There are peaks in life and there are valleys. My valley is the one the Miramichi River runs through in New Brunswick. I am very fortunate to own a property overlooking the Miramichi and I go there to recharge as often as I can.

My second cousin Keith Wilson and his wife Bonnie run Wilson’s Camps on the Miramichi River. This lodge was founded in 1855 and it is one of if not the oldest, continuous running Atlantic Salmon lodge on the eastern sea board – and it is a place that every fly angler should visit. I tell friends that their fly fishing resume isn’t complete until they catch a salmon at Wilson’s on the Miramichi and while I say it in a joking manner I am also more than a bit serious. This river has played more than a passing role in the history of fly fishing in North America and I consider it both a privilege to fly fish this river and an honour to do so at Wilson’s.

Family allegiances aside, there are few if any other lodges that have the number of private pools and the quality of fishing that is available at Wilson’s. There are certainly other places where you can catch more or larger Atlantic Salmon but few if any that can match the sense of history you get at Wilson’s. The history of this lodge is a part of the history of our sport and every time I fish these waters it is one of the peaks of my angling year.

Life does have its peaks and valleys and if you are lucky, like me, they are one and the same…

Today marks the end of my first week of vacation in New Brunswick and it feels like my body is just now starting to think about relaxing. Admittedly the weather hasn’t been as cooperative as we would have liked but today is beautiful and I am looking forward to spending much of it with Ernest (EJ) Long, a member of the Atlantic Salmon Museum Hall of Fame and a dear friend. In my mind if ever there was a person who could exemplify the character of a river it is EJ. He has guided on this river for over 60 years and his love of the Miramichi knows no bounds. On days when he is not guiding EJ will drive down to the river ‘just to check her out’. I have been lucky enough in the past to join EJ on the banks of this great river and observed silently as he sits with the look of a watchful parent almost encouraging the water as it moves inexorably to the Atlantic Ocean. His love of this place is palpable and his life reflects its colourful and wonderful history. It has been a privilege to get to know EJ and his lovely wife Juanita over the years and I hope that his love of the Miramichi and of fly fishing for Atlantic Salmon is carried on by a new generation of anglers – especially in my family…