The world’s largest Atlantic salmon system is a mecca for fly fishers everywhere

She’s sexy, long and lean—but sometimes broad and beastly. She’s a constant presence, but never the same. Immortalized in poems, books, songs, and on stage, “she” is New Brunswick’s mighty Miramichi—the largest Atlantic salmon-bearing system on the planet, draining the whole of central New Brunswick, from close to the Maine border all the way to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Excerpt from Of Earthly and River Things

Beyond the pool, out in the run, the big fall salmon hold in the currents and make a move—or not—at the orange flies we struggle to cast over them. We know they are here because they have been in this place since time began. We see them jump now and then, and sometimes they rise to expose a fin or a tail and leave doughnut-shaped wakes that widen and diminish as they drift away.
These fish do not think like people, as they excite us with their near takes. But we have learned to think like them. And play like them. We will be here as long as the fish are showing. It’s another outdoor game, one on a side, fish and angler. ~Wayne Curtis

3 must-go places in Doaktown, NB

The Atlantic Salmon Museum has an extensive collection of artifacts and displays about the sport of fly fishing and the history of the Atlantic salmon. It’s home to a large aquarium and a hall of fame, and offers youth fishing camps and workshops in the art of fly-tying. atlanticsalmonmuseum.com.

W.W. Doak is renowned as the place to shop for fishing supplies. Open since 1946 (but never on Sundays), “Doak’s” is a veritable institution. The well-stocked shop offers an outstanding selection of Atlantic salmon fly fishing tackle, from hand-tied flies to wading staffs—and everything in between. wwdoak.com.

Miramichi Smoked Salmon. The salmon that’s cold smoked here is first rubbed with a special brown sugar mixture, then packed in salt to cure (called brining). Following a rinse, the brined salmon is placed in a smoker with natural wood smoke for several hours. It’s a treat beyond compare. miramichismokedsalmon.com.
The Miramichi flows approximately 250 kilometres past fields and forests, towns and villages, and consists of two main branches (Southwest Miramichi River and Northwest Miramichi River) and more than two dozen major tributaries.

Nicolas Denys—an early settler who had a trading post on the Miramichi in 1648—wrote that there were so many salmon, “...that one is unable to sleep, so great is the noise they make in falling upon the water after having thrown or darted themselves into the air.”

The river is thought to have hosted a salmon population more than 1 million strong at that time. Today, it’s more like 50,000 to 100,000, depending upon the year.

The Miramichi is home to the largest salmon run in northeastern North America. The famous and infamous have come here to fish: Prince Charles, Ted Williams, Chuck Yeager, Benny Goodman, Tom Selleck and Dick Cheney—to name just a few.

The Miramichi has also spawned a list of people who’ve been part of Canada’s “Who’s Who” for decades, including Peter Mitchell and John Mercer Johnson, two Fathers of Confederation; Max Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook); Yvon Durelle, world-acclaimed professional boxer; and R.B. Bennett, one of Canada’s Prime Ministers.

And, of course, folklore abounds—as in the account of the Dungarvon Whooper, a legendary tale of a lumber camp murder and some unnerving banshee wails, still heard by some today.

Writers love the Miramichi

Local boys such as Wayne Curtis and David Adams Richards have gone on to pen award-winning books and short stories about the Miramichi, her history, her culture and her people.

Says Curtis: “After a family lives on the river for 200 years, as mine has, the river becomes part of our soul. The Miramichi is very sacred to us. It’s like an umbilical chord that keeps us all connected.”

Curtis has fished this river since he was shorter than a shovel. He lived on a farm that’s still in the family, and recalls haying during the summer, and how his father used to send him off to catch a fish for supper.

“I loved that, because I had allergies and suffered from hay fever, so I’d go to the river, and, by hook or by crook, I always brought a salmon home.”

For the past 50 years, Curtis has earned his keep by combining two of his passions: writing and guiding. His 15th book, Of Earthly and River Things—An Angler’s Memoir, was published in 2012. Now 70, the prolific writer no longer guides anglers for 45-50 days running, but he can frequently be found casting a line on his beloved river.

How to improve your chances of catching salmon

Curtis says that you can approach this two ways—stay with an outfitter who will provide accommodation, meals and a guide; or stay at a local B&B, campground or hotel, and hire a guide by the day.

“We have great outfitters who provide the best of food and accommodation, along with great fishing because they have their own guides—and their own pools,” he says. “The Miramichi is a private river; about 90 per cent of it is privately owned. Although there are some public places to fish, it’s awfully easy to walk into the wrong country.”

Given that etiquette is all-important, you can access the best spots to fish by hiring a guide if you are not hooked up with an outfitter. He adds, “Every little community has a ranger office [from New Brunswick’s Department of Natural Resources] where you can get a list of guides. Also, each tributary has its own family of fish that return each year. And, although there can be lots of public water on some small streams, salmon run at different times.”