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Miramichi Report

2K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  NOREASTER 
#1 ·
Just returned from fishing the Miramichi from July 2 through July 6 in the Doaktown/Blissfield area.

While the fishing was not totally lousy, it was far from good. The good news is that the fish were bright and very strong and were hooked fairly regularly early in the week. Wednesday began a slowdown that lasted until we left.

On Monday morning, one of our group, who had never before fished salmon, hooked two 20-25 pound fish, but lost them both. He had one on for about 20 minutes. If I recall correctly, one grilse was caught. No fish on Monday evening.

Two grilse were landed Tuesday morning. Tuesday morning also saw my significant other, Ling – who has been fly casting for less than a year and was on her first salmon trip – hook a dime bright 20+ pound fish. She lost that fish after about ten minutes, four jumps, and a run downstream in fast water that took a good 75 yards of backing, when the knot I tied between her leader and tippet came undone. She came back strong that evening by hooking and landing a small salmon, all on her own. Another grilse was landed that evening as well.

As far as my catching was concerned, it ended with that grilse on Tuesday evening. Two more grilse were landed on Wednesday, and one or two salmon were lost. Thursday and Friday were pretty much empty – a few fish were hooked, but none were landed.

On Friday evening, I was fishing in front of Ling when a beaver swam underwater past me – unnoticed – and surfaced between us. He then dove and took off down river under her line, succeeding in hooking himself in the shoulder. The run that beaver made put her Tuesday salmon to shame. She had almost run out of the 175 yards of backing that were on her reel when the guide succeeded in clamping down on the spool and broke the tippet. She was using a #8 barbless hook, so no real damage was done to the beaver, which we saw get out onto the beach some ways downstream and appear to extricate himself from the hook.

That’s pretty much the entire sad story. The slow fishing this season won’t keep me from going back next. I even hope to give it a try again this fall.
 
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#3 ·
Considering all

Considering that you hooked fish it sounds like a good trip to me. The fishers who spent any time in June on the Miramichi would have given their first born to have the action you did. I fished the Northwest and Little Southwest for 12 and came up empty.
The great news is that all branches of the Miramichi have gone crazy the past 5 days. I fished the Northwest and had to leave the river after limiting out two days running. Most of the salmon were 12 to 14 pound male fish?!?! Seems unusual for the Miramichi at this time but it was an unusual year to begin with. I dropped by to watch the circus at Quarryville and to my surprise George (Georges Fly Shop) told me they had been landing upwards of 30 salmon and grilse a day on the Renous side and breaking off or losing twice that number. By some accounts they have harvested well over 400 grilse from the one pool in the last week.
I know one thing…I’m pulling in some sick days and heading back to the river in the morning.

Tight Lines,
NRESTR
 
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