Country Haven Lodge Mid-Season Report

All it took was a drop in water temperature and the salmon turned on again and fresh ones entered the Miramichi river system. This made for some decent fishing, and one lodge reported that they were experiencing their best fishing to date this year! We have to tip our hat here to young Sami Duis from Remels, Germany who truly timed things pefectly and enjoyed a trip of a lifetime landing a number of salmon throughout the system.

Given that our guides are Canadian and most grew up playing hockey, in the offseason through our long winter, they tend to be fans of professional hockey. But a few, like Ken Vickers, also happen to be soap opera fans, so he was particularly pleased this past week to guide Marybeth Schwartz, who plays Kayla Brady on Days of Our Lives!

The fishing conditions are almost perfect right now and while a further drop would help a bit, enabling us to fish our low water pools, it appears that will be unlikely as the rainfall predicted over the next few days could impact the river conditions and angling again this season.

People are often surprised to learn that many years we can have some of our best best summer fishing in August but it very much depends on the river conditions and the weather can change so quickly one way or another. But we will take good fishing when we can get it in the summer and overall it was a good first week of August this year. Flies that were doing the trick this past week included #8 Green Machines, Undertakers & Blue Charms.

Anglers from away always say how lucky we are to live and fish on the Miramichi with its beauty, friendly people and abundance of fishing water. And although the salmon numbers are not what they once were, on any given day with the right conditions and a bit of luck, we are indeed blessed to be on one of the best rivers in the world with a solid chance of hooking and landing a Wild Atlantic Salmon.

Every good river has good local fly shops with knowledgeable staff who can share what is happening on the river and recommend the right equipment to help you land that fish of a lifetime. We are lucky to have not one, but three of the best fly shops that any angler could wish for in W.W. Doaks and Curtis Miramichi Outfitters located on the Main Southwest Miramichi and Trout Brook Fly Shop on the Norwest Miramichi.

Overall a week to remember especially for that polite and pleasant 15 year old young man as he heads home to Germany! Tight lines from the Miramichi!