W. W. Doak Miramichi 2003 Angling Reports

WWDOAK.COM Miramichi Salmon Angling Reports - 2003

After a disappointing rainfall last week, we were excited by the prospect of two systems coming our way over the week-end, both of which looked like they might bring us some water. Hurricane Juan caused extensive damage in Nova Scotia and P. E. I. but did not produce any appreciable rainfall for those of us west of its path. It did look like we would be benefited by a lot of rain which was headed our way from Maine but the system seemed to turn northward at the border and missed the headwaters of the Miramichi altogether. However, we were pleasantly surprised by nearly an inch of rain on Monday night to which the river has responded with about a 6 inch raise. It is not clear whether or not this will change the cynical mood of the fish we now have or even entice some new fish to enter the system. Either scenario would certainly be a welcome change.

We were encouraged late last week by some reports of new fish being seen below the mouth of the Cains river and the general consensus continues to be that we do have a spectacular quantity of large fish in the river, but persuading them to respond is proving to be a difficult task for many.

For those who enjoy the sport of casting over legendary pools full of large salmon with sophisticated palates, the Miramichi is still the place to be. However, for those who prefer their fish "dumb and hungry", this fishery may prove a little too challenging.

After a couple of weeks of warm, dry weather, we are encouraged by the presence of thick clouds and the forecast of rain for this evening. How much is not yet clear, but any amount will be a welcome addition to the river. The heavy showers which we received last Saturday brought up the water level a couple of inches and certainly seemed to spark some response in the fish. We have heard consistently better reports of angling catches over the week-end. Several fish in the 25 - 35 lb. range have been encountered and the general consensus confirms the presence of very good quantities of fish in all parts of the Main Southwest.
By the way, for those who have not yet heard, the Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans has announced a one week extension to the season on the Main Southwest Miramichi only, excluding all tributaries, from the Cains River Bridge in Upper Blackville downstream to Quarryville. In this area, the season will end on October 22, whereas the rest of the river and its tributaries will be closed on Oct. 15 as in previous years.

Sept. 11, 2003

As the Miramichi Valley eases its way into the fall season, we are beginning to see some rocks that we haven't seen all summer. Although the water level is still very good, this past week has brought some drier weather which has caused the river to drop a bit. Two nights of heavy frost during the full moon have kept the water temperatures low and the 65-75 F. degree afternoon air temperatures have made for some pleasant fishing weather. Many customers are reporting seeing unusually high concentrations of salmon in most parts of the river, but in typical fall fashion, they are not quite as responsive as some might like. All in all, with adequate water, good temperatures, cool nights and lots of fish, it takes a particular breed of angler to complain in these conditions. Fortunately, most of that breed is also gullible enough to have given up on the fishery a few years ago.

On July 19, we wrote that the river is still full of surprises for those with patience and persistence. However, I don't think any of us could have foreseen the surprises that this past 11 days have brought our way. With several inches of rainfall and unusually cool weather, last week was an ideal scenario for salmon looking for an incentive to leave the estuary and make their way upstream.

By Saturday, July 26, the counting station on the Main Southwest Miramichi at Millerton began to notice substantial increases in the number of salmon as well as very good quantities of grilse. This trend has held over the past few days and pools throughout the lower part of the river from Doaktown downward have been seeing tangible evidence of this influx as well. With the river still several inches above normal and water temperatures in the mid to high sixties, the conditions are nearly perfect. Angler success rates are at a higher level than any other time this season and many people are commenting that the fish are fighting much harder and longer than normal.

All in all, you would be hard pressed to find a better time to be on the Miramichi than right now.

July 9, 2003

This has been an unusually cool, wet week, giving us nearly perfect river conditions for the time of year. With moderate days and cool nights, the water temperature has remained in the 60 - 68 range for several days now. A series of showers which have been an almost every day occurrence on various parts of the water shed have kept the river at a perfect height for most pools.

June 16, 2003
Gentlemen, start your angling!

The warmer weather of the past few days has produced a great deal more run off and as a result, the river has been very high and dirty. Under these less than ideal conditions, the fishing has been a bit sporadic but generally speaking, this week has been more productive than last week was. As expected, after a huge grilse run last summer, we are hearing reports of lots of grilse being caught this spring. However, we have also been pleased to hear of a good number of large salmon in the river as well.
Many people were relieved to see the water drop about a foot overnight and this improvement in conditions produced a much better day on the river today. Many anglers encountered several fish with some fishermen in the Doaktown area reporting as many as 10 fish hooked today. However, as we began to get more rain in the late afternoon, both the fishing and the enthusiasm began to decline a little. We are hopeful that the rainfall will be moderate in the next couple of days and if so, we can expect the fishing to improve steadily. On the other hand, too much rain will slow things down a little for a few days until the river starts to drop once again.
One way or another, it looks like the spring fishery will continue to be very entertaining for at least the next 10 days and quite possibly even longer.

Well what a winter this has been! Our snow came early in November and our temperatures stayed brutally cold throughout the entire winter. Not until late March did we begin to see some signs of melting take place as the afternoon temperatures finally began to climb above freezing. However, Sunday March 30 began with heavy rain and ended with heavy snow. April 1 brought more snow with it as well and since then daytime highs have seldom reached the freezing mark. There is hope that things will change soon as warmer days are predicted for the rest of the week, along with some talk of rain. It will take a lot of both to move the ice in time for April 15 but stranger things have happened on the Miramichi. It looks like this might be another year in which "breaking up is hard to do".

WWDOAK.COM Miramichi Salmon Angling Reports - 2003 2002 Reports 2001 Reports 2000 Reports 1999 Reports 1998 Reports
Miramichi Weather from Environment Canada Environment Canada Radar Doppler Radar Links to some Miramichi Salmon Outfitters Links provided free of charge and without any implied endorsement.	DFO Salmon Return Data DFO Grilse Return Data Maps of New Brunswick Salmon Rivers Some thoughts on the new "Live Release" License
	Oct. 6, 2003 We are happy to report that we have received a lot more rain in the past few days and the river has responded quite nicely. Although the Cains River has risen by only a few inches, the Main Southwest Miramichi is up significantly and is now at a great level for most of the pools. Some people fishing in the Blackville area are even finding the water to be a little higher than they would like. However, nobody is complaining much, since the raise has sparked a lot more activity among some previously unresponsive salmon. We have heard many positive reports today of fish taking much more readily since the raise. Several large salmon in the 25 - 30 lb. category have been released in the past few days and most people are experiencing significantly improved fishing.
Sept. 30, 2003 After a disappointing rainfall last week, we were excited by the prospect of two systems coming our way over the week-end, both of which looked like they might bring us some water. Hurricane Juan caused extensive damage in Nova Scotia and P. E. I. but did not produce any appreciable rainfall for those of us west of its path. It did look like we would be benefited by a lot of rain which was headed our way from Maine but the system seemed to turn northward at the border and missed the headwaters of the Miramichi altogether. However, we were pleasantly surprised by nearly an inch of rain on Monday night to which the river has responded with about a 6 inch raise. It is not clear whether or not this will change the cynical mood of the fish we now have or even entice some new fish to enter the system. Either scenario would certainly be a welcome change. We were encouraged late last week by some reports of new fish being seen below the mouth of the Cains river and the general consensus continues to be that we do have a spectacular quantity of large fish in the river, but persuading them to respond is proving to be a difficult task for many. For those who enjoy the sport of casting over legendary pools full of large salmon with sophisticated palates, the Miramichi is still the place to be. However, for those who prefer their fish "dumb and hungry", this fishery may prove a little too challenging.
Sept. 23, 2003 After a couple of weeks of warm, dry weather, we are encouraged by the presence of thick clouds and the forecast of rain for this evening. How much is not yet clear, but any amount will be a welcome addition to the river. The heavy showers which we received last Saturday brought up the water level a couple of inches and certainly seemed to spark some response in the fish. We have heard consistently better reports of angling catches over the week-end. Several fish in the 25 - 35 lb. range have been encountered and the general consensus confirms the presence of very good quantities of fish in all parts of the Main Southwest. By the way, for those who have not yet heard, the Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans has announced a one week extension to the season on the Main Southwest Miramichi only, excluding all tributaries, from the Cains River Bridge in Upper Blackville downstream to Quarryville. In this area, the season will end on October 22, whereas the rest of the river and its tributaries will be closed on Oct. 15 as in previous years.
Sept. 11, 2003 As the Miramichi Valley eases its way into the fall season, we are beginning to see some rocks that we haven't seen all summer. Although the water level is still very good, this past week has brought some drier weather which has caused the river to drop a bit. Two nights of heavy frost during the full moon have kept the water temperatures low and the 65-75 F. degree afternoon air temperatures have made for some pleasant fishing weather. Many customers are reporting seeing unusually high concentrations of salmon in most parts of the river, but in typical fall fashion, they are not quite as responsive as some might like. All in all, with adequate water, good temperatures, cool nights and lots of fish, it takes a particular breed of angler to complain in these conditions. Fortunately, most of that breed is also gullible enough to have given up on the fishery a few years ago.
These graphs indicate the number of fish intercepted as of August 31 over the past 10 years by the two primary counting facilities on the Main Southwest Miramichi river system. The Millerton Trap is located in the estuary and intercepts a small percentage of the total run employing a "mark recapture" process while the Juniper Trap is located at the headwaters and counts each fish as it enters the holding sanctuary. The raw data can be found at the links shown above marked DFO Salmon & DFO Grilse.

August 28, 2003 What a year this has been for water conditions. At no time in August have we experienced anything close to low water and with another shot of rain on Wednesday and more in the forecast for the week-end, it seems unlikely that water levels will be a concern in the near future. The past couple of weeks have at least been a little drier but with cool nights and comfortable days, the temperature has been ideal for salmon angling. More people than normal have been taking advantage of these conditions and the river has rewarded their efforts quite nicely. We have had a fairly steady supply of new fish coming into the system almost daily. We are also happy to report that the counting station in Millerton has reported a large spike in numbers of both salmon and grilse on August 25 and 26th. Even before this latest influx, we were hearing encouraging reports of large salmon being encountered in the lower part of the river, as well as several sightings in this area as well. Not everybody is catching fish every day but each cast has a possibility of being over a moving fish and that is all anyone could ask for. If these conditions hold, it looks like it could be a great fall.
	August 13, 2003 So far, this has been anything but a normal August. This is especially true if your idea of normal is based upon the events of the past few years. Normally we would be answering two questions: Are there any fish and is there any water? The answer to the latter question is at least self evident. During the past two weeks, the entire valley has been saturated with several inches of rainfall and localized heavy showers have drenched some areas even more. The temperatures have been average for the time of year but with the heavy precipitation, the humidity has been exceptionally high. Yesterday and today have brought slightly dryer air to the valley which has been a welcome relief. As for the quantity of fish, there are still good numbers coming into the system although getting a fly in front of them has been increasingly difficult in this water. Up until last Saturday, we were still hearing very good reports of fish being caught but the reports have slowed down a little with the excessive water. Within a few days, things should be settled down enough to fish again and we should have more accurate report as next week unfolds.
July 30, 2003 On July 19, we wrote that the river is still full of surprises for those with patience and persistence. However, I don't think any of us could have foreseen the surprises that this past 11 days have brought our way. With several inches of rainfall and unusually cool weather, last week was an ideal scenario for salmon looking for an incentive to leave the estuary and make their way upstream. By Saturday, July 26, the counting station on the Main Southwest Miramichi at Millerton began to notice substantial increases in the number of salmon as well as very good quantities of grilse. This trend has held over the past few days and pools throughout the lower part of the river from Doaktown downward have been seeing tangible evidence of this influx as well. With the river still several inches above normal and water temperatures in the mid to high sixties, the conditions are nearly perfect. Angler success rates are at a higher level than any other time this season and many people are commenting that the fish are fighting much harder and longer than normal. All in all, you would be hard pressed to find a better time to be on the Miramichi than right now.
	July 19, 2003 This past week has brought some warmer and dryer weather to the Miramichi valley and as a result, the fishing has slowed down a little. Mercifully, we have still not experienced the extreme high temperatures we saw in late June and some cooler nights have helped to moderate the water temperature a little. Nonetheless, after a few normal July summer days with average temperatures, some people have seized the opportunity to complain about the heat and have used it as another excuse for not fishing. Those who do continue to go to the river find themselves occasionally rewarded with a fish or two, despite the fact that the water may be a few degrees warmer than ideal. The height of the water has remained quite good, thanks to an abundance of rain throughout the first two weeks of July. The upper pools on both the Main Southwest Miramichi and the Northwest Miramichi have been reporting good fishing in certain areas. In our area of the Main Southwest near Doaktown, most of the fish which have been taken have been grilse and very few have rolled or jumped before taking. Often when people don't see any evidence of fish in a pool they assume that no fish are there. However, on two separate occasions this week alone, I have seen fish taken where no fish were in evidence. The river is still full of surprises for those who wait. For anglers whose sportsmanship is defined more by conquest than by contentment, this is perhaps not the best time to be on the river. However, for those whose level of maturity and patience enable them to enjoy the many moods of the Miramichi, this is a time of great possibility.
July 9, 2003 This has been an unusually cool, wet week, giving us nearly perfect river conditions for the time of year. With moderate days and cool nights, the water temperature has remained in the 60 - 68 range for several days now. A series of showers which have been an almost every day occurrence on various parts of the water shed have kept the river at a perfect height for most pools. Each day this week has brought better reports of fish being caught or at least seen. We are hearing news of more grilse beginning to move which is consistent with the same time last year. The Millerton counting fence reported its best day of the year so far on Tuesday, July 8 with a substantial number of new fish entering the system. With cool weather forecast for the next couple of days and a full moon coming soon, this may well be an ideal time to be on the river. It would be a real shame to miss it.
	July 1, 2003 In sharp contrast to the unusually cold, damp weather during the first 3 weeks of June, June 21 brought with it a burst of warmer air. By the middle of last week the pleasant summer weather gave way to an oppressive heat wave with several days reaching 95 - 100 degrees F. Although the fishing had been improving steadily throughout the third week of June, last week was a much different story. With water temperatures in the high 70s in many places, salmon sought refuge in cold deep pools and showed little interest in most angler's efforts. Previously, some fishermen had reporting hooking as many as four salmon per day on the Main Southwest and on the Northwest a good number of both salmon and grilse were beginning to show. Mercifully, yesterday brought us some cooler weather along with some thunder showers in the morning and evening. We received an average of about 1/2 inch of rainfall in total along the river which will certainly be beneficial. Last night was also much cooler and today was comfortably cool with a nice breeze. This evening once again we have had several vigorous showers. The height of the river is ideal at this point, and the water temperature should certainly be dropping nicely as well. It looks like we are starting July in great shape and ready to accommodate the usual invasion of grilse which should be along shortly. Last year we had to wait until July 12 before a heavy concentration of fish arrived. Maybe they will be a little earlier this year, but since nobody knows for sure, why not plan to spend the entire month here, just to be safe.
June 16, 2003 *Gentlemen, start your angling!* After several weeks with too much to do and too little to say, we finally have some news to report and a few minutes in which to do so. We are sorry for such a long absence but this has been one of the busiest springs we have ever had in our mail order division and we have all been going day and night to keep up. The past few weeks have been unusually wet and cold with many daytime high temperatures not even reaching 50 degrees F. Some days it seemed as if summer would never come. These are ideal conditions if you are an early run salmon or sea trout seeking to avoid interception but not if you're an early June fisherman trying to slow them down a little. Many fish have taken advantage of these conditions to scoot right by most of the lower pools and head for the upper stretches of the river with only an occasional contemptuous leap along the way. There have been some reports of good quantities of sea trout in the Juniper area and at the counting fence, but very few reports of any having been caught in the lower portions of the river. Reports of shad have also been spotty at best. The Northwest Miramichi has been fishing quite well for salmon and grilse for the past week or more which is not surprising. It tends to be an earlier river than the Main Southwest. One guide whom we spoke to today told us of hooking 4 salmon on the Northwest last week. Some have also been pleasantly surprised by the presence of a few salmon as well as some grilse in the upper regions of the Little Southwest much earlier than normal. On the Main Southwest, we have not had large numbers of anglers on the river until the past few days and as the number of fishermen has increased, so too has the the number of positive reports. One weekend angler from Saint John released two salmon last Friday evening and another on Saturday morning. Another group of anglers fishing above Blackville reported releasing several salmon over the past couple of days ranging from 8 - 20 lb.. and loosing one which was significantly larger than 20. (The ones we loose are always much bigger) We are also beginning to hear of a few more grilse being caught as well and their arrival usually attracts larger numbers of local anglers which in turn brings a better level of reporting. Hopefully there will be more to tell soon. As the pictures below indicate, we are finally in full bloom, much later than normal. With several inches of rainfall every week lately, there is an unimaginable richness to the vegetation which engulfs the valley this year. Each time the sun comes out, it is as if God unveils yet another shade of green. It is indeed a wonderful time to be alive in the garden of the Miramichi and if you can come visit for a while, you really should try. Don't forget your fly rod.........
June 12, 2003
June 3, 2003
May 26, 2003
May 15, 2003 A couple of weeks ago we speculated that the fishing might hold up well and to some extent this has been the case. We heard several very good reports throughout the first week of May with good quantities of both salmon and grilse being caught. However, we had no idea that we would still be dealing with this much water by the middle of May. We have had persistent rain since last Saturday, accompanied by unusually cold weather. Although most anglers are still reporting a few fish each day, the conditions have been unpleasant and not really conducive to late spring fishing. However, it seems that things are about to change and the outlook for the week-end looks much brighter and much warmer. This should provide a great opportunity for people to get down to some serious enjoyment. With warm weather on the way, several spring salmon still in the upper parts of the river and a few brook trout showing up in the river as well, there are lots of reasons why this is a great week-end to spend on the Miramichi.
May 8, 2003
May 1, 2003 The warmer weather of the past few days has produced a great deal more run off and as a result, the river has been very high and dirty. Under these less than ideal conditions, the fishing has been a bit sporadic but generally speaking, this week has been more productive than last week was. As expected, after a huge grilse run last summer, we are hearing reports of lots of grilse being caught this spring. However, we have also been pleased to hear of a good number of large salmon in the river as well. Many people were relieved to see the water drop about a foot overnight and this improvement in conditions produced a much better day on the river today. Many anglers encountered several fish with some fishermen in the Doaktown area reporting as many as 10 fish hooked today. However, as we began to get more rain in the late afternoon, both the fishing and the enthusiasm began to decline a little. We are hopeful that the rainfall will be moderate in the next couple of days and if so, we can expect the fishing to improve steadily. On the other hand, too much rain will slow things down a little for a few days until the river starts to drop once again. One way or another, it looks like the spring fishery will continue to be very entertaining for at least the next 10 days and quite possibly even longer.
April 28, 2003
April 22, 2003 - Let the Games Begin! By this morning, the river had cleared sufficiently so as to permit access once again by boat. However, with the heavy melting over the past few days, the water is now at a very high level and the fishing was reported to be spotty at best. In the afternoon heavy ice flows once again made fishing difficult and by evening, it was clear that the upper reaches of the river were being opened up as the ice flowed steadily for several hours. Hopefully, when things settle down a little, we will begin to see some better fishing. Until then, at least its nice to finally see some open water once again.
April 21, 2003 1:30 PM Just a few minutes after taking the picture below, we were notified that there was a significant ice run occurring so we rushed out to take an updated shot. Those who were on the river had to get off in a hurry as some of the ice which remained in some deep pools was finally lifted out by raising water. Although this heavy ice flow lasted for only an hour or so, the river was scattered with ice cakes for the rest of the day, making fishing quite difficult.
April 21, 2003 1:00 PM We are pleased to finally be able to announce that there is sufficient open water in the Doaktown area to entertain a fishery once again. Over the weekend the ice wandered out of many pools and gradually floated down river. There are still large portions of the river which are not yet clear but at least there is enough open water to get started. Further downstream the situation is the same, with some clear stretches and some areas which are still congested. Because the melting has been so gradual, much of the water which would normally find its way to the river is simply soaking into the ground. This has delayed the ice run significantly as the water levels in the river are not nearly as high as one might normally expect in the spring. However, with more warm weather or a little rain, this could change quickly and when it does, it is likely that the rest of the ice will move out.
April 16, 2003 Its another cold evening with little chance of significant ice movement overnight. Tuesday was warm enough to produce some melting but things turned chilly again this afternoon. There has been some slippage in a few pools and a few open areas developing along the banks but the ice is stubbornly refusing to move for now. There is a quite a stretch of open water in the Big Hole Brook area as well as this one pictured right, taken looking downstream from the Priceville Footbridge. A few folks have ventured out to wet a fly from shore but without much success so far. Hopefully that will change before too long..........
April 12, 2003 After 2 very warm days on Thursday and Friday and steady rain today, there is some possibility of slippage but still no definite ice run yet. We'll keep you posted.
From Priceville Footbridge - April 12, 2003
April, 2003 "always winter and never Christmas" - C. S. Lewis Well what a winter this has been! Our snow came early in November and our temperatures stayed brutally cold throughout the entire winter. Not until late March did we begin to see some signs of melting take place as the afternoon temperatures finally began to climb above freezing. However, Sunday March 30 began with heavy rain and ended with heavy snow. April 1 brought more snow with it as well and since then daytime highs have seldom reached the freezing mark. There is hope that things will change soon as warmer days are predicted for the rest of the week, along with some talk of rain. It will take a lot of both to move the ice in time for April 15 but stranger things have happened on the Miramichi. It looks like this might be another year in which "breaking up is hard to do".


Porter Cove - Downstream - April 8/03	Porter Cove - Upstream - April 8/03	Pr"Ice" ville - April 8/03