October 17th

Another Angling season is now over on the Miramichi with the exception of the Tabusintac and the Bartibogue as these rivers remain open until the 29th of Oct. By all accounts it was another great season for us here at Country Haven. Overall, from the spring through the fall, it was not as good a fishing seasons for anglers as in past seasons. Although the fish were there, the water fluctuated almost daily from all the rain we received making it the wettest year on record for Atlantic Canada. Our most successful months were June and August with some very good times throughout the year, just not as much luck as in past seasons. But on the other hand it was a very good year for the fish, as they had lots of water to move through the system. Although the numbers have not yet been finalized the number of large salmon that have returned to spawn was up again and the grilse numbers were about the same as last year so this is looking good for Spring 2006 fishing and the future of the Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi River.

From all of us here at Country Haven, we would like to thank all of our returning and new guests who visited us throughout the season. We hope your stay with us was a memorable one and we look foward to seeing you all again.

October 8th

With the water remaining high, the best fishing this week has been on the tributaries of the Dungarvon and the Cains. Our canoeing and fishing trips on the stretch of the Main River from Doaktown to Country Haven also produced some fish. The fishermen doing the Cains River run had the best results as there were always a good number of fish available throughout the trip. For any fly fishermen to stand in the silence of the Cains - it being one of the best little fall Atlantic Salmon rivers in the world, surrounded by nature and fall colors, with each cast anticipating that tug from the greatest game fish of them all - for a fly-fishermen, it doesen't get much better than the Cains in the fall! Best fly was the Mickey Finn on the Cains, Ally's Shrimp on the Main River, Rusty Rat on the Dungarvon and nothing working on the Renous. With another rain over night and more in the forcast, it might be another week of shore fishing on the main river and more day canoeing and fishing trips on the tributaries.

October 3d

With the remnants of Hurricane Rita dumping more rain on us at the beginning of the week, fishing has begin to look more like spring fishing than fall fishing, but it does have its advantages. With the high water, fishermen can travel with a guide by motor boat, stopping to fish the high water pools - sometimes fishing 5 or 6 pools a day - instead of 2 or 3 when the water is lower, and with the high water, fishermen are having most of their luck fishing from shore using fall patterns. Many fisherman are excited about the thought of doing more fishing on the tributaries of the Renous, Cains and Dungarvon this fall, as these rivers should have some good fishing as a result of the high water. We are also looking forward to our canoeing and fishing day trips on the Cains, as the fall foliage and fishing conditions are looking great for these fall Salmon River runs. Each week we welcome guests from around the world and we always look forward to our returning guests, like our friends from France who returned again last week for their two weeks of fishing. It was also a great pleasure, for the past two weeks, to host 5 senior fishermen from England with 4 of them over the young age of 80, a joy to see their zest for life, enjoying nature and all the little things most of us younger folks take for granted each day. With plans to fish Norway next year and again with us in 2007, it doesn't look like they are planning on slowing down any time soon. With our many years in business hosting fishermen from around the world, each departure always amazes me as to how much we have learned from them and reminds me how luckey we are to be doing what we are doing here on the the Miramichi.

September 26th

Most of this week, fishermen fished our high water pools by standing on the riverbank and not having to do any wading at all. For our groups from the UK, they felt right at home as this is like the way they are used to fishing back home, standing on the riverbank and casting their long lines with their spey rods. Our returning group from France also had some luck fishing the Cains and Renous. Over all, fishermen did manage to hook approximately 60 fish over the week but lost most of them as they were always hitting short. Most of the fish hooked were on fall patterns, but when we did land one, it was usually on a #6 Summer Fly Pattern. Not a great week for us as we usually have the best fishing when the water is low, as most of our fishing is done in our low water pools. With the water remaining high, the fish are moving through. If you don't hook them on the first roll, the fish probably won't be back. The good news this week is that we have finally started to see more of our fall run of fresh fish entering the system.

September 19th

Fisherman are still landing a few grilse daily but not a lot of large salmon have been landed throughout most of the week, and just as the water was getting back to a good height again in our low water pools, another rain resulted in another rise of 4 feet. Fishermen are having the best luck fishing from shore and not having to wade in the water. It looks like we might have some good fishing on the tributaries this fall as during some of our past seasons the water remained too low until the end of the season.

September 4th

With almost a four foot rise in water at the beginning of the week, fishermen had some fantastic fishing with the water on the rise as most of the fish in the system started moving up river. After a couple of days rising, the water got too high. With most of the fish being Main River fish and not heading for the Cains, the better fishing over the weekend was up river in the Doaktown amd Boistown area. Fishermen did manage to land a few fish in one of our high water pools in Upper Blackville and with the water falling again it is now looking good for our down river pools. Best flies were the #4 & #6 Butterfly and White Tail Green Machine.

August 28th

Water is low and lots of fish are holding in our down river pools, with fishermen picking up a few fish daily using # 8 and #10 wet flies and Bombers. 14 year old Terry Hacket from Greensboro, North Carolina landed his first Atlantic Salmon on Wednesday morning, a 22lb'er on his first morning of fly fishing for salmon - a good way to start the day for a boy a long way from home! With the warm water, the fishing has been best early in the mornings this week.

August 22nd

Lots of fish throughout last week as the low water has been keeping them in our low water pools and preventing most of them from moving up through the system. Many of the pools - from the mouth of Cains river down - would remind you of an aquarium, with the number of fish in them! Sometimes, even with lots of fish around, the Atlantic Salmon can be a tough fish to catch, and even harder to land, as most of our group from International Truck Association of Canada found out this week. All our fish landed this week were on a #10 green butt bear hair and Bombers.

August 15th

A bit too warm for good fishing and after all the fish landed last week, including 46 in one pool alone, this week has been a letdown. Each week we have a number of guests from around the world fishing with us and this week was no exception, with Hayden Long, all the way from Australia, 7 times returning guests Mike Marr from Rhode Island and from Scotland, long time fishing friend Ian Parker, who, with various conditions throughout the years, can always manage to pull a few from the water each trip. I would have to think our most interesting guest this week had to be Dennis Musgraves from Alaska. After successfully landing the King, Red, Chum, Pink and Silver Koho - the other species of salmon from around the world - the Atlantic salmon was all that was needed for him to become a member of the Royal Salmon Slam Club. So on Friday evening, with the first cast, he succesfully landed a 15 Lb Atlantic to become one of only a select few to qualify as a member of this exclusive Club. What better place to fullfill a life-long dream than here on the Miramichi. Overall, the first part of the week started out slowly but with the water rise and cooler temperatures on Thursday, fishing again picked up into the weekend so with the better conditions we are now experiencing and with more rain in the forecast, we are hoping to have some good fishing this week. Best Fly used was a #8 Bear Hairs wet and Bombers Dry

August 7th

"It doesn't get any better than this", 84 year old Tom Lawson from Sarasota, Florida said after landing his eighth Atlantic Salmon in his two days of Atlantic Salmon fishing ever and all of us at Country Haven would have to agree with him. We have just experienced one of our most successful weeks of summer fishing ever with almost all of our fishermen landing fish daily including all of the children that fished with us this week. Although we fished 9 pools on the Main Southwest Miramichi all of the fish landed were in two of our down-river pools. The fish always took well as they were arriving on the tide each day. The best flies this week were the #8 Undertaker, the Crossfield, White Tail Green Machine, and the Miramichi Cosseboom also fished well. Still lots of fish moving but lets hope the warm weather today doesn't continue long as it may slow things down again.

August 1st

Fishing this week would have to be described as fantastic, as the water cooled and by early in the week the run of fresh fish again began moving into the system so, with some beginner's luck, all our fishermen from the age of 9 to 90 landed fish daily from Tuesday afternoon on. Fishermen landed 27 fish in one pool alone throughout the week. Best flies were # 6 White Tail Green Machine and Green Butt Hair.

July 24th

At the start of the week, it looked like we might be in for some good fishing, With the run of fresh fish moving into the system, we had lots of fish and great water height. Most of the time, with other things, 2 out of 3 isn't bad. But not with fishing. As the weather soared between 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the Atlantic Salmon being the smart fish that they are, it didn't take long for them to decide the best place to be was in the cooler water of the Bay, and for those that were already in the river, they headed for the mouth of the brooks and deeper holding pools until the water cooled. Not good for fishing but great for viewing and photographing salmon in their natural habitat. Best fly wasa "Kodak Moment"

July 17th

The beginning of the week didn't see much action on the Main River but fishermen did fare a bit better in some of the tributaries like the Dungarvon usimg dry flies. With cooler weather the fish that were holding at the mouth of the Bartholomew and Black Brook moved out and fishermen upriver had some pretty decent fishing on Friday and Saturday. The best news of the week arrived yesterday evening and has been continuing throughout the night and morning with a fresh run of July fish arriving from the sea.

July 10th

They say all good things must come to an end and so, after a very good June, our first week of July wasn't anything to write home about. Most of the fish in the system were those that were still holdouts from our June run with only a few new ones arriving on the tide, so fishermen had to work hard for every fish landed.

July 2nd

June finished strong with a good run of salmon moving through the system daily. With the water remaining low enough in our stretch of the river, fishermen enjoyed some very good fishing throughout most of the last three weeks of June. The best fly for the month was a # 6 white tail green machine.

June 27th

So far this month it is looking like it might be one of the best June's for a number of years, as the Main Southwest Miramichi and most of its tributaries have seen a very large return of salmon and grilse - they keep arriving daily with every high tide. The first part of the week was much like the previous week with our best fishing in pools upriver as the water height was good but by mid week, with the water falling, the lower stretch of the river was THE place to be. Fishermen landed 17 salmon and grilse in one pool on Thursday and a good number in most of the other pools. One guide said that the only fishermen that didn't land any fish on the river must have been those who did not want to! The Renous river was also fishing well throughout the week and into the weekend. The best flies have been the Green Machine and Ken's Special.

June 18th

Another good week for canoeing and fishing the tributaries as the water has remained high with the rain we have been receiving. This week has also been good for wildlife sightings on many of our trips. Fishermen have landed salmon, some river trout and our first two summer grilse of the season on the main river and there have been a few reports of shad entering the system - good news for anyone who might be interested in fishing for them. Shad fishing can be fun using light tackle.The best news this week is the good number of fish we see moving up river each day this early in season. The salmon landed have been again caught on # 4-6 green machine with white tail and grilse on a # 6 Cossboom with trout caught on a number of flies including the white tail green machine which again looks like it remains the fly of choice among fishermen here at Country Haven.

June 11th

As we now move into the summer fishing season, not a lot of fish have been landed so far, even though there have been a good number of salmon moving through the system this early in the year. With the water still a bit high compared to the past few seasons, all our fishing is being done in high water pools as the low water pools haven't formed much of a shape as of yet, and it is a not as easy to get a fly over them. The best sucess for landing fish at this time of season under these conditions, is a bit of luck and to be in the right place at the right time while they are moving through, unlike later in the season when you might be fishing cold water holding pools that sometimes hve hundreds of fish in them as you try to intice them with your fly. A couple of our guides and a few fishermen did manage to land some salmon this week. Colin Turner from the UK landed his first-ever Atlantic salmon today, on the Main River, and Shawn Ketchum of Ontario landed his first-ever grilse on the Renous. There have also been good reports received from the Northwest Miramichi this week as the water is at a good height for most of the tributaries, for both fishing and canoeing. All fish landed this week were caught on # 4 -6 green machine with white tail.

May 30th

Not a lot of changes from last week as we are now at our "in-between stage" from Spring to Summer fishing season with a few straggling spring salmon and some river trout to fish for, and a few reports of bright trout on the way. The water is at a great height for canoeing almost any of the Miramichi's tributaries, an excellent time for a trout 'fishing and canoeing combo'.It is also a good time for visiting your local fly shop as most now have a good selection of summer flies and some of our local Miramichi shops are offering summer specials on rods, waders and accessories.

With our Spring Salmon season now over for another season, we would like to take this time to thank everyone who visited us or helped in making it another great spring season. We look forward to seeing you all again next year and for those of you who will be visiting us for our summer season you can start getting excited, as last year was our most productive year in our many years of operation. Many believe the terrific fishing is due, in part, to the closure of the commercial fisheries off the coast of Greenland. So with a higher number of returning grilse and salmon over the past few seasons, there is reason to be excited as we start another summer and fall season here on the Miramichi.

May 22nd

Another week of unpredictable weather and fishing conditions with only a few fishermen on the water this past week. The anglers that are still fishing are picking up a few spring salmon and a few river trout daily. Axel Lereche from Germany landed 3 salmon on 4 consecutive days within 2 hrs of fishing each day last week. Fishermen were using Renous Specials and Christmas Trees for Salmon, and Maribous and Mickey Finns for trout

May 16th

Although there has probably been more salmon in the river this spring then in previous years, so far this spring has turned out to be one of our most inconsistent in a number of years! Weather has been in the high 70s with great fishing on some days, with rain and not so good fishing on the next. With the changing weather patterns and influx of water, fishing has not been as good as it should have been throughout this spring. This past week has seen some good fishing on Tuesday and Wednesday with all our fishermen landing fish on both days. After 83 year old trout fisherman Dr. Irvin Hamlin from East Millinocket, Maine landed 11 Atlantic Salmon on Tuesday and Wednesday - his first Atlantic Salmon ever - he was wondering why he had waited so many years to try fly-fishing for Atlantic Salmon. By Wednesday, another run of smelts arrived and the salmon decided they were a bit tastier than the flies we were offering, so fishing again slowed into the weekend. Most of the salmon that fishermen are still landing are some of the biggest so far this spring. We are still seeing and catching a few spring salmon and trout daily, but it's still a bit early for any sea run trout, and our summer run of salmon is still a few weeks away, so our spring season is starting to wind down for another year. Best flies so far are the Renous River Special and Grey Ghost.

May 8th

Traditionally the first week of May has always been considered by fishermen as the most dependable week for spring fishing on our stretch of the Miramichi River. But the past few seasons have suggested otherwise, with the best fishing occurring in April or later in May, but this past week has again been our most consistent so far this season. Our fishermen landed over 200 fish during the week, with a good number of very large salmon among them. Irwin Mallory of Hunter NY, landed 33, all while casting, and his wife Debby also had another great spring fishing trip, landing a few less then Irwin, but doing something most spring fishermen never do in a life time - landing a 20lb Rocky Brook Summer Salmon on the early date of May 5th while fishing for spring salmon. Raymond Hill from Virginia has been the most consistent spring fisherman, landing 20 or more each year throughout his 6 consecutive years of fishing with us. He landed 29 in 4 days last week but didn't come close to his record of 74 in 4 days in the second week of May 2003.

With the great weather and fishing this past week it was a good time to have been on the Miramichi. With the rain we received on Saturday it, fishing slowed down again for yesterday but with the water again falling, we are expecting some more good fishing into next week as there are still lots of Big salmon in the river. Fishermen have also been catching more trout over this past week .

May 2nd

They say be careful for what you wish, for as most were wishing for rain to rise the water a bit and bring some more fish downriver, we actually received a rise of 5 feet which was certainly not what we were looking for. Paul Carleton's group from Affordable Adventures had some pretty good fishing on Monday with the water rising but Tuesday was a wasted day with only a few fish being landed anywhere on the river. But just as fast as the water rises it sometimes falls off again and by Wednesday afternoon some fisherman were again landing fish. By Thursday when the water was looking good and fishing was improving again, another inch of rain landed slowing fishing into the weekend. But with the arrival of the Malory group yesterday, from the Catskills of NY, the weather changed for the better and so did the fishing as all our 10 fishermen landed fish today with a lot more of them being over 40 inches in length. With good weather in the forcast, the water falling and the fishermen and guides seeing more fish in the system then they have seen so far this spring, it is now looking like our best spring fishing might again be in May this year. The best flies so far this spring have been the Kens Renous, the Christmas Tree and the TNT Special.

April 25th

The first week of the fishing season was again successful this year with temperatures in the 60's to 70's for most days, and a good number of fish in the system. Fishermen enjoyed some pretty decent fishing throughout the week. The numbers were not as high as last year due to the low clear water that you usually don't have on opening week.

The best numbers of fish landed were by Blaine Hanz from Boston, who landed 33 in two days, and by 12 year old Shane Curtis, who landed 29 on Saturday and Sunday - four less than the 33 he landed on the same two days last season.

Most of the fish landed so far have been grilse or salmon less than 40 inches in length. Most of the bigger salmon are yet to move down through the system. The best flies this week have been the Renous River Special and the Kens Renous.

April 6th

This morning, after a long winter, it sure looks good to look out at the river and see the Miramichi flowing almost free of ice, as most of the ice from above Doaktown to Quarryville has now run out of the river. With the warm temperatures we are experiencing, the Miramichi River should be free of Ice by the weekend so things are looking good for the start of our Spring season on the 15th. After the great run of salmon and grilse last summer and fall, we should have some excellent spring fishing this year.

Here are the final 2004 counts for the two largest rivers in the Miramichi river system. Like everyone was predicting, all of the Miramichi rivers saw an excellent return of salmon and grilse this season.
(all numbers approximate)
The Main Southwest Miramichi: 11,240 large salmon - small salmon (grilse 32,130) - total 43,370
The Northwest Miramichi: 3,980 large salmon - small salmon (grilse 13,640) - total 17,620
Total for both rivers: 60,990
This total does not include the count for the other tributaries that are located below these two rivers in the Miramichi river system. With these excellent numbers of fish in the system, it looks like we should be in for some more great fishing again next spring.

April 25th

After our first week of fishing this spring is starting out to be our most productive opening week ever. With perfect weather conditions, the exception being some wind on Wednesday, the weather and the fishing has been fantastic. With an average of 6 anglers fishing each day they have landed approx 528 in only 8 days of fishing. Jerry Dugal of Freeport, Maine had the best 2 consecutive days of fishing landing 57 on Saturday and Sunday. 10 year s old Sean Curtis of Old Orchard Beach also had beginners luck, landing 27 in two days - just like a seasoned professional. Yesterday, Anthony Vellali from Middlebury, Ct. had the best day, landing 26. Most fishermen have been having the best luck casting, using the Renous River Special.

The ratio so far has been 70% Salmon and 30% grilse with most of the salmon being between 32 to 34 inches in length. They have taken a few over 40 inches but most of the larger ones have yet to come. The water is a bit low for this early in the season but we are expecting some rain over the next week to keep things stable and result in some more great fishing.

Predictions for the ice-out date amongst 22 guides resulted in only only two with the correct date of April 12th. Long time guide Percy Mountain, who tells me he is almost always right, and our Guide Elvis hit it right on the nose. See ya on the river!


May 2nd

The first part of the week has again seen some great weather and fishing, but not quite as good as numbers seen last week. Fishermen have been landing more and bigger salmon throughout the week using slightly smaller flies. By mid week the water got low and very clear for this early in season. It makes for some good casting from shore but with the conditions as they are, the fish are becoming much more selective on which flies they choose. We have been seeing many more fish moving and jumping thispast week, as some of the upper river fish are now moving down. The trout season opened yesterday and fishermen are catching some trout each day but we now need a rain to get the salmon biting again.

May 10th

After most of our April fishing season, which was one of the best ever, the first few days of May were slow but not because of a lack of fish as they were everywhere, jumping out of the water and rolling. With the rain on Tuesday they decided to start biting again with most fishermen having good luck throughout the week, landing almost all large salmon. Irwin Mallory of Hunter, NY landed 9 and Peter Mychajliw of Port Washington, NY landed 8 on Wednesday with all of them being 34 inches or larger in length and all hooked on a Mickey Finn while casting.

So far this spring, the largest salmon landed was this past week, measuring 47 inches and caught by James Bowen of Waterville, Me.

May 17th

With the water still falling and being very low for this early in the season, on most days fishermen are still having some good spring fishing. The smelts have arrived and this makes for some competition for the fishermen but it also makes for a greater fight from the salmon after a few days of feeding on smelts. Although fishing has slowed a lot from earlier on in the season, there are still fish moving out and with a rain we could see a few more days of good spring fishing. Almost all of our 14 guest who fished over the weekend landed salmon and trout with the Gray Ghost Fly being the most productive.

May 25th

The river is now beginning to look more like July as some of the pools are taking shape and a few fishermen are using summer patterns hoping to luck into an early Rocky Brook Salmon that have been seen moving up river. With the low water condition they can be seen easier than most years. Overall our spring fishing season was another great one here at Country Haven, with most guests landing fish daily. Although this year the best fishing was in April instead of last year's May, anglers landed salmon on 27 of the first 30 days of fishing. The most productive date was April 18th and the most productive fishermen was Carl Hans of Boston, landing 68 in 3 days along with Jerry Dugal of Freeport, Maine who landed 57 in 2 days of fishing. The largest salmon were 47 inches - two of them. The most productive fly was the Renous river special. Although fishing wasn't as consistent as last spring there were more fishing days and with more anglers, we managed to have our most productive spring fishing season ever, with fishermen landing approximately 1275 salmon and grilse and over 125 trout.
We would like to take this time to say thank you to everyone who helped us have another great spring season and we look forward to seeing you all again next spring!

May 31st

This past week has been the in-between week for us as it is normally the time for putting away our spring equipment and getting everything ready for our summer salmon season. It is too late for spring salmon and a bit early for any significant numbers of our bright summer runs. Not many fishermen on the water except for those trout fishing and they have been catching quite a few dark trout and a few sea run. We had a group canoe and fish the Bartholemew river over the weekend and they landed 39 trout in two days! The water is now getting a bit low for canoeing in some of the tributaries but the main river is at an excellent height for canoeing and also for the start of our summer fishing.

June 7th

There have been some reports of a few brights being hooked on the Northwest and two at the mouth of the Renous so it looks like the next few weeks should be a good time to be on the water. You will not see the quantities of fish you normally see later on in the season but they are more aggressive and when you hook into one, pound-for-pound there is no game fish better than a fresh June Salmon. Our most productive fly in June over the past few seasons has been a # 6 white tail Green Machine. The Mclaughlin group did their annual 2 day canoeing and fishing trip on the Cains river over the weekend and again this year, had some good trout fishing. This is a great time of year for seeing the Miramichi by canoe... good weather, good water, and great scenery. Fishermen have been landing more of the sea run trout throughout the past week then in previous weeks of trout fishing, with the orange butt brown bug being the most productive fly.

June 14th

Fisherman over the past week have been having better luck salmon fishing with a few more being hooked each day in the lower stretches of the Main River. So far, all the fish being landed have been salmon between 12-16 lbs, - short, fat and fighters for their size. The water is now almost at a summer level, great for fishing the Main River but becoming a bit low for fishing some of its tributaries.

June 21st

Another week of salmon being landed most days with the best luck still being on the White Tail Green Machine, and this week, the stretch of river between Blacklle and Upper Blackville has been the most productive. The Shad and Gaspereau have arrived in full force and some more trout are travelling with the Gaspereau. Still not any great numbers of grilse to speak of in the river yet. The fishermen that are having the best luck are those that are in the right place at the right time as the salmon are on the move. The bit of rain we received yesterday is starting to bring the water up a bit and it has risen by 4 inches since yesterday and the Renous is also on the rise. We are now starting to do more of our canoeing and fishing day trips covering approx. 10 miles of water, stopping at a numbe of pools along the way and with salmon fishing picking up on the river, the only tough decision for our guests, is choosing between our upper river tour or the lower river one.

June 27th

Angling improved again this week with more fish showing up each day. The water conditions are excellent with good height and good temperature and with more salmon then grilse in the system. There have also been a few salmon landed on the river this week measuring over 40 inches in length. Anglers were having success on traditional summer patterns such as the Green Machine, Bear Hair, Butterfly and the Rusty Rat on No. 6 and 8 hooks.

July 4th

Another week of good numbers of fresh fish moving through and anglers are having some good success. This week has seen more grilse than salmon, with most grilse taking Green Machine and Butterflies. The salmon seem to be more interested in the Bear Hairs and the Undertaker. The Wild Atlantic Salmon can sure be unpredictable as to what fly to choose, why they jump and also their time of arrival, but there is one thing we do know for certain and that is this June they have returned in greater numbers then we have seen in the month of June for a number of years. Let's hope it continues for the entire season!

July 12th

This past week has seen another week of very good quantities of fresh fish moving into the system each day and there have been twice the number of salmon and grilse entering the millerton count trap this year compared to last year at this time. We are also seeing a very good number of salmon parr in the river this year. This is encouraging for the future of the river.

This week, with all the fish, good conditions existed most of the time as the water temperatures did rise to the low 70's on Thursday then dropped back down to the low 60's yesterday, resulting in the fish being more fussy then in the past few weeks of our summer fishing.

Generally the fish are still moving rather then holding. The flies of choice have been the usual small summer patterns and, again this year, it seems that on some days the novice fishermen will always outfish the seasoned fishermen.

It was also another great week for wildlife sightings as we spotted moose, bear, deer and bald eagles on our trips. So with all the fish we now have in the river and the main summer runs about to start, it should be a great time to enjoy a fishing vacation.

July 19th

Angling this past week had a bit of everything, as the first of the week was fair-to-good depending on what time of day you were on the water. Midweek fishing was slow but should have been much better with the great numbers of fish, good water levels and temperatures, and by the weekend, without any significant changes in anything, fishing was fantastic, as fishermen had the best fishing of our summer season. Yesterday some fishermen reported two to three hookups by different fish on the same cast. Many of the hookups didn't result in fish landed, as a lot of the fish were hitting short, but it was still a great day to be on the water. Flies of choice were just about anything from the summer fly patterns.

July 26th

Monday continued to be another good day to be a salmon fisherman on the Miramichi! With daytime temperatures reaching 80 and 90 degrees for most of the week, the water temperature went up and the fishing went down. By Thursday and Friday the cold water pools were full of fish that were not interested in anything, but with fishing things can change one way as easy as it can the other, often from day to day. So with the main key ingredient for good fishing all ready in the river; the salmon, a good rain Friday night and a lot cooler temperatures, yesterday found fishermen again having some good fishing with most of the fish landed being grilse hooked on the Shady Lady, Undertaker,and the Preacher. Even though most of the fish being landed are grilse there are still a good number of large salmon in the river and we have seen many big ones holding up in the cold water pools throughout this past week.

August 2nd

This past week turned out to be one of our most consistent weeks of summer fishing, with lots of fish and cooler water temperatures on most days. It was also a great week for the novice fishermen as on Tuesday morning, 17 year old Jacob Wells of St. Catherines, Ontario, became as hooked for life on flyfishing as the salmon were by him, as he hooked 3 and landed 2 grilse in his first morning of work. Wednesday, 14 year old Paul Hains and his 16 year old sister from Atlanta, Georgia, both landed their first grilse while participating in our down river canoeing and fishing day adventure combo. Thursday, 15 year old Tristam Standfield from Stouffville, Ontario had the best fishing luck of the day. Friday saw Helen St. Jean from Valleyfield, Quebec outfish her husband Paul, who has many years of Atlantic Salmon flyfishing experience. Saturday, Delbert Lawlor from England outfished his brother George, who was again the fisherman with the most experience and yesterday morning, Brittany Noll from Raleigh, N.C. celebrated her 14th birthday while landing her first Atlantic Salmon. Everyone knowsthat when you are fishing for the greatest game fish in the world, hooking them isn't always easy but the reward of landing one will always be worth it. The most productive fly of the week #10 Squirrel Tail.

August 9th

The beginning of the week was much like most of the summer with a good number of fish throughout the system but by midweek, instead of fish being in all the pools they began to hold up in greater numbers in only a few of the pools. So fishermen concentrated on the pools with the most fish showing rather than the pools that are traditionally fished at this time of year. Some fisherman did have good fishing days throughout the week but there were still a lot more being seen than landed. In the early part of the week the best fly was the #10 Squirrel Tail and Bear Hairs but by the weekend, with cooler water and the fish on the move again, the fly that was working best was the #8 White Tail Green Machine. One of our guides, Ken, finally getting a day off Saturday, did what a fishing guide on the Miramichi does on his day off - he goes fishing of course. He managed 14 hookups between the morning and evening. With most of the fish that were holding moving again, fishermen will be fishing the upper river pools over the next few days or the down river pools for the fresh ones as they arrive with the tide. If these great numbers of fish continue into the fall it is sure to be one of the best seasons in many years

August 16th

Fishing has remained guite consistant again this week as it has been most of August, with a good number of fish in the system and fresh ones arriving each day. Some of the fish that we see staying in the same pools for days at a time usually don't take well but when fresh ones arrive into the pool with them. after a while they all seem to start taking better. Most of the fish landed this week have been fresh from the sea. With a rise of 8 inches in water things freshened up for the weekend. A bit of beginners' luck again this week as Jill Delong from St. Foy Quebec landed 2 on her first day of Fly-fishing and Barbara Curtis from Fort Lauderdale Fla. landed one, using a Bomber, on Saturday - her first time fly-fishing. Overall, with the exception of a few slow days due to warm water tempetures, we are having a very good summer of fishing. Flies of choice this week were the #10 bear hairs with red or green butts on low water days, and # 8 white tail green machines on days with the water rising.

August 23d

Another week of fish being landed almost daily, but not in great numbers. The cooler nights are keeping water temperatures better for fishing than it has been for most of the summer. Our best luck over the past couple of weeks has been in the pools between Quarryville and the mouth of the Cains River as most of the fish seem to be holding up in this lower stretch of river. But each time we receive rain and the water rises by 6 inches or more, the fish start moving and we are sure to get a couple of good days of fishing in our pools above the mouth of Cains as well. The best flies this week were Bombers and Bear Hairs. The # 8 Almost, has also been working well in the evening. We are starting to have some luck on the great fall fly, the Ally's Shrimp as Lowell Selvin from California used it to land one on Wednesday and Peter Chirila from Pittsburgh, PA landed two on it Friday. With the cooler nights we are having, fishermen are starting to try some fall patterns while fishing some of the fall pools. We are not wishing summer away but it does remind us of how much fun fall fishing can be here on the Miramichi.

August 30th

For any fishermen who enjoyes fishing dry fly over hundreds of rolling atlantic salmon then this past week was a good week to be on the water. With lots of fish holding in the lower river pools, a rise of water at the beginning of the week, and cooler temperatures, some fishermen had good fishing. John Payne Jackson from Millersville Maryland returned after 4 years, for 3 days of fishing, to fullfill his dream of landing an Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi, as he had lost every fish he had hooked here on his last visit. After losing two large salmon Wednesday he thought it was 1999 all over again until he landed one 16lb'er Thursday and another 11Lb'er Friday. We also had the pleasure of hosting a group of Ladies from the Lady Reelers fishing club from Long Island NY this week and if they were salmon fishing, lobster fishing, canoeing, or just sitting around a bonfire, these ladies knew how to have fun. We would of liked to keep Grace Liesto here for a while longer just to watch her dry fly fishing demonstration. This week has seen more large salmon being hooked then grilse as they are now many large salmon in the river and new ones are arriving daily. We have already seen a few fall grilse with their small hook-bill and copper looking sides, moving into the system. Although most of the fish taken this week were on Brown Bombers with white tails and the brown whiskers. Fishermen did land some fish on wet flies using a #10 undertaker or bear hair with red or orange butt. The rain in todays and tomorrows forcast is what we now need again to stire the fish up and continue the good fishing into the fall.

September 6th

This August has turned out to be one of our best months ever and after the first week of September there is still some great fishing. 13 of the 15 guests who visited us this week landed fish, and a good number of large salmon among them. With a good rain and the water rising on Monday, Bob Mackenny from Edgecomb, Maine had some beginner's luck on Monday, landing a 9 lb, 16 lb and a 21 lb'er before noon - all on a White Tail Green Machine. Tuesday was the only day throughout the week as the water had risen a bit too high from the rain. Wilson Kistler, 13 years old from Washington, DC had fun outfishing his dad Andy, landing the biggest of their 9 salmon landed in three evenings of fishing. The rise of water moved most of the fish that were holding in the low water pools, up river and it seemed as though many of them were Cains river fish as the fishing was great on a number of pools on the Cains on Thursday and Friday. Although the rise of water did move a lot of fish upriver, fishing remained consistant in the lower stretch of the Main river as the rise of water brought a good surge of fresh fish into the system. Fishermen at Quarryville landed 75 on Friday and over 40 on Saturday. In the early part of the week the best fly was the White or Yellow Wing Butterfly on a # 4 or # 6 hook. But by weekend it was the Ally's Shrimp or the White Tail Green Machine on a # 8 hook that was working the best.

September 13th

The beginning of the week was much like our fishing earlier on in the summer, with the water a bit high for the low water pools and with the fish moving. The best fishing each day was after a high tide while fishing the high water pools. By mid week the fish had started to hold again and fishermen were having the best luck using the traditional summer and fall patterns. Fishing has remained quite consistant over the past 2 weeks with 18 of our last 22 guests landing salmon and a good number of them were heading for the Cains River. With another rain on Friday the Main river had risen over 3 feet by the weekend so the past couple of days have been a great time for our guests to fish the smaller tributaries like the Renous and the Cains. With nice weather, good water and fish, it is looking good for our fishing and canoeing day trips on the Cains river over the next couple of weeks. The fishermen that have been fishing the Main river over the past couple of days have been receiving lots of hits but not very many hook ups as the fish are hitting short! But with fresh fish still moving into the system with each tide and the water falling, there should be good fishing again in a few days on the Main River. But until then we will be doing much of our fishing on the beautiful Renous and the Cains. Like they say, 'its a tough job but someone has to do it'.

September 20th

With the water high at the beginning of the week, fishing was slow in the lower stretches of the river as most of the fish moved out of the holding pools and started moving up river. Fishermen had the best luck in the pools of the Main river, above the mouth of the Cains and on the Cains and Renous Rivers. By Saturday and yesterday, fishing was again improving on the lower stretch of the Miramichi. The Ally's Shrimp, General Practitioner and the Butterflies worked the best.

September 27th

It was another good week to be a salmon fisherman on the Miramichi River as most fishermen had good luck throughout the week. Long time friend, Phil Auclaire from New Hampshire, returned again and had his best fishing in 3 years. The most productive fly this week was the Almost and the Orange Butt Bear Hair in day time, and the Ally Shrimp in the evening. All of the fishermen with us this week landed fish with the exception of Debbie Mallory from Hunter Mountain, New York, who always outfishes everyone during her spring fishing trips. These past few weeks have also been good for our whale watching tours as there are a good number of whales around this season. We could now use a bit more rain, but with lots of Salmon still moving into the system and the fishing season extended for another week again this year (until Oct 22) on our stretch of the Miramichi river, there is still lots of good fishing remaining before the end of the season.

October 4th

After last week on the river, it is easy to see why most of the traditional Atlantic Salmon fishermen enjoy spending the last week of September fishing the Miramichi. For many long-time returning fisherman, the end of September used to mean the closing of the fishing season. With cooler temperatures and lots of fish, anglers from around the world have made fishing the Miramichi in late September a tradition and this past week was no exception as it was the busiest week of the season on the river.

Fishermen were treated to some beautiful fall foliage, great weather and some pretty good fishing. Although fishing wasn't as consistent for the week as some of the weeks we have had throughout the season, there was still a great number of fish in the system and all our fishing guests this week landed fish, with Saturday and yesterday being the best days, with most of the fish landed being very big Salmon. We 'Miramichiers' have always known that the Miramichi River is a great Atlantic Salmon river but it makes it extra special to hear it from fishermen who have fished for salmon all around the world. Six Atlantic Salmon fisherman from France, who have been fishing Atlantic Salmon for 12 years around the world in such places as Ireland, Scotland and Quebec, fished 9 pools on the Miramichi while visiting us this week and even though it wasn't one of our best weeks they left claiming it truly is the best Atlantic Salmon river they have ever fished! Fisherman had the best luck this past week on a #10 Almost, Undertaker or the Black Bug and a #8 Ally' Shrimp was still working well in the evening. Although the water is quite low, there are still lots of big Salmon in the river system and we are still catching fresh fish daily, so fishermen should have some good fishing until the end of the season!

October 11th

October 11 Another week of big fish as most of the fish landed were very large salmon. There have been a great number of fish in the river everyday but most of this fall, the water has remained very clear and has not turned to a darker color like it usually does this time of season. This has made for the best fishing on small summer flies instead of the traditional fall patterns that usually work best in September and October. Six fisherman from Conneticut had some great fishing at the beginning of the week as a fresh surge of fish moved into the system but by weekend, with lots of fish showing, some good fishermen friends couldn't seem to 'buy one', so it gave 10 year Tyler extra pleasure to land one with his third cast on a General Practioner Saturday evening. Overall it was another good week on the water as there were always lots of salmon to fish for!

October 18th

The fishing season was extended for another week on our stretch of the river and with the rise of the water fishermen should have some pretty good fishing throughout the extension but we ended our season over the weekend with only a few guests and friends, including Luke Dyer who fished with us for the last couple of days of the regular season. Again this week there were some nice salmon taking along the river but with the summer-like conditions and clean water there were far too many sightings of fish for the number of hook ups. With the exception of only a few slow times, due to hot weather conditions throughout the season, there were always great numbers of fish in the system and fishermen could always go-to and return-from the river with good results or very high expectations for the next day. With all the fishermen and guides we have spoken to throughout the season, the great return of salmon and grilse to the river, and the high number of smolt and parr that were in the system this year, we all agree that the future for the Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi is looking brighter than anyone has seen in years. From all of us at Country Haven to all the old and new friends who visited us from around the world, we say "Thank You"! Another season is over and the only downside to it all was saying good-bye to all the wonderful people. At this time we would like to again say 'thanks' to all of you - and the fish - for helping make this our most successful season ever and we look forward to you visiting us once again in the future.

Here are the final 2003 counts for the two largest rivers in the Miramichi river system. Like everyone was predicting, all of the Miramichi rivers' saw an excellent return of salmon and grilse this season. (all numbers approximate)
The Main Southwest Miramichi: 11,830 large salmon - small salmon (grilse 24,440) - total 36,270
The Northwest Miramichi: 3,730 large salmon - small salmon (grilse 6,740) - total 10,470
Total for both rivers: 46,740
This total does not include the count for the other tributaries that are located below these two rivers in the Miramichi river system. With the increasing number of fish in the system, it looks like we should be in for some more great fishing again next spring.

April 26th

The Fishing season started for us on Monday the 21st as on opening day on the 15th, there still was too much ice in the river. The first of the week we started landing a few Salmon and grilse each day, but with the spring runoff the water was too dirty for great fishing, but by Thursday night the river peaked and started dropping again. As the water starting to clear, our fishermen started landing more salmon and grilse by Friday. Today was one of our best fishing days in April, with the weather at 60 farenheit and fantastic fishing! Our fishermen landed 73 salmon and grilse with a good number of salmon 40 inches or more in length. Dale Chapman of Brewer, Maine, and Philip Gallucci Of Cape Merrick, Maine, both landed 12, and Paul Carleton of Affordable Adventures from Portsmouth, NH, landing 11. The best fly today, by far, was a 5/0 Renous River Special. For Miramichi weather, visit our website and click on the Weather link.

April 30th

Today is another great morning on the Miramichi, as the water is dropping and the fishing is great. On Sunday the fishing was good with most fishermen landing between 5 to 8 salmon and grilse per day but with the rain, the water came up over a foot by Monday and fishing slowed down for the day, but we still managed to have some beginners luck as James Poland of Glenburn, Maine, landed 2 Salmon on his first morning of salmon fishing, with one measuring over 40 inches. The water fell again and cleared throughout Monday night so fishing again, yesterday, was great. Fishermen from our lodge landed over 40 salmon and grilse and Gilman Gagnon of Fort Kent, Maine, landed 15 of them. Gilman had the best fishing of the group again this year. The best fly was the Pink Lady and Renous River Special.

May 5th

Today is another great day to be fishing on the Miramichi, with a beautiful morning, great fishing conditions, and fantastic fishing - what more could a fishermen ask for! So far this spring, fishing has been great, especially on days when the water has been clear and falling, as most fishermen have been averaging between 5 to 15 salmon or grilse each day. Friday was a special day for 84 year old Harry Kearney, one of the best known and well respected Guides in the state of Maine, when he was reunited with his long time Miramichi Guide Darrell Warren. Harry and Darrell had spent 15 years fishing togather on the Miramichi river and in Nothern Maine. After 8 years, Harry showed he had not lost his touch, as he landed 7 salmon and grilse with his first seven lines. Philip Torgon, of Wingate, Rhode Island, had the best luck of our fishermen over the past few days, landing 14 on Friday and 19 Saturday. With Philip being a first-time salmon fishermen, he is now calling his Guide Elvis "The King". Fishing was a little slower yesterday morning but picked up in the afternoon as our guests still managed to land 23 between them. Fishermen are also starting to catch a few trout in the 1 to 2 1/2 lb range. Most of the trout taken have been on a 4/0 Black Ghost.

May 11th

Another great week of fishing on the Miramichi as most fishermen are still landing between 4 to 15 salmon or grilse each day. The fish are still holding up in places so when fishermen find these holding areas they sometimes can hook into 10 to 20 grilse and salmon before having to move. The fish still haven't started moving down river in any great numbers so we should still have great fishing for a while yet. With the rain over the past few days there are high water levels. This past week was the "week of the Lady Fishermen" as Nikki Andolsik from Brantford, Ontario, outfished her husband, landing 22 Salmon and grilse on Monday and Tuesday. Friday, Debra Mallory of Hunter Mountain NY hooked into 18 and was almost perfect landing 17 with a few being 40 inches and over in length. We also had some more beginners luck on Friday as Christopher Daniels of Peacham Vermont landed 6 salmon and 3 trout on his first and only day of Salmon fishing on the Miramichi. He said he will be thanking his wife for a long time for the Country Haven Gift Certificate she gave him for Christmas. Our most productive fly this week has been the golden king.

May 18th

Another great week of Fishing on the Miramichi as fishermen are still catching good numbers of fish. Debbie Mallory had another great day on Sunday, landing 12 more for a total of 29 in 2 1/2 days of fishing. Anyone visiting the ski Resort on Hunter Mountain NY. should stop by the Orvis Fly Shop and talk to Debbie or Irwin who can assist you in choosing fly-fishing equipment instructions, or booking a fly-fishing trip with us on the Miramichi River. Raymond Hill of Roanoke VA returned again this year and had the best fishing of our guests With 15 on Sunday, 15 on Monday, 21 on Tuesday and 23 on Wednesday for a total of 74 Salmon and Grilse in four days of fishing - with most being hooked on the Golden King or Pink Lady. With the weather in the mid seventies yesterday and today, the salmon have started jumping and moving downriver more and a few fishermen have started catching them using floating lines. With the good number of salmon still in the system we should have some good spring fishing for a while yet. We are also catching a few trout each day but only in the 1 to 1 1/2lb range - still a little early for the fresh sea run. The smelts are now up river as far as Blackville. Great weekend to be on the water!

May 27th

Another great spring salmon fishing season is winding down on the Miramichi as most fishermen are now starting to catch more trout then salmon over the past few days. There are still a few spring salmon in the system but they have been feeding on smelts so they are not very interested in salmon flies. This season has been consistent each day, most of the time, as fishermen at Country Haven landed a total of 1033 salmon and grilse ranging from 22in to the largest at 48 inches in length. The best flies were the Renous River Special and the Pink Lady. The only fishing for the next couple of weeks will be for the fresh runs of sea trout and shad that are starting to enter the river system water. The river is still at a good level for canoeing and trout fishing on some of the Miramichi River tributaries like the Bartholemew or the Renous and the brights are just around the corner. We are looking forward to another great summer of fishing!

June 2nd

This week has been an 'inbetween' week as far as salmon fishing goes. Most of the spring salmon have moved out and there are still not many fresh ones coming in yet. This is a time to switch over to summer fishing equipment. It is also a great time for visiting your local fly shop and stocking up on summer fishing gear. Along the Miramichi there are a number of great shops to visit; in Doaktown-Ponds, and everyone has heard of Doaks. Doaks have been offering uncompromising quality since 1946. In Blackville, visit Miramichi Curtis Outfitters as they are running some great summer specials on rods and waders. They also have a large selection of summer fly patterns tied by flytier Marc Madore. In Renous stop by and visit George's Flyshop where you know you will always be greeted with a smile and up-to-the-minute river reports.

June 9th

The rivers are staying higher than last year at this time but some pools are starting to take shape for summer fishing. We are starting to see some salmon moving up river each day. This early salmon run is destined for the Miramichi headwaters, we call them the rocky brook salmon. These salmon move quickly, travelling many miles a day and if you are lucky to be fishing in the right place at the right time when they move through, they usually take a fly aggresively - you will always have a fight on your hands! They usually run 12-14 pounds, being the shortest and the fattest but not the largest of our Atlantic salmon. Fishermen have been starting to hook a few between Blackville and Doaktown area on #6 Green Machine. Over this past weekend the McLaughlin group did their 14th annual 2 day & one night canoeing and fishing trip from Cashon's Landing on the Cains to the Main River, landing 45 trout with many in the 2-3 pound range. Mostly on #6 Bombers and Butterflies. The water is still great for canoeing on the Miramichi tributaries.

June 14th

The runs of 12-14 pounders are showing up in greater numbers in the past week than in the same period over the previous few years. Fishermen are starting to land fresh fish daily on the main river and a few have been hooked on the Renous and Dungarvon rivers as well. A group from Heritage flooring saw quite a few salmon moving this morning. Martin Guenette landed a 15 lb beauty on a #6 Green Machine. Richard Wellh and Donnie Bauer - trout fishermen from Arkansas - were trying salmon fishing for the first time and were excited to land one this afternoon, so now they can compare the fight of an Atlantic Salmon to the large trout they have landed in Arkansas.

June 23d

Our summer fishing season has been off to a great start! A large number of salmon are moving throughout the Miramichi River system with many of them being two sea winter salmon between 10 to 15 pounds,though this past week there have been many more larger salmon in the 20 lb range among them, not many grilse yet though fishermen have started landing a few. Over the weekend, with the clear and hot weather, although they were many fish moving up river, they were being more selective as to what flies they chose. With some cloud cover and cooler temperatures today, fishermen again had some good fishing. Lets hope it continues and the warm weather that is predicted for the next few days does not have much of an affect. So far this has been one of our best June month in Years!

June 29th

The best thing about this week is that we are still seeing more salmon moving up the river each day than in the past few years. Some fishermen had some luck at the first of the week but by mid-week, with temperatures over 90, the fish were starting to hold up in the cold water pools. If the number of salmon that have moved upriver in June is any indcation as to how the rest of the summer will go, then things are looking great!

July 6th

Another beautiful morning on the Miramichi and with the rain we received throughout the night the water has risen 7 inches. There are more fishermen heading off to their favourite fishing pool this morning then we have seen in over a week. They know that this could be the first day of the start of the grilse run that should start taking place just any day now, and with all the rumours of the grilse being spotted in the Bay everyone is hoping the rain and cooler temperatures will keep them moving. Fishing hasn't been that great with the warm water temperatures over the past week but each day fishermen are still managing to land a few along the river system. At our lodge this week it seemed to be the week of the fishermen from Arizona as we had 3 different groups, all from the Flagstaff area. Like they say, its a small world sometimes!

July 14th

This past week has shown some promise. There were some good days of fishing but the big runs we normally receive this time in the past seasons, still await us. Overall the water height is good and water temperature decent. Generally there seems to be a good trickle of fish - mostly grisle - with a few big salmon with them, but they are moving right through and not taking very good. Our best fishing on the Main river was on Thursday with some grilse landed in a number of pools but by weekend the best fishing was on the Renous with a good number of grilse being landed in 3 pools on the lower stretches. The fly of choice this week is still the White Tail Green Machine.

July 21st

This week has once again proven that you can never predict the wild Atlantic Salmon as they travel on their journey from the coast of Greenland to the Miramichi River, and why they are still one of the most sought-after game fish in the world. Many fishermen returned from around the world, this week, to their favorite locations on the river, expecting the great fishing they have experienced over the past seasons. Although the conditions were good, there were still very few fish landed each day. The fish that have been coming in with the tide have been on the move again this week and even on days when the water started to warm, they were not holding in the cold water pools. the fisherman that did have luck were always in the right place at the right time. As some of our sports fished over 20 pools on 4 rivers throughout the week without any great amount of luck. The fish that were landed were all fresh grilse. All were caught on a # 8 White tail Green Machine or a # 6 White Wing Butterfly. So far, June has been much better than July this year. Each week we entertain guest from around the world and this week was no exception with guest from Rhode Island, British Columbia, California and Denmark, but I think the father and son from Naples, Florida - who spend a month each year travelling across North America by automobile, fishing - was the most interesting. At 15 years of age there aren't too many fishing holes Connor MacDonald and his Dad have not fished . The only province not fished is Newfoundland and the only state is Alaska. What a great way to spend summer vacation! Though the past week has been disappointing for some fisherman, the future looks good for the weeks to come, as we know it can only get better. When our July run does arrive we should have some great fishing. Yesterday Fishermen reported seeing and catching more fish at Quarryville then at anytime since a week ago Saturday. I guess if we always had the Atlantic Salmon figured out then they would be just another fish and might not be referred to as the King of game fish.

July 27th

"FISH ON!FISH ON!" have been the words spoken most often by fishermen on the Miramichi river, from Thursday afternoon on, as the rain we received on Wednesday brought the water level up by 2 feet. With the rise of water and cool temperatures, fishermen have been experiencing some great fishing throughout the weekend. With almost as many salmon as grilse being landed, most luck has come using a # 6 White Wing Butterfly or a Brown Bug. We should continue to have good fishing for some time to come with these excellent fishing conditions.

August 4th

Fishermen have experienced some great fishing throughout most of this week, although there have been many more grilse than salmon landed this week. As the water began dropping and started to clear, most luck has resulted from a # 8 Coburn Special, somedays and on a Shady Lady on other days. This week has been another great week for novice fly fishermen as most have had good luck their first time out. Yesterday and today the best fishing seemed to be between Blackville and Quarryville as most of the fish taken were fresh, arriving with the tide. Although we have seen many more fish while fishing pools between the mouth of the Cains to Blackville - with many large salmon among them - they have been far more selective as to their choice in flies. If we receive the rain that is forecast for the next few days then we should see some more great days of fishing up-river as all the fish move on up. It was also a great pleasure to spend the weekend fishing with well known outdoor writer and photographer Paul Marriner, as he spent the weekend with us at Country Haven. His great books are a must-read for any outdoor enthusiast.

August 12th

Overall, fishing has been good and judging by the number of fish being seen, it could be even better! Fishermen have been having the best luck fishing from shore and not having to do any wading. The rain received has brought the water levels to almost spring height and most fish are only a few feet from shore. This is ideal for the novice fisherman as they have been hooking them on a short line using a #4 Butterfly or Green Machine with white tail. With a good number of fresh fish moving up each day in some of the lower pools on the river, but not as many on the upriver pools as usual, it appeared that many of the fresh fish we had been seeing were destined for the Bartholemew River, as over the weekend, fishermen there had good luck on it's lower stretches, landing 12 Sunday and over 20 all within 2 hours on Monday morning, with most being fresh from the sea. The Bartholemew River is a small tributary of the Miramichi that ends in Blackville after running through Central New Brunswick's woods for approx 30 miles. The Bartholemew River is best approached using small river techniques, covering as many of the pools as possible. This is best done by canoeing with the right water conditions. With the exception of a few pools, most pools might only have a few fish in then not like some of the bigger pools on the main river that might be full on some days. Fishermen also had some good luck around the mouth of the Cains on Sunday and Monday morning but with the water still rising, fishing slowed by afternoon and evening! The good thing about the high water conditions is that water temperatures should remain cool for a while and there won't be many complaints about low water conditions this August.

August 18th

This past week has seen another great week of great water levels and conditions for August, so fishermen have been seeing a goodly number of fish moving each day. There has been a good mixture of salmon and grilse but even though there are a good number of large salmon, most of the hookups have been grilse on #8 and # 6 green machines with white tails, for wet flies, and big green bombers for dry.

August 24th

The first few days of the week were much like last week, with lots of fish seen, and the novice fisherman almost always out-fishing the experienced salmon fishermen as most of the fish have been moving upriver very close to shore due to the high water. The beginner fisherman have been lucking out close to shore and not having to cast a very long line. The only downside to the high water condition is that we haven't been doing much fishing in our low water pools this August as some returning fishermen have became accustomed to doing. From mid week, fishing was the the slowest in over a month but first-time Atlantic salmon fisherman Paul Bellamy of Jonesville, Virginia, still managed to land at least one every day of his 5 days of fishing, all on a # 8 Green Butt Bear Hair. With some good high tides expected next week we should see some more fresh fish move into the system

September 1st

We don't know if it is the great water level and cool conditions or if it has anything to do with the Greenland Atlantic Salmon Fisheries announcing, last year, a complete moratorium on Atlantic salmon fishing, but we have been seeing a greater number of returning salmon and grilse throughout this season with a lot of very large salmon among them. From last Sunday evening most of the river from White Rapids to the mouth of Cains has been like an aquarium full of fish, the most some local fishermen say they have ever seen in August. Yesterday, Nato Kaiba of Japan counted 77 salmon and grilse jump on his first trip through a pool before seeing the 78th one, a 20lb., beauty on the end of his # 8 green butt bear hair. This morning, Don Haller from Corpus Christi, Texas, on his first ever flyfishing trip, landed 2 salmon, both on a # 8 Shady Lady. Most fishermen are still having the best luck with small wet flies but there are also some being hooked on the Brown Whiskers dry fly.

September 8th

This past week had a mixture of some good and some bad - the good being some great conditions and more fish in the river during this timeframe than anytime over the past few seasons, but the bad thing was on most days you needed to be a Philadilphia Lawyer to figure out how to catch them, as they have been making fishermen work hard for every one they catch as they have not been taking as good as might be expected for all that are in the system. Most of our luck came in the pool closest to the lodge but each day we would see all the other pools so full of fish we would give them a try! We would always return back to the same pool as before to have any luck however. Most of the fish are still summer fish as the fall run has not yet started but a few of the grilse we landed have been hook-billed grilse. Most of the salmon landed are still summer run salmon. Some more beginner's luck again this week as 17 year old Christopher Winebar of Maineville, Ohio, outfished the more experienced fly fishermen throughout the week. Throughout this summer we have seen a higher number of fishermen than in previous years arriving with spey rods instead of the one handed rods that have been traditionally used on the Miramichi. Over the past month we have had fishermen using spey rods from Scotland, Ireland, England and Japan but we have also seen more fishermen from the Western US starting to use them as fishermen are realizing that the Main Southwest Miramichi with some of its large pools is ideal for spey rod fishing. Yesterday and today, fishermen had the most luck on #8 or 10 shady ladies or green butt bear hair. Some more beginner's luck this evening as Lynn Hardy from Ottawa hooked 3 and landed 1 on a green butt bear hair in one of our down-river pools. With fresh fish arriving daily on the tide and the great number of fish already in the system, all we need is a little rain to get the fish and all the Atlantic Salmon fishermen in the world excited about the good fishing we should experience this fall on the Miramichi River

September 16th

Not a lot of good to report about the fishing throughout this past week except that the river is still full of fish and the water is now low enough to fish all our low water pools on the lower stretches of the river. With crystal clear water, fishermen have been doing sight fishing in some pools using # 10 12 wet flies and a large selection of dries with limited sucess. For some trout fishermen from Virginia, fishing atlantic salmon for the very first time, you would think fishing was fantastic with all the excitement they have shown with every roll or rise they got from a Salmon. Seeing so many fish has given fishermen a high expectation for sucess each day and although they are not landing many they are sure having fun trying. We are still seeing some fresh fish arrive with the tide each day and we did land our first Cains river salmon Thursday evening. The fish have not been too active through the last few crazy, hazy, lazy days of summer, with temperatures reaching the high 80s to low 90s on some days. We now need rain to get the fall fish moving and fishing like fishermen have become accustomed to over the years in September and October. Tomorrow will see a different mixture of fishermen as we will have a Bass fisherman from Texas, a trout fisherman from Missouri and a steelhead fisherman from California - all trying Atlantic Salmon fishing for the first time.

September 24th

Another beautIful week to be on the Miramichi, with great weather, and although the fishing hasn't been the best we have seen for this time of year, there has been an improvement in hook ups from last week. We did manage to land fish on most days from Wednesday on, and while doing some fishing and canoeing trips from the lodge to Quarryville on Friday and Saturday, fishermen were catching fish in most pools as we sailed through. On Friday, fishermen were landing salmon at The Jardine pool in Barnettville, 2 fishermen had fish on in a pool in White Rapids and a fisherman was fighting one at Quarryville. We also managed to land a 12 lb. Cains river salmon at Mom's pool in the morning on a # 10 Green Butt Bear Hair. Since Saturday morning, the fly of choice for us has been the Chief Needabah after Wayne Bigelow from Toronto started seeing some action while sight fishing over 20 salmom in a pool we had fished over for 2 days with different fishermen with little success. It only took Joel Macdonald from Port Charlotte, Florida three casts on Monday morning to hook a 20 lb hookbill also on a Chief Needabah, in a low water pool down river. Some fishermen were also having some luck on the red and orange butt bear hair. The highest tide this week is Wednesday morning at 5 Am, might help bring some more fresh fish into the system.

Like we have been saying over the past few weeks, fishing isn't as good as it should be for the amount of fish that are in the river, but we did see some improvement over the last few days. With most of the fall run still yet to come and the fishing season on our stretch of the river extended to the 22nd of Oct this year, we are still expecting some more great fishing before this season is finally over.

September 28th

"Great fishing but not great catching" seems to be what the fishermen were saying along the river again this week. The fish are rolling and jumping out of the water, sometimes even spashing the fishermen as if they were taunting them. The fish that we did manage to hook this week were all on the General Practioner or Allie Shrimp patterns. Some older local fishermen say they have never seen many more fish but they also have never seen the water so clear this late into the season.

This week we also discovered that when fishing isn't at its best you will be lucky if you have a few 'good old boys' from Charlotte, North Carolina among your guests - they sure have a way of turning everyone's trip into the 'trip of a lifetime'. We have the fish - all we need is for them to cooperate more!

October 5th

Some positive signs this week for our fall fishing season. The beginning of the week started much like last week but by Wednesday we started receiving some rain and the river rose by one foot by Thursday. On Wednesday and Thursday many fish were taking all along the river system thanks to the higher water level. Three high tides of 4.9 feet this week and the water finally starting to darken to its fall colour. Fishermen started to see some better results. A bit of beginner's luck again this week as James Narens from Texakana, AK, hooked two on his first morning of Atlantic Salmon fishng, but Eric Grinnell, owner of Silvertip Outfitters discovered Atlantic Salmon can be much more challenging to catch, and even harder to land when you do hook them, compared to some of the big Rainbow he guides fishermen for on the Bow River in Alberta. Over the past few weeks most fish we hooked throughout the day have been on #8 and #10 summer pattern, but during the evenings, all fish have been hooked on the fall pattern. The exception was well-known fisherman Harry Ptosynski, from Coper Wyoming, who landed almost all of his fish this week on a #8 Almost, including 3 yesterday with one of them being a 21 lb female, landed in the evening. With more rain last night we are hoping we might also get some fall fishing on the Cains and Renous rivers again this year. What a wonderful thought! With the extension of the fishing season on our stretch of the Miramichi this season from the 15 to the 22th of October, we still have some great package and openings for the week so give us a call.

October 13th

This past week seemed to have the most of the fish upriver as the rise of water last week moved a lot of the fish that were holding in the lower pools up river, and the new ones that came in each day kept on moving through. Yesterday Bob Bowser and his friend Randy Richard from Moncton had some good fishing in a pool upriver as Bob hooked 5 and landed 3 using an LT Special, with one weighing 30 lb. His friend Randy, a rookie fishermen, also landed his first Atlantic Salmon on an LT. The water is still low for the Renous river but some fishermen are starting to have good luck in the low water pools. There are some very large salmon in the river this year. The size of some of these giants sometimes amazes even the veteran Atlantic salmon fishermen.

October 23d

The Miramichi Angling season has now come to an end and by all accounts it was another good one, particularly in the goodly number of fish in the system. At times the catching wasn't great but the fish were always there. With our doing over 100 canoeing trips of at least 10 miles each day, there was never a day we didn't at least see fish. Overall it was a very good season for large salmon, as last year we had a very high number of grilse which meant that the large salmon stayed out. This year we had a very good return of female spawners so this bodes well for the future of salmon fishing on the Miramichi. The returning count for Salmon and Grilse as of Oct 15th were; on the Main Southwest Miramichi approx 11,190 large salmon and 23,960 grilse. The Northweast Miramichi had 3,570 Large Salmon and 6,610 Grilse. This is not the final count for the season but an indicator of the expected great results.

Here are the final 2002 fish numbers for you: (all numbers approximate) Adult returns of grilse and salmon to the miramichi River this year:
Main Southwest Miramichi: 8,800 large salmon, 20,500 small salmon (grilse) for a total of 29,300.
The Northwest Miramichi: 1,600 large salmon, 16,800 small salmon (grilse) for a total of 18,400.
The total for the two Miramichi rivers was 48,200.
This total does not include the count for the other tributaries that are located below these two rivers in the Miramichi river system. Scientists predict a strong large salmon run for 2003. A good run of small salmon (grilse) one year is usually followed by a good large salmon run the next year as the fish mature. In 2002 the grilse numbers were the highest since 1996 and with the closure of the commercial salmon fishery off Greenland in 2002, there should be lots of large salmon in 2003.

Week one April 22.

The fishing season at Country Haven on the Main Southwest Miramichi River has been under way for over a week now. We had some great days of fishing throughout the week with all sports catching salmon and grilse - and lots of them. Tony Vellali of Middlebury Ct. landing 19 on Wednesday and Thursday. Throughout the weekend, fishing slowed a bit due to the cold temperatures. The fishing and weather was great again Monday and Tuesday. The hot spot being right in front of our lodge.

The water is at a great height and quite clear, making it good for fishing from shore as well as from boats. As for the best flies, the fish seem to be taking everything. The most luck has come on some experimental flies that Marc Madore of Miramichi Curtis Outfitters tied for us.

Week Two April 29

This past week has seen just about everything from great weather and lots of fish on some days, to snow and few fish on other days. Overall this week had more quality of fish than the quantity of fish that we had last week.

Paul Carleton of Affordable Adventures and his group returned again this year and caught some large salmon with Lawrence Woodward of Cape Elizabeth Maine, landing 2 at 43 inches and one at 44 inches. On Saturday, Gary Taylor of Ellsworth Maine landed one 48 incher but all the fishermen have their fishing stories about the one that got away that was larger than 48 inches. Richard Lemieux of Maine landed the most fish of the week.

We have also been catching some trout this week. The water has been dropping each day and is quite clear. The best flies this past week have been a Quebec fly called the Pink Lady and a fly that two of our guides tied called the Wig fly. Looking foward to some better weather starting on Wednesday.

Week Three May 8

We started the week on Monday with rain and not a good day for fishing, but on Tuesday Doug Cyr of Cyr Travel and some friends of Maine arrived and with them, as only a travel agent could arrange, came great weather and some good fishing. Donald Pelletier and Gilman Gagnon caught the most fish of the group and the best fly was the Joe Smelt. On Friday, Bob Donaher and his son, from Ottawa, returned again this year and landed 6 on Friday, all caught around the Blackville Bridge Area, using a Golden Eagle. Saturday was windy and slow for this time of year but on Sunday things picked up again with Raymond Hill from Virginia having the best fishing of the group using a small Gray Ghost. The water is staying clear so we are starting to have the most luck with smaller flies. On Sunday some of our guests fished in the tidal waters at Quarryville but we are still having the best luck up river, right in front of the Lodge. The water temperature is still much colder than at this time last year. The temperature helps to hold the salmon in the river longer though we have started seeing a few salmon jumping in the middle of the river, indicating that some of them are moving down stream.

Week Four May 12

Throughout this past week fishing was slow for having so many fish jumping and rolling but most fishermen caught fish daily. The water is very clear and we are using smaller flies. The water is 10 degrees colder then this time last year so this is keeping the fish in the river longer. If this keeps up we might be still catching spring salmon while fishing for our summer run in June. Raymond Hill and Charles Henthorn of Virginia had the best fishing of all our guests this week. On Friday morning Ted Kennedy of Toronto landed 7 on a Tipped Shrimp.

Week Five May 16

Anyone who thought that spring fishing might be over for another season should think again, because over this past week, fishing has been great! Sunday was slow but ever since David Eng of Maple Ridge, British Columbia landed 3 large salmon on Monday on a General Practitoner, it's been the fly of choice among our fisherman. Jermany Dugal of Durham, Maine released 3 over 34 inches on Thursday, his father Gerald released 4, with one over 40 inches on Friday. Saturday was just as good as 6 fisherman landed over 50 fish among them. On Friday and Saturday we also had some good Trout fishing. The salmon are also feeding on smelts so this can make for a great fight between fisherman and salmon.

Week eight June 9

Our spring fishing is now over for another season and overall we had some great fishing with almost all our guests catching fish daily. Some of the highest numbers in one day came in April but our best fishing throughout a week occurred during the week of May 13th through 21st. There are still a few spring salmon in our river system as Lewis Jardine landed a spring Salmon while fishing in Quarryville on June 1st. Fishermen were also catching some nice trout last week in the 3 lb range, using a Red Butt Brown Bug, also in the Quarryville area. We are now waiting for our first summer guests to arrive. The water is falling and the high water pools are starting to take shape. We hope there will be as many fish in our river this year as there were last year, and if this cool weather trend continues, we should have some fantastic summer fishing.

Week one ending June 22, 2002

Our Summer fishing season got under way over this past week with some great weather and water conditions. The first couple of days were slow for salmon for a fisherman from Germany and one from Boston, but it only took Irwin Mallory of Hunter, NY 3 casts to hook and land a beautiful 15 Lb salmon on Friday morning on a # 6 Green Machine with a white tail, followed by a number of nice trout on a Brown Bug Red Tail. They have been catching a few salmon around the mouth of the Bartholemew in Blackville. We made a canoeing trip to Quarryville on Thursday - not many fishermen on the river - but we spoke to a fisherman at Black Rapids who had caught salmon. Also, the fishermen at the mouth of the Renous landed 3 salmon on Wednesday. We fished the Renous River on Wednesday morning and caught some nice trout. This Morning we woke to see a large doe deer on our river bank and more fish moving up river then we have seen anytime so far this summer.

Week two Ending June 29

Fishing at the beginning of the week was good with Robert Kent of Newton, Mass., hooking into a number of salmon and landing 3 of them on Tuesday using a # 8 Green machine with white tail. And how about the day adventure of fishing and canoeing that Eugene and Jan Provicit of Toronto took on Wednesday, when Eugene wanted to fish and Jan wanted to see the sights. Eugene landed 2 salmon and Jan spotted a moose and Cub bear throughout their 5 hrs. of fishing and 3 hrs of canoeing. However toward the end of the week the water temp got in the high 70 degrees and on our canoeing trips to Quarryville, the fishermen there were only averaging between 2 to 3 fish per day.

Week three Ending July 6

Throughout this past week we did more canoeing trips than fishing and canoeing trips as the weather and water have been very warm with a high temp. on Thursday, reaching nearly 100 degrees and the few fish that we have seen were not biting terribly well. On Thursday and Friday we received some very heavy rains and the water rose about 2 feet by yesterday, and with the high tides next week we should start getting our run of July grilse

Week Four Ending July 13

On Monday July 8th we began to see more salmon and grilse moving upriver and this keep increasing each day. Fishermen were starting to have the most luck using a #4 Yellow Wing Butterfly and on Wednesday Johnathan Gatehouse of Guelph, Ontario, landed his first Atlantic salmon on a # 8 Green Machine with crystal flash, and on Friday morning, his dad Wayne landed an 18 lb beauty along with a smaller one, while Johnathan also got another one on his #8 Green Machine. In the afternoon, Brian Jefferson of Deep River, Ont., landed 2, also on green machines, and his wife Kathy lost a fighter on a # 8 Hairy Mary after doing a good job of playing her first Atlantic Salmon. There have been very good reports throughout the Main Southwest Miramichi, of some excellent salmon fishing with fishermen in the Blackville area landing between 10 to 20 salmon and grilse each day and the fishermen at the mouth of Renous in Quarryville landing aprox 22 on Thursday, 30 Friday , 50 on Saturday and 14 as of noon today (July 14) so it looks like our July run of Atlantic salmon and grilse for the Main Southwest Miramichi has arrived.

Week Five Ending July 22

There was only one word to describe the fishing on Monday and into the evening, and that was fantastic, with all fishermen landing fish and even some local kids who had never done any summer fishing, trying it and having great luck. But throughout the night we received a very heavy rain and by Tuesday the water had risen 2 feet with much debris floating, so fishing slowed down for Tuesday and Wednesday. When fishermen did catch fish they were usually hooked close to shore on # 4 flies. Things picked up again on Thursday with some great fishing. Throughout the weekend there were few fishermen we spoke with, throughout our river runs, who were not having some excellent fishing.

Today was another beginner's luck story for 58 year-old Cameron Murray of Lanark, Scotland who had dreamed about catching an Atlantic Salmon all his life, after his father had told him a story about fishing years ago on a river in Scotland. Today the team of Cameron and his son Allan hooked into 8 Salmon and grilse throughout the day on # 6 and 8 Green Machines and a green Scottish fly they did not know the name of. Upon returning to the lodge I congratulated him and said that I hope that this would help to make for a good trip to Canada. He replied this is the best part of his trip to Canada. The water is starting to fall with a temperature at 67 this evening and lots of fish moving upriver. We are looking foward to some more great fishing this week!

Week Six Ending July 28

On Tuesday Morning, New Brunswick woke to see the words Miramichi Salmon Fishing Booming on the front page of the Telegraph Journal, as some outfitters said they had never seen better July fishing on the Miramichi in 10 years. So on most days throughout the week, and into the weekend, fishermen have been proving the headlines correct! With the cool nights and great fishing weather, fishermen have been having some great luck. Most of our fishermen's luck this week has been on on # 8 Green butt bear hair and Red Butt green machines. There have been more large salmon than over the previous weeks and the water is staying at a good height for the fresh runs of fish that keep arriving daily with the tides, so they can keep moving up river. Today was a great day on our canoeing and fishing trip, with guests from South Africa. We are looking foward to another excellent trip tomorrow, with four fishermen from Texas.

Week Seven Ending Aug 5

Fishing was good throughout Sunday and Monday with most fishermen landing fish. On Tuesday, Jim Ferguson of Halifax, NS, fished 5 pools on his guided day adventure downriver and landed 4 salmon - all on # 8 Green Butt Bear hair. But as August arrived so did the August salmon as each day we can see more and more starting to hold up in the cold water pools, being more selective as to what flies they choose. On Sunday we saw over 50 salmon jump or roll but only a few were caught and the ones that were, chose a # 10 wet fly and white Bombers with orange hackle. The water temperature has increased each day - 70f Saturday, 72 Sunday, 73 Today at 6pm. The water is clear and at a good height although it is dropping by at least 2 inches per day over the past few days. This should make for some good fishing in our low water pools if the water does not get too warm. This evening we are receiving some rain so with all the salmon in the river, a little rain should help for more catches throughout the week.

Week Eight Ending Aug 12

For anyone who historically thinks fishing should be slow in August, this past week hasn't lived up to that tradition as we have seen some of our best summer salmon fishing ever, after the rise of water on Wednesday with most fishermen catching fish each day. On Friday the salmon were taking # 4 Butterflies with most fishermen not having to put their feet in the water as the fish were running very close to shore. On Saturday 2 fishermen from Maine had 14 hookups while fishing through a pool but many fish were hitting short and freeing themselves before being landed. We also had some more beginner's luck this week as Graham Young of Branford, Ont., landed his first Atlantic Salmon within the first hour of fishing and on our canoeing and fishing trip to Quarryville yesterday, Annie Tanguay and Mark Herrbach of Valleyfield Quebec both landed their first Atlantic Salmon - and Graham Young another one - all within the first hour of fishing. Annie said she had listened to her uncle telling fishing stories for years, about all his years of fishing the Matane River in Quebec. Now she also has a story of her own! Some fishermen, we have spoken with, all down the river each day, have been having great fishing. Again this morning, the fish are still moving up river, rolling and jumping past our lodge. More fish then we have seen moving in August in years with some very big fresh salmon among them. But with the warm weather that is predicted for the next few days things might change as they start to hold up again in cold water pools.

Week Nine Ending Aug 18

Fishing was good for the start of the week with fishermen having most luck on #10 wet flies and Big Brown Bombers. On Wednesday morning we had some more beginners' luck as Melvin Hale of Northfield, Vermount landed his first Atlantic salmon and son Ryan lost one on their first morning of Atlantic Salmon fishing. Then the water temp rose to over 75 fahrenheit and reality sank in. We should not complain after seeing some of the best fishing in years over the past few weeks. By the end of the week some fishermen put away their fishing rods for cameras as each day we would observe hundreds of salmon in their natural habitat as they lay in our cold water pools waiting for a change in temperature. As for anyone still fishing it has not been effecting the salmon as there is a very slim chance of hooking one but they are getting lots of casting practice. With all the fish in the river we are hoping for some rain to get things moving again.

Week Ten Ending Aug 25

The first few days of the week started with most of the salmon laying in cold water pools posing for cameras as most people had more luck with cameras than their fly rods. On Monday Bill Schmidt of Florida released his first Atlantic Salmon caught on a # 8 Undertaker. On Tuesday and Wednesday every fish we caught or rolled were all on large Bombers. By week end the temperature cooled and the salmon started leaving the cold water pools and moving up river again. Today saw some good fishing as most fishermen were landing fish on # 8 & # 10 Wet Flies.

Week Eleven Ending Aug 31

This past week was a typical August week where fishing can be good in cool weather and not quite as good on hot weather days. The most productive day on the river was Thursday. The water temperature was cooler but we need a good rain to get some oxygen back into the water. The only successful fly this week was Bombers Black with white tails, and White with orange Hackle!

Week Twelve Ending Sep 7

Monday and Tuesday saw some pretty good fishing with dry flies and bombers. Paul Becker of Brantford, Ontario landed his first ever Atlantic Salmon on Tuesday morning. On Thursday we received much needed rain and the water rose by 6 inches on Friday. So with the water rising and a strong east wind blowin, some fishermen opted for our Whale watching tour to St Andrews where they had a very successful day of sighting of over 30 Whales. By evening the water started falling again on the Miramichi and some fishermen had some good fishing. All fish caught were on # 8 undertakers.

Week Thirteen Ending Sep 15

Sunday and Monday were a little slow although we were seeing a good number of fish each day holding in pools - but not many takers. By mid week while fishing some downriver pools where fresh salmon arrive each day on the tide, we managed to have at least 2 hrs of good fishing daily. On Thursday we received a good rain and our water rose approx 8 inches and it started the fish moving again. Throughout Thursday evening and Friday, fishermen experienced great fishing with most fishermen on our stretch of river landing fish. We are also starting to see more Cains River salmon among them.
The fishermen at Quarryville also had a good day of fishing on Friday. As for the Renous river there hasn't been any great action to speak of as the water is still too low. But the weather is calling for more rain on Monday, so depending on the amount received, we could still have some good fall fishing on the Renous river before the end of the season arrives.

The fishing so far throughout September this year has been variable depending on what days you were on the river. Monday and Tuesday with the water rising over a foot after a rain on Sunday and Monday, we saw some good fishing. Kris Kimble of Norwich,Ct had 5 hookups while fishing through one pool, landing a fresh 18 lb Salmon among them - all on a # 6 Glitter Bear. By mid week we did most of our fishing on the Cains River and in the Upper Blackville area on the Miramichi, as it seemed that the rise in water at the begining of the week had moved most of the fish up river. With most of them having been in the river system for so long, most of our time was spent watching them jump and roll than actually landing them.
By Friday some fresh salmon and grilse had started moving into the downriver pools again with each high tide. Phil Soucy and Mark Hester of Maine both landed fresh salmon in the afternoon but on Saturday and Sunday the salmon were very selective again as to what fly they would choose.
Luke Carrier, winner of the Fly Dressers Competition on Salmon Anglers put some of the finest selection of flies that a Miramichi River salmon has ever seen, to over hundreds of salmon in various pools.

Week two Ending Sep 29th

Fishing was again up and down throughout this past week but it has been more like August fishing then in September as there are thousands of salmon in the river but getting them to take required great skill and luck. But when we do hook, it is almost always a fresh fish who just arrived in on the tide and mostly still on # 8 and 10 summer patterns. With the water rising today and much debris floating from a rain upriver on Thursday, Chris Muller of Toronto still managed to landed his first Atlantic Salmon this morning. Most fishermen on the river who fished had good fishing today with salmon now starting to take the fall patterns.

Week three Ending Oct 7

With the water starting to level and clear, fishermen had some great fishing on Monday and Tuesday and with the rise of water, fishing also picked up on the Cains River. Fishermen are having most luck on Allies Shrimp and GP'S. Yesterday we had some more beginners' luck as Edward Hinson of North Carolina landed his first ever Atlantic Salmon while fishing with his friends Don Carrol and Dudley Humphrey who both both lost very large salmon after stripping their lines into the backing. Dudley hooked his on a #10 M1.
This morning Ian Parker of Scotland had 6 hookups and landed 2 on a Ally Shrimp on a pool on the Cains River and with more beginners luck, Vito Bonaiuto of Middletown Ct. landed a 20lb+ within his first hour of atlantic salmon fishing on one of our pools on the Main Miramichi - using a GP. With all the fall colors and the great fishing on the Cains river we will be doing some of our Day adventures trips on the Cains River until the end of the season.

Week four Ending Oct 12th

With fishing season winding down there are still lots of fish moving up river daily with most fishermen catching very large salmon at Country Haven. Ian Parker had good fishing on the last week again this year, using only his own Ally Shrimp pattern. Ian had 16 takes, landing 8 (5 grisle and 3 salmon). One salmon weighed in at 22 lbs and two at 30lbs each while fishing 6 pools on the Main Southwest and one on the Cains River. After three trips to Country Haven and fishing using only the Alley Shrimp, our guides have named him the "Alley Cat"!

Week five Ending October 15th

The final day of the fishing season has once again seen a very beautiful day throughout the Miramichi Valley With one of our best runs in years. With all the fish in the river there were still times when they were not taking as well as expected but they were still very entertaining. Anglers could always go to the river with a reasonable expectation of success. The future looks very bright for the Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi. The last of our many fishing guests have headed back home this morning, bringing an end to another great season at Country Haven.
With the season over, now comes the "what do I do now" feeling - somewhat like when the children have finally all gone and left the old homestead for good. While sipping a coffee on the verandah of the Main Lodge, as in previous years, I took the time to reflect back on the memories of the past six months. I began thinking that fishing must be the greatest leveller of people in the world. Hundreds of fisherman from around the world and different walks of life come to fish our river each year- from the stockbroker we had from New York City, to the Doctor from England, the politician from Ottawa or 13 year old Josh Pill from Boston who returns each year with his Mom. The river has a way of bringing everyone to a balance in life where they appreciate their surroundings of nature and meeting old and new friends.

I have many great memories of the people that visit us yearly however the ones that seem to stand out in my mind from this past season are of Bosco and Adam Chan of Michigan, and the great father and son relationship they displayed while fishing each day. It brought back some great memories from the past with my own father and our good times we had enjoyed throughout the years. Or why Nicole Justus, also from Michigan, would drive her father, who was visiting her from Germany, all the way from Michigan to the Miramichi because he had always dreamed of catching an Atlantic Salmon.

In October I also had the pleasure of welcoming Phil Auclair, a great flyfisherman from New Hampshire, into our lodge for the first time. It was 22 years ago while sitting on a rock at White Rapids that Phil suggested I should start my own outfitting business. So thanks to Phil and guests, they have once again reminded me how lucky we are to live along the Miramichi River where memories are made and dreams can be fullfilled.

Thank you all for a great season

YEAR 2001 RIVER REPORT

SPRING FISHING

Friday, April 27th 2001, was the start of our salmon fishing at Country Haven and we started out with a Bang! Our sports enjoyed landing 27 salmon and grilse, with Paul Carlton of Affordable Adventures of N.H., landing 12 - One over 44 inches.

Saturday was just as good if not better, with 3 salmon over 40 inches. Pete Curato of Augusta Maine had the most luck, landing 10.

Sunday's fishing was also excellent with lots of salmon and grilse being taken. That evening, 7 year old Tyler caught and released a 38 inch salmon. He is hooked again for another season.

Throughout last week, fishing was up and down with some days really great! Saturday May 5 was slow, but we did catch 6 salmon, with 13 year old Jonathan Donaher of Martintown, Ont. hooking and landing his first ever Atlantic Salmon. He lost one last year but no way was he going to lose one this year!

Fishing picked up Monday afternoon, May 7 with all sports catching fish. Tuesday and Wednesday, was the best fishing we have had in a week, the water was at an excellent level, quite clear and we were catching most of our fish on smaller hooks casting from shore. Magnus Thornson, owner of Gray Ghost Inn in Vermont, landing 1 over 40 inches on Tuesday and 2 over 40 inches on Wednesday.

Our most productive fly this spring has been the Renous River Special.

SUMMER FISHING

Our summer fishing season at Country Haven officially started on Monday June 18th, and after 6 days of fishing on 11 of the Main Southwest Miramichi River pools, from Upper Blackville to Quarryville, 3 pools on the Renous River and one on the Dungarvon, and with many of them being some of the best pools on the Miramichi, we saw salmon, rolled salmon, watched as they broke leaders and sniped flies. We even had one fisherman from Massachusetts hook and lose a grilse on the very first cast of his first fishing trip to Miramichi. Each night we would return to the verandah of the lodge and watch as large salmon would swim past on their journey upriver. We would then look forward to the next day of fishing. We enjoyed 6 days of fishing with guests from Massachusetts, Michigan, Scotland,and New Zealand. We landed a very large salmon today on a Shady Lady at the White Rapids. We also saw lots of grilse jump on our canoe trip from Country Haven to Quarryville with 3 of them being in Ted Williams pool as we sailed past. We hope this is the start of our grilse run. Our most productive flies this week were the Shady Lady and the Blue Charms.

Week two - July 1st
The water throughout the week has been very warm and clear with our guests from Ireland, New York and Dallas Texas fishing a number of pools on the main Miramichi and Renous. We enjoyed watching our guest from Ireland this week and another from Scotland last week casting with their spay rods.

Much needed rain was received yesterday and today seems to be helping. It did cool the water temperature a great deal. We did a canoeing trip from Country Haven to Quarryville today but we weren't fishing. The fishermen at the mouth of Renous had hooked and landed 10 by 3 pm. Mostly on Green Machines and Green Butt Brown Hair. We are looking forward to our next guests who come to fish on Tuesday!

Week Three - July 8th
We have seen a great improvement in water temperatures and with the cooler weather that is predicted for this upcoming week, things are looking as good and we are seeing many fish moving. This week our guests from NY, MONTREAL, ONTARIO AND ITALY experienced good fishing in the mornings. We also did three fishing and canoeing trips from Country Haven to Quarryville this week, where the fishermen at Quarryville were experiencing great fishing as well. They hooked 20 grilse and salmon on Wednesday, 17 on Thursday and 20 on Friday. They also landed 6 at Doctors' Island near Blackville on Friday. The water level is still good for fishing some pools on the Renous. The best hook this week has been the Rusty Rat.

Week four - July 15th
This week has been one of the best weeks so far. Tuesday the 10th was one of the best days we have seen in a while. Lots of fish, 10 salmon and grilse hooked in one pool alone. We have hooked fish every day this week except for two. Best flies this week Green Butt, Bear Hair and the Bumblebee with Red Butt. The water level is staying good but has turned a little warmer today. At 7 pm it was 69 degrees Fahrenheit.

Week five - July 23d
Fishing for the first part of the week from Monday through Thursday was great with most sports catching fish . We also had some beginners' luck again this week with Mike Marr from Providence, Rhode Island on Wednesday landing a large salmon at Doctor's Island after a 20 minute fight on his first morning of salmon fishing on the Miramichi. We also had Robert Morris from Washington DC land two on Thursday, his first morning of salmon fishing. Best fly this week was green but bear hair.

Week Eight - August 13
The great news this week is the latest number of fish observed at the Main Southwest Miramichi trapnet in Millerton from May 27th to July 31. The trapnet accounts for 10% of the fish that enter our branch of the Miramichi River therefore approximate numbers are 4,340 salmon this year compared to 1,290 last year and 1,670 in 1999. and 12,180 grilse this year compared to 7,100 last year and 5,280 in 1999. On our canoeing trips this past week, the pools have been full of fish. Water is still extremely low but okay for canoeing from the mouth of Cains to Quarryville.

Week Ten - August 24th
This past week the water came up three inches. We are also having some cooler nights. On Wednesday we had some good fishing, landing them on a green Bomber with orange hackle and on Shady Lady wet flies, and a number of others on dryflies. Thursday and Friday with the cooler temperatures the fish were moving well and we had another good day of fishing on Friday with green and white bombers. Today it rained all day and this afternoon Joel Kessler from Sharon Mass. hooked a salmon on a Ally's shrimp, one we traditionally use in the fall. Tonight the water is starting to rise so we are looking foward to fishing with our guests from Boston and Toronto tomorrow. We will be doing a fishing and canoeing combo from the Lodge to Quarryville.

Week Eleven - Sept 3d
This past week was a week where every fisherman that likes fishing salmon on dryflies and bombers should have been on our stretch of the Miramichi, as the rain we received early in the week and the cool nights brought the water temp down to the low 60's. The pools were full of salmon and they were more active then we had seen in weeks. We hooked fish each day this week, sometimes bringing up salmon a dozen times before hooking them which added to the excitement when they were finally hooked. Our most productive flies this week were White and Orange Bombers and Green and White Bombers. We received a lot more rain Saturday night. The water rose at least a foot. Fishermen at the mouth of Renous have been averaging about 15 fish per day today and yesterday. With the number of fish already in the river and the large amount of fish in the Bay we are looking forward to some great fall fishing.

Week Twelve - Sep 12th
This past week has seen some excellent fishing with the higher water and good temperatures for the first part of the week, there were lots of fish caught. More large salmon then grilse. The fishermen at the mouth of Renous in Quarryville caught 20 on Thursday and 12 on Friday. On Monday, Markus Laid of California landed a 40 inch salmon caught on a white bomber and counted 14 bald eagles on a canoeing and fishing trip from the lodge to Quarryville. Like we say each week, the river has lots of fish in it and we still have over a month of fishing till the 15th of October.

Week Thirteen - Sep 19th
This past week was one where we haven't spent a lot of time on the river but there are still lots of fish with a few being hooked on Bombers. The water is back down to where it was a few weeks ago but the cool nights are keeping the temperature good. We are hoping to get some rain so our guests can have some traditionally good fall salmon fishing.

Week Fourteen - Sep 24th
All we can say for this past week is fish, fish and more fish! The river has lots of fish with new ones moving in each day - some of them being very large salmon. Our best luck this past week has been on Bombers Green Body Orange White Hackle. Today the water rose about 3 inches and it seemed to make for more catches. Most of our luck today came on a small wet fly called the M1 Bomber, a fly tied by Dave Goulet of Classic and Custom Flyshop of New Hartford Connecticut. Dave and three friends have been having some great luck with it over the past week. We will be trying it more over the next few days. They are calling for more rain on Wednesday. We think it will be just what the doctor ordered for some fantastic fall fishing.

Week Fifteen - Oct 1st
On Tuesday the rain came, the water started rising and the fish started moving. On Wednesday it was common to see over 100 fish jumping while moving through the pools. It stoped raining on Thursday and overall the water had came up 2 and 1/2 feet, and it was just what we needed. We have been having some great fishing from the time the water started falling. We are catching some very big salmon. Some of them being fresh Cains River Salmon. Ian Parker from Scotland landed 2 over 15 lbs sunday afternoon, on an Ally's Shrimp. His friend landed 2 on a #4 Green Machine in one of our private pools, and the open water pools have been averaging about 6 or 7 fish per day as well. On Saturday morning we fished the Renous River and spoke with a fellow who had great fishing there on Friday. The best flies have been Green Machine, General Practitioner, and Ally's Shrimp.

Week Sixteen - Oct 8th
This past week has been another good week for fishing on the Miramichi with most people catching fresh fish daily. The water is dropping again and is almost back to where it was before last week's rain. The good water temperature is making for great fishing in our low water pools. Mike Marr from Rhode Island returned this week for 3 days and landed plenty of salmon, with 1 over 20 lbs and 2 over 15 lbs, all on a #6 green machine with a white tail. The Ally's Shrimp and a #6 Red Abbey also worked well. The water is getting very low again on the Renous but the fishermen at the mouth of Renous have been having some good fishing over the past week, so if we get another bout of rain we should also have some good fishing on the Renous River. At this time of year with all the fall colours, I can't think of any place that I would rather be fishing.

Week Seventeen - Oct 16th
This past week being the last week of the fishing season has seen another excellent week of fishing. The last of our fishing guests left on Thursday morning, all happy with their three days of fishing. Their flies of choice were the Ally Shrimp, General Practioner and Green Machine, and while talking with some local fishermen on the weekend, we all agreed that with one of the driest summers in recorded history, we still had some pretty good fishing this season. - Farion Coughlan, of Gray Rapids Lodge said that a party of 3 had landed 9 salmon and grilse in an open water pool in one day last week. - Winston Coughlan, landed at least one salmon eight days in a row on a #8 Preacher while only fishing an hour in the morning or evening. - Erin Crawford of Miramichi Tackle and Wears said there were a good number of fish being caught and that she had landed a 15 lb salmon on a General Practioner on Friday, and Peter Randal said he had never seen any more fish in the 10 years since moving to the Miramichi.

---

As far as my family and I are concerned, our season lasted until Sunday the 14th when my 7 year old and 4 year old sons suggested we go fishing. With one of the most perfect fall days at 66F and with me feeling a little guilty for not taking them fishing since early summer, I thought it was a good idea. So the three of us went down to Mother's pool, the pool I grew up fishing as a kid and where I caught my first trout and Atlantic Salmon. As we were walking down the steps we could see salmon rolling and jumping all over the place as it was a perfectly calm day. I let the boys tell me what flies to put on their lines as both have been collecting flies since they went with me to Curtis' outfitter's in Blackville and owner Brock Curtis gave them each a fly. On this day, Tyler, the oldest, chose a General Practioner and Tyson decided on a Brown Bomber. Placing Tyler in the hotspot for a wetfly and Tyson on a big rock where he could have a chance with a dryfly, we all fished for about 40 minutes and I had rolled a couple and lost a salmon but by this time Tyson had fallen off the rock and got wet so we headed back home for a change of clothes - all the while Tyler complaining about all the salmon he could have caught if his brother had stayed at home.

After supper I decided to head back down to Mother's to try a few more casts. I started casting over the rocks where I knew there would be fish waiting. Within a few casts I felt a tightening of my line then one good jump from a Cains River salmon and it was gone. All the while I could still see salmon jumping and rolling as I sized up my fly to see if it was still okay and stepped back out where I was before. I could hear whooping from the fishermen in the next pool up river so I knew they had also hooked into fish.

After fishing for another few minutes I decided to do my traditional 7 last casts to close out the season. And it was then my General Practioner attempted another salmon that decided he had better things to do on his way up river then spend time with me. So after a 30 minute fight and a sore arm we parted ways as I released a 40 inch Cains River hook bill so he could finish his journey upriver. I walked back up over the hill and sat on the picnic table that overlooks the river where I had spent many evenings as a kid. As I sat there I realized I had never seen more fish in this pool than I had seen in the past few weeks. It made me a little sad to see the fishing season coming to an end and how much I wished that every fishermen we had throughout the summer could be here now. I began thinking of the good times and the friends we made throughout the season, like in April when my 7 year old had hooked into a 38" salmon, and May when 11 yr old Johnathan Donaher caught his first Atlantic salmon after persuading his Dad to drive from Ottawa for one day of fishing, as he had lost a fish last year. Or when Conor Killeen, a fisherman from Ireland helped save a local girl from drowning as she was swimming near the spot he was fishing, and in July when Ray Dittrich Jr. of Dallas Texas, spent a week with us, with his father Ray Sr. whom he had brought fishing for his 78th birthday. Ray Sr. had fished the Miramichi many times throughout his lifetime but not for the past 13 years, so with all his stories and Miramichi flies he just had to see the Miramichi river one more time. Or in August, when a family from St. Petersburg, Russia stayed a week at a housekeeping cottage, and when I went to see if they needed anything-they were all in the river swimming, all they keep saying was "we need nothing, we have miles of clean water, fresh air, our freedom and we love Canada". Then I started thinking of my good friend Odd Lied from Manhattan New York, and how this time last year he was casting his long line from his spay rod over this same pool and how he would love to be here this evening. But due to the circumstances in New York City he was unable to visit this year.

I thought of New York and Afghanistan and what things could be like this time next year and just how lucky we are to live along the Miramichi River. As the sun set behind the trees I could hear the splash of another salmon as it was making its way up river. I realized that it wasn't just a good year for fishing, it was another GREAT year for fishing on the Miramichi. Some numbers for you: Adult returns of grilse and salmon to the Miramichi River this year were, small salmon (grilse) 28,200, Large salmon 20,600. Total for the year 48,800. This total does not include the count for the other tributaries that are located below these two rivers in the Miramichi river system.

Special

We offer an all inclusive package, including accommodations, meals, equipment (if necessary), experienced guides and fishing license. Transportation to/from airports is available if needed.

We are looking forward to bringing you further up-to-date river reports from the Main Southwest Miramichi and Renous Rivers as the 2003 season develops.

With our almost daily canoeing /fishing trips from Blackville to Quarryville throughout the fishing season, we will be the first to see some of the fresh runs of salmon as they make their way up the Miramichi.

From your FRIENDS on the MIRAMICHI!