WFN'S ULTIMATE FISHING TOWN

CONGRATULATIONS TO WFN'S ULTIMATE FISHING TOWN: PORT ALBERNI, BC!

Grand Prize Winner: Port Alberni, BC

• Winner of $25,000 community donation
• WFN to produce and broadcast a 30-minute feature about Port Alberni, BC

Second Place Winner: Nestor Falls, ON

• Winner of a $5,000 community donation

Secondary Prize Winners:

The following towns will receive a donation on behalf of WFN and their TV provider:

Thunder Bay, ON

• Winner of $2,000 courtesy of Shaw Cable & WFN

Miramichi, NB

• Winner of $2,500 courtesy of Rogers Cable & WFN

O'Leary, PEI

• Winner of $1,500 courtesy of EastLink & WFN

Niagara Falls, ON

• Winner of $1,000 courtesy of Cogeco Cable & WFN

Dauphin, MB

• Winner of $1,000 courtesy of WFN

Top 10 Standings

Here are the final standings of our Top 10

1. Port Alberni, BC
2. Nestor Falls, ON
3. Dauphin, MB
4. Nipawin, SK
5. Seeley's Bay, ON
6. Port Rowan, ON
7. Miramichi, NB
8. O'Leary, PE
9. Thunder Bay, ON
10. Chilliwack, BC

Congratulations to all the towns competing for WFN's Ultimate Fishing Town. We thank you for your dedicated and community spirit during the contest.

WFN: World Fishing Network
A Great Day For Fishing

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Salmon move upstream

Salmon fishing on the Miramichi is going well and there is good signs of fish in the river. Water levels are very good and temperatures are in the low 50s F the past week. The river had a good rise from the last storm and some fresh salmon decided to make there move upstream so we can have our last chance into hooking a beautiful hook-bill.

Cains River hook-bills are well on there way as anglers at the mouth of Cains are hooking fish and seeing good signs of fish. Black Brook Salmon Club this week are catching a few fish and one hitting the 26-pound mark by Jeff Shearer.

<---Jeff also limit out the day before on the same fly, this fly was tied out of purple marabou on a 1/0 hook.

Guide Donald Colford with the net weighing Jeff's fish.

Other fishermen were hooking fish on GPs, LTs, green slimes, allies orange and purple and bombers, yes bombers. We are still getting fish on bombers in late afternoons. They are also hooking fish at the Island pool on the Cains about a mile up from the mouth.

Johnny Vickery of Bangor, Me. landed a few salmon this week on bombers at Pool 66. David Miller of South Carolina fished six days and hooked a nice 15-pounder on his last evening of fishing. He was using a purple ally shrimp Number 6.

Rob Strange landed a couple grilse on a under-taker at Pool 66. Anglers at Wade's Fishing Lodge was hooking a few fish and one fish was well over 25 pounds and was hooked on a Allies Cascade. Ken MacCloud of Nova Scotia landed a grilse on a GP.

<----Joel Kitchen with a nice hen salmon on the Miramichi!

Country Haven Lodge are hooking fish everyday in the Main SW and also on the Cains. Guide Gary Colford was hooking two or three fish a day at Moore's pool near Shinnickburn and saw many fish running through. Vickers Salmon Pools are hooking a few fish and Marty Vickers landed a grilse at the Washburn Island pool on a streamer pattern.

I fished the North West this week before the rise and had no luck. Water was low and had not raised up, sorry I have no report from the NW after the rain.

With periods of rain for today this should set up the rivers for the last week of the season pretty good. I expect to see many anglers on the Cains this weekend and keeping there fingers crossed for some big fish.

So get some good flies for the last run at them, and try those marabou patterns as they do work very well in this cold water.

Let me know of that fish of your dreams caught on the beautiful Miramichi. So keep your rods high and your reels screeching until next week have tight lines.

* Rodney Colford is a third generation salmon-fishing guide on the Miramichi River and has been guiding fishermen ranging from greenhorns to some of the finest fly-fishermen in the world for 27 years. His fishing reports appear every Thursday.

High river levels on the Miramichi

Update on the river levels on the SW Miramichi river for October 3rd 2010. Water was very dirty today on the main river and the Cains. The levels were very high and must of been a 2 foot rise at the most, it was still rising at noon today. There were leaves and debris in the water and very murky. Not many fish showing but there were a few if you had patients to stay for a while. I fished the mouth of Cains river this morning and only heard of 2 fish being caught at Black Brook in the cleaner water coming into the river.

My father Gary Colford guiding for Country Haven fished the Cains river at Moore's pool and only saw one fish at the lower end of the pool.

Why are the fish not taking? any theories on it? Have the fish been in the river too long, or is it they are spawning, is it our methods of fishing changing as to patterns, is the water now too high or too cold to warm. Is there a fall run yet to come into the river and where are those big hook-bills? Let me know your thoughts by using the comments on the bottom of this post.

Tight lines and tighter loops!

Rodney Colford

Salmon active as season winds down

With days winding down for salmon fishing on the beautiful Miramichi River, it seems like it was only yesterday that we were watching the ice breaking up and getting ready for the opening day. The rush of anglers scrambling to get their last casts of the season in before Oct. 15 is on its way.

<-----Troy Adams with a 20 plus hook-bill!

<-----Troy's wife Marilyn Mallet with a salmon! Who say's women can't fish!!

Reports from up and down the river has fishermen catching and seeing lots of fish. Tyler Story of the MSA said the counters on the Northwest Miramichi were getting about 30 fish per day while the Southwest was getting 10 to 15 per day. Tyler also said he did not see many anglers fishing on the North West, but thought the conditions would be very good for fishing and said he may give it a try on the weekend. I may also give it a try.

Larry Porter of the Hershey Club in the Blackville area on the Southwest Miramichi netted a couple grilse for his sport and saw many other fish jumping in the pool. Across the way at Hogan's Pool we hooked three grilse and a salmon and saw many fish moving through as they jumped up over the bar. A couple of the grilse had massive kipes (hooks) and very sharp teeth with beautiful colors as we released them on their way.

<----This is Troy Adams and his son! landing a big one!

Emery Brophy of Black Brook Salmon Club this week said they were averaging good numbers of fish and Monday alone released 16 salmon. Solar Salmon Club near Upper Blackville also was catching good numbers of fish. Larry Vanperson of Bangor was averaging a couple salmon a day while other members were doing the same.

Byzie at Country Haven said fishing was very good and anglers were hooking up in most pools from Doaktown to Quarryville. Steven Heinz and David Kirstein of Maine had good fishing with guide Randall Connors, netting a 20-pound hen and a 15-pound hook-bill on an Alley Shrimp. Steven said he was out fished but had a great trip just the same.

<----Steven Heinz and David Kirstein of Maine

Many other anglers landed fish this week. Damir Sahic of Fredericton landed a few salmon and Jacques Heroux landed a salmon on Sunday at Pool 66.

<----Jacques Heroux with a salmon.

Steven Heinz and David Kirstein of Maine

James Vickers fished the mouth of Cains river this week and landed a few salmon and grilse with Axel of Ontario and Jim Corrigan of British Columbia. Peter Doiron landed a salmon and a grilse on a copper killer and a General Practianer. Up river in the upper stretches of the Southwest, Jason McCallum fished at Half Moon and never saw a fish but water was dirty at the time and had heard there was a grilse landed up river further.

<---This Damir Sehic of Fredericton area.

Wilson's Sporting Camps in the middle section of the Southwest Miramichi were seeing lots of fish and said conditions were very good. They were also hooking fish on small No. 10 flies of any pattern and later hooked some on bigger flies.

Cains River has good water levels and there are fish in most pools. I have not heard of any fish being landed with sea lice on them yet but would think the time is here and anglers will be hooking into some fresh fish this week.

I fished at Moores Pool this week with my father, Gary Colford, John Conley, Jim McClearin, Terry Paige and Doc Maiorino. They all hooked fish and said there were good numbers of fish in both the Cains and the Miramichi. River conditions were very good and temperatures are in the 50sF (10sC) with more rain in the forecast.

<---Steven Heinz and David Kirstein of Maine.

If you're heading out and looking for a public stretch on the Southwest, drop in to the Atlantic Salmon Museum in Doaktown, W.W.Doaks, Curtis Miramichi River Outfitters and get your Miramichi River Maps which shows all the public water.

The Dieppe Fly Fishing Forum will hold its seventh edition on March 27-28, 2011 at the Dieppe NBCC. For more information on this great fly fishing show, visit their web site at www.flyfishingforum.ca or call Ron Godin at 506-859-7289. I hope to see you there.

<----School teacher Rob Strange of Fredericton landing a salmon at pool 66 on the weekend.

<----Rob senior with a salmon as well.

The choice of flies this week seem to be of no particular pattern or size. We took fish on hooks as small as number 12's to 1/0. Flies like your shrimp patterns, black ghost, shady ladies, copper killers, LT's and almost your fly box if you could tie it on. Yes, they were taking different patterns up and down the river, so try em all. I would like to thank all the fishermen for their reports on their fishing and very sorry if I missed your catch this week.

Let me know of that fish of your dreams caught on the beautiful Miramichi. So keep your rods high and your reels screeching until next week have tight lines.

* Rodney Colford is a third generation salmon-fishing guide on the Miramichi River and has been guiding fishermen ranging from greenhorns to some of the finest fly-fishermen in the world for 27 years. His fishing reports appear every Thursday in the Times & Transcript

Salmon fishing shows vast improvement

Salmon fishing and river conditions on the Miramichi have improved greatly over the past week.

Colder nights have put the water temperatures in the 50F (10C) range and the height of the river is very good for the lower stretches, but could use a bit of rain to raise the up river levels.

Everyone is asking if the fall run is here?

Well there are some big hook-bills landed and even some fish landed with sea lice. Last week at Black Brook Salmon Club they reported landing 114 Atlantic salmon and many were sea lice covered fish. There was a report of a 40-pound salmon being landed at Vickers Pools this week.

Troy Adams from Dieppe landed a 25 & 28-pound-plus hook-bills on Tuesday. Richard Lac from New Hampshire fished with me this week. The first day we saw lots of fish from many sizes, but could not hook up. Then on Tuesday Richard landed two grilse weighing about five pounds each on a Ally Shrimp No. 8 single hook at the Half Bar pool.

On Sunday, Jim Corrigan landed a grilse while his buddy Axel raised several fish on Ally Shrimps at the Swett Pool. Damir Sehic landed two grilse on Saturday at Pool 66.

Ken MacLeod landed a grilse at the Nash Bar pool on Sunday and lost another on Monday. His friend Jeff Mosher also landed his first Atlantic salmon on one of my yellow body bombers at Pool 66 in Howard. Then on Monday he lost a 25-plus salmon as he took his fly in the very first run. Bill Moore and Ron Falusey each landed a grilse and Clark Hallman landed two grilse at the Swett Pool all on Alley Shrimps.

A great story of a young man's life being ruined by fishing Atlantic salmon this season as Jason MacCallum from Moncton was introduced to salmon fishing by Andrew Clark (also of Moncton) and has the fever very badly as he landed a fish each of his three times out fishing.

Andrew said it's nice to ruin someone's life with instilling the passion for salmon fishing on him. Way to go guys and thank you for the update.

Other rivers like the Cains River is still fishing slow as fisherman are not seeing many fish from above the Sabbies River. Reports from the Northwest Miramichi had fishing improving over the last week and water levels were still pretty good with river temperatures in the 50sF.

The race is on for Canada's Ultimate Fishing town on the WFN on. So visit the site and vote for Miramichi as your fishing town (http://www.wfn.tv/ultimate-fishing-town/miramichi). Lets go New Brunswickers and get back in this race for the best fishing town in Canada. We only have 6,642 votes so get going and vote.

Also register soon for your booth at the Dieppe Fly Fishing Forum 2011 at http://www.flyfishingforum.ca/info_exhibitors.htm and contact Ron Godin.

Let me know of that fish of your dreams caught on the beautiful Miramichi. So keep your rods high and your reels screeching until next week have tight lines.

* Rodney Colford is a third generation salmon-fishing guide on the Miramichi River and has been guiding fishermen ranging from greenhorns to some of the finest fly-fishermen in the world for 27 years. His fishing reports appear every Thursday in the Times & Transcript.