The First of many

I decided to create a series of river notes for the Miramichi River to carry through each spring and fall to serve as a reference for both my own archives and to spread information to others. Since the Miramichi striped bass migration and fishery plays such a key role in both my business and a passion that was ignited over a decade ago when I first launched my little jon boat down the Nelson boat launch without a clue what I was in for - it seems like a good outlet to share my thoughts and observations on a weekly basis.

We’re already well into the fall migration which is already showing folks catching numbers of bass in the lower reaches (some folks are reporting 50-100 per full day) and some really decent overall sizes. As the river temperature has seemingly clung to around 60 degrees for weeks now - cut bait is the weapon of choice. Mackerel, herring, squid, gaspereau - there are many routes to go when doing this but the biggest quantifiers to success in my own personal experience are the quality and freshness of your bait and a willingness to keep your rod in hand. When water temperatures are still this high bass can be finnicky in the way their bite manifests - large bass may just seem like a whisper of a nibble and being ready to respond is key. The use of circle hooks when running bait are crucial in my opinion and the manner in which they’re run is equally as important - a hi lo style setup using non offset circle hooks ensure the fish have the best sporting chance for successful release when using cut bait. Speaking of circle hooks - hook setting with these style hooks involves removing any slack with the reel and simple slower broad raising to ensure a quality hookset unlike your typical small mouth type hook set.

With the coming cold the expectation is fish taking more aggressively and hitting artificial lures should follow suit. It seems to be a waiting game against stubborn temperatures but it shouldn’t be much longer now. As temperatures dip we can even see more potential for varied opportunities such as top water bites and aggressive fly fishing.

Also, there will be a food drive for the Miramichi Community Food Bank with a prize of an all inclusive trip package that will be drawn at the fall striper cup. Look forward to seeing what the community can rally together to contribute to those who are less fortunate.