Miramichi Fishing Report for Thursday, August 7, 2014

In case you missed it, DFO has announced today that the hook and release fishery will continue on the Northwest until the end of the season. In 2013 the Northwest reached only 39% of its conservation limit – and numbers at the Cassilis trap and Northwest Barrier have been very low this year.

Moncton, NB – July 31, 2014 – Fisheries and Oceans Canada wishes to inform the public of important changes in the management of Atlantic salmon recreational angling on the Northwest Miramichi River system in New Brunswick.  The management changes are the following: The maintenance of the catch and release measures on the Northwest Miramichi River system;

From August 1 until the end of the season, catch and release will be mandatory in the Northwest Miramichi River system and its tributaries upstream from the Red Bank Bridge on Route 425.

The management measures announced today will help with the efforts of achieving conservation objectives for Atlantic salmon on the Northwest Miramichi River system in New Brunswick.

To report any suspicious fishing activity, please contact the nearest Fisheries and Oceans Canada office or to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
For more information on this fishery, please contact:
Pierre Bélanger
Senior Advisor, Recreational Fisheries
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Moncton, NB
(506) 851-2002

Much like most reports this season, there are only trickles of fish entering the system.  However, anglers are seeing more this week although the daily counts have changed little.  The second Striped Bass retention period lasts until August 21.

Doug White’s Tammerack Sports Fly Shop in Juniper said this week was the same old report from last week. The river is very low and the few fish around are reluctant to take. Most coming into the shop are after a few Pan fish, BUT people are still fishing.  Hopefully, it will be better.

Flies of choice: small bugs, small dries and various trout flies, all small.

W. W. Doak and Sons in Doaktown said angling was slow, with only a few fish being hooked.  One angler did catch a 25-pound salmon and a grilse this past week.  Generally, anglers are seeing a few more fish than last week, but they are not particularly in a taking mood.  Rain Wednesday freshened the river and gave a slight raise in water.

Flies of choice were Same-Thing-Murrays, Undertakers, Glitter Bears, Butterflies   and White-tailed Green Machines on nos. 6 & 8 hooks.

Derek Munn of Ledges Inn in Doaktown and Mountain Channel in the Rapids area said angling was decent on the weekend.  They had hooked six fish between four rods.  There seemed to be a trickle of fish moving through Mountain Channel where they were seeing a few, at least enough to keep anglers interested.

Flies of choice were Green-butt Bear Hairs, Preachers, Undertakers and Bombers in brown & orange, and blue all on no. 8 hooks.

Herb Barry Sr. of Herb’s Fly Shop on the Station Road in Blackville said angling was not good, but certainly better than the last few weeks.  Anglers were seeing some fish and catching the odd one.  He said he had seen a total of seven fish through June-July, but saw eight on August 1, so that was certainly an improvement. One was a large salmon which Barr described as “needing three horses to pull it up the hill.  It was the largest I have ever seen”.  The water was a good height and decent temperature.  Some of the grilse caught were quite small (micro-grilse as they are now being called) while some were nice weight in the 4-5 pound range.  Of the fish hooked, there was a good mix of salmon and grilse.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Bear Hairs, Preachers Undertakers, Same-Thing-Murrays and Bombers/Killer-Whiskers.  Hook sizes are 6 and 8’s.

Curtis Miramichi River Outfitting in Blackville said anglers were catching the odd fish, but at least they were seeing a few more.  Some were very small grilse.  One angler hooked a grilse Tuesday on a Chief Needabah.  Water conditions were good for the time of year.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Carter’s Bugs’, Bon Bons, and Bombers in white & orange, brown & orange and some Killer Whiskers.

George Routledge of George’s Fly Shop at the Mouth of Renous in Quarryville was unavailable for comment as both he and his wife are in the hospital.  Our thoughts go out to both of them.  The general consensus is that there are very few fish as one rarely sees more than a couple of anglers fishing there.  The Renous is also very slow.

Jim Laws of Miramichi Hunting and Fishing in Newcastle, Miramichi reported slow angling again this week with only the odd fish being hooked.  Water conditions were decent for the time of year.  Although the second Striped Bass retention period (August 1-21) is now here, he had no reports of bass being caught.  Unlike the first retention period which was primarily for the Miramichi area, this period is more spread out across the Gulf Region as the fish have spawned and have moved out to the various rivers before returning late September/October.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines and Blue Charms on no. 6 hooks.

Syd Matchett of Trout Brook Fly Shop on the Northwest Miramichi said angling was very quiet locally.  However, the Crown Reserve Stretches were producing average fishing.  He was part of a party of four last Friday-Sunday at the Crawford who hooked a few and seen some.  The party following them hooked three salmon and three grilse.  Matchett heard of two hooked at the Depot and four at the Narrows.  The headwaters had a raise of seven inches and temperatures were decent in the 62-64 Fahrenheit degree range.

Flies of choice were Shady Ladies and Undertakers along with a few Bombers.  Syd said that they got a lot of raises on Bombers, but no takers.  The party after them did get a few on Bombers. (Agitatingly, I asked Syd if he was saying that he didn’t know how to fish Bombers.  He laughed and said he’d have to get instructions from Dave Ingersoll)

Debbie Norton of Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures on the Little Southwest Miramichi said they were at least seeing the odd fish, even if they were not catching them.  Her guests were fishing pan-trout, but not in the river.  Water conditions were decent for August.

Flies of choice were Yellow Butterflies and White-tailed Green Machines.

So put on your “Hope Helmets” as we await a Fall Run to rescue the season.  Then we can get out and “on the water”.

Don’t forget to show your support for our sponsors, because without them, this column would not be possible.

Check out Deals 4 U in Miramichi for your grocery needs, and good Cuban cigars to celebrate getting back to the rivers.  Drop by Mac’s Seafood for Miramichi Smoke House Award Winning Smoke Salmon.

ANY FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARD HELPING WITH THIS COLUMN ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED. Click here to donate now. A SPECIAL THANKS to all who made contributions last season.

If you would like to sponsor this column, give us a call at (506) 352-7668 or email .

Thought for the Week: “More than half the intense enjoyment of fly-fishing is derived from the beautiful surroundings, the satisfaction felt from being in the open air, the new lease of life secured thereby, and the many, many pleasant recollections of all one has seen, heard and done.” – Charles F. Orvis

E-Mail:  One angler wrote:
Hi Doug,  as always I appreciate your report.  I thinks it’s great the portion from Newfoundland that provides insight to the enforcement and poachers being caught. I live and fish on the LSW and with it being closed I have to admit that I am very disappointed to have only seen one DFO truck on the river, I fish day in, day out.  It would be nice to get updates about the enforcement for New Brunswick.  Best regards,

Atlantic Salmon Federation News
Thursday, July 31, 2014

ASF RIVERNOTES – Salmon in the heat
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This week’s ASF RIVERNOTES includes two travel reports from ASF Regional Directors providing extra insight into the 2014 Atlantic salmon situation. Read more:
http://atlanticsalmonfederation.org/rivernotes/

ASF RESEARCH BLOG – Searching for Needle in a Haystack
How do you search for a single Atlantic salmon in the Miramichi River? Read on:
http://asf.ca/research-in-the-field.html

ASF’s Bill Taylor Calls for Anglers to Release all salmon
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A short video clip with CBC, in which ASF’s President Bill Taylor discusses the 2014 salmon returns and the need for anglers to release fish.
http://asf.ca/asf-calls-for-anglers-to-release-all-salmon-cbc-.html

Charles Cusson en entrevue vidéo traitant de l’importance de la remise à l’eau cette saison avec le quotidien La Presse
http://link.videoplatform.limelight.com/media/?mediaId=0a0655e4840d4f94a2314550c9f0ff5c&width=480&height=321&playerForm=Player

Tougher Measures Needed to Save Wild Salmon   
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The Telegraph-Journal saw the importance of  special conservation measures this summer with a major page 1 article. Read more:
http://asf.ca/tougher-measures-needed-to-save-wild-salmon.html

Hot Temperatures Bad for Anglers
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Newfoundland is experiencing record-breaking heat, requiring closure of many rivers to salmon angling. Read more:
http://asf.ca/hot-summer-temperatures-bad-news-for-anglers.html

Note: Go to ASF RIVERNOTES this week for a link to the latest DFO listings of closed rivers.

Restoration on Nova Scotia’s Cheticamp River
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Interesting description of stream work being carried out on this important Cape Breton salmon river.
http://asf.ca/cheticamp-river-restoration-continues.html

Canadian Government Plans to Unveil New Aquaculture Regulations in Aug.
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ASF’s is quoted in an article detailing the government ‘s approach to new upcoming aquaculture regulations.
http://asf.ca/dfo-may-unveil-streamlined-aquaculture-regulations-in-augus.html

Atlantic Salmon Federation News
Thursday, July 24, 2014

ASF RIVERNOTES – The Mystery of the small grilse
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ASF RIVERNOTES this week draws together reports of the very small grilse, showing it is a widespread phenomenon. Plus new insights into returns – and angler tales.
http://atlanticsalmonfederation.org/rivernotes/

ASF Research Blog – Monitoring the Magaguadavic
ASF Researchers gather information and inspect fish daily at the Magaguadavic River dam in southwest New Brunswick. Check it out.
http://asf.ca/research-in-the-field.html

Restoring Alewives to the St. Croix, a boundary river
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Check out this 2-minute video showing the tracking program that is designed to assist restoration of alewives in the St. Croix River.
http://asf.ca/restoring-alewives-to-the-st-croix-river.html

Nova Scotia Net-pens Still Not Recovered After Two Years  
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Studies have discovered that the bottom underneath cages abandoned two years ago have still failed to recover ecologically.
http://asf.ca/abandonned-cage-sites-show-no-recovery-after-two-years.html

Maine Governor Designates $25,000 to Downeast Salmon Federation
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The facility in East Machias has generated considerable interest for its environmental themes and growing importance for wild salmon restoration Downeast.
http://asf.ca/me-governor-designates-25k-to-downeast-salmon-federation.html

Busy Week Catching Poachers in NL
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Poaching remains an important stress to Atlantic salmon populations in Newfoundland. This week’s list of crimes illustrates how widespread it is.
http://asf.ca/more-poaching-in-nl.html

Until next week
TIGHT LINES
DOUG