Silver Bullet....

[Brownstone]

Day # 3 on the rock, was starting to get discouraged, pouring down rain as we drove out to Southwest Brook, cleared nicely as we got there. First cast across the first pool, I moved a MONSTER..decided to change out the 6lb for some 8lb and damn glad I did, 3 more casts and bang fish on!! ran across the pool jump a few times, swam up to the upper pool and back again jump again and gone..figure +/- 15 lb fish..my day was made... but..just around the corner couple pools down..tagged this hog he pulled me 200 M down stream before i got him..beauty..30" around 12 lbs...10 min fight..

 

[toolman]

Oh Yeah, that's a sweet looking Hen. I planning on getting back to New Brunswick to fish for Atlantics on the Nipisiquit River, at the end of September. Please notice folks, no net either. That's how it's done proper Brownstone, a fair fight right to the bank. Thanks for the pic. What was the magic fly?

[flyangler]

Now that's a fish! Heart thumping story.

[wongrs]

doesn't the lack of a net tire them out more? i can't get a hold of the fish without a net unless their dead tired. i would've thought it better to keep the fish fresh in a net than the other way around.

 

sweet fish btw. hope to get into some of those myself next year.

[toolman]

This fish was landed in 10 min. which is excellent and knowing Brownstone, handled/released by expert hands.

[Brownstone]

That one took the orange bug, the first guy I hooked was moved for a blue chrarm then I hooked him on the Thunder and Lightning...wongrs: your more likely to hurt the fish if you use a net, you have to realise your hooking most of these fish in rivers the size of the Elbow/Highwood..its to tempting to try and net them premature and have them thrash themsleves to pieces on the rocks..these babys are way tougher than any trout and can be played longer..this one took off after only a minute or two or revival...

 

Greg, male fish, very slight jaw on this one..if she was a hen she'd be twice as fat .. suprised to see him as far up stream as he was this early +/- 40 km from the salt. healthy looking fish though

[toolman]

It's pretty early in the season to have a male that far up the river. The big rains you mentioned must have gotten the fish really moving. Good Luck with the rest of the trip and keep us updated with pics.

[Brownstone]

Really early for the males..the rivers were high and according to the locals the fish are'nt hanging up for long especially the big ones, been out on a few of the major rivers around the west coast and the fish are scarace lots of water and its still pretty cold making ideal conditions for the runs of salmon.. males usally hang and feed in the salt till August before going up most rivers, my guess looking at the great condition of the male i landed is he hung in the salt for an extra season and its his first run back...??? although I think the bigger one i hooked was a jack as well..long and slender not thick and stocky like the hens...

[cdock]

Sweet fish dude! Hope the rest of your trip goes well.

[Hawgstoppah]

Awesome! I have yet to fish salmon on the fly reod... a situation which I will be looking to remedy this coming Sept/Oct.

[birchy]

Right on Brownstone, what a beauty!!

[johnbransfield]

Well not quiet so early as you would think, the early run of females are usually in around early june, mid first or seconde week the big 20 pound plus hens come in, then around the last week of june first of july we see some mid range hens and males and a huge run of grilse come in. In fact this year the salmon are late. Was fishing in the upper marimachi the seconde week of june and got into some huge searun brookies, but out of seven of use only one salmon raised. We usually have landed two by the end of the third day, but non the whole week. Its been a late summer out here on the east coast, can't wait to get out to cowtown for the summer though!

[Brownstone]

For sure they are a little late this season, I've been coming first two weeks of July for years after the Altlantics, same rivers same runs, not to mention fishing them since i was old enough to cast a line, seems like every few years there is a little hiccup and the salmon are late somtimes even early..what puzzles me is how quickly these Jacks are getting to the headwaters...I got this guy 40+ kms from the salt, and up a tricky little river to boot and only spotted a few grilse since ive been out..back to a few more familiar holes in the AM..and then to the grand daddy rivers up north to Lee Wulff's old stompin' grounds...this will tell the tale weather or not they are late or the first runs gone through already due to the higher water and cold temperatures...not to mention the Miramichi has been recording some of the lowest numbers ever in the last few years..it seems to be holding, but only at about 20% of what it was not even 10 years ago...big rivers are suffering on the east coast...and the little ones too from diverted pressure...IMO in 10 years the Altantic Salmon sport fishery will be closed and we won;t see it open again for quite some time if ever...

 

How big were the Sea Trout you were getting John...Sea trout still have a healthy population here on the rock but coincide with some killer fishing on the Bow too so..I stay out west for the trout and come here for the Salmon, long after the Sea Trout are gone though...can't fish 'em all...yet...

[johnbransfield]

Most of the sea runs we were getting were around 17", some around 19", and a few that taped out just over 20", it was a great trip. I gotta admit fishin 17" sea runs with big bommer's definatly holdes a candle up to fishin big browns during a caddis hatch on the bow in my books! Not really sure about marimachi suffering, it had one of its best years recorded last yearsince they pulled the nets out of marimachi bay, with the hghest number of spring salmon being caught by sports at wilson's camp this spring. Honestly since ASF baught out the fishery in greenland the fishing has been terrific, the salmon have really reacted positivly in the marimachi since the by outof the greenland fishery, with more returning spawning fish. It is really exciting to see this many fish in the river again, at pond's salmon camp on the northwest marimachi they caught 32 salmon yesterday, all released as it is a catch-and-release camp.

Anyways don't mean to come across as a know it all ***hole this is just what i have witnessed and heard, and i hear a few things living out here on the eastcoast. You can trust me my rootts are on the main marimachi river and out in the marimachi bay area!!!!

[Brownstone]

Nice Sea runs for sure...sounds like a gret trip..I'd much rather hook into SR's then browns anyday

 

The ASF is definatly making progress..great organization

 

I keep a close eye on the salmon news on the east coast....info from an outfitter maybe not quite as it seems, fish caught means very little in the broad spectrum..check this out..of course ive found a pretty mixed bag of info from the Miramichi but look at the rivers numbers as a whole and it ain;t hard to see trouble is on the horizion...a hugh problem is aquaculture in NB and pen fed fish..which is another discussion all together...thats just my opinon from my research John no disrespect meant...

 

check this out

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2000/07/19/salmon000719.html

[johnbransfield]

That news report is from 2000 two summers prior to the buyout of the greenland salmon fishery, in the summer of 2002 which goes untill this summer. ASF and bill are currently and have been negotiating what is going forward, there have been reports on this in ASF magazine. SInce 2000 and the 5 year agreement runs have come back pretty good.

 

Yeah man no disrespect what so ever, just sheading some light on the fact that the futur and what i halp out with at asf is going to be bright and is working.

 

here a little bit from the ASF website and the link

http://asf-ca.sitepreview.ca/issues.php?id=14

 

The Greenland Conservation Agreement - The Moment to Act is Now

 

This is the last year of the five-year conservation agreement with Greenland’s commercial fishermen’s organization (KNAPK) to suspend their salmon fishery.

 

 

Now is an important time to act - to renew the agreement.

 

 

Numbers of returning Atlantic salmon have increased since the Agreement was put in place.

More larger salmon are returning.

About 96% of the returning salmon are of Canadian origin, 4% of US origin.

 

 

If fishermen in Greenland return to fishing, we will lose the benefits we’ve gained over the past four years.

 

 

KNAPK and its partners have been developing alternative economic development programs.

 

 

Freshwater conditions in both North America and southern Europe are better, more anglers are practicing live release, research is being conducted into at-sea mortality, and if the salmon are allowed to return from Greenland; then their overall chances of spawning are better than they have been in decades.

 

 

The Government of Canada can help finance the agreement; now much of the funding comes from the US.

 

 

Canada must take this special opportunity to safeguard the future of wild Atlantic salmon.

[esleech]

What a GREAT fish!

[SteveM]

Brownstone, me son, dat's a lovely salmon! I lows ya must be right proud, eh b'y! I s'pose you've had so much moose, & lobster,

& jiggs dinner ya must be sick of it. I knows how everybody & their dog likes to feed ya when ya goes back to da Rock; one time I was

 

downhome, me buddy cooked up a friggin' scoff of moose at tree o'clock in da marnin'. No, I knows ya wasn't good! Washed it down

with a few Black Horse beers. Never made a trip back home that I didn't gain weight - and enjoyed every bite!

Looking forward to your next fishing report. Good luck!

Steve M. (Born & raised in Gillams, NF- near Corner Brook)

[lonefisher]

SWEET fish BS. Do you mind if I steal that pic?

[Brownstone]

Lonefisher : help yourself

 

Bobloblaw : Im from Corner Brook (curling actully)..

[hydropsyche]

Nice fish, Brownstone. I can only imagine.

 

Is that a tailing glove you have on? My problem with tailing fish is I can't get a good grip without feeling like I'm crushing something. Then the fish ends up flopping out of my hands and hitting the rocks. Do tailing gloves allow a more gentle and secure grip? I'd rather not use a net if I can avoid it.

[Brownstone]

I use cotton work gloves, pick them up anywhere for cheap..for about a buck a pair..you can get a fair grip on the tail of the fish without doing any harm, you don;t have to worry about squeezin the fish's abdoment when handling it..and after awhile of tailing fish you get use to counter acting the thrashing of the tail..with a simple twist of the wrist and the fish's tail in you palm, they can't get any thrust..never tried the actual tailing gloves..

 

tailing has been quite the disscussion since i posted that pick..there is another thread where i babble my thoughs on tailing fish..

[126barnes]

Nice one Brownstone, but that hurts a little. I'm home, but to busy to wet a line between renos, two kids and the wife being 8mth+ along. Maybe late August, maybe.

[Glenbow]

Absolutely gorgeous fish & good story. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

[Brownstone]

Nice one Brownstone, but that hurts a little. I'm home, but to busy to wet a line between renos, two kids and the wife being 8mth+ along. Maybe late August, maybe.

 

 

you just gotta hit the Humber for the jack run in August..you'll hook fish that make that one look like a minnow...they are hard to land but plenty of them around in mid August..they are late this year anywhere i been..so maybe towards the end of the month...

 

..FYI.. Harry's River is stacked right now with fish..big run came in a couple days ago..isn't that near your place...??? ... sorry had to...

 

was back out to Southwest Brook and Flat Bay this am...pretty slow..but those rivers only get small runs anyways...