October 16th, 2021
I Would have to say that the last couple of weeks of the season were not much to write home about - as far as fish landed went - even though some pools had good numbers of both Salmon and Grilse in them and conditions were perfect. Fishermen had the most success on the Cains river as a lot of fish moved up early this season. We are very lucky to have access to some great private water and also a lot of luck - they both help when fishing is not the best. The fall run didn't start entering the system until mid-week with a few fish being hooked on the lower stretches over the past few days. With the fall runs on the main river probably just beginning, a lot of questions are being asked as to why the Miramichi does not stay open longer than October 15th as some tributaries and other Atlantic Canada rivers do! We can’t really complain, however, as we managed to have one of our best seasons in quite a while, for the number of catches per the number of fishermen, starting on April 15th on, with good conditions much of the season - with the exception of a few warm weeks in August shutting fishing down. As a outfitter, we have so much to be thankful for, starting with the good number of guests returning after a year's shutdown and also managing to keep our staff working for another year. We might be biased but we do think we have some of the very best in Canada. Also, We could never have as much success as we did have without the help of so many wonderful people we work with each season - from pool lease owners, Miramichi Marine, local Garages and fly shops. When fishing gets tough, especially for Atlantic Salmon, you need all the help you can get and we do appreciate it.
On a positive note, we think the overall returns will be good for the season even if the DFO does not manage to count the majority of the fall runs that will probably come in after the season when counters are closed. On a negative note however, there are far too many Striped Bass moving farther up into the System each year but overall, with so much uncertainty in this world now, the Miramichi still seems like the place-to-be for a fishermen like me. 'Thanks Again' to everyone who made the 2021 Fishing season on the Miramichi happen and to all the Atlantic Salmon that did cooperate with the angler’s good luck on the rest of their journey. Spring fishing Season opens on April 15th 2022 so stay safe and hopefully we will see you all again next year!
Tight Lines from the Miramichi
