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.
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.