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.

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.