Miramichi Opening Day Salmon Blog
Brophy Pool on Cains from the mouth of Otter Brook down to the old camp.
On April 13 the SW Miramichi stood at 1.55M on the Blackville gauge. That is the sort of number you’d expect when fishing for the first bright salmon on June 1. At that height many of the river’s pools are beginning to take shape and you can do a fair amount of wading. There were two rain events, one on the 14th and another on the night of the 15th. These were both inch-plus rains that also melted a lot of the substantial amounts of snow remaining in the woods. The result was the river was at 2 meters and rising on opening morning, but not yet too dirty for decent action.
Darrell Warren waits to go spring salmon fishing in Blackville, NB.
The old Doctor’s Island lodge with the Canadian flag out front.
nearby Our first stop was just a couple hundred yards above Country Haven where Darrell Warren’s boat was tied. My fly hadn’t been in the water a full minute when I had a good strike that failed to hook up. A little later we were just above Doctor’s Island which is not only a good spring spot but also home ground for me. David Donahue had the Canadian flag out in front of the old lodge, the wind was light, the temps were moderate and everything felt just right. We landed several nice salmon – no monsters, but what would have been low to mid-teen fish the previous season – and had a few more strikes and brief hook ups. Other nearby boats were also catching salmon. In some cases, multiple boats were hooked up simultaneously. Some anglers did catch some bragging-size fish like the long, cock-fish from the Ledges Inn in Doaktown, and the immense henfish landed by Country Haven customers – photos below. It wasn’t the good old days, but it was very satisfactory and a real relief after last fall’s apparently weak salmon returns.
Back at the dock for lunchtime Byron Coughlan told me that he had been in touch with anglers from Boiestown to Quarryville, and that everyone was catching fish. Albert Putnam sent me a photo he had gotten from the Ledges and told me that all the anglers there were also catching fish. The next day the water was dirty and rising hard all day. The height topped-off at 3.6 meters which is an approximate 7-foot raise from just two days before! We fished intensely enough, but there were no takers, and every cast dredged up a bunch of weeds.
Country Haven angler with a one about as big as they get.
On Thursday we decided to make a trip into the lower Cains River tributary of the Miramichi where I know several spots that have been good to us over the years. The water in the Cains was moderately high and very colored, but relatively clean of floating debris. We had no luck, and to add to our misery it was just above freezing and blowing over 20 mph all morning. I don’t take it from this that there are no spring fish in the Cains. It was just a period of rapidly changing and poor conditions. It all just goes to show just how critical conditions are when salmon fishing. Looking back on things, I’m very grateful for the good fishing I had on opening day. Even with the mean conditions it was just great to spend some time again on and around the Miramichi. I just texted Byron at Country Haven, and he told me that catches were much better this morning. The river is beginning to clear up a little and is dropping.
An excellent spring cockfish from The Ledges in Doaktown. We hope this fellow sired a few hen salmon last fall.
Also of interest, was being checked for license and barbless hooks by the DNR wardens. Luckily, I was okay in both departments! I had heard stories about wardens running a piece of material along the hook to see if any of the old barb caught anything. I had flattened out the barb on the hook – though a piece of cloth might still have been snagged – and the lump from the metal was still there. The warden was happy.
If you want to get in on this fishing the time is now, or at least as soon as you can make it up. Country Haven and the Ledges Inn on the SW Miramichi and Upper Oxbow on the NW all have guides, meals and accommodations. There are also a good number of independent guides and outfitters that I’m sure one of the lodges would refer you to if they are full. Spring salmon fishing is a modestly priced adventure on the Miramichi, and there is every likelihood of hooking into a really large Atlantic salmon.
One from today, 4/18 caught at Country Haven on the SW Miramichi.
Thanks for reading. Brad Burns
This isn’t going to be popular, but for a fishery/population in undeniable jeopardy, leaving kelts alone definitely won’t hurt and very likely will help their recovery. This ignores monetary benefits to outfitters and guides…. But we’re talking about their survival (fish and outfitters) in the not too distant future.
I don’t disagree with your comment…I really don’t. We need to rethink this salmon fishery for generations to come. It is this responsibility that we owe to this river, and future generations, above and beyond, that in 20 years from now, we can look at our sons and daughters and say that we tried.
Thanks for the comment Ed. Of course, you are right that one of these kelts that would have survived to come back and spawn lost to a hook and release encounter is a painful loss. My feeling, though, is that any activity that man has with these fish isn’t helpful to them. Of the fishing activities that are possible, though, c/r fishing for kelts is probably the very least harmful. The c/r mortality has been proven to be very low. For years 50 or more kelts would be angled, tags surgically implanted and then the fish released. Virtually all of them lived to exit the river and enter the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. After that only a few make it back to the river again to spawn due to various at sea mortalities. In the end the effect of the species spawning potential is very minor. Short of giving up fishing altogether fishing for kelts is the least damage that we can do.
Thanks for the information, Brad. Knowing that many make it out of the river might ignore mortality suffered along the coast and at sea. A weakened kelt is a more vulnerable fish when avoiding predation by seals or maybe other large predators. Mortality from the result handling injury (skin abrasion, etc) can also occur beyond the river. I know the there’s a slippery slope here. Restricting kelt fishing could be seen as the beginning of a ban on all salmon fishing. That’s not what I wish to see happen. We already restrict salmon fishing at other times and places. Kelts are the survivors and strongest individuals and hopefully some will pass their genes to the next generation. Let’s give them every chance. Personally, I have not experienced spring fishing, but viewed from my very limited perspective it does not appear to be as “challenging“, sporting and lucrative as the summer/early fall fishing. If a “sacrifice” is a way to start giving the kelts the best possible chance, they get my vote as a place to start.
I agree regarding your feedback, there’s one issue
and I need to address regarding release
for show and tell picture purpose’s . Keep them in the water
If possible avoid mortality.
Agreed, something we have to pay more attention to. I will say that as a rule the fish in these pics are only out of the water for a very few seconds.
It may well be time to limit / control spring fishing for blacks. I have watched major mis treatment of blacks when fished from boats. They are often overplayed due to fast water, they are often netted and dropped into boat for fly removal and then held up for pics. Also they are often not brought back to life properly due to boat difficulty and cold water on the hands. Is anybody else seeing this mis treatment?? If DFO really cared for our atlantic salmon they likely would stop us from spring fishing.