Miramichi Atlantic Salmon Fly Fishing Reports

Miramichi Atlantic Salmon
Angling Reports - 2000
from WWDOAK.COM
1999 Reports 1998 Reports

Miramichi Weather from Environment Canada
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Regional Satellite Weather

Links to some Miramichi Salmon Outfitters
Links provided free of charge and without any implied endorsement.

For a comparative view of water conditions,
check the 1999 Reports to see the same stretch of river at various heights.

By Hook or By Crook?
What you need to consider about the future of Miramichi angling

November 23, 2000


*Porter Brook - October 21, 2000*	*Juniper Counting Fence - October 31, 2000*

Much has been happening this fall since the salmon angling season closed on October 15. With almost three weeks of persistent drizzle, the weather has been a little bleak to say the least, but after another very successful spawning, the future of the Miramichi salmon looks much brighter than the sky.
As the photo indicates, we had the privilege of witnessing the fall ritual of salmon making their way up Porter Brook once again and the number of fish observed was very significant. On a sad note, however, the normally pristine water of this important spawning habitat was seriously defiled with mud and debris, due to forestry operations taking place upstream. After several days and numerous complaints, the problem was finally solved, but it does serve to illustrate the importance of the angler's constant vigilance on the stream. (more)

The most exceptional report of spawning success comes from Merlin Palmer at Burnt Hill, where a newly - installed counting fence enabled him to observe 374 adult salmon in a single day as they made their way up the brook. This is in stark contrast to the "River Reports" which appeared in the Autumn issue of the Atlantic Salmon Journal, wherein it was stated that the Burnt Hill facility had counted only 3 salmon by the end of June.
A few days ago, Jim Swazey phoned to tell me that in a 1 hour period from 7:15 AM - 8:15 AM on November 14, he and his neighbour observed over 100 jumping salmon in the Miramichi in front of his home near Boiestown, including several occasions where 3 were in the air at once. Perhaps they were jumping in celebration of having completed another successful cycle of procreation, and unlike their west coast cousins, having lived to tell the tale.
The slush in the river this morning reminds us once again that the Miramichi will soon close its eyes for another long hibernation while those who would claim to understand it best spend the winter wrangling over its future.
A river as productive as the Miramichi is bound to have many who are anxious to take full credit for its success, but despite their vanity, let us never forget that our gratitude rightfully belongs to a much higher level of providential authority and let us not neglect to express that gratitude in an appropriate manner.

Oct. 4, 2000


*Oct. 4, 2000*	*Oct 4, 1999*

Although we are now at the stage where we would welcome some precipitation, we certainly hope that it won't come in the same form it did on this date last year! The clouds have been gathering through the afternoon today and we are optimistic that we will see some rain tomorrow, although how much is still unknown.
After a very healthy raise 10 days ago, the river has been dropping gradually and both the Main Southwest and the Cains could use a good bump of water to re-invigorate the salmon.
Although the water temperatures have remained very cool, we have had a few summer-like days recently which has made for some very pleasant fishing weather. There seems to be widespread agreement that the quantity of fish in the river is very good, with lots of large (25 - 35 lb) fish being seen. The general frustration is that they are not very responsive, although several anglers have experienced some pleasant exceptions to that rule, with several large salmon having been hooked and released lately. However, as most fishermen are aware, Miramichi salmon have a very sophisticated palate and are not always willing to fall for just anything.
We hear from Quarryville that there are excellent quantities of large salmon being observed and encountered in that area and, given the time of year, it is a safe assumption that the "urge to merge" will compel them to move before long, either with without a fresh rainfall. Nonetheless, we are hopeful that with a little raise of water, they might also feel more inclined to merge with the occasional salmon fly while en route to their spawning grounds.

Sept. 26, 2000
(Click on graph for larger image)

After dropping quite quickly toward the end of last week, we are happy to report that the river is up nicely once again, thanks to a blessed rainfall which we received Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Most areas reported about 1.5 - 2" of rain which has brought the river up by a foot or better. It has now crested and as of this afternoon, was looking very fishable indeed.
The fishing reports have been generally quite good over the past couple of days as small schools of salmon move from one pool to another. While many of the fish are dark, indicating that they have been in fresh water for a while, there are some good reports of bright fish being seen as well. The news from the lower part of the river seems to indicate that there are lots of fish coming into the system, although the water is still a few inches too high for the down river pools to be as productive.
Overall, while not everyone is catching as many fish as they would like, there seems to be a good level of contentment with the numbers of fish in the system, and rightly so. As we have said in the past, if a salmon fisherman can't be content on the banks of the Miramichi, then perhaps he is not really a salmon fisherman at all.

Sept. 18, 2000


*September 15 (a few hours before the rain)*	*September 18 (3 days after the rain)*

We are pleased to report that we have received some badly needed rain over the week-end which has had a great effect on the river. In the Blackville area, the raise was a little over a foot while further up-river, the general consensus seems to be that the water came up about 8 - 10 inches. The Cains river has also come up very nicely and should be in good shape for its fall run of fish.
In any event, the rain has stimulated the fish which were already in the river and has encouraged a very good number of new fish to enter the system over the past few days. We have heard good reports of fresh fish with sea lice on them as far up as Boiestown. Many anglers seem very satisfied with the number of fish they are seeing but some are finding it hard to persuade the salmon to respond to their flies. If only we had the right patterns.........

Sept. 9, 2000
(Click on graph for larger image)

As the autumn light begins to filter through the trees and the first blush of fall foliage adorns the maples, the Miramichi is once again tugging at the hearts of anglers and salmon alike, drawing both to its waters with an irresistible force that only they can understand. This promises to be a great finish to an exceptional year of fishing on this river, but admittedly, the first few days of September have been less than spectacular.

With no significant rainfall in the past couple of weeks, the river has been dropping slowly but steadily. Mercifully it is not nearly as low as it was during early September last year, but it is still down from its July and August levels. However, due to some chilly days and frosty nights, the temperature has remained cool and fish have been moving through many pools. In the Doaktown area we have not seen any large numbers of new fish yet, but that may change before long. We have just received word of some good quantities of fresh fish entering the river in the Quarryvile area, including quite a few bright grilse. There are also some new fish entering the Renous and some learned speculation that some of the fish entering the Miramichi may be bound for Cains River. Within the next week or two, we should expect to see even greater numbers of new fish arriving as the fall run begins to manifest itself more substantially.
In the meantime, we are still picking up some encouraging local news as well . One Doaktown area lodge reported 13 fish hooked on Wednesday with one of their guests, who was celebrating his birthday, starting the day with a 15 lb. salmon and releasing three more before the day was done. Its hard to imaging a better birthday celebration than that, and what better place to do it than on the banks of the Miramichi.

August 31, 2000

After warmer and dryer weather over the week end, the river is down a little from what it was a week ago, but it is still in excellent shape for fishing. Many would say that the water level and temperature is ideal for most pools, thanks to some cool nights and temperate days. Heavy showers last evening have brought the river up very slightly this morning but the raise is not expected to be significant. We are still hearing solid reports of good numbers of fresh fish coming into the system and people are seeing fish moving through most pools on the Main Southwest. All in all, this looks like an ideal time to sneak ahead of the fall rush and get a little time in on the river while you still can.

August 25, 2000

We are continuing to hear very good reports about the fishing from a wide variety of sources. Most notably, there are many new fish being seen and caught in the lower part of the river from Blackville to Quarryville. Dennis Rice of Amawalk NY reported to us yesterday that he had released three grilse and a salmon on Thursday evening while fishing at Black Rapids Lodge . He also released two fish Friday morning. In total, he reported eleven fish caught in camp on Thursday. Further upstream, guests at a lodge near the mouth of the Cains river landed 50 fish this week, with a very large salmon being landed by one guest. At this time the size is unknown. In the Blissfield area, we have also had reports of very good fishing, with many large fresh grilse moving through the pools.
As for our water conditions, we have been blessed with a good deal more rain, with many areas having close to 2 inches over last weekend and some heavy showers in the middle of the this past week. This has brought the water up once again to a level which is great news for many pools, but perhaps a little higher than what might be ideal for some others. All in all, the Miramichi has performed magnificently over the past two months, and as we draw nearer to the fall season, there is every reason to believe that she will continue to produce some great fishing.

August 16, 2000
The past few days have brought a number of mixed reports, which makes it a little difficult to come up with a blanket assessment of the river right now. We have a lot of overcast weather and several showers last week and that brought the water up a bit for a few days. Even though it is back down again, it is still much higher than at this time last year, as evidenced by this photo taken on August 14.
While the past couple of days have been quieter. last week end, we heard some encouraging reports from the Blissfield area where one camp landed 14 fish in a 3-day period. A couple of friends also reported some exceptionally good fishing on the Renous with a man and his son hooking 18 fish over the week-end. The best news we have heard recently comes from Quarryville where our sources have confirmed that a good number of new fish are entering the system on each new tide. Further up, we have also heard reports of good numbers of fish below Blackville. With cooler weather in the forecast for tonight, we could expect to see these fish move up into the system further, which should make for another entertaining week end.

August 4, 2000
After the spectacular fishing many people experienced in July, the events of the last week seem to pale in comparison. However, when considered against the back drop of last summer's fishing conditions, we have had what might still be termed a pretty good week of fishing. Without any significant rainfall over the past week, our water has dropped a little but many pools are actually at a better height for fishing than they were during the high water in July. With the exception of last evening which was warm and humid, our nights have been cooler and this has helped offset the warm days and has kept the river at a fishable temperature, although it is a little warmer than during July.
As a result, many of the cold water pools are reporting very good quantities of fish holding in some deeper, cooler water. In some cases this has actually made for better fishing conditions, as fish are now more inclined to rest occasionally, during which time they might be willing to consider an angler's offering.
As I was facing up - river to take this picture this morning, one such fish responded to an angler (Dan Pipes) directly across from me who is seen here playing a nice grilse. When the fish was brought to net, he turned and shouted across the river "Its a great day to be alive". Its funny how often you hear that on the banks of the Miramichi

July 26, 2000

The fishing continues to be unusually good on the Miramichi, and after a vigorous rainfall on Saturday, the water remains significantly higher than normal. By all reports, this past Saturday and Sunday produced some of the best grilse fishing we have seen thus far. As schools of fish continue to move through the various pools, it has not been unusual to see several people with fish on at the same time. However, it is equally possible to spend a day or two on the river and not be in the right place at the right time, which is part of what continues to make salmon fishing so challenging.
Over the past couple of days, the air temperature has been warmer which has also warmed the water a little, thus slowing the fish down a bit. However, we have been blessed with some cool nights so the early morning fishing has held up well. Hopefully the favorable conditions will continue and if they do, we have reason to believe that we still have some great fishing ahead.

July 21, 2000
Another great week has come and gone on the Miramichi. Last week end brought us some slightly warmer weather and for a couple of days, the number of new fish entering the system slowed a little. Nonetheless, fishing continued to be very good in the Doaktown area and above, with some pools yielding more than a dozen fish per day. Some anglers have reported hooking 5 - 6 fish per day when they happened to be in the right place at the right time, while other anglers have found success to be more elusive. Because of the high water, some normally productive pools are not doing so well but other pools are producing uncommonly good fishing. Many anglers have reported that the fish don't seem to be holding up much but are steadily making their way upstream.
Last Tuesday evening we had some severe thunder storm activity which brought heavy rain, raising the river once again and cooling the water even more. After a couple of days the water remains comfortably high and very cool (low 60's), which once again makes it ideal for fishing. We are told that there were a lot of fish showing at Quarryville on Thursday, but not many taking. However, this morning there were just as many new fish showing and today they apparently felt like taking, with 15 being caught before lunch.
All in all, this continues to be a very impressive July, largely due to great water conditions and a healthy run of both salmon and grilse. If present trends continue, we could possibly have some very good August fishing as well. All in all, you won't find a better time to spend a few days on the Miramichi than right now.

July 13, 2000
Over the past two weeks, we have been blessed with some of the best July fishing we have seen on the Miramichi in years.
Thanks to the unusually cool, wet weather, our water level has been ideal and continues to be much better than normal. The past few days have been slightly warmer but have still been cloudy with showers, which have helped to keep the river cool.
As a result of these ideal conditions, we have good quantities of fish scattered all over the river and more fish moving up each day. Not only have we heard of lots of fish being caught but we seem to have an unusually high number of large salmon (25 - 35 lb..) in the system. This year , it has not been uncommon for us to hear reports of several big fish each day, just among our customers alone. Add this to the large number of smaller salmon and grilse being landed and you have the makings of an impressive fishery.
At the time of this writing, we are still hearing of more fish coming into the system at Quarryville, so it looks like the good fishing should hold for a while at least. All in all, things are looking really good, which is a welcome change from the pervasive pessimism which has plagued this fishery for the past few years.

July 6, 2000
It is great to see the water in such good condition during the early part of July. With 5 out of the past 6 years being much hotter and dryer than usual, it is particularly encouraging to see the river at good level and temperature. After raising for a good part of yesterday, it has crested and is settling down slightly but is still a good 8 - 10 inches above normal summer levels. Water temperatures this morning ranged from 60 - 62 F and as one might expect, there are a good number of fish moving throughout the system. All in all, it looks very good for the week end. Perhaps you should be here......

July 4, 2000
We are pleased to report that the past few days have brought us some more favorable fishing conditions. We are especially grateful for some heavy showers on Friday evening, producing a raise of a several inches on Saturday. As a result, we have heard of many more fish being caught over the week end as new fish are coming into the system and making their way up river. Reports from some of the up-river pools above Boiestown have also been more encouraging but most of the good news seems to be from Doaktown to Quarryville.
As an added bonus to the Friday evening rain, we have received nearly an inch overnight and throughout the day on Tuesday, as well as a heavy shower Tuesday evening. Cooler temperatures seem to be prevailing as well, although Sunday was quite warm. All in all, we are in a very good position to expect some good fishing during the next few days, but as any true salmon fisherman knows, nothing about salmon fishing is ever certain.

June 30, 2000
Our updates have been conspicuously absent over the past couple of weeks, for which I apologize. Since this is the busiest part of the season for us at W. W. Doak, there has not been much time for anything but packing orders and getting flies to people in time for their various "fishin' expeditions." I would like to say that we have been busy catching fish but unfortunately, such is not the case.
The water conditions on the Miramichi are still very adequate, but after the warmer, dryer weather of the past couple of weeks, the river has warmed and dropped a bit. The average morning water temperatures have been in the mid-sixties with the evening temperatures in the low seventies. However, the past few days have been cooler and overcast with some scattered showers. The past couple of evenings have been very cool and today is predicted to stay cool as well.
As for the quantity of fish, we could certainly use a few more than we presently have, or at least have seen. We are hearing consistent reports of a few fish showing or moving through most pools but we are not hearing of many being caught. The general thinking seems to be that everything is running a couple of weeks later than normal and that would be consistent with what we are hearing from other salmon rivers as well. If in a couple of weeks things don't change, we'll have to "re-think" our position.
The good news is that we have had some very large fish being caught with several in the 35 lb. category.
It is really encouraging to see fish of this size, especially during this time of year. Hopefully its a sign of good things yet to come.

June 12, 2000
Well, we're still waiting for the warm weather to hit the Miramichi. Thus far, we have been persistently cool and damp, putting us several weeks behind some years in recent memory. However, we are hearing reports of salmon showing up in limited numbers throughout the lower portion of the Miramichi, as well as some impressive sea trout having gone through. We have heard of a number of trout in the 5 lb. range as well as one which reportedly tipped the scales at over 7 lb.. There are also reports of shad in the Upper Blackville area although not many have made it up to Doaktown yet.
Most Eastern Canadian rivers are reporting only modest numbers of early fish but those that are being seen are in good shape, and hopefully, soon to be in good supply as well. The general consensus seems to be that runs of everything from salmon to gaspereau are a couple of weeks behind schedule but then again.......whose schedule?

May 24, 2000
Despite predictions to the contrary, this has been an unusually cool, wet May which bodes well for the beginning of the summer run of salmon. By this time last year we were already in need of water, and that need continued throughout much of the summer. There has been little activity on the river over the past couple of weeks but there are some unconfirmed rumours of a few sea trout moving through. Since the water is a little higher than normal, anglers have not had much success in intercepting the run and the general thinking is that it is still to early for a heavy concentration of trout.
There are also some rumours of bright salmon beginning to appear in the Northwest Miramichi which historically has had an earlier run of salmon than our Main Southwest. We're keeping our ear to the ground and as soon as there is anything significant to report, we'll keep you up to date.

May 1, 2000
Although the fishing has slowed down a little over the past few days, we are still hearing some encouraging reports from the Doaktown area. Most anglers seem to be encountering a reasonable number of responsive salmon, and some of the reports from the lower portion of the river are quite good indeed. In the midst of some rather unpleasant conditions which have ranged from heavy rain, heavy wind and even some snowfall, those who have braved the elements over the past week have been rewarded with some exceptional fishing. One group of 8 anglers fishing for 7 days reportedly hooked 250 fish, the majority of which were salmon, with 23 of them being over 40 inches in length.
After some significant rainfall, the water has come up substantially during the past week, but it is now dropping and clearing once again, making the conditions right for some entertaining angling. We have also heard several reports of good quantities of large trout (3 - 5 lb.) being caught, which is providential, since trout season officially begins today.
As the spring salmon season unfolds, we would expect to see more activity concentrated in the Blackville area as more and more salmon make their way downstream. It would be safe to assume that the lower parts of the river should continue to offer some good fishing for at least another week and hopefully a little longer.

April 19, 2000

As expected, the first few days of the Spring season have been a great success with lots of reports of excellent fishing, interspersed with a few complaints from some who were not quite so successful. The general consensus seems to be that things have quieted down a bit from opening day. This may be partially due to the fact that the water has dropped considerably and is unusually clear for the time of year. Since most of our snow has melted and the remaining shore ice was lifted out by last week's rains, it is unlikely that the water will come up significantly in the next few days unless we get a heavy rainfall. However, the river is still several feet above summer level and as usual, large streamers are the order of the day.

Many of the people we see are still reporting very good fishing and the quantity of salmon appears to be quite encouraging. There have been several large fish (40 - 50") reported although there seems to be a heavy concentration of smaller fish in many areas. It is too early to draw any conclusions about the run in general so more "on stream" research is definitely required.

April 10, 2000 In just a few days the sun will rise on yet another atlantic salmon angling season on the Miramichi River. By October 15, it will once again have been the subject of much debate and speculation. It is a tribute to the grandeur of this river that everyone, no matter how ill-informed, feels compelled to have an opinion about it. However, as long as these opinions are given no more credibility than they deserve, we have little to worry about. Oblivious to the profitable pessimism of the conservation industry, the river shrugs off its detractors with an indifferent authority, just as it has shrugged off the blanket of ice under which it has slept for another winter. Although over the years many people have taken the Miramichi River very seriously, there is little evidence of the river having returned the favour.

Through the providential hand of its sovereign creator, the Miramichi has sprung to life once again, in an intricately orchestrated overture, overflowing with possibilities. Given the abundant run of fish which we witnessed in the fall of 1999, we have every reason to anticipate that this should be a very productive spring. Although the ice has been out of most of the river since the latter part of March, there is no reason to expect that we should not have great fishing when the season actually starts. With the warm rains of Sunday, April 9, the melting snow has brought the river up over its banks in many places but with predictions of colder weather and even snow on Wednesday, this condition is likely to change considerably. We are hopeful that by Saturday, things should be in good shape for opening day but April weather on the Miramichi is very unpredictable, so its still too early to tell.