Miramichi Salmon Camp - June, 2013

I always look forward to this particular annual trip to the Miramichi, centered around doing the auction for the Central New Brunswick Woodmen's Museum dinner where they honor a local lumberman of note.  Usually throw in a little work on the camps or homes of friends, and, if I'm lucky (I usually am), a little fishing.

Left home in Bennington, Vermont at 4:30am on June 3rd.  Uneventful trip.  Stopped at LL Bean's to check out their fly shop.  Uh, not so much, frankly.  But it's their store, so I guess they can play it anyway they want, eh?  Felt good to stretch the legs for a bit, anyway.

Don't forget that you can click on the pics for a larger version.

Eleven hours later I arrived in Boiestown, New Brunswick, my home away from home.   The Pine Camp was home base for this trip. 

The river was WAY high, and in the early evening, the rains came. But when the sky, as the evening wears on, takes on these hues and you're in the company of good friends at camp right on the river, who cares about a little high, cold water?

Tuesday morning we decided to fish a bit from the island across from camp.  Good high water opportunities for trout...and maybe even an early bright salmon.  And the sun was shining!

Renate was sporting quite a smile, too (as well as a VERY cool hat)!

However, into every beautiful day, a little darkness falls.  In this case, the motor on the boat Dan Bullock and I were using decided to go on strike.  Fortunately, Vin's boat, the ever-faithful FTG, was available for a tow.  Fun to watch, anyway.  Thought Dan was going to get wet at one point!

And back to the boathouse.

Thursday afternoon, Wednesday and Thursday were spent helping Dan Bullock straighten out a few issues at his home.  The weather cooperated, but the black flies were flat out vicious. Yikes!

Friday came around an it was time to fish!  Vin and I were going to head out into some clearing, dropping water at 10am.   "Were" is the operative word in that sentence.  As I was gearing up, Vin came around the corner of camp with a very serious look on his face.  Serious for him, anyway.

Now, what transpires next is open to some conjecture and opinion.  There is one school of thought that thinks Vin really did just happen to walk all the way around the back of the camp and suddenly discover that the hot water heater was literally falling out of its little housing.  However, there is another school of thought that is of the opinion that: a. Vin is very unlikely to walk all the way around back of the camp just to see how things are fairing when a fishing trip is in the immediate offing and b.  he was just saving this little baby up until I got done working with Danny and just somehow neglected to mention it.  I mean, he is almost 80.  Probably just slipped his mind.  Right.  LOL.

Anyway, a little photo essay on the task at hand.  The tank was literally hanging by its copper tubing.

To his everlasting credit, Vin did pitch in on the job, giving up his usual supervisory position:

So how do a 79 and a 63 year old get a heavy water heater (yes, dear reader, we had drained the water out of it) back into its cubby hole?   Ancient technology!! The ramp!

And a special shout-out to Debbie Norton of Upper Oxbow Adventures on the Little Southwest Miramichi.  Debbie stopped in to pick up something up from Vin, dressed in shorts and open-toe sandals.  We were halfway up the ramp with the heater, struggling mightily, and she just pitched right in and put her shoulder to it and gave us what we really needed to get it where it belonged: a woman's touch!  Wish I had gotten a pic of her very muddy feet!  What a good sport.

That job took most of the day;  fished a bit that evening with Renate and Vin, landed several trout on good ol' Celtic Beauty, using the T&T  12 foot, 8 weight two hander.

Saturday we ran a few errands, pretty much taking it easy until the Woodmen's Museum fundraiser that evening.  Raining cats and dogs and fish, too, I think. 

Vin and his WAY better half Hazel host a little cocktail "pre-party" before the fundraiser, which is always a lot of fun.  This year Vin held a little wine-tasting event:

And Renate hastily explained that she's NOT a two-fisted drinker, she merely had a sample of each wine in both hands.  Right.

And if ever there was a rose between two thorns, it's Michele Swazey.  Poor thing.  Alan Wilson on the left.  How unusual to see him with a can of beer! heh heh.

I didn't do it.  Nobody saw me.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The Woodmen's Museum was great fun with great food, as always.  Happy to say the auction raised more than $14,000 to help pay the bills.

Sunday, we cleared Saturday night out of our heads.  River up at least a foot.  No fishing today. Light rain.  Vin and I mowed lawn.  I drew his Kubota.  Once I got the air conditioning dialed in and found a good radio station, I cranked right along.  Couldn't figure out where the windshield wiper switch was, though.  And that hydrostatic drive...nice.  Was especially fine to see all the blackflies on the OUTSIDE of the cab!   Always hard to come home to my 30-year old, gear shift, no cab Kubota after that!

Finally, MONDAY IS FISHING DAY!!!  Renate, Vin and I headed into the boonies for some lake and river fishing for brook trout.

When you pull up to a sight like this, how can you have a bad day?

and this:

Gearing up:

Putting in:

Captain Vin:

I seem to have to do all the heavy lifting (thank you for all the goodies, Renate):

 

 





Heavy lifting including when certain "captains" let the anchor rope down too fast and it comes off its pulley on the bow! (probably my best side, sigh)

We did manage to get into enough Brookies for lunch:

Fly of the day (for me) was the venerable Chief Needabah:

After the morning's fishing, we were fortunate to have our buddy Glen D. prepare an awesome lunch for us!

He's a fabulous cook.  His boiled potatoes are almost good as his brook trout fresh out of the lake. YUM!

Good food, Great friends. 

After lunch, we decided to head for the river to see if we could find some sea-runs.  Vin said he knew just how to get there.  Right.  Nice scenery though (we got to see some of it a couple of times.  You know, back-tracking).   But I'd never have gotten to see some of it if Vin really DID know the direct route!!  (silver lining/dark cloud kind of thing)

 

 

We finally made it down to the river for a little fish.  Black flies were wicked, and the river just wasn't in good shape.  I seem to have become a timid wader!

Nothing going on besides making great memories on the river.  Wish you coulda been there!

Thanks to all my friends on the Miramichi for another special time!

Miramichi Salmon Camp, Spring 2013

Headed up to the Miramichi at 4:30 a.m. on Friday, April 26, 2013.  This is one of my favorite trips of the year...doing the Miramichi Salmon Association's IceBreaker auction, and fishing for spring salmon with friends like Renate Bullock, Vin Swayze and Allan Wilson.  Made the trip in in 10.5 hours; a highpoint of the ride was an incredible view of Mt. Katahdin in northern Maine from a pull-off on I-95:

Home camp for this trip was Vin's "log camp".   I like this little cabin very much!

 

 

It's cozy, and a body can make themselves right at home.  It's a great camp.

It has a nice view of the river.  River ice can come within a view feet of the front porch at ice-out!

Saturday morning dawned bright and crisp, with frost on the lawn.  Went fishing with Renate for an hour or so!  She always has a smile on her face, even when she has to tote me around!  No fishies this fine, crisp a.m., but a great morning to be alive nonetheless!

We did the MSA's Icebreaker that evening.  It is always a fun event, and sells out every year.  Vin's brother Lawrence (far left in pic) and friends provided the entertainment.  That delightful woman on the harmonica is a hoot, and always helps keep the bidding alive, too!

Renate MC's the event, and does a great job (I think she's taking names of misbehavers in this pic!)  Also in the photo is a true "salmon bench", hand-made by one of the guys that works at the Rocky Brook camp.

I have great spotters for the auction.  Jo-Anne and Grant make sure I don't miss a bid (which is pretty easy to do with a crowd of 175 folks having a grand time!).   By the way, if you're trying to lose a beer belly, this is not the place/time to do it!!

Sunday morning, Vin and I shook off the prior evening's festivities, and headed out for a morning's fish in his boat, good old FTG.  The river was in perfect shape; for once my timing was perfect!

We had a great morning, hooking and landing three salmon on a Christmas Tree streamer.  Renate was on shore, doing some photography, and actually provided proof that I can hook a salmon!

You really can't go wrong with a guide who got his first guide's license two months after I was born.  I am 63.  That is some serious time on the river, wouldn't you say?  Fishing with him is one of my great pleasures.  I've learned so much from him.  Oh, and he's pretty good at knowing when a camera is around, too, LOL!

 

 

Back you go!

Sunday afternoon was warm and beautiful.   Sadly though, I was forced to witness a terrible sight in person:  a gathering of the tragically oppressed woman of New Brunswick.  Can you imagine being forced to iron a shirt on a day like this, with friends trying desperately to console you.  Poor, poor Kari (Vin's niece).

And poor, poor Michele (one of Vin's daughters).  Why, she can't even afford a two-wheel bicycle!

I even had to witness poor, poor FUTURE oppressed women of New Brunswick.  I mean, look at the poor girl's hair!  Obviously in need of rescue!

And then there's the tale of Vin's other daughter, poor, poor Andy.  Forced by some unspeakable person to fetch yet another marguerita!  Oh, the horror.

Fortunately, after witnessing the awful truth about the tough lives of the women of New Brunswick, Rene Warren, an "internet friend" from the www.nsflyguys.ca forum, visited camp.  It was great to meet him!  He serves in the Canadian Navy, and was heading home after helping another friend from that forum, Howie, (more on him later) build a new camp downriver.  Awesome meeting you, Rene!

Dinner was at Renate's Sunday night.  Ever thoughtful, she baked my favorite cake (chocolate with white boiled frosting) as a belated birthday gift.  It was incredibly good and  I was pleased that she elected to put just the one candle on it!

Sunday night Vin and I fished again for an hour or so, and landed two salmon on a Renous Special.  Monday morning and evening we landed four more salmon, all on the Renous Special.  I'm becoming a believer in the "bright day, bright fly" school of thought.   We were fishing in delightfully sunny, clear weather, and the showy Christmas Tree and Renous Special certainly did their thing for us.
Bright and COLD (in the a.m.), I might add!

 

 

Tuesday morning was the first cloudy morning of my trip, and maybe 40 degrees F. at 7am.
I was fishing with Allan Wilson, a normally very nice man who decided to hit me over the head with his boat pole before we headed out.   LOL, Allan, you got my attention!  Totally an accident, but the "incident" provided fodder for countless jibes the rest of the week!

Since it was a gray day, I decided to move on to the "dark day, dark fly" strategy, and tied on one of my Deep Green Beauties.  I've been using a Teeny T-300 sink tip with an 8lb. tippet all along. On my 6th cast, I landed what would prove to be my largest fish of the week.   Thank you, Deep Green Beauty!  At least Allan only clonked me in the head...he cut this nice salmon's head clean off!

 

 

After a fine morning's fishing, reality kicked in:  it was time to replace one of the showers in the Log Camp with my friend and supervisor, Vin.  Just a few pics to tell the tale:

We like to spread our work out.

Corner ready for installation:

The, er, supervisors (Allan and Vin) taking I'm sure what must have been a well-deserved break, while certain other individuals (that would be me) continued working hard, even exhibiting a real classy plumbers butt.

So many parts, so little time:

Vin likes to help.  Right.

It took the day and some of the next, but I we got 'er done.  lol.

On Thursday, we got a chance to run down to Blackville to see Howie Gould (another friend from nsflyguy.ca, with whom Vin and I enjoyed time with on the Little Southwest Miramichi last summer) and check out the build on his family's new camp.  They got it weather tight and lockable in 7 days.  A heck of an accomplishment.

Howie has just taken over the seat on the New Brunswick Salmon Council that Vin vacated after many years of service.  I'm sure they're comparing notes here:

The river has surely brought me great friends.

Friday was my last day in camp.  Vin and I finished a couple projects and then headed to the river.  My stick was a lot smaller than the one Allan used on me!

Another bright, clear day so I went back to a bright fly.  This time, it was a no-name that I made up over the winter.  The inspiration for it was a fly put up on facebook by great tyer Dwayne Miller, which had a black wing.  I put a purple wing on a "chrome" body.  It hooked five fish for the day.

This fish jumped five times, and was the last of the trip for me.

When I'm almost 80, as Vin is, I sure hope I can do things with the gusto and enthusiasm he does.  What a good life.

And I sure do like drivin' around in boats.  Back to camp for the last time this trip.

 

 

For the record, here are the four flies that did the job for me this trip:  Christmas Tree (Renate Bullock tied this one), Renous Special, Deep Green Beauty and the no-name purple.

Camp life is the good life.  I'll be back.

As always, deep and abiding thanks to Vin and Renate for their friendship, and to Renate, as usual, for most of the photos in this post.
GT