May 16th, 2024
The 2024 spring Atlantic Salmon season is now officially over and we are delighted to report that it was a better season than we had expected given the early ice out and the low reported numbers of fish entering the system last fall. We had a feeling that the numbers might be off given all the high water last summer & fall and the fact that the fall runs seem to be coming later and later each year with fish entering the system well into November.
But as we celebrate our 25th year in business we are happy to report that the first three weeks of the spring season provided our guests with some of the most consistent fishing we have ever experienced. In large part, this was due to a slowly dropping river and cool temperatures which enabled the salmon to slowly progress down the river versus dropping out all at once. That said, by the last week of the season, while we were still seeing salmon jumping, catching became much more difficult as they dropped out of the system on their way back to the ocean. It is worth noting as well that we had a good spring trout season this year, a welcome surprise given the brook trout decline in recent years.
The striped bass has now entered the SW Miramichi River system in great numbers and seem to be pushing farther and farther upriver each year to spawn. Many stripers were seen throughout the system as Hugh as the mouth of the Cains River and our guests targeting stripers were landing as many fish as they want, sometimes more than 100 fish a day in Quarryville.
This spring saw us welcome back 90% returning customers and we are so fortunate and blessed to have such an amazing clientele! Return guests include Paul Carleton (who has been coming for 24 years!) & the Affordable Adventures Crew. We also welcomed back 93 Year Old Burt Williams and his son Craig, from New Hampshire and they enjoyed their annual visit at the lodge with their cousin, 91 Year Old Lloyd Webb from Sussex, New Brunswick. Some of our other return guests included Mike Price from MA, who first came to the Miramichi in 1965 returning almost ever year since Bob Waterman from ME, Mike Sirois from NH, Carl Soderland from MA, Andy Krotinger from MA, Mike Deloia and crew from MA and ME, Wild Bill & Jane Mather from Ontario, Jim and Charlie Zien from Connecticut, The MacKinnon family from Hampton, NB, Jim Cray from ME and Tony Spratt from the UK.
Honestly, there are too many wonderful customers for us to mention by name but we sincerely thank all of our many Country Haven Miramichi guests this year and all of those over the past 25 years! We would also like to say thanks to all of our guides, kitchen staff, cleaning staff, and maintenance staff for all of their hard work and efforts on behalf of our clients ensuring that everyone has an enjoyable and memorable experience while here on our beautiful river.
In the short term now we will focus on guiding for striped bass until the first run of bright Atlantic Salmon begins sometime in early June. It is always such an exciting time and we so look forward to hearing of the news that the brights have once again made their way up into our river system. With access to 25 private fishing pools and 8 full-time guides, our guests have the choice of All-Inclusive Fishing Packages or they can simply rent one of our cottages and use our pool & guide service. Whatever you choose, we look forward to welcoming you to Country Haven Miramichi for the upcoming summer and fall fly fishing seasons!
