MIRAMICHI – When out and about this Thursday to Saturday at dark, make sure to wear some Hunter Orange, especially if you are off the beaten track and traveling through trails to pools as it is the annual 3-day moose hunt, and many hunters will be out in pursuit of “Swamp Donkeys”. Maybe even be careful of using flies that are tied up with moose-hair You wouldn’t want some crack-shot to shoot the fly off your leader!
As we move toward the end of September, there has been some improvement in the number of fish coming into the system. On Monday of this week, the trap net at Millerton on the Main Southwest Miramichi had 7 salmon and three grilse, 8 and 3 on Tuesday and 7 and seven Wednesday. However, the Trapnet at Cassilis on the Northwest was zero for the three days.
The mid to lower section of the Main Southwest did receive some decent rain on the weekend, but the upper stretches (Doaktown up) received very little. The Cains River came up a lot, so hopefully, some fish that have been in the system will move up.
The MSA Hatchery will finish their electro-fishing this week and are in full swing collection brood stock. While seining pools on the Northwest, hatchery manager Mark Hambrook said that the numbers of salmon, and especially grilse, are down considerably from last year, and on the number of grilse present, he has never seen so many small grilse (2 ½ to 3 pounds, with hardy any in the 4 to 5 pound range). Continue Reading