the tackle shop are commenting on how healthy things look along the river. The trees and foliage have those rich colours only seen this time of year. Not to mention a river with an abundance of bass, good salmon returns, and a nice run of shad all for the angling.
I took Brennan our 12 year old grandson out trout fishing Monday night. He has been showing an interest for the past couple of weeks so I took him to a trout hole I tend to fish not far from our house. We spent some time going over the fly rod and the basics of casting on the grass before going to the river. His first cast he hooked a 6" trout. Before the evening was over, and we only spent 2 hours on the river ,we had hooked 3 trout . Tuesday night his bicycle was here at the house and the trout rod was gone. I noticed this around 3:00 PM shortly after school would be out. He couldn't wait to get to the river. I am telling this story because we are seeing a number of parents this season who are getting their kids out on the river. We tend to see this generation engaged in cell phones, computers, etc and not interested in the river and fishing. For those parents who stopped fishing after hook and release was mandated for salmon angling they are finding it quite enjoyable to be back on the river. I guess we have to ask ourselves, just because we cain't keep a salmon, should we stop angling even though we have some of the best fishing for bass, trout and shad which we can keep? This generation of kids want to fish. Lets get them on our rivers. You soon will find out our old values may not be that important to them at all. These kids are much more aware of our environment than most of us are. Lets give them the chance to be future Stewarts of our rivers.
I am off to the cabin on the Renous for the weekend. Will not be reporting for a few days. As we get back next week I will get back to my updates. Enjoy the weekend.
Monday June 17th, 2019 River Report.
I was able to do a follow up today on whether the Shad are this far upriver. I was curious as some anglers enjoy these fish and like to know when they are in the Blackville and Upper Blackville area. Normally I will confirm this information from a couple of guys upriver, and Randall Connors had called me to join him at his farm for a morning of fishing so I took him up on it. He brought along his 5 year old son Ivan who is a very fortunate youngster. Ivan can already run the boat motor and fish using a fly rod. Of course growing up on the banks of the river is a bit of incentive.
We left the farm and headed down river to Randalls lower pool. It was a beautiful morning with the sun out and very little cloud cover. The first thing we saw on an island to our left was a Bald Eagle. Then on river right we saw another Bald Eagle. Both were large mature birds who much like us were looking for fish. Randall claims there is a Bald Eagle about every 4-5 miles along the river now.
As we reached the pool and kitted up to fish for Salmon Randall pointed out how the island had changed and the run was much faster on his side of the river, all to his advantage. Saturday night was the last time a bright salmon was hooked in his pool and he was anxious to see if there were more in the pool. He was telling me how these bright salmon haven't been showing at all but are there. He also noticed how they will lie in the pool and not show any interest at times in a fly. That seemed to be the case this morning. We were really there to see if any shad was this far up the river so after a few passes through the pool we motored upriver and did a float down through the pool. Sure enough, we counted 8-10 salmon and grilse and lots of shad. Excited to see the pool again we did another pass and counted more shad. Once we verified there were shad in the area we decide to motor as far up as the Upper Blackville bridge and float down through the different pools. The bridge pool showed 1 grilse and lots of shad. Further downriver at Randalls upper pool we couldn't count the shad. There was just to many.
To top the morning off we also watched a groundhog swimming across the river. He was not a very fast swimmer and we discussed how they must make prey for the Bald Eagles.
After talking to anglers today at the shop we know they are also catching the odd bright salmon upriver in Doaktown and further up towards Boiestown. For whatever reason they aren't showing a whole lot at this time and in Randalls case his pool seems to be producing more in the evenings as they hooked 3 the other evening. The river is up due to last weeks rain and the water temperatures today around noon were in the mid 60's.
I really enjoy this stretch of the river. It is easy wading and your back cast is free of any obstacles. It is always a pleasure to spend the best part of a day on the river with locals like Randall. They grew up on the banks of the river and have farmed its shores for generations. This local knowledge is a very valuable asset as they understand how any change in the river, temperatures, water levels, etc can impact the fishing. Thanks again Randall. Really appreciate hanging out on the river with you and your son Ivan.
Saturday June 15th, 2019 River Report.
For two weeks now or a little better we have been hearing of early bright Salmon being caught mainly on the lower section here of the Miramichi. Generally it is spotty as this time of year the only people on the river fishing are those select anglers who want to hook into a Rocky Brook Salmon or bright June Salmon. With few anglers around the reports are few. Things always tend to change quite fast though around mid June and as the lodges and clubs start opening we get more reports of Salmon being hooked.
Yesterday, I heard of a number of Salmon being hooked below Blackville. This morning I received a call from an old friend in the Upper Blackville area to tell me they are doing quite well in his pool. Last night they hooked into 3 bright Salmon. All large Salmon and what a joy the anglers had bringing them in. Prior to last nights catch they have been watching a good number of Salmon lying in the pool but wouldn't take. These are early bright Salmon just coming in from a long migration from Greenland. We are also hearing from people who are on the river of quite a few Salmon jumping as they move upriver.
From the reports I am getting there seems to be a healthy run of Salmon on at this time. This is good news for the Miramichi and maybe the work of our conservation groups with Greenland is finally paying off.
River levels are good for wading in most pools, the water temperatures are cool, and with Salmon showing like they are we should have good reports over the next few days.
There has also been a report on Shad here in the Blackville area. I have a local guy that I need to see who will verify that for me.
So, things are shaping up to be good fishing for the next while, we can only hope this will be early signs of a great season here on the Miramichi. Time to get your rods out and get on the river. Enjoy the angling.
Tuesday June 11th ,2019 River Report.
I had the pleasure last week to spend some time with and old friend canoeing the Miramichi from Halfmoon to the Norrad Bridge in Boiestown. The last part of the week I spent on the Renous. Lots of river time. I have to comment that this old friend absolutely loves to fish and be on the river. He spends a lot of time on the river salmon fishing and is considered one of the best salmon fisherman in our area. We had a trip of a lifetime. Water levels were dropping so we spent most of our time paddling to get down river to better river levels. The upper part is quite fast and with the river dropping we wanted to get below Push Be Damn.
Lots of hatches and we could see trout coming to the top feeding within minutes of putting in at Halfmoon. The pollen was plentiful and the shoreline in places was completely yellow. Bald Eagles and Hawks along with Kingfishers kept us company all along the river. This time of year is always alive with wildlife along our local rivers.
Although salmon and sea run trout have been caught in the lower section of the river we didn't see much on the upper section. It was like they haven't made it up that far yet. We talked to one club caretaker and he said they will be opening for this weekend and they generally start fishing around mid June. So we may have been a bit early.
Here on the lower section of the river there has been word of salmon being caught in Quarryville and also salmon showing in the Upper Blackville area.
I also talked to a couple of Bass fisherman who were doing quite well. They said they quit fishing after landing 100 Bass between the two of them.
More anglers are starting to get their kits ready to start salmon fishing for the season so as we get more people on the river the reports will start coming in about salmon being caught. It is a bit early but things are going to change fast.
Sunday June 2nd,2019 River Report.
I initially did my river report earlier this morning and while having a late breakfast Norma and I were discussing the weeks fishing and changes on the river. After giving it some thought I felt it time to acknowledge a very small group of anglers who are really part of an elite group in my mind. This is a group of anglers that if offered a trip to New York, London, Paris, etc they would have to decline as they could not be anywhere else other than on the Miramichi chasing bright early run salmon and sea run trout. Most of these guys are usually locals but a fair number are camp owners along the river who are lured by the river and its early season angling. It is really interesting how some of them know it is that time of year to be on the river. Years of running a local tackle shop have given us the opportunity to meet most of these characters and get to know their annual habits. How is it that they know the time is right to start fishing early run salmon? All of a sudden they will show up at the tackle shop for a salmon license, purchase a few flies and other odds and ends and then off they go. Sometimes it may be only hours and other times it may be a few days but then we hear they have hooked into a bright Rocky Brook Salmon. Yes, a very select group of salmon fisherman who I have the utmost respect for and once again tip my hat too. Hats off guys. If you are reading this know that you are being recognized as part of a group of very select salmon fisherman on the Miramichi.
Getting that out of the way now to the past weeks river report. This is probably one of the most exciting times for some anglers on the Miramichi. There is always that small group who are engaged in the river and are anticipating the return of bright salmon and sea run trout. It is felt by some the ultimate angling experience on the Miramichi is hooking into large sea run trout or an early bright salmon. Some of this small group feel it is time ,while others spend enough time on the river watching the changes in river levels, blossoms on the trees ,insect hatches, etc and know it is the time to get out there. For this group that time has finally arrived. There have been numerous accounts of both sea run trout and bright salmon being caught here on the S.W Miramichi in this past week. We noticed earlier in the week some anglers using dry flies and being successful for sea run trout. These are the best of the best for some anglers and hooking into a Rocky Brook Salmon is the ultimate experience.
River levels are dropping and we will soon find some of the tributaries will not be as accessible in the near future. Rain will help and hopefully we will be able to get another few weeks of good canoeing in. Our trees in the last week have really come alive. It is hard to believe how fast things will green up in one week.
If you are spending any amount of time canoeing and fishing it is advisable now to bring fly repellent as the hatches are starting. A great time of year to be on our rivers. Be safe and enjoy.
Sunday May 26th, 2019 River Report.
Reports from anglers around the tackle shop this weekend indicate changes on the river. We were told a few salmon are still being caught upriver in the Blissfield area but it has slowed down in the Quarryville section of the river. Fewer large trout and hardly any bass are being caught compared to the last couple of weeks. The slow down seemed to start last Thursday and hasn't picked up yet. We did have some great angling for a couple of weeks in this area. There is word that sea run trout are being caught upriver in the Boiestown area.
The focus now will be on Sea Run Trout. We are already having anglers asking about them who are out there hoping to get into a big one. No word yet of any bright salmon on the S.W Miramichi. There was mention of one being caught on the N.W Miramichi.
River levels remain good for canoeing the tributaries and we had canoers on the Dungarvon who said the fiddle heads were plentiful. We are not hearing of many brookies being caught on the tributaries yet. Most people are canoeing the tributaries and not focusing on the trout fishing. We will soon hear of anglers picking up nice trout as we are approaching that time.
A word of caution in regards to camp fires. The woods is really quite dry even though there has been a lot of rain. Things are starting to green up and the leaves are slowly coming out but a lot of underbrush is very dry. This is a time when forest fires can get out of hand very fast.
Enjoy the fishing. This is one of the best times of year to get your gear out and get on the rivers. I will report as I hear more.
Tuesday May 21st, 2019 River Report.
It was an interesting long weekend in that the weather was really not that great for angling, canoeing, camping, etc, but a lot of people enjoyed it anyway. We were quite busy outfitting people with canoes and shuttling them to the drop off and take out points. Our tributaries in this area have perfect river levels at this time for canoeing and quite a few people are taking advantage of the good conditions.
Whether canoeing, fishing, or enjoying the abundance of fiddle heads that are available everyone we talked to seemed to be anxious to enjoy the outdoors regardless of the wet, cooler weather.
Most of the lodges have seen the last of the sportsman here to chase our Black Salmon. Though there are probably a few late salmon still lingering in the river most of the anglers now are concentrating on the trout and bass. Here is how a typical day looked last week for anglers. Salmon were mainly caught in the mornings while trout were hooked easier in the afternoons, the evenings then produced some extremely good bass fishing. There seems to be mixed reports on the bass fishing but our customers fishing with flies have been very successful. This has been a trend for over a week now. While other areas are not producing very many bass and some say the water is to cold, etc the Main South West Miramichi in the Quarryville area has had what one customer termed "ridiculous fishing". We have seen videos and pictures of the river boiling with bass in this area along with some ear to ear smiles. I guess it is important to know that depending where you are fishing the results can be quite different. Many of our locals find they can put their boats in here at the park in Blackville, enjoy the boat ride to Quarryville, and have great trout and bass fishing for the day. One really cain't complain about that for a day on the river.
Thursday May 16th, 2019 River Report.
Cold, wet, windy conditions haven't kept all anglers off the river. Though conditions haven't been the greatest those who are braving the elements are having some success. Rewards of salmon, good trout, and bass continue to be the talk by those coming into the tackle shop for gear. There seem to be good pockets of time during the day that produce quite well.
We continue to hear of salmon still showing upriver and here on the lower section they are being caught in reasonable numbers for this time of year. My impression from anglers and guides are that there is a much better showing of larger trout this year. Almost everyone we talk to who are angling for salmon are quite happy with the trout they are catching. If you are fishing in the Quarryville area the norm now is salmon, trout, and bass on the fly.
We have rain in the forecast and a gradual rise in temperatures. Most anglers feel the fishing will continue to be good for awhile yet. For those who like to chase the trout now is a good time to be on the river. Dress warm and enjoy the fishing.
Tuesday May 14th, 2019 River Report.
We continue to hear of salmon being caught. Not the large numbers as before but it hasn't been that bad in the last day or so. The odd angler is actually doing quite well. Once again ,this week seems to be showing large numbers of trout being caught while fishing salmon. Quite a few anglers are also hooking into bass in the Quarryville area. In fact it is really good fishing at times.
The weather is cold and cloudy and tomorrow we have rain and possible snow in the forecast. Dress warm and enjoy the fishing.
Monday May 6th, 2019 River Report.
Just a quick update on the river. I did an early morning report yesterday and up to Saturday we were having quite good fishing. Through the day yesterday we were hearing from more anglers coming into the tackles shop that they were catching fewer salmon. Today that trend seems to continue. There are some lucky anglers out there that seem to be doing O.K but others not so good. This seems to be following the up and down trend that we have been experiencing in the past couple of weeks. We still have salmon upriver so there will continue to be salmon coming downriver for some time.
This is salmon fishing and as things change I will keep my reports updated. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. Lets see if that will change it up.
Sunday May 5th 2019 River Report.
Fishing conditions are quite good at this time. A lot of anglers are catching salmon and we are getting more reports of higher numbers of large trout being hooked. It isn't uncommon to hear from anglers here at the tackle shop who have caught a dozen plus salmon in the morning and were going out again for the afternoon. Lots of fisherman on the river. We did a fly casting course yesterday and would see a minimum of three boats at any given time fishing within our view.
Water temperatures remain quite cold and the salmon continue to stay low in the river. Those having the most success seem to be fishing with fast sinking lines. We still have a lot of snow in the woods and the melt is keeping the river temperatures cold. Our daily temperatures are getting higher so that can change quite fast. It has been a nice couple of days on the river and we have more in the forecast.
The buds are becoming more noticeable on the trees and things are changing fast as each day brings change. It is a great time to be on the Miramichi. Looking forward to this week. Everything is coming to life and the fishing couldn't be better.
Wednesday May 1st 2019, River Report.
By Friday of last week the angling was quite good. Rain on Saturday raised the river and by Sunday water levels were high enough to have grass, etc floating down it. The rivers started clearing by Monday and a few salmon were caught. Today the reports were more positive and we seem to be back into good fishing again. Along with salmon being landed we are also hearing of large trout being hooked. The smelts are in at Quarryville and some people are fishing them. The forecast is showing warmer days ahead so angling should continue to be good.
We are now seeing more of the seasoned salmon fisherman on the river. It is always good to see the guys back for another season. Good weather over the next few days should yield positive results. I will post as I hear more. Enjoy the fishing.
Friday April 26th, 2019 River Report.
End of day report.
It was a good day on the river today. A larger number of anglers are on the river and almost everyone coming into the tackle shop were reporting hooking into salmon. Even this evening trucks are still going into the park here in Blackville to unload boats and get the remaining evening fishing in. One group told of hooking upwards of 19 salmon today, while others are not so lucky, they are hooking salmon. Popular flies are Golden Eagle, Black Ghost, and pink colored flies. I haven't replaced my pictures yet but hope to get new ones soon. The river is really quite a bit lower now than the existing pictures show. Expect tomorrow to be another good day.
Just a quick morning report. The river continues to drop, in fact it is becoming quite fishable. I am surprised at just how much it has dropped in the last two days. Forcast is for sunny and warm today with rain tomorrow. Expect we will see good fishing today and over the weekend. Will continue to report any updates.
Thursday April 25th, 2019 River Report
Addition to todays report - Things are quickly changing on the river. This afternoon we had quite a few anglers in telling of hooking into large salmon. One angler had hooked into 4 himself. Others were telling of hooking and losing salmon. The popular fly at this time is the Golden Eagle. The rivers have been dropping and are low enough now for the salmon to take. As word gets out more anglers will start launching their boats and we will continue to hear stories of hooking into the big ones. I will report as we hear more.
I checked the river last night at the park here in Blackville and it is slowly dropping. Both the Bartholomew and the SW Miramichi are showing signs of a gradual drop in water levels. More boaters are starting to get out on the river but still not hearing much yet on salmon being hooked. We need to remember that it usually takes a few days to a week for the river to clear and drop after the ice starts moving. With so much rain and the large amounts of snow in the woods we can expect it will be longer this year for angling conditions to get better. Snow on the ground here this morning. Much better weather in the forcast for tomorrow and weekend. Hopefully the weekend will bring positive angling news.
Monday April 22nd, 2019 River Report.
The slideshow contains pictures I took Sunday evening at the park in Blackville and the old train bridge on the Bartholomew River facing down river towards the Miramichi. As you can see the river is quite high. This morning when I looked it was still quite high with no ice or debris that I could see. It is slowly dropping but continues to remain high.We have more rain in the forcast for tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised to hear of boaters out in the river soon. I will post updates as I hear more.
Real Time Hydrometric Data, DFO, Province of New Brunswick
- Northwest River at Trout Brook
- Little Southwest River at Lyttleton
- Catamaran Brook at Repap Road Bridge
- Main Southwest River at Blackville
Miramichi River Environmental Assessment Committee Flow Data
- Southwest Miramichi River at Doaktown
- Little Southwest River at Upper Oxbow
- Northwest Miramichi River at Wayerton
