Miramichi River High Water Conditions

Miramichi Fishing Reports



Thursday April 23rd of 2009 will be a day that most anglers will not want to remember on the Miramichi. With massive raises in water levels made it almost impossible to fish or stay anchored in a spot.


Like the old guys use to say where the ice lies on the shore the water will rise and take it off again! And sure enough! that old saying is sticking around for the new generations to tell the tail!

This first photo is Valentines Camp where I guided for over 13 years for spring fishing and had many great memories with guides Bill Fullerton, Fred James, Tim Fullerton, Shawn Bowes, Rocky and Allan McCormack. The water is getting up almost to the camp where we have seen it in past years as well.


This 2nd photo is from the Sabbies River looking at Valintines Camp through the fog. While fishing the Cains River this morning it was like being on the Main Miramichi River with it being so wide and all of its Islands disappeared under water. Places like Salmon Brook and Cold Brook were completely invisible if you did not no where they were at on the river.




This 3rd photo is from the Sabbies River where we were able to go some distance by flat bottom boat before turning. Ron Falusy of PA, USA was trying to hide from me in this photo!






This 4th photo is from the Miramichi just below the mouth of Cains River. Here you can see 3 or 4 boats crowded up into Black Brook from Colfords Atlantic Salmon Fishing where they managed to hook 5 fish at the mouth of the brook in its clear water flowing into the Miramichi. Guides were Gary Colford, Pat Colford, Curry Curtis and Allan McCormack.



The fly that they hooked up on was a Renous Special with crystal flash and some gold ribbing and jungle cock eyes.


It was very hard to maneuver from the ice, trees floating down and tons of dibree! Every cast we were picking up grass on the fly.
After a long morning of fishing in high water conditions the group decided to call it a day, and having many years experience on the Miramichi River fishing they new there chances were not good.


This 6th photo is Calvin Vickers and Paul Richards trying to hook up on the Miramichi River but had no luck since the beginning of his trip on the 21st.

Next week we are expecting very mild temperatures on the Miramichi River and all over NB, lets hope the fishing will pick up by Saturday or Sunday. But with warm days ahead in the 20 to 25 degrees C it could bring the river levels up again with all the snow in the woods. As of an hour ago it was still rising! it would be nice to see the peek in the river level soon.

Sea Trout Report
We are taking bookings for trout fishing so please Inquire and give a call soon for your spot. Check out our trout photos at our Photo Gallery

Other Reports on The Miramichi

Vickers Salmon Pools
Guides and owner Marty Vickers was on the river today and said they were having hard fishing everywhere they went and said with guys in camp we just have to try our best to keep them fishing and hope it changes.
Ted Williams White Birch Lodge
Joe Walsh of White Birch Lodge arrived to high water levels and was taking the day off from fishing in the dangerous and dirty water conditions.

Country Haven Lodge
The first week of the 2009 fishing season on the Main Southwest Miramichi River has been the most productive in years as the weather has been absolutely great! Fishing has been the best anglers can ever remember! This is from April 20th before the raise in water. Read more


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Peter Clark
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Atlantic Salmon Federation
Miramichi Salmon Association
Atlantic Salmon Museum


For The Miramichi Fishing Reports this is Guide Rodney Colford of Colfords Atlantic Salmon Fishing saying Tight Lines.

Great Opening Day On The Miramichi River

Miramichi Fishing Reports

Even though ice jams were in on the upper stretches of the river it did not stop some anglers on the lower stretches of the Miramichi River System. Anglers from the mouth of Cains River down to the white rapids were fishing and catching fish. It was a great opening day on the Miramichi River for some fisherman.


There was not any ice flowing for the best part of the day on the lower stretches until 7:00pm this evening. Then it all broke loose from up river with a huge jam that took the best part of 2 hours moving through. I expect there still is a great lot more to come down though!

All the boats I talked to today said it was a great day for the start of the season and even though they could not get very far on the Miramichi they were just happy to be out there and catching fish.

Boats at the mouth of Cains river were hooking fish on several different fly patterns. Daryl Wylie walked down and fished along the shore line and made only a few cast before catching his first springer of the season. The photo below of Allan McCormack who came down from Boistown to fish and his friend both landed there limit of 10 fish each. Herb Colford was catching fish and keeping busy netting his buddies as well! Stewart Smith and son was catching fish everywhere from the mouth of Cains River down to Wades shore.





I was fishing with Ron Steeves of Salisbury this morning. We started fishing around 9:30 am and with my 2nd cast I hooked up.I landed 8 fish and lost a few more. Ron had a very heavy line and was catching bottom just about every cast he made. So I traded rods and he made only a few cast before hooking into 1 of his own. After changing lines for the afternoon Ron landed 9 more and 1 trout.

Flies for the day were Renous Specials, Christmas Tree's and a Maribu pattern.





Curtis Miramichi River Outfitters have started a journal called The
Catch of The Day Inviting anglers to come in and log there catch, salmon or trout. Stop in and check out the store and log your catch of the day!!


Tight Lines,
Rodney Colford
Web Site: www.colfordsguiding.com