A PERFECT START TO THE 2009 FISHING SEASON!

With about a week gone by in the new season,the fishing on the mighty Miramichi has never been better! Everyone who cast a fly caught fish.It didn't matter if you were a beginner or a seasoned veteran,the fish were co-operating! The first day,April15th,there was a fair bit of ice running and the water was a bit dirty,but the fish were still taking.The water level was fairly low and I'm sure this helped the fish find the flies and there were a fair amount of fish taken,especially in the lower part of the river around Blackville. After the first day,the ice cleared out and the water cleared up and then the fish were taking up and down the river with a fervor not seen in years.Some of the numbers of fish caught were nothing short of astounding. Many sports had several days when they had hooked their limit before lunch.The new rule of ten fish hooked is proving to be good for all who participate in this great fishery.The paying sports are usually satisfied and it takes pressure off of the guides and outfitters,as well as the salmon.After all,ten Atlantic salmon landed in a day is nothing to sneeze at! All the popular flies produced well.It didn't really seem to matter what was thrown at them,they snapped right on.I came down with a terrible cold,of course,and just fooled around casting from shore and caught fish everyday I fished.I didn't feel well so I wasn't really fishing that hard,just trying to enjoy myself,and I was literely hooking fish on the first cast many days.The photos in this post are of the boat launch under the Doaktown bridge and me with a grilse I tagged for WW2 vet Bill Pollick of Minto.Now Bill is in his ninties and can't get out much anymore,but he likes to have a spring salmon each year so I try to accommodate him,if I have any luck.Many sports and outfitters frown on tagging any salmon,let alone a spring salmon,but I believe it is a personal decision and I don't judge any fisherman whether he keeps a fish or not.Most of the grilse are males anyway,so it doesn't hurt the fishery much. We are getting some rain right now ,so the water will come up and be dirty for a few days,so the fishing may be slow for awhile.But when the water drops and clears up,many of the large salmon will be moving down river and will be taking flies. This is a good chance for a sport to break into the "over forty"club.There are many large salmon over forty inches in the system this year,so the chances are good that a sport might land one. As the season progresses,we will be putting out our bear baits and will be baiting well into June when we will start going after sea-trout.So whatever your fancy in the outdoor sporting life,just give me a shout and Ken and I will have you on your way to a great outdoor adventure in the Big Woods of New Brunswick!

Photos for last blog entry

GET READY FOR THE 2009 SEASON OPENER!

The ice has been clearing out of the Miramichi river system for the past week and this should make for a very good opening of the fishing season on April 15th. As most local fishermen know,the Miramichi River and it's tributaries experienced some of the strongest runs of salmon in many years.This will translate into a very good black salmon fishery for those sports who enjoy getting out on the water on the first day of the season. Sometimes the weather doesn't co-operate and the season is delayed because of ice conditions,but this year this is not the case! This type of fishing is not for the faint of heart,as the weather conditions can sometimes be quite harsh,as well as high water to contend with.That being said,there is no better time to catch an Atlantic salmon.It's almost as if the salmon are happy the long winter is over and they are eager to take the fly,if presented in the right way,in the right spot.The key to catching black salmon is to get the fly down near bottom in slack deep holes or near to shore where the current isn't as strong.This is where the fish will hold and rest while backing out of the river on their way to the ocean.A sinking line is a must in high water conditions.Only after the water has dropped and cleared up should you switch over to a sinking tip or even a floating line.It would also be prudent to go to a smaller size fly.Many sports turn their nose up at black salmon,or slinks as they are sometimes called,but I love fishing them and have always found them to be great sport,especially at such an early time in the season.Depending on the water conditions,good fishing can be had well into the month of May.The photo of the salmon flies in this post are the standard go-to flies for fishing salmon this time of the year.Everyone has their favorites,mine happens to be the Renous Special.That's the top fly in the photo to the left.The Black Ghost is also a favorite of mine,especially after the water drops and clears.The Smelt pattern,the bottom fly is also one of the old standards.The top fly on the right is a relatively new fly,a Green Slime.This fly has been growing in popularity recently,both in the spring and fall.The bottom fly is a pattern tied by the late Guy Silliker,of Sillikers on the Miramichi.I purchase this fly from Guy shortly befor his death and I had such great sucess with it,I had several more tyed up for future use. You really can't go wrong with any of these patterns.The other photo is one of Salmon River,both Ken and my home river.Salmon River always has its ice out after the Miramichi because it is a slower moving river.As you can see from the photo,there is still quite a bit of ice left to go. This is causing the river to raise to dangerous levels and as I write this blog entry, the water is lapping at the top of the banks in front of my home.This can be a stressful event but it goes with the territory.All we can do is be prepared and wait it out.ken and I will be busy preparing for our annual trip to the Miramichi and I would encourage anyone looking for a great fishing trip to get ahold of me and we will arrange an exciting fishing trip you will remember for a lifetime! I want to tell all our readers and sports that we will only be taking a maximum of four sports per week on any of our adventures,except under special conditions,so we can ensure a quality experience.I would also like to say that anyone who books a trip with us and doesn't take their game,can book again and they will NOT have to pay for the guiding part of their trip!This is just Kens and my way of giving something back to the sports who are good enough to book with us.Cheers and tight lines in the coming season.