31st December 2010

The end of another year.  We avoided the flooding and finally have snow on the ground. Returned from a trip to Uculet BC (West side of Vancouver Island) spent time at "Cabins West" run by a retired Victoria Police Officer (Rod Faulkner). Cabins were well appointed and highly recommended for anyone headed that way, especially if they are looking for West Coast fishing.


Happy New Year to all.

PS: Don't forget to book early, you can see by checking our calendar that 2011 is startng to fill up.

22nd Novermber 2010

Hunting season has come to an end and we appreciated the oysters and wine that Stephen, Roger and Aldrice left for us.

Moonshadow Cottage had a very successful year. The majority of our guests were returning clients, some who have been with us for the past 5 years and have already booked again in 2011.  A number return several times during the same year, sometimes with family for a quiet get-a-way and at other times with fishing or hunting buddy's.

The cottage is now closed until May 1st 2011and the year is already shaping up with bookings being made in May through November so don't leave it too late to reserve your spot.

Wendy & I want to wish all our guests a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

20th November 2010

Three of our hunters report yesterday evening  seeing one of our "bobcats" about  1/2 km n/w of the cottage so it's nice to know they are still around.

21st October 2010

Here's an article for all you good folks who love to travel that Plaster Rock Renous Highway and for the most part miss the Holtville turnoff.

It’s nice to know that Hwy 108, Plaster Rock to Renous scored as the 5th out of 10 of the most memorable roads by Garry Sowerby, a four-time Guinness long-distance driving World Record holder. Number 1 being N2 Garden Rte in Cape Town South Africa and Number 10 the stretch of Pan American Highway between Peru/Chile and Lima.
“ --- Located in northern New Brunswick, this road is a time saving alternative to the winding Trans Canada Highway as long as you are willing to take the odd pothole, dodge the wildlife and risk a breakdown in the middle of basically nowhere. With nothing but forest and an occasionally open service station about halfway through the desolate 150-kilometre of secondary road is simply known as “The Renous.” And with a maximum-security along the way, picking up hitchhikers is never a good idea.” (Wheels Oct. 21st 2010)

15th October 2010

Frenzy fishing in a Nor-Easter

It's with sad regrets that I must inform you of the passing of another great fishing season on the Main Southwest Miramichi.  A few die-hards ventured forth into the waves and actually got a fish or two before the big blows moved in.

All in all with the exception of a few very hot days in August we had a typical and productive season.  The October fish were actually much more co-operative than normal and were still striking until the very end.

It's now time to start thinking about those fly patterns that really worked and how you wanted to adjust them to make the fly work just a bit better.  You know shorter tail, heavier hook etc. 

Now into the hunters.  We still have some decent dates open October into November so have a look at our calendar, you don't have to be a  fisherman or hunter to relax with a bottle of wine on the Miramichi.

14th October 2010

One day to go and that's the end of fishing season on the Main Southwest Miramichi.  Gorgeous day on the river although  the fish were not plentiful in the morning and afternoon but Gail did manage to hook and release her first non-spring salmon between cursing Sheldon for buying her waders with no felts. She ended the evening landing a 12# +/- female hooked on a green spring fly. Between 5:30 pm and 6:45pm there were lots of fish showing, some very large but not taking well.  One more day and they are calling for rain.

13th October 2010

Today started off a bit slow, lost (2) salmon but things started to shape up in the afternoon and continued into evening.  I released a nice bright salmon (12-13#), (2) smaller salmon and (1) grilse all on a Alley's Shrimp.  Sheldon released (2) grilse (green machine)  and about an 18# female salmon (Alley's Shrimp). 

Rob sorry about the Alley's Shrimp you passed on to me. After the 6th fish I should have retied it, that 5 lb. test leader just isn't what it used to be, so my 6 fish plus your 5 Monday plus ? from Sunday, means that fly took 11+.  Well that  Alley's Shrimp is now headed for Rocky Brook in the mouth of a nice salmon.

12th October 2010

Finally, a day with no wind and sunshine.

Fishing was very slow this morning, had two rods on the water for a couple of hours and all we came up with was one dark grilse on a Alley's Shrimp.  Around 5 pm a nice run went through, they chewed the tail off the Alley's Shrimp hitting short, had about 8-10 pulls in 10 minute time span.  A run went through Sunday at the same time but not yesterday.

Don't everyone rush to the river at 5 pm, that's just the time we  have had several runs go through this pool. The same run probably passed the Priceville Footbridge 3 minutes earlier and arrived in Rocky Brook 5 minutes later. So judge your fishing times accordingly.

A friend from Montreal brought us down an autographed book titled "Men of The Autumn Woods" by Gerry Parker.  The theme is non-resident big-game hunting in New Brunswick, 1885-1935 and is well worth taking a look at.  For those not wishing to fork over the $, I see the library is carrying copies.

11th October 2010

Rob calls this "Five before 9:45"   all on an #6 Alley's Shrimp.  The last grilse was a bright fish.

10th October 2010

Warmer then yesterday, windy but not quite as bad.  Rob landing a salmon, he had released three by 09:30 and touched a few others using an Alley's Shrimp.  The problem with this fly is that fish often hit the tail only and if you cut the tail off the fly doesn't seem to work as well.

Rob picked up a salmon in the Cains in the afternoon, they are still reporting no fish.

The wind kept up into the evening, when it dropped so did the fishing. I picked up a nice salmon and grilse, we both had the tails chewed off the Alley's Shrimp

These fish are being taken right off the shoreline.

9th October 2010

Cold and windy with water up and dark but there are still fishing moving.

Rob hooked/released salmon last night in front of the cottage and a grilse this morning, both dark on a Chief Needabah.  Fish are running 20 to 30 ft off shore. He tried the Cains River in the afternoon, hooked into one grilse and thats all he saw.  Reported a strong run of fish entered the cains last week but no one has seen or touched them.

Afternoon around 5pm a strong run went through, Rob tied into a salmon,  I lost a grilse in the evening, saw a number of fish rolling and raised several. The cold wind never let up.

Another 5 days and the fishing seasons shot.

We still have some dates open the end of October into November.
For the hunters we have had a cancellation Nov 11th through 16th so those dates are now open and don't forget the rates drop to $100/night November 1st.

3'd October 2010

Received an email asking about fishing conditions:
The water is up from recent rains and we haven't had any rods on the water over the weekend, all I can provide is the following.

Water level is a bit high and dark but fishable plus the weatherman is calling for sun all this week, we may see a drop in water level,  A friend dropped in this evening and advised that they had landed a salmon and had a couple of strong pulls when fishing his pool in the Priceville area - so if you can catch them at the right moment - I guess that's a pun.

1st October 2010

Water remains up and today is very windy, seems to be coming from every direction. 
Seeing a lot of salmon moving, alot more than is the past few days and they are travelling, all in the center of the river.  No rods on the water so I cannot provide any insight as to their taking a fly.

Anyone interested in a cat or two, seems we are being overrun with feral cats.  Some so wild they put the run to the local raccoons and probably would take down a deer.

30th September 2010

Very mild day, lite showers, water level remains constant (up) and dark. No rods on the water, very few fish showing although on checking downriver pool they saw several fish but they were not taking.

Our raccoons appear to be replaced by a bear at the moment!

29th September 2010

Fall Colour in New Brunswick

Taxis River

You don't have to go to the White Mountians to enjoy fall colour.  On a nice bright day, try the Plaster Rock Renous Hwy, Bristol to Juniper or even the Stanley to Parkers Ridge Road.  New Brunswick should be in full bloom in about a week.

Up river rain has brought the water back up and the weatherman is calling for rain into the weekend.  I was on the river for approx. 1 hr. this evening and never saw a fish.

28th September 2010

Main Southwest Miramichi dropped about 4 inches and remains dark. Spent about 1 hr on the water in the morning, saw 5 or 6 salmon and had one tug on the fly, that was it.  In the evening we had lite warm wind saw one fish, no action. Hope we are in between runs as they have dropped off significently at the moment.

27th September 2010

Main Southwest Miramichi water level remains up.  Dropped into Curtis's Tackle Shop in Blackville this PM and they are reporting some bright fish movement (salmon with sea lice).  That's a good indicator they are headed this way :) 

Spotted a couple of rabbits on the road, yes they are a rare critter  in an area over run with red foxes. Also spotted two very large cayote's in same area so guess what's on their menu for supper.

26th September 2010

Well that last rainfall boosted the Main Southwest Miramichi  about a foot in this area and brought fishing to an abrupt halt.  On the positive side the rise in water should speed fish into the system.  We are still seeing fish movement but the water is very dark and the fish will be all over the river which drives the odds of  hooking one way down.

Aaron if you are following this, the weatherman is calling for showers during the week and cloudy days, clearing some before weeks end. The river may/may not be down to a decent level by Friday, suggest you monitor.

Anyone interested in a few raccoons!

25th September 2010

Eric

Heavy overnight rains, hasn't impacted on water level to any degree, yet.  Eric playing his second salmon before morning coffee (green/white bomber). 

Water started rising in afternoon up about 8 inches, lotsa ofr fish moving some very large but other than a few soft strikes the boys haven't really tied into anything since morning.

24th September 2010

Lite rain on the Main Southwest Miramichi, not enough to effect water level, did make it difficult for dry fly fishing. Grilse in the morning and two salmon in the evening, largest 34", all dark and all on green/white 3/4 size bomber fished dry.  Eric's party made it in, fish were not taking well but they did raise a few, hoping tomorrow brings that bright fish :)

Moose hunt must have gone off well, Doaktown and Boiestown seem to have trucks driving around in circles showing off their success.

23'd September 2010

Main Southwest Miramichi - water is dropping but remains cold. Wind came up early this morning from every direction, a few fish showing.  The FFD guys were on the water for a few minutes before checking out, Bill caught his first ever grilse and Lika followed it up with a nice 25 incher, both taken on Alley's Shrimp.

Wendy said that if she gave out coupons for "good housekeeping" you folks would have got one, then you could have passed it along to Kevin. Better than free turkeys at Superstore!

Around 7PM wind died off and evening fishing was a joy, saw lots of large salmon, landed a grilse and very next cast hooked into another, both on a green/white 3/4 bomber. Get's dark too darn fast.

Weatherman calling for cloudy and rain Friday & Saturday, that should bring the water up a bit and maybe start that fresh bright salmon run in from the ocean.  We have seen the odd brighter fish but not fresh sea run yet.

Just a reminder if you want to see what is new @ Moonshadow, click on moonshadow facebook site upper right.

22nd September 2010

Rick releasing as grilse

Day started off nicely with no wind and the pool full of fish. One 31" salmon on a green/white bomber, second cast, hooked a fish on a LT Special, this grilse was taken on a Alley's Shrimp and another hooked on same fly.  Wind came up in afternoon and evening run was not strong, a few raised nothing hooked.  Couple of boys went down stream to Blissfield where Mike hooked a couple.  Boys are getting some nice sized trout thrown into the mix - too bad - season closed.

Eric, if you are following this, expecting rain Friday & Saturday so don't forget the rain gear.

21st September 2010

Strong West wind all day, probably due to hurricane Igor.  Wind did die down toward evening. Several rods on the pool with lots of salmon showing but not taking well, two grilse hooked on a green/white 3/4 size bomber, several trout, that season has ended.

20th Septembert 2010

Beautiful fall day.

No rods on the water until around 3PM, Sheldon landed a nice grilse in less time than it took him to put his waders on.  Quite a few fish showing until around 6PM then everything went quiet, same as last night.  I guess that signals the fishermen to go home for supper.  River is dropping but nice and cold.

Moose weekend coming up. The forest sound like one big hornets nest from all the ATVs buzzing around. Actually met a couple of moose leaving the Dungarvon, someone had posted a sign "MOOSE 2010" on their turf, so they decided to go vote.

19th September 2010

Main Southwest Miramichi - we took a brief look at the water this morning, in less than an hour, tied into two grilse (hook/release) and saw about a dozen salmon. Afternoon continued to see fish until about 6PM.  Had 3 or 4 decent short strikes. Wendy landed a grilse. All the fish were dark and taken on an LT Special.

18th September 2010

An update:
Main Southwest Miramichi is cool with water at a good height.  We haven't had rods on the water for a few days and not seeing any fish junping. Reports from up river are of sporatic fishing. Blackville and down river are starting to see the odd bright salmon mixed with dark.  At times great fishing and other times seeing fish but they are not rising to the fly.  Translates into fish headed this way.

Moose hunters are out in full force staking their hunting areas.  We spent considerable time in the woods past few days, saw very little game unless a crow and few partridge counts, very few moose tracks, seems most of the game is out in the settlements.  Still lots of foxes and bears around.

Our cancellation for Thanksgiving weekend has now been taken. Check out our calendar as there are still a few days in September,Oct. & November available.

13th September 2010

Cloudy day, few fish around in the morning.  Only rods on the water in the evening the guys tied into a grilse and trout.
We have had a cancellation for Thanksgiving weekend if anyone out there would like to spend a beautiful fall long weekend on the Miramichi!  Discount to $110.00/night taxes included, for anyone that books this 3 day weekend (maximum 4 people).

12th September 2010

Frank's Catch

Main Southwest Miramichi is up and with the cool nights the fish have started to move, we started seeing fish Friday evening.

The boys hooked/released a grilse and trout yesterday and by 10am had hooked two grisle and a nice trout. All the salmon had been in the river and were dark. Reports of fish being taken at Rocky Brook

Cat Bird

We have a nice big bull moose in the area, and a few deer starting to move here's hoping they make it through the season(s).

I'll see if I can find a "moose bird"

9th September 2010

Well that rain sure brought the water up, we had a good 6-8 inch rise.  Doug Underhill's River Report indicates they are seeing some movement down stream, however Kent & Rosslyn have been hitting the water for the better part of two days and have yet to see a fish.

8th September 2010

The weather has finally started to cool, a few months from now we will wish we had the heat back again.  Main Southwest Miramichi is low but enough water for fish movement.  The group that left Tuesday indicated they had saw a fish roll and another jump.  I gave it a whirl yesterday evening to no avail but if we can get the water temperature down there is no reason we shouldn't start to see movement.

Leo, you were correct, the shower mixing cartridge was in backwards - cold when it should have been hot and visa versa.  Our apologizes to all those clients who got a surprise when showering, it's now corrected :)
Also thanks for the bottle of wine, it went nicely with last nights BBQ.

5th September 2010

Hurricane Earl was not much more than a 4 hour rain shower in this area.  The Main Southwest Miramichi has risen about 30 cm (12 inches) current water temperature 66.3F (19.1C) that plus the cool nights, shorter and cooler days plus projected rain this week should see a further drop in the water temperature which in turn may spark a bit of fish movement.

For our bird watching friends:  We had a "Bittern" standing on the shore this morning, the first one I have seen this year.  Our Blue heron is still here, the normal herd of Merganzers, ("herd" because it's made up of several flocks) was replaced by a large flock of Mallard ducks yesterday and groups of Canada geese are getting together.  We still have humming birds at the flowers.

4th September 2010

Main Southwest Miramichi is suffering from a loss of water.  When you look out the window and see Canada geese walking upstream in the middle of the river you know it's low.  We were hoping for some rail associated with hurricane Earl but that has now been cut in half to 20-30mm. Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday are calling for showers. There will have to be a drastic change in water conditions before we return to fishing or any other water sports.

1st September 2010

Main Southwest Miramichi:  (Heat Wave)

31st August 2010 Main Southwest Miramichi (click to enlarge)

Water level is very low, the surface temperature was 93F yesterday and at 7PM,  midstream the water temperature was 80F (26.6C).  Fish movement will be at a standstill until the water temperature drops and although there is still enough water for fish to navigate the river, it  wouldn't hurt to have some water.

26th August 2010

Slow fishing doesn't hinder this guy.

An excellent  time for the bird-watchers, a good variety of birds of prey around. This blue heron spent the afternoon visiting.

Main Southwest Miramichi is very low.  The nights are cool and there are a few fish moving pool to pool.  We haven't had rods on the water since last weekend so it's difficult to get a reading for the area. I've seen a number of fishermen at the Porter Cove Bridge but I haven't witnessed a lot of  success.  They are hooking a couple of fish each morning in the Salmon Brook area.

22nd August 2010

Lots of activity on the Main Southwest Miramichi today.  Kevin demostrates the art of casting to Lika. 

Lika's approach being that you can only catch a fish if the fly is in the water, as you can see. 

An eagle takes the intimidation approach to fishing by trying to take a fish away from an Osprey and our local connector flight between Boiestown and Doaktown looks on.

21st August 2010

Kevin out practicing his casting.

Kevin took a grilse in the slow water yesterday evening. He seems to be able to take fish when there are none around.  Nights are cooling down lots of water and lots of fish yet to come in so it's shaping up to be a decent Fall.

Mark won the "horse shoe competition" I've yet to determine the prize - tell the wives not to worry tonight's 45's.

Fish in the pool this evening, the boys raised at least one and are still at it.

When booking Moonshadow Cottage we often get requests for more information and pictures than this log will accommodate, which leads to another social media of the day Facebook.  For those who want more information  specific to the cottage click on the icon to the right or go to facebook.com site  type in Moonshadow Cottage Rental and feel free to add pictures or comments.

19th August 2010

Hermel and his brother relaxing on the Main Southwest Miramichi.  Thanks folks, we appreciated your consideration, the cottage was as clean as a whistle when you left .

Main Southwest Miramichi River is at it's summer low and although we have had cool nights the river is relatively warm.  Fish are holding in the cold water pools with the odd one traveling at night. Early morning is the best time to hit the water as the days are warming up quickly into the mid to high twenty's.  The pool infront of Moonshadow Cottage is not a cold water holding pool but salmon do hold at certain temperatures and times of year often moving out late morning.  Our advice at the moment until conditions change is to be prepared to find other entertainment, the water is warm, the fish not moving and the days too hot to stand on the river.  This is normal for late August.

We had a bird watcher visitng from out of province who was able to add a number of sightings to his list. 
Some of the birds we take for granted along the river are rare sighting in other areas such as downtown Toronto :)  The "nighthawks" continue to make their evening runs upriver, has anyone ever seen them come back down river?  The Humming Birds are attacking the feeders in droves, preparing for the migration which will begin in a couple of weeks.  We witnessed female Hummingbirds attack and kill a young male a few weeks ago.

As of this date Moonshadow Cottage is completely booked for July 2011.  On occassion we do have cancellations so do check our calendar. 

15th August 2010

A Moonshadow Cottage update - sounds a bit verbose! I've discovered that the various "web browser search engines" pick up specifics, thus our site gets more attention if I use Miramichi River rather than just  the word "river", makes sense.

The Miramichi River :) water level is low but navigatable to the  fish and although it has been warming we have seen fish working up river.  A friend fished a down river cold water holding pool yesterday and felt there were 100s of salmon in the pool with some very nice trout.  Needless to say I won't be anymore specific than that or those 100s of salmon may dimish overnight.  The nice part of this report is that there are a lot more fish headed our way.

Tubers:  As I sit on the deck overlooking the Miramichi River typing this log, a white plastic jug floats by. CBC radio carried a report highlighting our concerns about the amount of garbage that seems to be accompanying the new found sport of tubing.  CBC interviewed a tubing business on the Nashwaak River where the owner has made efforts to reduce the garbage from his clients.  Garbage in the river problem is not unique to "tubers", a trip down the Cains River, a non-tubing  river, was heartbreaking, plastic bags could be seen hanging among the shoreline highwater mark, bottles along the shore. Hopefully the Miramichi River will not suffer the same fate and Moonshadow Cottage is requesting that NB Tourism include some educational material regarding littering of our rivers and roads.

Special message for Carl Urquhart MLA and a family friend.  I recently read the Daily Gleaner article on your intention to donate a kidney.  That takes a lot of grit my friend and we are very proud of you.

Our visitors from Kingston are heading back today after spending a week at Moonshadow and we have a series of returning clients coming in.  A few days in September remain open, please check our calendar "moonshadowcottage.ca"

14th August 2010

Lika started the day off right with this salmon on a "brown/bomber". He rolled another fish just prior. 

Sorry for the blur, fish splashed the camera while netting it.  As you can see from the water, a pair of chest waders is more appropriate for the water level at this time of year.

(click on pictures to enlarge)

13th August 2010

Another one of 2010's nice summer days.

After Lika took a grilse on a green/white bomber in the slow water, we all loaded into the canoes and basically walked to the footbridge where we took out, the water being that low,

We continue to see fish moving. The fishing is turning more toward that seen in early fall where the fish are paying attention to bombers and dry flys on the slow water. 

Calls keep coming in for the cottage on short notice. At this time we don't have any dates open until September.  Check out our calendar.

10th August 2010

Back into the hot weather.  We have a heavy downriver run of "Tubers" and not much showing in the way of upriver fish although I did see someone with one on at the Porter Cove Bridge and Jean Guy e-mailed us advising that he tied into a grilse in Quarryville yesterday.  Weather prediction is for hot weather right into the weekend.

Tubers:  Enjoying the pristine river.  If only we could convince them to take their cans, bottles and plastic bags home with them.  Instead of measuring the water temperature this morning I conducted an alcohol check of the river water, 5% by vol - must be all that Budwiser Beer :)

Dale still owes Don $20 on the largest fish taken and don't forget, "cross below the rock".

8th August 2010

Please bear with us, we are having some technical problems with our main computer and working from a laptop.  We are accessing our e-mail through web-mail.  If you have not received a response to your e-mail please phone us at (506) 369-9880 or cellular (476-6757)

Not cool but a cold night, much akin to a fall day (cold night, warm days).  The pool hasn't been fished much so I cannot provide much for a fishing update other than we are seeing the odd one jump.We gave it a try around 6pm even with the heavy wind, saw two grilse & a salmon, hooked/released grilse taken on #10 green machine/white tag.  A bit of a circus as the backing line let go where tied to flyline so had to hand line the fish while rethreading and retying the flyline to backing.   Fish was so patient it deserved to continue on it's way.

5th & 6th August 2010

Kevin hooked into a salmon on the morning of the 5th (shady lady) and we saw the odd fish moving through during the day.  We didn't have the hits or see many fish as on the 4th and the morning of the 6th was a total wipeout, never saw a fish, although around 11am they started picking fish up at a pool below us, so a run may be coming in.  We will be giving the pool a rest at least until evening.

I have a raccoon problem. If any one is interested in owning some cute but nuisance critters.  I can round them up for you along with a small bear who thinks he's a raccoon.

It has been one busy summer and we have had to turn away bookings almost daily.  The only time we can accommodate last minute bookings during peak season is when we have a cancellation. 

We hope that our clients understand why we stick to our max 4 adult policy. The cottage accommodates 4 nicely more than 4 leaves clients with a bad impression and results in excessive wear & tear.

4th August 2010

Cloudy with lite overnight rain.  Water in good condition.

Fishing:  Fish showing this morning but not taking.  Around 12 noon heavy run of fish went through, lost a grilse, landed about a 13/14 lb salmon, raised six fish, some as often as 3 times all on a # 10 white tag green machine.  Placed some rods on the water around 3PM, raised three and saw a few on the surface. Same in the evening, raised a number of fish Aaron landed/released (1) grilse on blue smurf.

The past few days there have been fish runs from around 11 am - 1 pm.

3'd August 2010

Cloudy with lite rain, cool night, good water.

Stephen ending his day early with one headed for the BBQ.

Fish running all day, raised about 6 fish before we finally hooked into two.  One on a green machine/white tag and second on a modified shady lady.

2nd August 2010

Another nice day.  We had a colourful motorized para glider cruise up the river after a flock of ducks & Canada geese. The pilot make a wide turn around fishermen in the pool which was very curtious and appreciated.  I wish I could say som e tubers were as appreciative.  Yesterday and today we watched tubers drift down river surrounded by a sea of empty plastic pop bottles and beer cans :(  We even had a kayaker in the water snaring this trash as it drifted into the pool.

By 11:00 hr we have seen a few (3 or 4)  fish moving, not a lot.

10:05 Lika took a nice grilse on a green/white bomber in slower water.

1st August 2010

Hot day, lots of canoes, kayaks & tubes of every varity. 

No rods on this pool most of the day. As we had been seeing salmon jump from time to time all day so gave it a try in the evening, saw one fish and it wasn't interested in us so we packed it up and everyone went to the parade and fireworks in Doaktown.

31st July 2010

Water dropped slightly still ample for fish movement. 
Good day for fishing if only the fish would cooperate. A few fish  moving throughout the day but not taking.
Starting to see some brights and getting reports of strong fishing down river.
If we can keep the water temperature down and fresh fish continue to move in this direction there is a chance we can have some decent fishing.

30th July 2010

Cool night, cloudy day, water temp holding. 

Fish showing in the pool this morning but not taking.  Mini runs during the day, single fish showing here & there.  Around noon we had such a run, I touched one, saw a couple and James tied into this salmon on a shady lady. Several fish were jumping as he played this one and it was difficult to tell which one he had on.  Afternoon was slow, we will see what this evening brings.

20:00 hr a grilse taken on # 10 green machine.

Saw fish moving right up to dark, struck a few but just not taking well.

29th July 2010

Over night rains were nice but we  could use more.  Saw several fish moving this morning and tied into one for a brief few seconds before he continued on his/her way.

Moonshadow Cottage Rental was originally intended as a cottage rental where we included a two rod access to our pool at no additional cost.

Our  "pool" is the result of what is referred to as "riparian rights" and abutts other such private pools and open water.  Riparian rights provide for the adjacent land owners exclusive use of water including fishing one half way across the river.

Although we have understandings with  immediate neighbours, on occassion when we have allowed more than two fishermen access we have experienced difficulty keeping them within our pool.  In future we will now be strictly enforcing our "two rod per day policy" as well as clearly defining the area off limits to public fishing.

28th July 2010

08:`15 hr

This one turned out to be a nice salmon and continues on up river.  The boys reported seeing a lot of fish in the pool this morning hitting very soft.

The boys staying at Moonshadow have hooked into around 5 or 6 and there has been at least 3 more hooked in the pool.

Two of the 4 remaining days in August have been taken which leaves only August 4th & 5th open until September which is also booking up.  It appears all of July 2011 is now gone.

27th July 2010

Water dropped slightly but remains good level with nice temperature.  Boys started off well this morning.  Took a trip to Miramichi City, not many fishermen on the river but a tour of the harbour indicates there are plenty of salmon just waiting to make their way upriver.

Speaking with an old cogger who used to work at the hatchery.  He was telling me that one of his jobs was to go about picking up big female salmon (hens) for the hatchery so they could collect the eggs.  Some of the camps would hold hens for them and he would transport by placing the fish in a inner tube tied off on one end filled with water.  He claimed in the dark tube they remained quiet and still.  His name is Wood he was a guide for many years on the Norwest and he is currently displaying his boat building talents at Ritchies Wharf, so if you are interested  in fishing history and stories drop in and visit him.

You might note the brown bottle lure, carried in case fishing is slow.

26th July 2010

We have water and we have fish. 

After recent rains the water level has come up significently, this coupled with cool nights has started the fish moving again.  We have seen several salmon  jumping as they move  up river.  We will have some rods on the water this week, that will give a reading on how well the fish are taking.

14:30 hr. - The boys were only on the water a few minutes when they began to pick up fish. Hard to believe we would be using motors after the last few weeks drought.



Due to a cancellation August 2nd, 3'd, 4th & 5th 2010 remain open.

24th July 2010

Conditions are a lot better than the past two weeks.

Miramichi river is at a good height after the rains and expecting more tomorrow.  It's a bit dark and dirty however has cooled off and should start the fish moving.  Lots of rods down river. We have had fishermen on the river off/on today with no luck, have heard of 2 being taken down river.

Great weekend for tubing, there have been dozens drift by here with a smattering of  kayaks & canoes.
The Boiestown Fair is in full swing and the valley is full of  country music which adds to the festivities.

22nd July

Greg sends a copy of yesterday's CBC Report along:

"The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has closed three areas on the Southwest Miramichi River to fishing to protect salmon that are under stress from the ongoing hot weather
Angling has been prohibited in the Indiantown Brook, Wilson Brook and Sutherland Pool.It's been a tough summer for salmon in New Brunswick's Miramichi River. The federal department estimates that hundreds of fish have died because they can't survive in the river's warmer waters.
Warm water loses oxygen, forcing salmon to pools of cooler water."

Overnight rains have started the wqater rising and coolewd it off slightly - we need more.  Yesterday as in previous days we are seeing lots of eagles & hawks taking and feeding on fish.

21st July 2010

We have just had August 2nd, 3'd, 4th ;5th ,2010 become available if anyone is interested.

River is up nice but water remains warm and no sign of fish movement other than by fish hawks :(

20th July 2010

Water's up, cooled slightly but tomorrow is another hot day, no  sign of "live fish" so Nelson, Lindsay & Brandon are doing the next best thing.

18th July 2010

Well the Miramichi was on the rise and cooling off until yesterday and it's now lost all that ground.  A couple of fish seen moving early morning and that was it. 

Reports still coming in of lots of salmon stacking in the cold water pools.  The rangers & wardens are going to be kept busy as reports of netting and jigging are coming in from Miramichi, Cains & Dungarvon - some of this poaching has been going on openly infront of legal fishermen and of course some of the offenders feel it's an entitlement.  A couple of poachers apprehended down river yesterday should be making their way into the courts in the months to come.

Eagles &  hawks are having a field day along the short line feeding on dead  fish. Watched an eagle take a grilse out of the rapids this afternoon.  Crows moved right in for the feed and a second eagle dropped by to see if it could share.  Night hawks put on a show last night with their acrobatics.  Had two land at our feet, first time I have ever seen them on the ground, tame as morning doves.

One fish was raised today but if you are going fishing I'd recommend taking some other form of entertainment with you and it's very hot out there.

13th July 2010

Expecting 20mm rain this evening, water remains up slightly and these rains should start to cool things down.

The fishing is basically at a stand still in our area, although I know some fish are being hooked in cold water pools.  If we can get the river cooled down the salmon will start moving again.

We have an opening at a reduced rate due to medical reasons for July 15-16-17. If you are still looking for July dates please contact us at (506) 369-9880 or shawen@xplornet.com.  We do have fishing clients requesting notification of any cancellations but we would not want to mislead and say there is good fishing when there isn't although the river has cooled off and the odd salmon is sneaking through.  

July 2011 is filling quickly so check our calendar if you are thinking of reserving dates.

Does anyone out there know how and why "Crown Waterfront Reserve" (CWR)  (1 chain (66ft) to 3 chains (198ft) of shoreline was designated such on some waterfronts if not specified on the original land grants?

12th July 2010

Rain cooled the water down slightly with a small rise but we need more rain or at least some cool nights. Again reports of large dead salmon from up river on the positive side also reports of  live lots of salmon in the cold water pools down river and I've seen some this evening in a local cold water bogan.

11th July 2010

Finally a day with some decent rain but we need more.  Watched an eagle hit a fish in the pool and lots of fish hawks (Osprey) cruising by.  Reports from down river of salmon in the cold water pools just waiting for that water temperature to drop.

10th July 2010

A little rain but not near enough to cool off the river, still plenty of water but the temperature skyrocketed with the continuning hot humid days.

Water temperature is playing havoc with the large salmon, had the following reports today  (4) 8-12 lb salmon laying on a bar just up river, another report from canoests of seeing (7) large salmon being eaten by eagles and I've spotted (1)  dead salmon yesterday and (2) today in the 10-12 lb range floating down river through the pool.  Checked (1) and it had been hit by an eagle or osprey. Seeing lots of eagles and other birds of prey cruising the shoreline.

We have a mortality rate every year  but this is the highest I can remember in such a short period of time and I would say unrelated to hook and release as the fish stopped taking some days ago and there are very few fishermen on the water. 

We did have a report of some canoers using spinning rods and hardware as they drifted down river, unfortunately I found out about it after the fact or a report would have been filed with the wardens and a head & shoulder photo provided & posted.

8th July 2010

Hot days have lowered the water and driven up the water temperatures.  We are still seeing fish work through especially in the mornings but have heard of nothing of a fish being taken in the past day or so.  Fish in this water will be already stressed so it is important not to play it too long, if not retaining break the fish off quickly.

6th July 2010

Hot - hot - hot, we saw some fish around early morning and (1) was hooked but then fishing dropped off completely. 

River is quickly warming up and with this heat wave moving in from Ontario we may not see any cool weather for a few days.  If you are going fishing don't forget to take along some other entertainment just in case :)

Boys reporting back from Depot Pool report of seeing fish, hooking (6) and landing (3).  The crew that preceeded them only landed (1) grilse.

5th July 2010

Another warm day but with some cloud cover.  Luke did land (1) salmon in the morning and brought his fishing day to an end.

Water temperature climbed and we saw an abrupt end to fish showing and nothing touched through afternoon into evening.

I haven't heard from the crew in at Depot Pool, should have a report shortly.

4th July 2010

(Click on pic to enlarge.)

Todd with his second salmon ever on green machine white tag.

Nice day, a little too hot for comfortable fishing but we do have a strong  run of salmon, one local report indicates schools of 3-5 fish every five minutes, we are seeing salmon on the shallow bars with the occassional fish showing lower in the pool.  Not taking well with (1)  grilse hooked this morning on a Green Machine White Tag,  In the evening (3) grilse landed (1) lost.

Water is low and again dropping fast.

3'd July 2010

Windy cloudy day, saw a number of salmon working up river, was interesting to see a run traverse a set of rapids looking  for more water.  The water is low for this time of year. 

Black Bear crossed to McCarty Island this morning. 

Grilse taken in the morning and Aaron landed a nice 32 inch salmon around 3:30 PM, # 8 Green Machine White Tag. Not a lot of fish showing and they seem to be finicky when it comes to grabbing a fly - time  for those # 10 hooks.

Picture is fuzzy as it was taken at a distance across the river.

The available dates in July (19-20-21st) have now been taken - we had three calls on them and we are now receiving bookings for July 2011.

2nd July 2010

Sun finally broke through, we have a slight wind on the river.  Steady run of salmon working up river but not taking well.  Saw dozens of fish in the air or porposing and threw everything at them until 9PM, three rods and not a strike.

1st July 2010

1st July, hard to believe, squalls all day plus hail, so much for summer.  Fish are not showing or taking well, saw one in the air, raised one and  (2) grilse were landed one on a "shady lady" the other on a "White Butt Green Machine" derivative.

We saw 1/2 dozen fish in the evening and even had a couple rise to the fly but unable to hook one.  Clients fished Gray Rapids for part of the day and report the same thing happening, lots of  fish with only the odd one taking.

A reminder we have 19-20-21st July open due to a cancellation and there should be fish around.

29th June 2010

Water is up slightly with a few fish showing but they are there.  (2) taken from pool this afternoon,  One on a "Shady Lady" one on a "Green Machine White Tag".

We have had a cancellation for July 19,20,21st if anyone is interested?  Please contact us right away as I imagine these dates will be grabbed, this being hopefully in the middle of the bright salmon run.

28th June 2010

Lite rain and the fish don't seem to mind.  At the moment we have have a steady run of fish, but most seem to have lock jaw.  Eric is in the unenviable position of keeping this one at 10 in the morning or putting it back and fishing the rest of the day - we have all been there, done that, never to catch another fish that day.  Fishing won out and this grisle continues up river :)

Note Mark's rain hat, claims his father never packed enough clothes for him!

Greg, reporting the following re Norwest, Crown Reserve:

"Hi guys, I just got a call from DNR regarding our Depot Crown Water Trip. It will be barbless-catch and release only.--- The changes are effective June 30, 2010 at midnight." --- barbless, hook & release on North West Miramichi and tributaries"  (Little Southwest & Sevogule)

Thanks Greg

27th June 2010

Can safely report an increase in fish traffic today. In 3 hr on the river I saw 11 in the air, several were very small grilse, (1) very large salmon, 

As our current clients were booking in they got to see fish jumping.  There were rods on the river for a good part of the day, one fish raised but nothing taken

26th June 2010

A very nice way to start the day.  This fish was taken 08:00 after 10 minutes fishing. We saw 2 salmon in the afternoon and had reports of fish being taken at Clearwater in past few days.

25th June 2010

Late afternoon we had a few salmon work through the pool, (1) hooked/lost and two other seen moving upriver.  Water is at a good level and nice and cool after the rains and the prediction is for more so it looks like everything is coming together,

24th June 2010

Rained all day, 2 rods on the river off & on during the day, no fish activity.

23'd June 2010

09:30  (1) grilse taken from pool on a "shady lady" - the water is good and maybe we will start to see some action.

22nd June 2010

We have had a no show from Ontario for June 22-23-24-25-26th June, if anyone is interested.  If you don't raise us on phone please leave a voice mail or email and we will get back to you.

Someone had asked for those dates and I forgot who it was.

21st June 2010

The past  couple days of desperately needed rain has brought the river up to a nice height and cooled the water down, now just to get some  fish movement.  Was out for a few minutes this evening, lots of salmon parr but no sign of anything larger.

18th June 2010

Fishing update:  My fishing neighbour reports taking a 8-9 lb. salmon June 11th.  17th with lots of fishermen on the river in the evening, (1) salmon taken Brown's Pool.  Report of (2) salmon in the counting station to date.  Big Hole Brook not reporting much for fish, if any.  I think we may have the odd salmon sliding through but very scarce.

Greg reports this from  down river.
 "Well we hit Boiestown, just up river of the suspension bridge in the public pools and fished pretty hard. We saw a grilse, and I managed to roll and briefly hook a nice size trout that didn’t really want my bomber. In the end I landed a 10 inch trout ( which I let go and encouraged him to tell all of his bigger friends that I was a nice guy) and one small salmon Parr who wasn’t much bigger than the bomber. That was it for three rods + some others in the pools. "



I have a report that the Rangers were called Sat. 12th,  re some canoers running their dogs on the shore chasing the newly born ducklings and some young lads tubing throwing rocks at the Canada Geese goslings. Not the brighest moves.  These are Fedral Offenses and could be costly.

17th June 2010

Contrary to recent river reports you cannot walk shore to shore on salmon in this area.  I checked with local "reliable" fishermen today and they have yet to see or hook a salmon in the area, let alone a dozen or more in a couple of days.  I have tested the water and watched it, unless salmon parr count a decent run has yet to start, nothwithstanding a fish sneaking through during the night.  I do have one verified report of a salmon taken upriver from Doaktown.

I fully expected to see an early run, that has not materialized so we will revert back and hope that the water holds up long enough to see the June/July run come in. Bring a steak just to  be safe.

Our last 2 days in June have been grabbed and that leaves us solidly booked until September and if you check our calander it is booking already so if you are planning on that September/October fishing please  let us know as the days are disappearing in those two months.

Our resident fox pups, actually they are our neighbours have dwindled from 7 to 3 plus mum, I don't know what happened to the others but it wasn't cars this year - maybe beavers I see some of them rampant in the area. Saw something different today, a bunch of Merganzers were herding fish to shore when several crows moved into the shallow water and intercepted the small fish.

13th June 2010

Still no sign of salmon but lots of boats on the river.  A steady stream of canoes, kayaks, tubes, whatever, it's nice to see people enjoying the Miramichi.  The water continues to drop and you will find it touch & go through some of the rapids.  A good  time of year to see baby Canada geese and ducklings.

10th June 2010

No sign of fish in the immediate area but I'm starting to hear reports of the odd salmon being taken Blackville, Doaktown and with the water being at the ideal level with cool nights I expect to see a fish break water any day now and that should start the summer season -  If anyone is reporting their sports taking lots of fish at the moment it should be with a nod & wink.

Saw a nice looking 26 foot canoe on display in Doaktown a few days ago and discovered we now have a company manufacturing and restoring the traditional cedar plank canvass canoes, 17.6 - 18'-20'-26 ft. and up.  Have a look at http://www.oakledge.ca/, a local company sourcing a lot of their material locally - well done.

4th June 2010

After two days of lite rain the water has risen and more is perdicted over the weekend.  Still picking up a few river trout, nothing significent.  Hearing rumors of some bright salmon movement down river, the closest confirmed being Doaktown, no quantities.  Also report of a few fish in the Cains.  If we can get the water up and keep it that way there is a  chance of seeing a few brights in the coming weeks.  River looks a lot better than it did a week ago.

Canada geese are dragging their young out for a look at the world, making lots of noise and providing warnings when birds of prey are in the area.

2nd June 2010

A few days of lite rain, will help a bit but the Miramichi is mighty low for this time of year.  Picked up a nice trout yesterday evening but it must have been the only one out there.  We are definitely in the "between time" hopefully we will see some fish work up river before we run out of water.

Canoe runs are a real drag at the moment, you actually have to walk them down river through the rapids although seeing quite a few on the river.

26th May 2010

Strong East wind all day.  Fishing has dropped off, other than a few river trout.  No sign of "sea trout" or "bright salmon" in this area. We also hear fishing is quiet on the Cains River.

Our resident moose has made his presence known, and a few bucks wandering around waiting for the gardens to sprout, mum fox has her pups out teaching therm to hunt, more  like kittens then predators.

23'd May 2010

Speaking with some canoers at Fall Brook Falls this PM, report that this is their 14th straight run from Halfmoon and the lowest they have ever seen the river.  They overnighted at Clearwater and watched 8 sea trout landed in the 20"+ range.  We took a couple yesterday evening in the 18" range, the wind never died until dusk which made fishing difficult.

Today, temperature shot up into the 30's, a few trout taken this morning, wind came back up.

Hiked into Fall Brook Falls, lots of water and the falls are showing nicely.  The road down to the falls has washed out badly and a 4x4 would be a must to get back out, best to leave the vehcile at the top and get some exercise.  The gate keeper related the recent story of someone taking their Van to the bottom of the hill, apparently getting it back out wasn't pretty. The walking path into the falls is moderate and you should be in shape,  expect to do some climbing or get your feet wet.  It's still worth the hike in to see the falls.

20th May 2010

Had some friends report great succfess with "sea trout" at Norrads Bridge today, I picked a couple up this evening on a small #14 black dry fly in the 17-19" range and a few river trout in the 10-12" range.  The "sea trout" are bottom feeding stone flies for the most part.

19th May 2010

"East wind" sure not a fishermans friend, nearly impossible to fish dry fly, one has to anchor in the rapids just to keep the bow of the canoe pointed down river.

"Seat trout" - they are still coming, if you are lucky enough to be on the river between wind gusts when they are motoring through.  Cottage above picked some up yesterday on a "Royal Coachman" and I tied into a couple this afternoon using a small black dry fly, involuntary hook & release if you know what I mean :)

Couple of boys just dropped in from fishing Norrads Bridge with as nice a catch of sea trout as you would want to see. They are going through in runs, you will spot several then nothing for hours until the next run. There may be some gaspereau running along the shoreline although that run seems to have dwindled in the past few years.

Foxes:  - my nieghbour spotted a mother with seven pups just below our cottage.

Cottage: - anyone interested we have a special on for this coming long weekend in May, due to the cancellation I mentioned earlier this weekend became available.  May 21-22-23, (3) nights $330.00 total, including (2) rods on the water and the sea trout are running.

17th May 2010

Miramichi is low for May and dropping daily, it won't be long before those canoes will be scraping bottom going through the rapids.

"Sea trout" we have had strong winds for past couple of days, today was much lighter wind, but no sign of any sea trout, although reports of  one caught at Norrads Bridge, approx. 10  mi. up river this am.

"Bright salmon" hearing reports of some bright salmon being caught in the Quarryville area. 

"Flies" the bitey flies were as bad on the river this evening as I have seen them in awhile, with this warm dry weather we may be in for a fly dope summer, so don't  forget to bring some.

"Bookings," we have a few days left in May and early June and we are already taking bookings into 2011 (so plan ahead :).

15th May 2010

Strong East wind took a lot of the fun out of casting, boat was pointing down river most of the time so I waited for the trout to go up to see how shallow the rapids were and when they came back down to make a run for it, I picked them off using a small black dry fly.  This run went through a bit later than yesterday, around 3:30PM.

I did hook/release a number of river trout, some on dry fly in slower water and others on a small # 14 midge in fast water.  Spent a lot of time taking salmon parr off.

I don't know how long this will last but we had a cancellation due to a family medical emergency and the last two weeks of May  (evening 16th through 31st) are now open.

14th May 2010

Nice but breezy day.  I did take a short run at the river around 2:30pm and noticed a lot of trout feeding off small tan millers.  As I mentioned yesterday I expected to see some early runs and this obviously was a run of "sea trout" working through, there were a lot of large trout feeding.  They were being very choosey, wouldn't touch my green/white bomber or white dry fly, ao I decided to go to the other end of the colour spectrum and chose a small black dry fly, that seemed to work to some degree as you can see from the  picture although there was so many millers on the surface it was hit and miss. These two are 20" & 21".

To sum it  up, we have a run of "sea trout" that has reached the Boiestown area, I half expect to tie into a fresh run salmon shortly.