September 17th 2022
This past week on the Miramichi at Country Haven had a tough start but finished on a high note! At the start of the week fish were there but just didn’t seem to want to take any fly no matter how big or small, dark or bright and it was frustrating for anglers and guides alike across the entire system. But as the weekend drew near some gorgeous salmon in the river started showing interest and several were landed and few more lost, the majority seeming to be males.
We had the pleasure of having a great group back once again from Nova Scotia that our guides look forward to every season. This year they decided to bring a championship belt for the biggest fish of their trip with this year the inaugural winner was Colin McDonald! After losing a 15-18 lb female salmon 3 feet from the net the morning before, he redeemed himself on the last night of the trip in the last 5 minutes by hooking into a real life monster of a hookbill salmon and after a long, hard battle he landed a fish of a lifetime! Colin now has the belt, along with bragging rights, until September 2023 when the boys will be back again to attempt to dethrone him!
There were only a few anglers this week on the Main SW Miramichi River but it is looking positive as some fresh fish are coming in each day and anglers are seeing fish run through pools. Another local outfitter also told us that they were starting to see lots of fish in their pools and landed a fresh grilse and a salmon with sea lice. Other anglers have also shared that they are seeing fish on the go so its looking like the fall salmon run is right on time. The lower stretch of the main river is now a favorable height for fishing, and with some rain in the forecast ahead a little bump in water will help the Cains River and set up the system up well for the remainder of the season!
