Miramichi Fishing Report for Thursday, August 6, 2015

Angling was a bit slower this past week due to warm temperatures.  However, there are good numbers of fish around, but just not taking well.  Every day there are more fresh fish entering the system giving us so far quite a good year.  If we get Fall runs that follow this trend, we could have a very good year, especially compared to last.

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W.W. Doak and Sons in Doaktown said angling this week was a little slower than last week, but anglers were still catching some and seeing good numbers of fish moving through the system.  The two weeks prior was simply tremendous fish between the Mouth of the Cains down to Quarryville.  Rain this past weekend helped some, and rain on Tuesday/Wednesday helped with water temperatures.  The forecast for the remainder of this week predicts cooler temperatures during both the days and nights, so that should be advantageous for fishermen.  Some were limiting out while others were catching some and seeing good numbers, so overall it is positive.  One angler fished about ten hours total throughout last week and landed ten fish.

Flies of choice were Same-Thing-Murrays, Glitter Bears, Shady Ladies and White-tailed Green Machines on no. 8 hooks with a few 10s.

Derek Munn of Ledges Inn in Doaktown and Mountain Channel in the Rapids area said they were getting a few fish, but fishing was not great.  However, they were seeing lots and had good fishing Sunday and Monday morning before the heat hit and angling slowed.  Mountain Channel had a good week, picking up 12-15 on the weekend.  A good rain and cooler temperatures would spark the fishing again.

Flies of choice were an assortment of Bombers (particularly blur & white and brown & white), and small wet flies such as White-tailed Green Machines and Shady Ladies on no. 8 hooks.

Herb Barry Sr. of Herb’s Fly Shop on the Station Road in Blackville said there was not much to report.  The water was low and warm and the fish were not taking as well as anglers might like, although a few were being hooked.  The good part was that they were seeing lots of fish.  He felt a good rain and cooler temperatures would really perk up the fishing.  With very few locals fishing, it was hard to get a really good read on the angling.

Flies of choice were an assortment of Bombers along with wets such as Preachers, Undertakers, Green-butt Bear Hairs and Shady Ladies.

Curtis Miramichi River Outfitting in Blackville said anglers were getting a few, but seeing lots.  The water was low and warm, so the fish were not taking well.  The cold-water pools were pretty full.  Canoeing conditions were great.

Flies of choice were Bon Bons, White-tailed Green Machines, Green Highlanders, Undertakers, Bear Hairs and an assortment of Bombers.

George Routledge of George’s Fly Shop at the Mouth of Renous in Quarryville said fishing was not bad.  There were lots of fish around, but they were not taking well as the water was warm and low.  However, the level of water had improved some, but still had a ways to go.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, White-tailed Shady Ladies, Same-Thing-Murrays, Black Ghosts and Bear Hairs on nos. 6 & 8 hooks.

Jim Laws of Miramichi Hunting and Fishing in Newcastle, Miramichi reported decent numbers of fish around, but they were not taking well as the water was down and warm.  A good rain was needed to freshen the rivers and make the fish more active.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Shady Ladies and some Bombers and Dry Flies.

Syd Matchett of Trout Brook Fly Shop on the Northwest Miramichi said angling was pretty good for the number of anglers out.  One sport limited out two days in a row.  Derrick Johnson landed a salmon and two grilse on Sunday.  Omar Depres and Lynne LeBlanc landed five on the Elbow Crown Reserve stretch, including Lynne’s first ever.  A couple of local anglers landed five between them on Wednesday. Rain on Saturday gave the river a decent raise in water

Flies of Choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Shady Ladies, Blue Charms, Echo Beaches and Bear Hairs.

Debbie Norton of Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures on the Little Southwest Miramichi said fishing was good this week.  Jimmy Laub from Pennsylvania hit a pocket of fish over six days landing two salmon and 13 grilse. Trent and Angel Bacon of Nunivak hooked a grilse each and several other guests picked up fish as well.  The water had been down, came up with the rain Saturday and went down again, but the temperature was decent, so over all it was a positive week.

Flies of choice were Shady Ladies and White-tailed Green Machines.

So 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 Market to get fresh-cooked lobster and all your seafood needs!

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Thought for the Week: “The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.
~ John Buchan

E-MAIL:

From MSA:

Hi All

Great numbers at the traps! The Cassilis trap has had great numbers over the past two weeks with a high of 138 fish in one day. The Millerton trap is not doing as well but fish are still moving with some of the camps on the Southwest Miramichi reporting the best fishing they have had in 10 years. These traps catch about 7% of the fish going up the river. The gill nets have not been in at Red Bank all season and have been out at Eel Ground since June 13^th.

You can check out the trap and barrier numbers the middle and end of each month – these can be found at http://www.inter.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Gulf/asir/count?period=0615&group=1 or click the DFO Salmon Counts Quick Link on our home page. July 31^st numbers should be interesting.

 MSA Trap Net

This is just our second year fishing the trap net near the Chatham bridge and last year we had some issues so we really don’t have anything to compare our results to. That said we are very happy with the numbers of fish we are getting. If we are correct in assuming we are capturing 1-4% of the fish going up the river then the 139 fish caught today represents between 3475 – 13,900  fish moving by today. The fish we catch are being tagged and returned to the river as part of the Mark-Recapture stock assessment carried out by DFO.

	Grilse (to 63 cm)	Salmon (64+ cm)	Total
Monday June 29th	8	4	12
Tuesday June 30th	16	11	27
Wednesday July 1st	15	15	30
Thursday July 2nd	0	2	2
Friday July 3rd	13	7	20
Monday July 6th	12	4	16
Tuesday July 7th	11	8	19
Wednesday July 8th	13	6	19
Thursday July 9th	Not	Fished
Friday July 10th	29	10	39
Monday July 13th	10	4	14
Tuesday July 14th	8	2	10
Wednesday July 15th	16	11	27
Thursday July 16th	32	25	57
Friday July 17th		Did not fish
Monday July 20th	0	0	0
Tuesday July 21st	4	3	7
Wednesday July 22nd	7	4	11
Thursday July 23rd	24	11	35
Friday July 24th	12	4	16
Monday July 27th	22	10	32
Tuesday July 28th	96	43	139

Great numbers for today!

Barrier Reports

Numbers are up at the barriers.

Northwest Barrier – Total to Date – July 26^th  2015

	Grilse (to 63 cm)	Small Salmon (64-84 cm)	Large Salmon (>84 cm)	Total Small &  Large	All  Atlantic Salmon	Brook Trout
2015 to Date	135	38	17	55	190	634
Previous Year to Date	103	37	18	55	158	786

 

Dungarvon Barrier – Total to Date – July 26^th  2015

	Grilse (to 63 cm)	Small Salmon (64-84 cm)	Large Salmon (>84 cm)	Total Small &  Large	All  Atlantic Salmon	Brook Trout
2015 to Date	106	41	64	105	211	37
Previous Year to Date	43	12	30	42	85	23

This time last year the Dungarvon Barrier was up and fishing again but we had lost two weeks of catch.

Crime Stoppers

I have been getting reports of illegal netting and passing these on to DFO Conservation Officers. Unfortunately it is well after the fact and chances of catching someone is limited. They have requested that if people see or hear anything they suspect is illegal to call Crime Stoppers right away –  Crime Stoppers will then call the Conservation Officers and they will be able to investigate while the suspicious activity is in progress. The number to call is 1-800-222-8477.

Yours in Conservation, Nola

Date Period:  [July 31 \/]   Size Group:  [Salmon \/]   [Update Tabular Report and View Counts]

Cumulative counts to date of Salmon as of July 31 (* indicates fewer than 5 years are available to calculate the mean, N/A indicates that no values exist for that year, date of operation may vary from year to year.)
Site	Average 1992-1996	Average 1997-2001	Average 2002-2006	Average 2007-2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Restigouche River
1 – Upsalquitch Protection BarrierBar Graph and Tabular Report	365	252	227	297	242	293	N/A	N/A
2 – Little Main Counting FenceBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	22	*	*	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Jacquet River
3 – Jacquet River Protection BarrierBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	*	15	63	45	32	24	N/A
Nepisiguit River
4 – Nepisiguit Counting FenceBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	*	*	*	25	23	N/A	N/A
Miramichi River
5 – Northwest Protection BarrierBar Graph and Tabular Report	127	137	132	149	117	191	55	N/A
6 – Northwest Cassilis TrapnetBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	*	101	227	148	136	35	253
7 – Southwest Millerton TrapnetBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	191	325	470	421	277	153	340
8 – Dungarvon Protection BarrierBar Graph and Tabular Report	126	90	106	130	100	216	49	N/A
9 – Southwest Juniper BarrierBar Graph and Tabular Report	92	144	195	*	217	219	N/A	N/A
Saint John River
10 – Mactaquac DamBar Graph and Tabular Report	2023	1005	403	357	95	72	60	81
11 – Fishway Tinker DamBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	0	*	*	1	0	N/A	0
12 – Nashwaak River Counting FenceBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	66	43	105	29	26	12	36
Magaguadavic River
13 – St. George FishwayBar Graph and Tabular Report	27	2	*	*	N/A	1	1	2
St. Croix River
14 – Milltown FishwayBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	4	3	*	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Sackville River
15 – Sackville River Counting FenceBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	*	2	11	3	3	3	2
LaHave River
16 – Morgan Falls FishwayBar Graph and Tabular Report	170	110	100	58	27	101	20	17

Date Period:  [July 31 \/]Size Group:  [Grilse \/][Update Tabular Report and View Counts]

Cumulative counts to date of Grilse as of July 31 (* indicates fewer than 5 years are available to calculate the mean, N/A indicates that no values exist for that year, date of operation may vary from year to year.)
Site	Average 1992-1996	Average 1997-2001	Average 2002-2006	Average 2007-2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Restigouche River
1 – Upsalquitch Protection BarrierBar Graph and Tabular Report	597	519	413	436	199	255	N/A	N/A
2 – Little Main Counting FenceBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	97	*	*	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Jacquet River
3 – Jacquet River Protection BarrierBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	*	29	110	117	66	24	N/A
Nepisiguit River
4 – Nepisiguit Counting FenceBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	*	*	*	63	27	N/A	N/A
Miramichi River
5 – Northwest Protection BarrierBar Graph and Tabular Report	424	360	369	434	102	130	107	N/A
6 – Northwest Cassilis TrapnetBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	*	628	857	234	338	60	1080
7 – Southwest Millerton TrapnetBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	609	1456	1285	431	385	246	869
8 – Dungarvon Protection BarrierBar Graph and Tabular Report	364	264	233	344	123	184	55	N/A
9 – Southwest Juniper BarrierBar Graph and Tabular Report	190	269	363	*	99	136	N/A	N/A
Saint John River
10 – Mactaquac DamBar Graph and Tabular Report	3397	2621	1174	1162	79	225	118	554
11 – Fishway Tinker DamBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	2	*	*	N/A	0	N/A	2
12 – Nashwaak River Counting FenceBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	201	220	339	13	51	29	151
Magaguadavic River
13 – St. George FishwayBar Graph and Tabular Report	27	8	5	*	N/A	2	4	2
St. Croix River
14 – Milltown FishwayBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	10	3	*	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Sackville River
15 – Sackville River Counting FenceBar Graph and Tabular Report	*	*	29	54	7	5	7	29
LaHave River
16 – Morgan Falls FishwayBar Graph and Tabular Report	1012	368	418	286	18	69	40	149

 

Atlantic Salmon Federation News
Friday, July 31, 2015

ASF RIVERNOTES – The Latest Twists in Atlantic Salmon Returns
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Read ASF’s Rivernotes for the latest information on Atlantic salmon returns across the species’ range in North America. Check out the tale of taking seven children salmon angling on the Margaree last week.
http://atlanticsalmonfederation.org/rivernotes/

Poaching Reports on the Miramichi in 2015
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An increasing number of reports of poaching on the Miramichi have surfaced – at a time when everyone needs to help the salmon runs recover throughout this large watershed. ASF is reminding all anglers to be guardians of the salmon’s future and report suspicious activity to NB Crimestoppers. For details:
http://asf.ca/help-stop-poaching-on-the-miramichi.html

FACEBOOK members – We need your help:
Please go to Facebook and share our ad to alert as many anglers as possible of the need to report illegal killing of salmon to NB Crimestoppers. If you have not liked us on Facebook, do so and share. Thanks!
https://www.facebook.com/AtlanticSalmonFederation

ASF Research Blog – Pulling in the Data Receivers
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Long hours, plus navigating the Miramichi estuary to retrieve sonic tracking receivers for the goldmine of data available on 2015 salmon movements.
http://asf.ca/research-in-the-field.html

Canadian Senate Report on Aquaculture Released this Week
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ASF’s Sue Scott responds in the Globe and Mail to a Senate report on aquaculture that calls for a national database and greater transparency, but goes light on the need for better monitoring, regulation and enforcement.
http://asf.ca/senate-report-on-aquaculture-wants-database-and-transparenc.html

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Until next week

TIGHT LINES

DOUG