October 16th, 2023
Yet another salmon season has come and gone on the Southwest Miramichi and we now settle in over the next 6 months to reflect back on the season and to get prepared for the 2024 spring salmon season ahead! The fly fishing outfitting business is alot like owning a ski hill and no two seasons are ever alike nor are they predictable. This was one of those years where we had challenging conditions unlike we have ever experienced. Typically we worry most about low warm water in the summer and fall, but this year we experienced unseasonable rain and high water events which resulted in many of our anglers having to postpone trips. We apologize to those who were unable to wet their line at our lodge this year and hope that next year returns to more normal conditions but Mother Nature, in the end, will decide what she wants to do. In spite of this however, we were blessed to welcome back many of our wonderful guests who visit us annually from all over the world, and who have become great friends to us all. While it is always our goal to see everyone hook or land Atlantic Salmon, we know that there is more to a trip to Country Haven than just that and so many of our guests comment on how much they enjoy the family atmosphere here and time with our guides, our kitchen staff and other guests. We truly appreciate our guests and staff alike and look forward to next season with much anticipation and excitement as we will be celebrating our 25th year in business!
In terms of the past two weeks, it certainly proved to be challenging angling that’s for sure, as we received more rain which enabled more fish to swim right on through to the upriver spawning grounds. We did manage to have some guests hook and land fish but not as many as in typical fall seasons, and in spite of this, our guests remained positive and enjoyed their time on the river and in the lodge.
High water events defined the 2023 summer and fall salmon seasons and these events resulted in the majority of the salmon migrating high up into the river systems including brooks and small tributaries and as a result, there were not as many salmon holding in our pools. That said, when fish were moving, every so often one of our guests would be at the right place at the right time and manage to hook one of these feisty traveling fish! And while we didn’t enjoy our normal fall fishing success on our lower pools or sections of the Cains, we did hear reports of many salmon being hooked high up in the Cains River and Miramichi River which bodes well for good spawning. Many seasons there is not enough water to enable large numbers of fish to reach the best spawning habitat and our hope now is that this will enable good numbers of fry to be born next year which will then grow into grilse and salmon for future anglers.
At times during the season, we certainly did have periods of good fishing and when the conditions were right we saw many nice large salmon being landed which, for an angler and guide alike, is always such an exciting event! We began the 2023 season with a strong spring fishery too and we were excited at the prospects of what would follow for the summer and fall seasons. In spite of the high water through those seasons, when pools did take shape with sensible water heights, fishing seemed to turn on for multiple days at a time and it seemed like good numbers of fish were entering the river, only to be hit with rain and high water events that then allowed them to depart for up river spawning destinations. Next spring’s kelt fishery should give us a better indication of how this season’s numbers really were and, as with all outfitters, we remain hopeful that next year will prove to be a productive one for the salmon and our guests!
The 2023 season was also a memorable one as we hosted our inaugural Women’s Fly FIshing Event in September which was a wonderful success and we are already looking forward to the 2nd Annual Event next year, welcoming back many of the women who joined this year and hopefully some new female anglers as well! We are always looking for new ways to introduce people to fly fishing and maybe we will look at other opportunities for the future such as parent and child intro weekends or maybe even couples weekends!
In closing, thank you to our loyal guests who enable Country Haven to exist and for whom we love to see return each year. Thank you as well to our dedicated staff in the kitchen and to those who take care of the accommodations, always ensuring that our guests are made as comfortable as possible during their time here. And thank you to our team of guides too, who day in and day out, take our guests out to the river, no matter what the weather, in hopes of landing that fish of a lifetime! The phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” couldn’t be more appropriate in the case of Country Haven … the phrase originates from an African proverb and conveys the message that it takes many people (“the village”) to provide a safe, healthy environment for children, where children are given the security they need to develop and flourish, and to be able to realize their hopes and dreams. Country Haven is just like that, but replace “children” with “anglers” … our village works hard to help our guests create memories of a lifetime here, and we always remain hopeful that they will be successful in landing one of those magical salmon!
Before we know it, spring 2024 will be here and we will all be anxiously awaiting the river ice to melt and to get back on the water for another spring salmon season. We are truly excited to see many of our returning guests next season, along with some newcomers, who will join us in celebration of our 25th, “silver anniversary” season chasing the king of game fish, the mighty Miramichi Atlantic Salmon!
