May 5th

Ken Bettcher, Portsmouth NH

For the most part of the week fishing was very consistant, with all our anglers landing fish, with the exception of Wednesday and Thursday when the water came up a bit too high due to rain at the headwaters of the River. Fishing again picked up Friday, Saturday and yesterday when all fishermen again landed fish. The biggest fish this week was a 46 inch'er landed by Harvey Packard from Eustus,Maine. We also enjoyed another nice fishing story told by Ken Bettcher from Portsmouth NH, who fished the Miramichi for the first time, landing a number of fish including his first salmon. This was 40 years ago to the day, after his father landed a big spring salmon in the Mackamie area - a 40 year dream come true on the Miramichi. The water is now falling to a good height for casting and with the cold and high water we have had so far this season, we think good fishing should continue well into May this year. The best fly has been the "Ken's Renous" and "Chartreuse in Color Christmas Trees"..

April 27th

Bill Hoffman, Fisherville Ky.

Overall it was a great opening week for our fishing season as all our guests landed fish throughout the week, with some very large salmon being landed for this early into the season. The number of salmon landed so far have been more than grilse. Early in the week, the river was finally clear of ice. With higher water levels and with the water falling, it made for some good fishing. The water levels now are at a perfect height. So far, this spring, the most productive fly has been the Renous River Special. There is one small change to the spring season regulations this year that anglers should be aware of. It is now required that fishermen use only barbless flies. That is not a big change for us as most of our guides have been using barbless flies in spring fishing for a number of years. It makes it easier to remove the hooks, is less stressful on the Salmon and offers a bit more challenge for the angler. With current conditions, good fishing should continue...

April 20th

Cheryl Dugal, Augusta Me. 1st & biggest opening day fish

Daniel Dugal, Rock Falls Ill.

We're Open! Our 2008 Fishing Season started today at Country Haven, 5 days after the season officially opened, due to the late moving of the ice this year. Cheryl Dugal of Augusta Maine landed both the first fish and the Biggest fish of opening day, landing two nice 39 inch salmon in the morning. All 6 of our anglers landed fish today. With the water now falling after a few days on the rise, fishing should continue to improve as the water clears. My 14 year old son Tyler also landed his first salmon this evening using a Marabou fly pattern. This is Tyler's favorite time of the year with both the opening of fishing season and the start of the NHL hockey Playoffs.

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YEAR 2007 River Reports We would like to say "thanks" to every one of you who visited us throughout another successful season, whether you were visiting us for the first time or among the 80% of our yearly returning guests. We hope you all enjoyed each day spent with us as much as we have enjoyed having each and every one of you visit with us. To all of you from the 17 Countries, 46 US States and all the Provinces of Canada who visited us in 2007, we look forward to seeing you all again in the future. Thanks from the crew at Country Haven Miramichi where "you might arrive as a stranger but will always leave as a Friend". Here are the salmon counts for 2007 (as of the end of October) for the two largest rivers in the Miramichi River system. (all numbers are approximate as it is estimated that 10% of the fish moving through the system travel through the counter). Main Southwest Miramichi 6,430 Large Salmon & 14,390 Grilse (small salmon) - Total 20,820 Northwest Miramichi 3,980 Large Salmon & 9,730 Grilse (small salmon) - Total 13,710 Total for both rivers 34,530 This does not include the fish for the tributaries located below the these rivers in the Miramichi System. October 30th Our 2007 fishing season is now over. It was another positive one although some might disagree if comparing to last year, when we had exceptionally good counts of both salmon and grilse. Last year, the Main Southwest river had some of the better numbers of returning fish in years but the numbers were less this year. Last year the Nor'west had low counts but much higher counts this year. Overall, we had a great spring with lots of fish but June was a little disappointing as the fish were slow to return from the Ocean compared to past years. Most of July was great but August was poor compared to the last 5 years. Throughout most of September and October we had lots of fish around as our water stayed low and there were good conditions for our low water pools, but not as good for the river as a whole, with the lower water encouraging many of the fish to stay in the lower stretch of the river and only move up after each rise of water where normally the water would stay high so the fish would have lots of water to travel. The Miramichi river fish count as a whole will be down this year compared to the last few seasons. Past history suggests, however, that sometimes a lower count one year results in much higher counts the following year. Many local fishermen refer to the poor return of 1977 and the excellent return the following year 1978 as a good example. So let's hope this trend will continue for next season. As for the extension on the Cains over the last two weeks, we would have to think it was a success as it gave fishermen the opportunity to enjoy a few more days of fishing. With the lower water throughout the fall right up until the end of the normal fishing season, many fishermen who had not enjoyed fishing the Cains River before had an opportunity to prolong the end of the sport they enjoy most before another long winter, while others combined a bit of hunting and fishing while enjoying a shore lunch cooked over an open fire. With the beautiful weather that we experienced most days throughout the extension, one would have to think that whatever the age, good fishing or not, or where in the world you might be from, any day spent fishing on the Cains River in late Autumn would have to be considered a success. October 16th The fishing season is now over for another year on the Main river but still remains open till the 29th of Oct on the Tributary of the Cains. Much of last week again saw many large salmon in the holding pools on the lower stretches of the river. This produced good fishing on some days, as they took both wet and dry flies, and on other days they were very fussy as to what flies the big fall salmon chose. Over the weekend, on the Cains extension where the water rose due to a big and much needed rain, fishermen had some good luck friday evening to high and dirty Saturday for the Lower Main River, but fantastic fishing on Sunday and yesterday on the Cains, with a good number of fish landed. The better flies this past week were Allie's Shrimp, Main River and Mickey Finn, Cains. With the autumn colors at their peak, the gentle flowing little river of the Cains is probably one of the best fall Atlantic Salmon rivers in North America, and this could be where many fly fishermen will finish of their fishing season this year. October 9th Salmon, Salmon and more big Salmon are now moving into the low water pools every day. With water levels low, some of these pools are now holding hundreds of fish with many big fall salmon among them. It seems like each week, over the past few weeks, for some reason, the better fishing has always been at the beginning of the week. By mid week we are seeing lots of fish but they are not taking a fly as good. With the warm dry weather last week, and the colourful fall foliage everywhere, it was a great time to be outdoors. The cooler temperatures even with the low water are resulting in some fish traveling more and this should also improve the fishing upriver. World renown Outdoor Writer John Bailey, along with five friends from the UK, returned for the second time this season and they experienced some good fishing yesterday as everyone in the group hit into fish. Anglers are still landing a mixture of both fresh fish and some that have been in the river system for a while, both Main river and Cains river fish. With the Main River fishing season over on the 15th, a good rain will be needed to make for good fishing for the Cains river extension. The most productive flies have been the Minister's Dog, the Copper Killer and still the most productive fly for us this season, the #8 White Tail Green Machine. With only a week remaining for fishing the Main River and most of the Tributaries for this fishing season, it should be a fantastic time to be on the Miramichi River. October 2nd Lots of fish in the holding pools and a few fresh ones arriving in with the tide each day have made things interesting for fishermen throughout the week. Even though the number of fish landed might not have been as good as it should be, considering the number of fish in the pools, fishermen did land a number of salmon in the 20-25 lb. range last week and there are many big salmon now in the holding pools. The fresh water from the rain we received over the past weekend has improved the fishing. There were lots of fish landed yesterday and again this morning, with one fishermen landing 4 in two hours using a #8 Minister's Dog. Our pools are full of fish and the water looks the best it has been at this time of year over the last three seasons. It appears that fishing should be good for the remainder of this season on the lower stretch of the Main River. Anglers fishing the Nor'west also started seeing an improvement yesterday and a few also hooked fish in the deeper pools on the Renous. So far the Cains is still a bit too low but conditions should improve for the extension if we get rain, as we are now starting to hook some of the fish that are Cains River bound. Flies of Choice this week were Ally's Shrimp, Minister's Dog and the White Tail Green Machine. September 24th The beginning of the week started out with promise as fishermen landed some big salmon and a number of fresh grilse, but overall, for the great numbers of fish that anglers cast over, fishing was slow for this time in September. Traditionally it can be one of the best weeks. With a good number of both grilse and big salmon in the low water pools, our fishermen still went fishless on Wednesday and Thursday but did land fish each day during the rest of the week, using both wet and dry fly patterns. Sunday did see another run of fresh fish enter the system however and fishermen enjoyed some good action between Quarryville and the Mouth of the Cains as the fish moved up the river. With our lodge being located so close to the tidal water, four of our low water pools never get too low for fishing and so far this fall they are at an ideal level for holding fish. The 'lower the water the better the fishing', as long as the fish keep arriving. Most productive fly was the Ally's Shrimp early in the week and Black Bear over the weekend. September 18th Most of the week we have seen lots of fish in the holding pools, from Quaryville to the mouth of the Cains with hundreds holding at Black Brook. There are not many fresh ones arriving in with the tides. With the water at a great height for our low water pools below Blackville and so many fish in them, even though there are not a lot of fresh fish, anglers are still having good luck with the holding fish. In the pools, fishermen enjoyed good fishing over the weekend as all our fishermen landed fish. The water is remaining cool, being as low as it is, keeping fishing consistant. With four of our pools now full of fish, things are looking good for the lower stretches of the river but we will need rain to get more of the fresh Fall run to enter the system. The most Productive flies this week were #8- 10 Almost and Bombers with 6 fish also hooked Sunday on Allie's Shrimp. September 11th Another consistent week of fishing in two of our pools as many of our fishermen landed fish this week. In our low water pools, the majority of the fish landed were grilse but approx 20% of the fish in the pools are salmon and some very big ones among them. Even though there are fish moving through the system daily, and pooling up in some pools, these fish are not yet part of the bigger fall runs that will be soon be entering the system. The most productive flies were #8 Almost and Bombers. September 5th We experienced better fishing Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with low water and some big salmon holding in the pools. and the best fishing of the week was on Friday as the water rose a foot from a much needed rain storm as some of the holding fish started moving through the system. But with rewards there is a cost and the higher water made for dirty water conditions and poor fishing Saturday and Sunday. However with the water receding, fishing picked up again Monday and yesterday with some nice fresh bigger salmon entering the system and fishermen had good luck on both days. Things have started to look more like September fishing as the fish have begun jumping and rolling more in some of the holding pools, making things more interesting for the fishermen. If you see them you know they are there. With the cool night time temperatures, the falling water and fresh fish moving into the system, it looks likke better times ahead for salmon fishermen on the Miramichi. Ally's Shrimp, General Practioners, and the LT Special have all produced good results since the rise of water over the weekend. August 29th June was one of the slowest fishing months we have had in years, due to the fish arriving later than normal from the Ocean, and July was one of the best in years due to most of the June and July fish both arriving in July. August did not produce the good number of fish we have enjoyed the past few seasons however things are looking like September and October will be the better fishing months this season. In past years, with similar returns of fish at this stage of the season, this has been the case, including 4 consecutive years from 1999 through 2002 when our better fishing was in September and October. Over the past few seasons, this had sometimes changed from year to year. With our now having access to 13 Private pools for the Fall Season, we are looking forward to some great fishing for the rest of the season in the lower stretch of The Main River, as all the big fall runs of salmon swim past our door to reach the spawning grounds upriver. Fishing on the Main River and the tributaries is open until Oct 15th. The great little fall river of the Cains will remain open until October 29th this year. Here at Country Haven, we only have a few openings still available for the remainder of the season but we do work closely with other great outfitters on the river that still have availability for the dates you might be interested in. This week was again much like most of August being like a crap shoot from day to day. Our Fishermen landed fish Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on both the Main River and Renous but nothing Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The fish that were landed were all fresh with the holding fish in the pools not being interested in much of anything offered them. With our lowest production in August in 10 years we will welcome September and October and the fall runs along with the remaining August Salmon that we think have just been slow to arrive. Get out your fall patterns as the fun is just beginning. Although the water is at a great height for many of our pools, sometimes a rain at this time of season freshens up the water and that is all that is needed to make for some great fall fishing. Atlantic Salmon are one of the toughest fish to hook and land after hooking and are difficult to predict from season to season. August 21st After a couple of weeks of not seeing a lot of fresh fish entering the system, we have finally started to see more fish holding in our low-water pools on the lower stretch of the river. On Sunday the 6 fish landed were all fresh from the Sea. The water is at a perfect height for holding fish and some of the pools are starting to hold some very big salmon. Throughout the season our daily Guided Fishing and Canoeing trips are very popular among our guests and with these ideal conditions for this lower stretch of river, fishermen are enjoying fishing between 4 to 7 pools, lunching on shore while traveling approx 10 KM from Country Haven to Quarryville. Our guides have made this trip for a number of years, almost daily, from June until October when conditions are right with many anglers returning on a yearly basics to enjoy this Day trip with their favourite guide. Overall, this August has not yet produced the high number of fish landed the previous two years, even with the good conditions thoughtout much of the month. Many 'locals' say the good fishing we enjoyed last August spoiled us. Our fishermen landed fish 28 days out of the Month it won't happen this year. With almost two months remaining in the season on this stretch of river we are sure this years 'best' fishing has yet to come. Best fly this week was the #8 Almost Wet, Green White tails Bomber Dry. August 13th Not much in the way of success to talk about this week with the exception of some great fishing Monday morning in the Doaktown area, as 3 fishermen hooked into 12 fish in less than 3 hrs in a holding pool. Monday evening, anglers had some success in the Quarryville area, landing fresh fish, but other than that, most of the week was slow. The cooler water had moved many of the holding fish upriver, with the exception of some still at the traditional holding places like the mouth of the Bartholomew and Black Brook. There has not been as many fresh arrivals as fishermen had hoped for with the high tides. The only good news about this is that the Big Salmon that we would normally see entering the system in August have yet to arrive. With the water falling and cooler temperatures, we are looking forward to better fishing in our low water holding pools on the Main River, as many of the fish from now on tend to hold more than the earlier runs, making for some great fishing. The past couple of weeks have been great for enjoying our canoeing trips on the river. On these trips, if fishermen do not always have success in landing fish, they should always see them holding in cooler water areas and leaping out of the water. The wild Atlantic salmon (the leaper ) in its natural surroundings is an amazing sight to see, even if not always on the end of a fly line. We had 6 honeymoon couples fishing with us over the past two weeks, from Alberta, Ontario Pennsylvania, California, Ireland and the Netherlands. It is starting to look like fly fishing for Atlantic salmon is becoming a popular activity, even for honeymooners. Flies of choice this week were Bombers and #8 and #10 Bear Hairs. August 6th With not a lot of fresh fish moving through the system this week, much of the fishing was using Bombers, sometimes without much sucess, for fish that were holding up in the cooler water pools. A few fishermen that were interested in traveling to fish pools on the tributaries did have some luck in holding pools on both the Dungarvon and the Cains rivers. Unlike the Main River, these smaller rivers might never have a great bunch of fish in any of the pools but with a little bit of patience, anglers can have good sucess traveling from pool to pool in the cooler water of these rivers. Even though you might not be fishing over as many fish, those that are there may take a fly better. Flies of Choice were #10 Undertakers and Bombers on the Main River and a Royal Wulff on the Tributaries. With the tides being 5.2 ft for 5 consective days this coming week, fishermen are hoping to see more fresh fish moving into the Main River. July 30th The great fishing we have enjoyed over the past three weeks has slowed, due in part to the hot weather, however with the lower and warmer water, the fish have not been travelling as much and have started to pool up more, especially in our cold water pools. With the warmer water, the fishermen that were landing fish were having the best results on Dry Flies in the cold water pools on the Main River, and on smaller bugs on the cooler water of the Dungarvon river. This week, the best results were experienced by the anglers that fished mornings and evenings, as the afternoons were better for swimming than fishing. Sometimes, with the warmer water, some of the fish arriving on the tide will have a tendency of coming in and out again on each tide untill the conditions are just right for them to move on up the river system. This was happening over the weekend. With the 1/2 foot rise in water levels, cooler temperatures overnight and 4.9 ft high tides for much of this coming week, fishermen are hoping to return to the good fishing the river has experienced throughout much of July. July 22nd Overall, another consistant week for fishermen on the Main River and some of the tributaries, with anglers landing more grilse than salmon. So far this month, our anglers have landed fish every day. Last weeks' annual Miramichi Salmon Classic was very successful with anglers landing more fish than last year. Glenda Powell of the Black Water Lodge in Ireland gave a 4 hour Spey Casting demonstration at Upper Oxbow. Glenda is the Ladies Distance Caster Champion. The Classic is a great way to be introduced to the Miramichi River. Much of the Classic's success is due in part to the hard work by people like Mark Hambrook, Debbie Norton and the many volunteer guides. This past week was also Canada's Irish Festival, held annually here on the Miramichi, always a good time for combining some Irish celebrations and Atlantic Salmon fishing, especialy by the visitors from Ireland who are always interested in a day of fishing throughout their travels. Water levels are now falling. The best fly this week was the Green and White Bomber. July 15th Still lots of fish moving through the system this past week as just about every man and his dog were hooking fish. Throughout the week, our guides were teaching more than normal the amount of first time fishermen here at Country Haven and many of them had great success, including both kids and adults. Toni Luksie from Ingersoll, Ont landed 4 Tuesday afternoon - his first time ever fishing. A group of our fishermen from Wilkes Barre PA enjoyed a good week of fishing with most of their success coming while fishing on the Renous. Fishermen had some good fishing most of the week on the Renous, landing both salmon and grilse. Brad Burns from Massachusetts also had good fishing Thursday morning, landing a 30+ lb. Salmon and a Grilse on a wet fly and a 20 lb'er on a Bomber above Blackville. This July there are more large salmon than usual in the system, and we think there are many of the June salmon that didn't arrive in June. So far, July is turning out to be a good month with our fishermen landing fish ever day. The conditions are still good for July in the lower stretches of the Main River and many of the tributaries as we have been receiving some rain almost daily. The better fly over the past few days has been a # 6 Undertaker, tied by our 13 year old son Tyler, who has also been having good success this year. July 9th Lots of fish again this week on all of the river system as fishermen were having good luck from Quarryville to above Doaktown and beyond on the Main River . With the higher water on the Renous, fishermen were having great fishing. 3 fishermen from Vermont landed 7 fish in 1 hr on a pool on the Renous. Fishermen who are fishing the Nor'west say fishing just keeps getting better ever day. Our better fishing area, again this week, has been above Blackville as the fish do not seem to be slowing down much as they are arriving fresh in from the tide until they reach the lower water above the Cains. The conditions are great for these pools this year as the water is high and cool and these first fish like to travel. This week however we did start landing more fish in the lower stretches of the River as the water keeps dropping. The better wet fly this week has been the # 6 Undertaker wet fly but most success has come on Brown Bombers. Jackie Legere from Boutouche landed a salmon and a grilse friday morning - her first time fishing with a Bomber. Yesterday 13 year old Anthony Corbin from Quebec City landed a 20lb Beauty also first time using a Bomber. From our Lodge we can usually see the wakes from fish that are moving upriver. The last two days had much movement and the fishermen located 5 miles below us at the Quarryville pool have been experiencing some good fishing since July 1st - averaging between 10-30 daily. Yesterday, at the counting station in Millerton on the Lower Southwest Main River, the numbers were 170 Grilse and 51 Salmon and they estimate that this is represents 10% of the fish that do go through each day. The cool weather has also been keeping the water temperatures down below 60F this morning.We should see more good fishing this week. July 3d Over the years, the Atlantic Salmon have been considered a very smart species of fish, traveling back to the very rivers where they were born - sometimes within inches of the same location after years spent at sea. This week again proves just how smart the Atlantic Salmon really are! After many weeks where fishermen waited for the big run, they arrived in full force on July 1 - just in time to join the Canada Day Celebrations. Wow, what a smart species of fish, as fishermen enjoyed the first great summer fishing day throughout the lower stretch of the Main River, the Renous and the Northwest Miramichi. The fish landed were anywhere from 3lb grilse to 28 Lb Salmon, with fishermen landing most of them on Bear Hairs, Shady Ladies, Butterflies, and even big Brown Bombers. Again, yesterday, and this morning, fishing has remained quite consistent with the water a bit high on the lower stretch of the river. The better results have been in pools above the mouth of the Cains. With the number of fish moving up the system, the upper River fishermen should experience some good fishing by weekend. Water temperature was 62F this morning. June 26th Another slow week for Atlantic Salmon fishing even though the conditions have been fantastic, with cool water and a few showers daily keeping the water at a good height and temperature. Fishermen are starting to see and hook a few more fish daily than in the previous weeks' making for high expectations, that any day now will be the beginning of a bigger run thought the river system. Over the years, when June has not been good, July has traditionally been a better one. In 1990, another year of late ice out in the Atlantic, July was the better month of the season. With the high tides coming over the weekend, fishermen are anticipating some great fishing very soon. June 18th One thing is for sure when fishing for the Wild Atlantic Salmon there is never any guarantee that things will be the same from one year to the next! Each year might be different as to when the big runs arrive, depending on their journey across the open sea from the Coast of Greenland. The water height and temperatures, seals and other predators, even to a late run off of ice moving down the North Atlantic, can all play a part in determining when and how big the runs of salmon might be from season to season. without any great numbers so far anywhere in Eastern Canada, this year much of the talk is that it is due mostly in part to the late spring and cold temperatures that have kept the ice longer in the ocean between Greenland and NFLD - the travel route of these Wild Atlantic Salmon. We Know that at times the Atlantic Salmon can be the most challenging and picky of any species of game fish and at times it has been called the "Too" fish. Water Too high, water too low, water too warm, tides too low. But all the best things in life come with a price and at the end of a fly line there is no fish more rewarding than these Wild Atlantic Salmon. Not a lot to report this week except the lack of fish everywhere in Eastern Canada, including the Miramichi. Single handed rods have always been the rod of choice by many of the local fishermen and by many of the fishermen that travel to fish these waters, but over the past few seasons we have been seeing a big increase in the number of fishermen changing over to Spey Rods for fishing this river. Among our fishermen from Europe and the UK it was always a popular method of fishing but now we are seeing an increase in Spey Rod fishing from both the west coast of the US and Canada and the past two years the east coast of the US. We were a bit skeptical at first as to why such a big rod was needed but over the years I have come to appreciate the skill and the technique associated with spey rod fishing and that some fishermen in some pools can outfish anglers that are using single handed rods, even the locals, and that the lower stretch of the Miramichi is a great location for both single handed and double handed fly Rod Fishing. June 11th Great for Canoeing, great for Sea Trout fishing on the Cains, great for ATV Tours and a fantastic week for our Moose watching tours but other than a few Brookies it was not a great week for fishing the Main River as not a lot of the June salmon have entered the river system yet. There were a few salmon landed on the Nor'west and the Dungarvon but nothing to write home about. June 4th This past week at the lodge, and for most of the Main Southwest Miramichi River, has been our 'in-between' week, as we have been between our spring salmon fishing and our Summer fishing seasons. We are very fortunate to be located on the productive lower stretch of the river because, with the exception of only a week or two, most years fishermen have a good chance to land Atlantic Salmon throughout the entire fishing season from April 15th till Oct 15th - one of the longest salmon fishing seasons in the World. The anglers that have been fishing throughout this week have been concentrating primarily on trout fishing, picking up some nice ones in front the lodge and cottages, also while canoeing and fishing some of the tributaries. There are still no reports of any Bright Salmon being landed on our river although they probably are moving through the system, but not many fishermen have been fishing for them this week as most fishermen know that results for the first week of the summer fishing season are usually better on The Northwest River as it is the earliest river to experience the June run up the Miramichi River System, with the first salmon often being landed landed a week to ten days before our section of river. As a result, many anglers will begin the first week of summer fishing on the Northwest or just wait for reports of fish being landed there before trying the main river. Fishermen did start having some limited success from mid-week in its lower stretch pools so now they should began landing some of those Rocky-Brook-bound Silver Beauty's on our river this week. Of all the Atlantic Salmon that travel throughout the Miramichi and its tributaries, these first-run June salmon are the most silver and nicest looking fish of them all. The water is falling to a good height for many of the high water pools so we are expecting to see more locals heading to the river this week as the first fishermen to land a June Salmon has local celebrity status, if only for a short time. On two of the last five seasons our Lodge landed our first bright on the 4th. The best flies this week have been Big Brown Bombers and Muddlers for trout. The salmon landed on the Northwest were landed on the Green Machine and the Green Highlander. There are also plenty of Shad now in the system where fishermen can use sinking lines. The Shad is not a great fighter compared to the Salmon but for this in-between time for salmon runs, a shad at the end of the line can be quite rewarding. One of the better locations on the River for shad fishing is in the Upper Blackville area. May 28th After almost 6 weeks of Spring fishing there are still some spring salmon moving down through the river system, with reports of some still as far up as the Doaktown and Boistown area, however fishing for them is winding down for this season, as many of the anglers are now changing their fishing for the first runs of summer bright salmon and trout. Fishermen should start hooking a few of these soon, probably within the week. The fishermen that did catch fish this week still had some good spring fishing in the White Rapids area, with all our anglers landing fish, including James Mckerley from Penacook NH who landed 4 salmon 30 inches or more every day of his trip this week. With the rise in water levels over the weekend it helped bring some of the remaining fish down, making for better fishing right until the end. This week fishermen again landed some nice dark trout in the 2 lb range. As this portion of our fishing season ends we would have to say that overall it was another very successful one as out fishermen landed over 1,200 salmon and grilse, and 200 trout. Our largest salmon this spring was 48 inches landed by Jeremy Holloway from Claryville NY, his first Atlantic Salmon after 50 years of fly fishing trout in the Catskills. According to Jeremy, after landing that one Atlantic he now thinks he will be a hooked Atlantic Salmon fishermen for life. We had more productive days in April but May was the most consistent, with fishermen landing fish almost daily thoughout the month, including a salmon, a grilse and a trout yesterday - all on the same fly - the Gray Ghost. We would again like to take this time to say 'thanks' to everyone who helped us have another great spring season, and we look forward to seeing you all again next spring. And for those that will be visiting us for our summer or fall seasons, you can start getting excited,as we have been seeing an increase in returning fish to the Miramichi each year over the past few seasons, and we are expecting the same high returns again for this season. Many believe the high numbers of returning fish is due, in part, to the closure of the commercial fisheries off the coast of Greenland - the feeding grounds for the Atlantic Salmon that return to many of the salmon rivers throughout the World, including the Miramichi. May 20th For the better part of this week, our anglers had fairly consistent fishing in the faster water areas on the lower stretches of the Main River. Fishermen had success in both casting from shore or by boat and also fishing long-line from boats in the rapids. This weekend looks like another good one on the water as all our fishermen landed big salmon yesterday, including 36 inchers by Shawn Larson and William Hancock of Florida, minutes into their first morning of fly fishing - ever. Each year, toward the later part of the spring salmon fishing season, the majority of salmon landed are sometimes the biggest of the spring fish and this year has been no exception, as fishermen have not been landing as many fish a day as earlier in the season but the quality of the fish are now much bigger, brighter and better fighters. There have also been a decent number of dark trout throughout this season and fishermen have been hooking them daily with a few in the 3lb range this week. The best spring flies this week for both salmon and trout have been the Gray Ghost, our Camp Fly, JJ Smelt and the Magog Smelt and some limited success on big summer patterns such as the Green machine and the Butterfly. With some spring salmon still moving slowly down the system, expectations are high about the possibility of landing that first Sea run trout or early run Rocky Brook salmon. With Miramichi'ers enjoying a traditional springtime feed of fiddleheads and smelts, lots of water for boating on the Main River and canoeing on all of the tributaries, it's a great time of year to be enjoying the river - but then again, anytime is a great time on the Miramichi River. May 14th The first 5 days of last week would have to be described as 'fantastic'. The weather was beautiful, water conditions were great and the fishing was excellent, with some fishermen having luck on floating lines and smaller flies. However, sooner or later all good things have to come to an end, so by Friday, with the arrival of the smelts in our stretch of the river, they were the 'Special of the day' on the salmon's menu on both Friday and Saturday which made for slow fishing. Yesterday, and again this morning, our angler guests started fishing the faster water areas, such as the White Rapids, with better results catching both salmon and trout. With lots of salmon and grilse still in the system still feeding on smelts, the numbers of fish landed daily will be down. However the ones that are landed should be the better fighters of the spring season. Under these conditions and considering the time of season, better results may not come in the traditional ways of fishing for spring salmon - in slow deep water - but rather in the places, pools and faster water that you might normally fish in the summer, even though we are still fishing for spring salmon and sometimes even using floating lines and larger patterns of Summer flies like the Green Machine and Ally Shrimp. Anglers should also start landing some bigger trout before long, using these tactics in the fast water. The best fly this week was a small Black Ghost and a big Summer Green Machine. May 7th By all accounts the past week provided excellent fishing everywhere on the Main Southwest Miramichi and its tributaries. The water levels are at a good height and clean. Overall it was probably one of the more consistent weeks of spring fishing in years as all our anglers had good fishing results. Raymond Hill from Moneta, VA returned for the seventh consecutive year and averaged 14 salmon and grilse a day for a total of 70 in 5 days. This past week was also a great week for trout fishing with fishermen landing many nice trout on a daily basis. Good Spring fishing should continue for a while yet as fishermen upriver 30-40 miles away are still having success. With good weather in this week's forecast the warmer water should speed up more of the upper river fish moving down through the system. Under these conditions it should be a great week for fishermen who enjoy casting using sinking tips instead of the full sinking lines. Flies of choice are still the traditional spring flies such as the Golden Eagle and Renous River Special. The Maribou patterns are also working well but in smaller hook sizes than used earlier in the season. May 1st Since the water began lowering on Thursday morning, the fishing has been great with all our fishermen landing fish. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were all 100+ fish days and a good number of nice big salmon among them. The best fishing occurred when fishermen casted close to shore from boats. Fishing was also good for those fishing from shore over the weekend - the best shore fishing experienced so far this spring. The more successful flies have been the Ken's Renous and Golden Eagle. The cooler conditions this week are great for helping to keep the good fishing for a longer period of time this spring. With the great reports of fish many miles up river, it appears that the good fishing will continue late into May. This is great news as May is a fantastic time of year to be fishing on the Miramichi. With trout season now open, warmer weather, and if good conditions continue, fishermen can start having increased success using sinking tip and floating lines as the fish will rise for the fly a bit more like summer fishing. Spring fish landed in May usually tend to be the better fighters caught in the Spring fishing season. There is still a lot of spring fishing remaining for the lower stretches of the Main Southwest Miramichi. April 25th International journalists visit Country Haven Michael McRae from Oakland Maine So far this season fishing has not been quite as good as we had hoped but it has been much better than other locations on the Miramichi River System. Fishing started out well and remained consistent for most of the first week, but a rise in water levels due to warmer weather and the snow melting brought the water up to more normal conditions for this early in the season. The rising water also caused a lot of debris to float down through the system, making for poor fishing over the weekend and into yesterday. The good news is that all the upper ice has now gone and with the upper river ice remaining as long as it did, it looks like our best spring fishing is yet to come. Angling Conditions are continuing to improve daily and our fishermen starting hooking fish again today. The best fly so far this season has been the Golden Eagle and our own Country Haven Cardinal. This week has also been interesting as we have been hosting eight well-known international journalists. The group (photo above) includes David Profumo(UK), Keith Elliot (UK), John Bailey (UK), Richard Bakken (Norway), Peirre Affre (France), Phillippe Boisson (France), James Babb (US) and Neil Freeman (UK). Last evening they were entertained by a number of NB Fly-Tie'rs and story tellers including Peter Clark and Jacque Heroux and also locals Kathy Colford and Marc Madore. With the improving conditions everyone should have some great fishing over the coming weekend. April 17 It is now starting to look like lady luck is on our side again this spring as the ice has been gone now for almost a week over our 15 mile stretch of river. With some beautiful weather on Sunday, opening day, our fishermen landed over 100 Salmon and Grilse and another 77 yesterday making for two great days of fishing to start off the new season. With the water as low as we have ever seen for the start of the season (more like May conditions), fishermen discovered early on in the first day that the fishing would not be like many other opening days, when the best fishing was close to shore. With the lower clear water the fish were hanging farther out in the river than normal and the fishermen that usually have good luck fishing from shore were not having the same luck as in past years. But with our stretch of river free of any running ice, anglers could anchor boats and fish anywhere in the river and those that were doing so were having a great and successful time with their fishing. We are enjoying the fishing but still taking it day to day as there is still some ice upriver that has yet to move down through the system. If we get any great deal of rain and the water rises too high then there could still be some floating ice for a few days however if the weather warms up and the upriver ice just melts away, then we may never get any floating ice thougout our stretch of river. This works out ideally for us and has in the past, but not as good for upriver anglers as they would rather get rid of the ice as soon as possible. With lots of fish in our lower stretch of river now and fish still holding upriver with the ice, fishing should continue longer into the season this year. With the water as low as it is, it makes for great fishing now but it should rise a bit over the next weeks for this great fishing to continue. April 12 As the old song goes "What a difference a day(s) makes.."! With the opening day of fishing season only days away, after a long winter, everyone is excited about the prospects of getting back on the river. The warmer days this week have done a great job melting the ice. As of now the Bartholomew and the Cains rivers are ice-free and the Lower stretch of the Main Southwest Miramichi is now open from the mouth of the Cains to Gray Rapids (approx. 10 miles) and it is looking like it might be open another 5 miles to Quarryville by the weekend. Above the mouth of the Cains, the ice is deteriorating daily but with the low water and many little islands it is moving out at a slower pace. On opening day, there will be fishing on our stretch of the river, even though there is still some more upper river ice to move down through the system. With the spring salmon usually holding in inlets and back channels there will be many ice-free locations even if the upper river ice has not all moved down by the weekend. In springtime, much of the fishing is done from a boat but with the water at this low height, there are also some great places to fish from shore for anyone that enjoys shore fishing in spring. Another warm day today and some precipitation in the forecast for tomorrow can only help the upriver ice conditions. A 1-2 foot rise of water would do wonders but as of now it looks like it might just continue melting away daily. Things look good! See you next week! April 8 With only a week now until opening day the conditions are not as easy to predict as the past few years when the ice had been gone now for some time. This year, old man winter is hanging around as long as he can on much of the east coast. With some snowfall over the past week, there is not much ice in the river and the shorelines are open for miles in places and the ice is even running out in a few locations. Some years, the ice would have been gone by now but the cold nights have not helped by rising the water to get the ice moving on out of the river. With the warm weather starting Wednesday, we are hoping it will melt the new snow that arrived last week and bring the water level up in the river. How early the ice leaves this week will determine what opening day conditions might be like as sometimes it takes a couple of days for a clean river. For anyone wondering about May fishing conditions, it is now starting to look like fishing will be much better this year than the last two years when the ice went out early and the water dropped quickly. This year, with the ice remaining longer and still lots of snow, the water levels should remain high for a longer period of time, keeping the fish in the river longer and Spring fishing extending later into May. It is still too early to know how good spring fishing will be as much will depend on the conditions, but with all the fish that went up last fall and a late spring this year, it is now beginning to look like the springs of 2002, when a group of fishermen were still landing over 50 salmon and grilse a day in the third week of May, and the Spring of 2003 when Raymond Hill from Virginia landed 74 in 4 days of fishing on May 11,12,13,14th. As of now we are still not sure about opening day but we are confident that if not on the first day, then soon after, we will be fishing and fishermen will again have some great days of spring salmon fishing on the Miramichi. April 1 With fishing season opening day only two weeks away and the onset of spring right around the corner, much of the talk throughout the river valley is starting to be about spring fishing. Many of the fly tyers are finishing up their spring flies, guides and outfitters are beginning to get boats and equipment ready for the season and with the 'locals' starting their 'ice out' predictions, it's a great time to visit a local Atlantic Salmon fly-shop in person or online at Doak's Or Curtis Miramichi River Outfitters here on the Miramichi, suppliers of all your spring fishing needs. The warm foggy weather at the beginning of the week has seen the snow reducing daily and the ice is opening up along the shore over much of the lower stretch of the Main River. With warmer tempetures throught the day, the ice should continue to erode however with colder nights in the forecast through much of next week, it will probably take a good rain before much movement in the ice is seen before next week. The longer the ice remains, the better fishing might continue later into May, as long as conditions are still good for Opening Day. It's still a bit too early to tell, but everyone has their fingers crossed here on the Miramichi. March 22 A week at this time of year can sure change things. Last week the snowmobilers were travelling along the river. After a big rain over the past weekend along with warm weather, most of the river is now looking like it usually does at this time of year. It appears that everything should be fine for the opening three weeks from now. March 15 With only a month until the opening of Atlantic Salmon Fishing season on the Miramichi on April the 15th, it is still looking a lot like winter as the Miramichi river remains frozen and the snowmobilers are still using it on a daily basis. We did have a bit of rain and temperatures rose above freezing for the first time in a while over the weekend but with all the cold weather we have experienced over the past month, it still looks a lot like winter outside. Over the past few years, at this time of year, the ice was not looking as good and there was not as much snow on the ground. So when the ice went out early and the water dropped fast with no snow on the ground, it made April one of our best spring months. There are two good things about having lots of snow. When we do get rain or warmer weather, the higher water helps the ice move out quicker and if there is still snow on the ground after the season opens, the water does not drop as fast in the river and the fsh stay in the river longer before they move back out to sea, which can make for better spring fishing late into May. However with still a month remaining until opening day, it is much too early to guess when the best Spring fishing will be this year. We will be posting weekly reports on how the ice and river is looking up until our opening day for the lower stretches of the Miramichi - so check back often. YEAR 2006 River Report Here are the salmon counts for 2006 (as of Oct the 15th) for the two largest rivers in the Miramichi River system. With an increase since 2005 of approximately 6,600 more salmon and grisle for the Main Southwest Miramichi alone, it wasn't any wonder why the river was full of fish almost daily! (all numbers approximate) Main Southwest Miramichi 11,250 Large Salmon & 29,140 Grilse (small salmon) - Total 40,390 Northwest Miramichi 2,560 Large Salmon & 7,590 Grilse (small salmon) - Total 10,150 Total for both rivers 50,540 This does not include the count for the tributaries that are located below these rivers in the Miramichi System. With the excellent numbers of fish now in the system, it looks like we should have some great spring fishing again in 2007. Better make your bookings now! Fall Fishing October 16 Another angling season is now over for another year and by all accounts it was a great one! Throughout the season, fishing was excellent, with lots of fish in the system almost all of the time. Last week, our fishermen spent most of the time fishing the great little fall rivers of the Renous and the Cains. Anglers had good fishing on the Cains throughout the week. An interesting thing about the last three weeks, the first week and a half saw a good number of male salmon, the last week and a half were almost all female. My last day of the season was spent fishing with my 12 year old son Tyler on the Cains as tradition dictates, fishing and enjoying the final day of the season fishing together as father and son. On this day we fished a number of pools using flies tied by him. After all, Valerie Shelton from New Market, NH landed her first salmon on the Cains Wednesday using a Mickey Finn tied by Tyler. With salmon still rolling for our flies and the sun setting behind the trees to end another great season, we walked away from the Salmon Brook pool and the beautiful Cains River listening to Tyler talk about his fishing successes over the season and all the new fly patterns he would be tying for use next year and also thinking about all the old and new friends we got to meet again this season. It's time like this that makes me think that I am the luckiest guy in the world, living and doing what I love here on the beautiful Miramichi. We would like to thank everyone that visited us throughout the season. We hope you enjoyed your visit and we look forward to seeing you again in the near future. October 8th Normally the first two weeks of October have seen some of the best fall fishing, especially in low water conditions however over this past week, anglers have not enjoyed as much success as in previous years. A rain at the beginning of the week moved many holding fish out of the pools and it was also one of the slowest weeks this year for fresh ones moving back into the system from the sea. However, with the large number of pools we have use, our fishermen did have some success upriver in the Doaktown area where fish started holding again, and also on the Renous River, as the Renous always has a fall run in late September and early October. Flies of Choice were Ally's Cascade and #6 & #8 Undertakers. October 1st Another successful week with lots of big fish sightings and most of our pools were full of fish. It was one of our better fall weeks for landing fish as anglers had some great fishing at the beginning of the week. On Monday, father and son Dave and JB Berwick from Saint John landed 6 between them in the morning and friends David Korl and Justin Green from Billings Montana both landed four. On Tuesday, Scott Henderson from Knoxville Tennessee hooked seven and landed three - two of them were over 20 lbs. Throughout the week the river remained full of fish but they became a bit choosey over flies to take. Being located below the mouth of the Cains on the Main River, we sometimes land a good number of fall fish destined for the Cains and this past week over half of all the fish we landed were Cains-River-Bound. This suggests that fishing on the Cains might be good this fall. September 24th There were lots of big fish in the river this week but most were not taking a fly as well as anglers would have liked. The majority of the salmon caught this week were large salmon including a 48 lb beauty taken at Black Brook, below the mouth of the Cains. Most of our fish landed were taken on a #10 Preacher including the 16 lb salmon Alexander Strom from Goettingham, Germany landed on his first ever morning of fly fishing. Charles Burns from Charlottetown, PEI returned yesterday for his annual one day fishing trip, landing another one to make him four for four on day trips over the years. Flies of choice were the #10 Preacher and Undertaker and the typical full patterns such as Ally Shrimp and General Practioner. Summer Fishing September 18th Fish, Fish, Fish and more big fish holding in all our low water pools, daily, keeping fishermen excited every time they go to the river! With the water at a great height for our low water pools, some of the best fly fishermen from around the world have not had as good a success this past week as they should have. With hundreds of fish holding in some pools the fish were mostly dark and had developed a fall hook indicating that many of them have been in the system for quite a while and almost all the fish that were being taken were bright fresh ones just arriving with the tide. Although many of our upriver pools were full of fish, fishermen have been concentrating more on the pools closest to the tide influx, where the fish are more prone to taking a fly. Fishermen did start seeing more fresh fish moving through the system this week than last week. The best weeks of September this year will, again, probably be the last two weeks of the month. Best Flies this week were the traditional fall pattern of the Ally Shrimp (a fisherman landed three using this fly on Tuesday) and #10 Summer patterns - anything black. We are hoping that the fly of the week this week will continue to be a #8 White Wing Butterfly with red Butt. Joe Herzog from Stafford VA landed a large salmon using a White Wing this morning, within minuts of putting it on. With the beginning of fall foliage and the river full of fish it is a great time for visiting the Miramichi. September 11th The system is full of fish but not a lot of being taken this week. Most of the pools below the mouth of the Cains River on the Main River are full of fish with a good number of large Salmon in the mix. The fish that were landed this week were usually fresh from the sea as the fresh ones usually take a fly much better than the ones that have been in the system for a while. When fishing is good throughout the river and the water is high, fishing can sometimes be best in our pools up river. But when the water gets low and the salmon get more picky, it sure helps to be located on the Lower Stretch of the river, fishing over the freshest fish before they spend too much time moving up the river system. Best flies were the #10 Orange Butt Preacher, Green & White Bomber and a Spring pattern Mickey Finn has worked well in the Blackville area over the weekend . September 4th This August has been our best August in 10 years as almost all of our fishermen that fished with us were successful. We landed fish a total of 28 days out of the potential 31 days in August, making it one of our most consistent months ever. Since the beginning of September, with more fish in the system daily, fishermen have not enjoyed as much success as they did in the month of August. Best fly has been the #10 Orange Butt Preacher. August 28th Another good week for us here on the lower stretch of the Main Miramichi River. Good weather, Good Conditions, and lots of fish! This week was, again, a very successful one, as almost all of our guests landed fish daily, including some first-time fly fishermen like Doug Spotswood from Dallas Texas, who landed three on Monday or Steve Hawse from Pentecton BC who landed two on Tuesday and firs-time-ever angling husband and wife Hank and Lynn Brown from Hartford CT, they both landed Salmon on Thursday. Our experienced fly fishermen also had good luck including Bill Riehle from Cincinnati, Ohio, who was welcomed to the Miramichi Saturday by hooking seven and landing three on his very first day of Atlantic Salmon Fishing. Then there was experienced Scottish fly fishermen Ian Parker who returned yesterday for his seventh time fishing with us, landing two on his Ally's Shrimp for a good start to his week of Fishing. With his great experience and European Style, Ian always manages to enjoy good fishing, often when other fishermen do not. With all the fish we are seeing this morning it is looking like another good week of fishing. Traditionally September and October have been two of the better months for Atlantic Salmon fishing on the the Miramichi river system, and if August is any indication on how fishing might be, then we can't wait. Flies that have worked best for us this past week have been #8 & #10 Black Bear, The Almost, and the Shady Lady. August 21st Another good week for fishing on our stretch of the Miramichi, with good water conditions and lots of fish as most of our fishermen landed fish this week. The fish are now holding more in three of our lower river pools. Fishermen had the best luck this past week using # 10 Black Bear and The Almost. Fishermen started having more luck by week end on the Ally's Shrimp, also one of our favored fall patterns . Great week on the Water. August 14th With the water falling and at a good temperature, almost all of our anglers hooked fish this week, including all of our lady fishermen that stayed with us, starting with Jackie Legere from Bouctouche NB, who hooked 3 and landed one on Monday evening, then returned again yesterday to land another two, with one being a 16 Lb Beauty. Lynn Waters from Pittsburgh PA, and Cissy Alexander from Hartsville, South Carolina, also landed their first Atlantic Salmon on Wednesday and Thursday. Overall, this past week was a good week for Atlantic Salmon fishing on our stretch of the River. All fish landed were on # 10 Bearhairs and Undertakers with the exception of the four Saturday and two Sunday. John Warren from Milton Ontario landed his fish using a big # 6 Orange ButtBearHair. The conditions are great for fishing on most of the lower stretch of the Main River and new fish continue arriving daily. So far, August is turning out to be a good month for us again this year as in some years it has proven to be the best summer month. With two months remaining until the end of Fishing Season on Oct the 15th, we are looking forward to many more days of great salmon fishing here on the Miramichi. August 6th By all accounts we would have to say the first two months of the summer fishing season have been good ones, if not always for the fishermen then great for the fish. With the higher-than-normal water height, some of the upper river camps have had some of the best fishing in years as the fish always had lots of water for traveling. Here at Country Haven, being located on the Lower Stretch of the Main Southwest Miramichi has its advantages as all the fish traveling up the Main Southwest Miramichi have to swim past us to get to other upriver locations on the Main River and the tributaries of the Cains and Bartholomew. This gives our anglers access to all the fish moving through the system. With lower water usually comes improved fishing as the fish tend to hold more instead of traveling so far a distance each day. With this year's high water, our fishing so far has not been as good as it might have been under lower water conditions, and with so many returning fish, our anglers still managed to have very consistent fishing, mainly in two of our high-water pools, landing fish for seven consecutive days in June also seven and nine consecutive days in July. But the best and most interesting thing this season is we have seen at least a few fish in the river every single day since June 5th - over two months, giving fishermen high expectations every time they head off to the river. This past week was "lady luck" week for some of our lady fishermen, as Helen Riau from Valeyfield Quebec, Carolyn Drake of Woodstock NB, And Dian Wise from Bolder Colorado all landed their very first Atlantic Salmon, while Kathleen Ledo of Rutland VT., Rhea Boudaoud of Stafford Virginia and Paula Murphy from West Springfield Mass all had great fun trying with only Carolyn having fly-fished previously. A 3 out of 6 success rate on a one-day fishing trip for the Wild Atlantic Salmon is not bad, even with great conditions. With the water now falling, we are seeing more big August Salmon moving in and starting to hold in our low water pools. In our stretch of river, the water never gets too low for fishing in some of the low water pools so this has made for some of our better fishing over the years, especially in the months of August, September and October as most years the water tends to be lower in these months, so this suggests our best fishing this year might still be coming. #10 Glitter Bear and # 10 Green Butt Bear Hair were the best flies overall for the week. July 31st Another week of seeing lots of fish as our fishermen fished pools between Quarryville and Doaktown, seeing fish in all of them with with increased numbers of bigger salmon starting to hold up in cold water pools, making for good fun for dry fly fishermen. After landing fish for nine consecutive days, our anglers were shut out for three days of mid week fishing when lots of fish were rolling and jumping daily. By weekend on our canoeing and fishing day trips, fishermen had improved success while fishing two of our faster water downriver pools. We are happy to start landing more fish in these pools as the last 28 salmon and grilse we had landed were all in two of our high water pools. The best news on the river this week has been the great number of returning fish reported at the counting station in Millerton - the best return for both salmon and grilse for the months of June and July in 10 years for the Main Southwest Miramichi. This is great news for the Atlantic Salmon and the entire river system. # 8 # 10 Black Bear and Brown White Bombers worked best this week. July 23d Fresh fish have continued arriving daily with the tides, giving anglers a chance of landing one everytime they go to the river. The weather was a bit too warm and sunny for great fishing but excellent for canoeing kayaking and swimming. The fish we landed this week were all grilse on # 8 Wet flies with the exception of the three landed on Bombers, including one by another senior fishermen - 88 year old Doug Hamm from Sackville NB who was visiting the Miramichi as part of the Miramichi Salmon Classic weekend - a weekend dedicated to introducing new fishermen to the Miramichi for some fishing and hospitality. Overall, for a first time event, it was a great success as many anglers fished the Miramichi for the first time and saw firsthand why this River has always been considered as one of the premier fly-fishing destinations in the World. July 16th Another good week of fishing on the lower stretch of the Main Southwest Miramichi and some of its tributeries. Fishermen hooked into 52 and landed 33 at Quarryville on Monday, their best day, and fishing remained quite consistant throughout the week. The Renous river also had some good fishing on most days and a great number of fish continued to swim past our door each day this week as they journeyed upriver, with some of them heading up the Bartholomew River. The Bartholomew is a smaller tributary that enters the Main River in Blackville. Fishermen had some great luck there, in the lower stretch of the river. Our Father and son week started with a 'bang' as 8 year old Sean Lafage from Portland Maine landed his first-ever salmon at 9:15 AM Monday Morning and the week ended at 12 noon yesterday when 90 year old Fred Morgan from Halifax Country Nova Scotia - a life-long Atlantic Salmon fishermen - successfully landed a real beauty using a #4 Copper Killer. Fred landed his fish on the last cast of his 1 and 1/2 day fishing trip, adding to his total of literally thousands of fish landed, and adding another story to tell from a lifetime of memories fishing for the wild Atlantic Salmon. The amazing thing about fishing is to see the same joy shining in the eyes of this 90 year old fishing veterian as in little 8 year old Sean a few days earlier. Fishing has a unique way of making us all equal, no matter from where or what walk of life we might be from. We see it daily while entertaning fishermen from all around the world. Flies of choice this week have been the Undertaker and Green Butt Bear Hair. July 10th More rain, More fish, best fishing the Renous for most of the week as a good run of July grilse started moving up the Renous early in the week and with another rise of water the conditions and fishing were much better on the Renous. With our being centrally located to many of the Miramichie's salmon fishing tributaries, anglers can fish the Renous, Dungarvon, Bartholomew or the Cains - all great salmon rivers - in less than 20 min from our lodge. By weekend, fishermen were again having better luck on the Main River with lots of fish arriving daily on the tide. Fishermen on the lower stretch have been fishing more in conjunction with the tide times. "Right place - right time" results in a better sucess rate. Fishermen landed over 25 salmon and grilse in Quarryville and another 11 on the Renous yesterday. The catching could be better but the good number of fish moving up the system last night and again this morning are as good as any Atlantic Salmon fishermen could hope for. Flies of choice this week were #4 - 6 Green Machines on the Main River and #6 Silver Rats and Butterflies on the Renous. July 3d This past week was a mixed bag of fishing that saw days of many fish although none were landed and other days with no sightings but with fish landed, - days of poor fishing and days of good fishing, especially above Blackville on the Main Southwest Miramichi. The high water was ideal for fishing in the Doaktown and Boistown area with some fishermen saying they had the the best 3 days of fishing upriver they had ever experienced at this time of year. For our stretch of river, the lower the water gets, the better the fishing usually gets. For many of the past years it seemed like Mother Nature was on our side, with low water and good fishing, but so far this summer, with all the rain, the best fishing has been upriver or on the smaller tributaries where the water is not as high. Even though we have been seeing lots of fish, the high water has been keeping them moving right up through the system, sometimes traveling approx 20 km. a day. By the weekend, with the water falling, fishing on the lower stretches started again improving with fishermen landing some fish Thursday, more on Friday and more again on Saturday, with the best results coming in the Blackville and the Mouth of Cains areas. Most of the fish were grilse, landed on #4 Single hook Bear Hairs and White Tail Green Machines. With more rain today we might be fishing upriver again by Wednesday June 25th This week has seen much greater numbers of fish on the Main Southwest Miramichi. Like in June, most years, the first major surge of fresh salmon will be on the Northwest followed a week later on the Main Southwest Miramichi. Some salmon in the 25 lb. range have been landed between Blackville and the Upper Blackville Area over the past few days, but the interesting thing has been the good number of grilse this June. Fishermen have had some pretty good fishing but we all hate to think of the great fishing they would have had if the water had been lower with the same number of fish that were in the system. Overall, this has been one of the best June weeks for fish numbers in years and with falling water, fishing should only get better for our stretch of river at Country Haven, with our low water fishing pools. Best Fly #4 Red Butt Green Machine. Over the past three seasons we have had an 85% return rate among our anglers, which does not leave a lot of openings for new guests however we have some good news, as we are opening another new lodge in early summer! We now have increased availability throughout this summer and fall for fly fishing in our 11 private pools on the Miramichi River System. June 18th This week has seen the greatest number of fish on the Northwest Miramichi, as this is the first river of the system to experience the first run of June Salmon however there were also some good numbers of fish moving up the the Main Southwest Miramichi and its tributaries. With all the rain we received, the fish have lots of water for traveling up the river which makes for good fishing this early in June far up the River System. Some of the smaller rivers where water levels sometimes get too low for canoeing throughout the season are at a great height for fishing and canoeing day trips. With this high water on the Main River the best angling luck has been fishing the points along the salmon's journey, not requiring much wading, and using #4 green, black or brown bugs. June 7th Fishermen have now started hooking a few salmon almost daily on the Main Southwest Miramichi, with all of the salmon weighing between 15-22 lbs. With the water falling and the June run arriving, it looks like we are going to have some good fishing for the start of our summer fishing. One thing is for sure, you will never see any salmon more beautiful or fight any better, lb for lb, than the fresh June Atlantic Salmon. Spring Fishing May 17th With the weather remaining beautiful throughout most of the spring it has made for some low clear water and too many smelt so not a lot of action in our stretch of river over the May 7th weekend. However anglers did have some great trout fishing on our guided canoeing and fishing trips over a 17 Km stretch on the secluded Bartholemew river. By Tuesday afternoon fishermen were again having some good salmon fishing between the tidal waters in Quarryville and the fast waters of the White Rapids. Anglers landed another 36 salmon and grilse and 44 trout, some being the largest trout of the season with many of them in the 4 lb range. We finished up our spring salmon fishing season with all our anglers fishing at White Rapids, where this late in the season, the water is faster and the salmon tend to take a fly better than in the slower water. On Saturday and Sunday almost all of our fishermen were still landing big Spring Atlantic Salmon on a fly the guides tied and are calling "The Crazy Thing". Throughout the spring we have had good weather, good fishing and have made some great new friends. We would like to say "Thanks" to everyone who visited us in our most sucessful spring ever here at Country Haven. There are still a few Spring Salmon in the system but our fishing for them is over for another season. We are now awaiting the arrival of the Sea Run trout and the first run of the Rockey Brook salmon, which should be on the move any day now as everything seems a bit earlier this season. Over the past three seasons we have had an 85% return rate among our angler guests, not leaving a lot of openings for new guests but with our opening another lodge in June, we do now have some more availabilty throughout the summer and fall for fly fishing in our 11 Private Pools on the Miramichi River System. May 5th Without any change to the water flow due to the lack of rain this spring the smelts have remained in the system much longer than normal, which makes for easy feeding for the salmon, however fishing has remained very consistant throughout the first week of May with most fishermen landing between 5 to 10 salmon and grilse per day. Bob Karosy from Connecticut landed 31 in three days of fishing over the weekend and Debby and Irwin Mallory from N.Y. landed 40 between them in mid week, so along with our other fishermen we landed another good total of 267 salmon and grilse and another 66 brookies throughout the week. Most fishermen were still having the best luck on the traditional spring fly patterns. A bit of rain would help to freshen things up and bring the remaining fish down through the system. April 27th We are now almost two weeks into our spring fishing season and the only way to describe the fishing so far is that it has been 'fantastic' with all fishermen at Country Haven landing salmon and plenty of them. All our anglers have averaged between 6-15 a day since season opening, with Paul Carlton and his group from Affordable Adventures leaving this morning after his group landed a total of 244 fish in just three days of fishing. It just doesn't get much better! Our total number of Salmon and Grilse landed is now standing at 1,064 with 35 Salmon being over the 40+ inch range. We also landed 55 Trout in our first 12 days of the season making this our most successful start to spring fishing - ever! The most productive fly so far has been the 'Renous River Special', 'Ken's Renous' and the 'Christmas Tree'. The water is now a bit low again so over the past few days fishermen has been starting to have luck with smaller flies and lighter lines. Some anglers have also started to have luck using floating lines and traditional fall patterns like the 'Ally's Shrimp' and the 'General Practitioner'. The downside is that now the smelts have arrived, giving fishermen a bit of competition as the salmon are sure to be enjoying a feed of fresh sea-run smelts as much as we will be here at the lodge this evening. After the smelts arrive, fishing sometimes slows, but only for a few days as it then picks up again, with the Salmon putting up an even better fight then before the smelts arrived. A bit of rain is in the forecast for early next week and by then it will be needed for our great fishing to continue long into the Month of May. April 18th Another great start to another fishing season here on the Main Southwest Miramichi. On opening day, Saturday the 15th, the weather was beautiful and the fishing was fantastic as our group of fishermen landed 122 salmon and grilse on opening day. The spring fish this year are in great condition, giving anglers lots of action. The first Salmon hooked in 2006 at Country Haven was by Jason Thibodeau and the largest one landed on opening day was a 48 incher successfully landed by Craig Thibodeau. Both Jason and Craig were from the State of Maine. Aafter three weeks of almost perfect weather, rain finally moved in overnight Saturday and the river rose on Sunday and Monday but with only a little snow left in the woods this spring the water only came up to a good height for spring fishing on our stretch of the river. Although it is a bit dirty, fishing has remained very consistent with each angler landing between 8 to 24 fish on Sunday and 6 to 21 yesterday. It now looks like most of the rain is behind us so the river should start falling again and fishing should continue to be good as there are reports of good numbers of salmon and grilse many miles up river. They will be continuing to move down thought the system over the next few weeks, giving fishermen lots of fun along the way. The most productive flies so far this spring hves been the Renous River Special, Christmas Tree and the Pink Lady. April 12th Things are looking great for the start of our 2006 fishing season as the ice has all gone. The weather has been great over the past few days and the water is at the same height as on opening day last year - just a bit lower than on most opening days over the years, a great height for fishermen who enjoy casting from a boat. Have Fun on the Water and always think safe. April 1st The fishing season is starting to look like things should be great for opening day here on the Main Southwest Miramichi. With the warm weather we have been having throughout the past week, the ice has been melting away like a snowball in July. Over the past couple of days it has started breaking up in a few places and has moved between Blackville and White Rapids, a stretch of approx 6 miles, with open water in a lot of places. Still lots of upper river ice to come and the water is a bit low - some rain would help at clearing the ice left on the riverbank - but most of it should be gone before opening day on April the 15th. Let's hope we still have some of this beautiful weather still around by then. If you plan on heading to the river for opening day, we recommend using sinking line and having at least one Renous River Special in your flybox. This is also a great time of year to visit a fly shop in your area that also caters to Atlantic Salmon anglers, or better still, make an online visit to any of our local fly shops or make them your first stop upon arriving on the Miramichi. They they will know what is working best from day to day and are always happy to help guide you in your gear selection. Good Luck to you for another fishing season and let this be the year that you take that special someone fishing. Father & Son/Daughter or just a good friend that you always knew will truly enjoy the experience . YEAR 2005 River Report Here are the salmon counts for 2005 (as of Oct the 15th) for the two largest rivers in the Miramichi River system. (all numbers approximate) Main Southwest Miramichi 7,840 Large Salmon & 25,940 Grilse (small salmon) - Total 33,780 Northwest Miramichi 4,870 Large Salmon & 10,260 Grilse (small salmon) - Total 15,130 Total for both rivers 48,910 This does not include the count for the tributaries that are located below these rivers in the Miramichi System. With the excellent numbers of fish now in the system, it looks like we should have some great spring fishing again in 2007. Better make your bookings now! Fall Fishing 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. Summer Fishing 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. Spring Fishing 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YEAR 2004 River Report 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. Spring Fishing 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 d