12th Sept. 2009

Fishing on the Miramichi – YES – THAT EARLY Fall Run just keeps on coming, score today, (1) grilse, Wendy (1) salmon, (2) hooked into by JR including a nice size salmon and no one put in any more than a couple of hours. I can’t believe that it’s September and we have no one in fishing and there is fishing. We checked in at O’Donnell’s Cottages in Storytown, lots of fish jumping in their pool, at Big Hole Brook an angler was playing a salmon so there are more down river to come.

While we were talking to Valerie O’Donnell, Jackie her husband, pointed out a whopper of a salmon cruising through the pool this thing was so big it’s tail was 10 inches above water, a discussion ensued where we wondered how fast a salmon would work it’s way up river in good water conditions as we currently have. As we were just headed that way ourselves enroute back to the cottage and this fish was so obvious in size we thought why not pace it with the old truck, catching glimpses where there was a break in the trees and you could see the river. When we arrived at Big Hole Brook, we just caught a glimpse of it’s tail, that fish was moving. I floored the old Ford and we got up to 30 mph maybe 35 coming down the hill into Priceville. We left the truck and checked the water at the Footbridge that thing was just coming past Buttermilk, of course not a fish stopped at Porcupine all summer so we have been told, I figured this one wouldn’t either. I swear as we were standing on the foot bridge that thing grinned at us on the way by and sped up. Most of Priceville Road is down hill to our place and no fish can do 40 mph not even this one so we beat it to Porter Cove warned Keith and Doddie and headed for our place. Wendy wanted to make a try for it and as she was going down the steps that thing went by, the wash from it left a grisle flopping on the shore, when it went through the rapids there were rocks flying in every direction. You know that fish was playing with us cause it made a complete circle of McCartys Island came back and laid in the pool. The dam thing’s tongue was out like it was panting, or laughing. I heard from Woodland that he used Irish Spring soap to keep the deer away and knowing that deer and fish think nothing alike I had Wendy tie on a bit, she’s a bug fan in reality but played along and I did tell her to be careful as the Rangers wouldn’t think much of the bait, this being a salmon scheduled river where you can only use a fly. You should have seen it, that fish struck that soap and headed up river, my good line and all, that thing was frothing at the mouth and shaking it’s head like a dog that picked up a toad. When it gets to Juniper we may see an October migration down river. That’s how the run has been all Fall “straight through, no stopping.”

Wendy & Shane

Moonshadowcottage.ca