Thursday, August 13, 2009

Miramichi, On The Water

Colfords Miramichi Fishing Reports

On the water with guide Rodney Colford from the banks of the Lower Stretches of the South West Miramichi River. The past few days there's been lots of fish and big fish on the lower stretches of the river. Areas from the mouth of Cains River down have saw several big fish and some being hooked up to the 30 pound mark. Water is still pretty high but the wading at pools are improving very well and pools are starting to appear to there normal appearance.

Weather
The weather for the next week is going to be some scorching temperatures! Friday is reported to feel like 37C (99F) and way into next week with same temperatures. Chances of some thunder showers during the weekend at times. The barometric pressure is rising 101.77kpa. For tides check the links on the side.

A Few Tips for the Hot Weather
With hot weather now approaching the Miramichi and tributary rivers, anglers should be very careful of landing fish in hotter temperatures. If released too soon they will go belly up and not recover, so please be careful and take care releasing them back into the river.
One way too help in the hot weather is get out before the water temperature gets above the 70F mark, (like this morning the river was in the mid 60's and tonight it got too 71F), or even break them off after a few minutes playing the fish and in a couple three days the hook will come out, or pinch your barbs for another help too the fish. Try fishing rods that are stiffer and they will too help bring a fish in quicker. I know some fisherman likes using 6 & 7 weights but its easier to recover a sore arm casting a heavier rod than loose a salmon too playing it too long. Just a few tips for the hotter conditions approaching us on the Miramichi River this weekend.

Catching Fish
Now on too some reports of fish being landed! The last couple days things were starting to slow a bit but we were still hooking a few. I had Doug Underhill's Daughter Carrie Underhill and her boy friend Adrien from South Africa out fishing Tuesday. We saw several fish in the morning but only rolled one fish. That evening we started around 5:00PM and we fished the Vickers Bar and saw some fish but they would not take. Above us Joel Kitchen and Rick Trenholm was fishing and they just finished landing there third on one of my brown bombers. They yelled out for us to come up and give that pool a try. I was not long pulling the anchor to get Carrie and Adrien into some fish. We got in the spot Joel was anchored and put the brown bombers to work, we were not long raising some fish! Carrie raised a salmon and did not set the hook fast enough, I yelled pull and she did but as Carrie was not familiar with dry fly fishing for a few years she only pulled on the line and had not pulled the rod up too set the hook. She raised about six fish before she figured out to pull the rod back and set the hook! She then hooked into a salmon about 10 pounds. She played the fish for about 5 minutes and as it got close to the boat the hook pulled out. I lost a salmon after one jump on a killer whisker bomber just after Carrie. Adrien lost a salmon after two jumps on a brown bomber using my 15 foot Loop Spey rod.

Other fish landed in the area was Rick Trenholm with 3 salmon over the past 3 days. Joel Kitchen with 5 salmon and 1 grilse and still has the horse shoe hidden somewhere! Danny Stewart of Alpine Lodge in Blackville landed 4 fish the past couple days on killer whisker bombers with split wings. Ashley Hallihan and friends hooked a few above us at Wades Pools on bombers. Larry Porter of Hershey Club across the river from our Lodge said fishing was slow at there pool and have yet too hook a fish this week. He said there were several fish showing but would not take there flies. Donald Colford said they were hooking a few fish near the mouth of Cains River and one was 30 pounds, there first 30 pounder of the season.

There are still reports of fish on the Cains River, pools like the Brophy pool had fish, Underhill's Camps said there was fish there and they had also hooked a few last weekend, other pools like Campbell's pool had fish where Author Peter Clark fishes and looks after, Buttermilk, Salmon Brook, and Sabbies had reports of fish.

Flies Of Choice
Were Brown Bombers white tails and brown hackles, green machines white tail and brown hackle and very slim bodies with hackle palmered back towards the rear to stay under the current better, SameThing Murray's were great near the mouth of Cains. For more info on any of these flies check out Jerry Doaks tackle shop at wwdoak

The Miramichi River Environmental Assessment Committee is a community based multi-stakeholder organization dedicated to the continual improvement of environmental quality of the Miramichi River ecosystem with emphasis on the Miramichi watershed. Read More at this web site and check out the water temperatures and levels at the Salmon Museum in Doaktown.


Other Fishing Reports

For other reports on the river check out Doug Underhills Miramichi River Reports at: DougUnderhillsreports

or

Byron (Byzie) Coughlan Fishing Reports
Another quite productive week for August, considering the poor conditions overall as the water continues to fluctuate daily - the rain storms have continued almost ever day. Still, lots of salmon are moving through the system with some big salmon hooked throughout the week. Read More


Atlantic Salmon Federation
ASF released the very latest report on returns of Atlantic salmon to North American rivers. The pattern of returns is very different from that of 2008. To read the one page report, go to: Read More

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Have a great weekend fishing the Miramichi & tributaries.
Tight Lines,
Rod