New Brunswick is woven with some beautiful rivers. One of them in particular, the Miramichi, offers a wealth of activities – and that's no fish story.
BY ANNE MARIE PARENT
As a rule, any self-respecting tourist heads straight for the coast upon arrival in New Brunswick, for the call of the sea is very powerful in the Maritimes.
But last autumn, deciding it was time for something different, I travelled instead to the Miramichi Valley, a popular fall foliage destination. The Miramichi River, which flows into the bay of the same name, courses to the very heart of New Brunswick and offers just as many activities as a visit to the province's seashore.
There are no national or provincial parks along this waterway or any of its 37 tributaries, so the valley is relatively little known among tourists. Still, it draws New Brunswickers who own cottages here, visitors like me who are passing through, and members of private hunting and fishing clubs – salmon fishing being indisputably the most popular activity in the valley.
Salmon Centre
Not only does the Miramichi watershed drain about one fifth of the province, according to the New Brunswick Department of National Resources, the river boasts North America’s greatest stock of Atlantic salmon.
While the smallest specimens weigh in at between 1.3 and 2.3 kilograms, the biggest tip the scales at an average 3.6 to 5.4 kilograms – and occasionally much more, like the time in 1990 when one delighted angler snagged a 32.6-kilogram behemoth.
On the whole, fishermen on the river display great sportsmanship. "About 95% of them release their catches back into the water," noted Caroline Saint-Pierre Taylor, innkeeper at The Ledges Inn in Doaktown.
So the released fish continue their journey to the ocean, returning two or three years later in better shape (literally!), having reached trophy proportions (nine kilograms and up). And because each tributary of the Miramichi is crammed with salmon at different periods of their migration, fishing season stretches from June to October.
In fact the Atlantic salmon is so closely associated with the Miramichi Valley that Doaktown has a museum dedicated to the species. Granted, the tanks at the museum hold only a few salmon, but visitors to the small facility can learn the story of salmon through photos, paintings and collections of fishing flies.
Outdoor Pleasures
While the Miramichi is renowned as a sport-fishing paradise and casting a line into its waters is great fun, the river valley features plenty of other things to do too. Well aware of this, the owners of The Ledges Inn offer not only fly-fishing but hiking and cycling as well as kayak and canoe excursions.
So it was that, accompanied by two guides from the inn, I set out to explore the Miramichi. Parts of the river were calm, but other parts bubbled over small sets of rapids, adding to our pleasure. During our morning paddle, we passed beneath an old railway bridge that in October 2002 became part of the New Brunswick Trail, a multi-use trail that runs for 75 kilometres between Astle and Quarryville.
After stopping on a spit of land to enjoy a delicious picnic Caroline had prepared, complete with a bottle of wine and homemade muffins, we arrived back at the inn at 1:30. Caroline was clearly surprised to see us. "Was the wind behind you?" she asked. "I wasn't expecting you back until around 3:00!" Perfect – I would have time for a little more sightseeing.
My guides, Derek and Lynn, took me off to the village of Boiestown and a woodland owned by the Bowater pulp and paper company. Local outfitters can access this private property for a fee. A short hike took us to Fall Brook Falls, New Brunswick's highest waterfall.
Back on the road, we headed to the suspension bridge at Priceville. Built in 1938 and restored in 1988, the footbridge stretches for 192 metres across the river and sways in the wind – scarcely reassuring to timid types like me!
Then it was off to see the Big Hole Brook salmon pool owned by the J.D. Irving company. Wardens who live in a camp overlooking the holding pool are on duty 24 hours a day to prevent poaching. With good reason – up to 2,000 salmon at a time rest in the pool at the confluence of the brook and the Miramichi. The strongest salmon regularly leap out of the water, which only further whets the appetites of illegal fishermen.
By then dusk was descending and I, too, was feeling famished; all that fresh air had made me hungry. My guides escorted me back to the inn, where a delectable spread whipped up by Caroline capped a delightful day in the Miramichi Valley.
source: Canadian Tourism Commision
This reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor has it been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Canadian Tourism Commission.
Click here for more information on Newbrunswick
Click here for more information on fishing
BY ANNE MARIE PARENT
As a rule, any self-respecting tourist heads straight for the coast upon arrival in New Brunswick, for the call of the sea is very powerful in the Maritimes.
But last autumn, deciding it was time for something different, I travelled instead to the Miramichi Valley, a popular fall foliage destination. The Miramichi River, which flows into the bay of the same name, courses to the very heart of New Brunswick and offers just as many activities as a visit to the province's seashore.
There are no national or provincial parks along this waterway or any of its 37 tributaries, so the valley is relatively little known among tourists. Still, it draws New Brunswickers who own cottages here, visitors like me who are passing through, and members of private hunting and fishing clubs – salmon fishing being indisputably the most popular activity in the valley.
Salmon Centre
Not only does the Miramichi watershed drain about one fifth of the province, according to the New Brunswick Department of National Resources, the river boasts North America’s greatest stock of Atlantic salmon.
While the smallest specimens weigh in at between 1.3 and 2.3 kilograms, the biggest tip the scales at an average 3.6 to 5.4 kilograms – and occasionally much more, like the time in 1990 when one delighted angler snagged a 32.6-kilogram behemoth.
On the whole, fishermen on the river display great sportsmanship. "About 95% of them release their catches back into the water," noted Caroline Saint-Pierre Taylor, innkeeper at The Ledges Inn in Doaktown.
So the released fish continue their journey to the ocean, returning two or three years later in better shape (literally!), having reached trophy proportions (nine kilograms and up). And because each tributary of the Miramichi is crammed with salmon at different periods of their migration, fishing season stretches from June to October.
In fact the Atlantic salmon is so closely associated with the Miramichi Valley that Doaktown has a museum dedicated to the species. Granted, the tanks at the museum hold only a few salmon, but visitors to the small facility can learn the story of salmon through photos, paintings and collections of fishing flies.
Outdoor Pleasures
While the Miramichi is renowned as a sport-fishing paradise and casting a line into its waters is great fun, the river valley features plenty of other things to do too. Well aware of this, the owners of The Ledges Inn offer not only fly-fishing but hiking and cycling as well as kayak and canoe excursions.
So it was that, accompanied by two guides from the inn, I set out to explore the Miramichi. Parts of the river were calm, but other parts bubbled over small sets of rapids, adding to our pleasure. During our morning paddle, we passed beneath an old railway bridge that in October 2002 became part of the New Brunswick Trail, a multi-use trail that runs for 75 kilometres between Astle and Quarryville.
After stopping on a spit of land to enjoy a delicious picnic Caroline had prepared, complete with a bottle of wine and homemade muffins, we arrived back at the inn at 1:30. Caroline was clearly surprised to see us. "Was the wind behind you?" she asked. "I wasn't expecting you back until around 3:00!" Perfect – I would have time for a little more sightseeing.
My guides, Derek and Lynn, took me off to the village of Boiestown and a woodland owned by the Bowater pulp and paper company. Local outfitters can access this private property for a fee. A short hike took us to Fall Brook Falls, New Brunswick's highest waterfall.
Back on the road, we headed to the suspension bridge at Priceville. Built in 1938 and restored in 1988, the footbridge stretches for 192 metres across the river and sways in the wind – scarcely reassuring to timid types like me!
Then it was off to see the Big Hole Brook salmon pool owned by the J.D. Irving company. Wardens who live in a camp overlooking the holding pool are on duty 24 hours a day to prevent poaching. With good reason – up to 2,000 salmon at a time rest in the pool at the confluence of the brook and the Miramichi. The strongest salmon regularly leap out of the water, which only further whets the appetites of illegal fishermen.
By then dusk was descending and I, too, was feeling famished; all that fresh air had made me hungry. My guides escorted me back to the inn, where a delectable spread whipped up by Caroline capped a delightful day in the Miramichi Valley.
source: Canadian Tourism Commision
This reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor has it been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Canadian Tourism Commission.
Click here for more information on Newbrunswick
Click here for more information on fishing
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-Jackie