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.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG!

We have been having some pretty good weather here in the Grand Lake area this past week and the first signs of spring are starting to show.The edges of the rivers and streams are just starting to open up and this is starting to draw the different species in for a drink or perhaps an easy snack for one of the predators. I watched ten local town deer file down to the river to an open spot and each had a good drink before heading back to the evergreens along the edge of the river. They seemed to be walking on the crust,for the most part,but every few steps a front or back leg would go through and they would stagger a bit.They didn't seem to be breaking through as bad after they got back in the woods a ways. This makes sense,as the edge was catching the sun and was much softer than the snow cover deeper in the woods. We have been getting a lot of reports of deer kills by cars and coyotes,especially in the southern half of the province.One 3 km. stretch of road between Sussex and Saint John has had 11 deer killed on it so far this winter .That's quite a few deer to lose,even in an area of New Brunswick that has pretty good numbers of deer,as compared to the rest of the province. As usual,the coyotes have been picking away at the deer in the yards,but we know of several hunters who have been picking away at the coyotes in these areas and have been reporting some very good success.This is a good thing and hopefully more sportsmen will take advantage of this opportunity to thin out the numbers of these deer killers.If we can keep their numbers in check,our deer herd will rebound that much quicker.I talked a bit in my last post about the other part of the deer equation,that being managing our crown lands to better accommodate our wildlife,more specifically,our deer herd.I was very happy to hear that the first regional citizens "Forests Management Council" has been struck by the French in the northern part of the province.This is a very important first step in getting some sort of input for change,ie. improvement in the way our forests are being managed. After all,Crown Lands DO belong to the people of New Brunswick.I think this fact has escaped some of the large corporations that operate in our province.Governments seem to be unwilling to exercise some sort of control over these large forestry companies,so it is up to the citizens to make sure their voice is being heard loud and clear as to what we think are acceptable actions and what are not. One does not need a degree in forestry to see what is going on.Just look at population numbers and go for a drive and look over the habitat that we are expecting to harbour our wildlife in and make up your own mind about what you see.And if you don't like what you see,get vocal about it,in whatever media you are comfortable with. This is the only way to effect a change and the times are ripe for this kind of action.As you can see from the photo in this post,it's not just coyotes and cars that kill deer in the off season.This large bobcat made a kill practically in a door yard up on the Nashwaak River.There was once a bounty on these animals before the days of coyotes because of predation on deer.Of course their numbers plummeted and there was no need for a bounty.Now that their numbers are rebounding,we are starting to see the odd kill done by a cat. But don't despair,cats don't take anywhere near as many deer as coyotes do.Cat kills are usually done by a large solitary animal,whereas coyotes hunt in a pack and are much more successful at killing deer,especially in the deer yards. The other photo is one of Ken and my son Curt and his girlfriend catching some pickerel and perch close to home,on McLeod's Pond.Erica had never gone ice-fishing before,so we spent a few hours on the ice and managed to get a half-dozen pickerel and a few perch for our efforts.It was a great day out and when you're doing it with family and friends,it's that much more enjoyable! We are looking forward to the Spring Salmon opener and it is sure to be a good season because of the numbers of salmon in the river system.We are also anticipating a good spring bear season and we still have some prime time slots available for any hunters interested in some good hunting,for a good price.Just contact me by e-mail or phone and I will be happy to arrange your hunting or fishing trip to the Great North Woods of New Brunswick!