August fishing is usually low and warm

Could conditions be much better for the month of August this summer for salmon fishing on the Miramichi.  All I can say is the fish are here and the water is too and what more can one ask for after June and July fishing was some of the best we have ever saw on the Miramichi. August fishing is usually low and warm and were complaining wishing we had water well it’s not the case this season.

It’s been a tough season for the lower stretch of the Main South West Miramichi where they need low water for best results. But anglers still have hooked their fair share of fish in the high water conditions. Many fish are still being hooked from the mouth of Cains River down to Quarryville this week.

With reports of a few fresh fish in the system and many old fish hanging around some pools most fisherman were saying. Ken Macloud and Rick Law had excellent fishing as the green and blue bombers seem to be the fly for them. Ken had one 18lber and saw some in the 25 to 30 pound range jumping. Steven Moody also was hooking a few fish on bombers. Lester Vickers was fishing with him and also had some luck.

In the Doaktown area local fisherman are hooking a few but are not seeing many fresh fish around.

The Ledges Inn is seeing a good number of fish in most all their pools. Water conditions are great with temperatures being in the low 60,s (F). After the good rise in water Tuesday and hooking 20 salmon later was a very good day. Wednesday morning was also very good yesterday morning as they hooked 12. Flies of choice were samething murray, green butt and coosebooms.

Cains River was fishing very well from Sabbies down to the mouth of Cains. I hooked 2 on GP,s and 1 on an Alley shrimp and several on dry.

Local fly shops in the area are always on top of the fish reports like WW.Doak & sons and ask for Matt or Bruce. Fredericton Outfitters are always in the scoop with conditions on all rivers in NB and the Miramichi. Curtis River outfitters and George Routledge at Georges Fly Shop will have the gear and advice you are looking for. And if your coming from Saint John and passing through Minto stop in and checkout Ralph Goodwin’s fly shop where he has all the gear too.

And if you’re looking to canoe, kayak or tube the Miramichi River there are several places to check out and to name a few like McCormack Outdoor Adventures if you’re close to Boistown area and in Doaktown there is O’Donnell’s Cottages that are very well known for their canoeing. And if you’re over on the North West area check out Stewarts Tubing on the Little South West Miramichi.
These pictures of our fish were landed on Wednesday.

River conditions should be very good for the weekend so get out of the office and grab your fishing gear and hook up this weekend.

Tight Lines, Rodney Colford

Salmon fishing conditions for the middle of August are almost perfect

Salmon fishing conditions for the middle of August are almost perfect. After all the rain we received the water is up again and temperatures are in the low 60’s degree (F). Who would ever imagine conditions like this on the Miramichi for the middle of August. This should push us through with good water into September. There are lots of fish in the system and still a few fresh fish being put through the counters daily.

Many local anglers in the Blackville area are still hooking or rolling fish. Anglers up near the mouth of the Cains River are still hooking fish. Don Roy and his business associates were enjoying their day fishing the mouth of the Cains. They saw one fisherman hook 9 and land 4 Tuesday morning. They then fished with us at the Ledges Inn and had some luck. Lloyd Lyons clients landed a grilse and lost another on small dry flies. Derek Munn and clients Morley Mooers and Peter Kane were hooking a few. Morley hooked 4 and landed 1 on Tuesday evening and all on small wet flies.

I fished with Steven Moody at Wades Fishing Lodge Friday evening and landed a grilse on a small bomber. Steven rolled several on dry as well. He also said fishing was great there all summer.

Zachery Colford landed 5 this week and rolled several more on bombers all on the lower stretch of the Miramichi.

Anglers on the lower stretches of the Cains are still hooking fish and seeing fish in most pools. Moores Pool on the Cains had lots of fish showing last weekend and early this week.

Keith Wilson of Wilsons Sporting Camps said Conditions could not be better. The water height is perfect, temps are cool and there are plenty of fish in the holding pools. They had a couple of salmon this week that were very bright so it looks like there is still the odd fresh one coming in. Good reports from the Dungarvon and the lower Cains as well. With the high water on the Cains it looks like a lot of fish have moved into the lower 15 km’s or so. Fly of choice this week at Wilson’s was the brown bomber with white tail.

Country Haven Lodge is still picking up a few fish both on the Cains and Miramichi. They said fisherman on their day adventures were doing well.

Flies of choice for most of the area are still Bombers for the dries and undertakers, green butts, shady ladies and all sorts of green machines.

Tip of the week: When using smaller flies use smaller tippet to make your fly move more realistic. And change your angle of your cast from time to time.

The weather for the next week looks bad for sunbathers but very good for the fishermen. Showers for the weekend and heavy rain for the start of the week should be good for the fish. Please post your reports on my blog if you like or email them to me and I will add them in my column for you anytime. My email is on my blog at www.miramichifishingreports.blogspot.com.

Have a great weekend and until next week tight lines.

Miramichi River levels are good for August

River and Fly fishing conditions on the Miramichi the past week is still very good. Anglers are happy with the temperatures of the water and the fish they are seeing. Water temperatures are staying very good in the 60 degree (F) which is very good for salmon fishing. 
This is Zachery Colford with his first salmon of the season. This photo was taken about a month ago.


The level of the river also is very good for the middle and upper stretches of the Miramichi. The lower section is still on the high side as most of the pools need it to be low water for the fish to take better. But the majority of anglers are still hooking their share of fish throughout the river.

This is Brad Kersing
of  Austrailia

With high water on the lower stretch of the Miramichi it is making some anglers see how well Cains River fishes all summer. High water conditions this summer has made the Cains fish very well and reports of fish are being hooked or seen jumping in pools over the entire river.

Me holding Marc Bedards fish.

The North West Miramichi is still fishing very well. Heavy rains made the fish very active and one angler had some very good dry fly fishing. Marc Bedard of Moncton hooked 9 fish over 3 days. He said barbless bombers were his fly of choice. Marc said most of the fish were dark and no sign of them being fresh. This is a fish Marc got at the Ledges Inn back in July when I was fishing with him.

The Ledges Inn the past week has been still hooking a few fish. We have not seen very many new fish except for one day one of the guest landed 4 straight with the 4^th one being very silver. We are fishing mostly dry flies and a few hooked on small wets. Derek Munn and his guest were hooking most fish in early mornings.

Celtic Beauty by
Gary Tanner

The next week is looking good for fishing for those who like the rain. The weather man 
is calling for rain and more rain the start of the week so put your swim suits away and get your rain gear out and get fishing. And for those who never fished before it’s never too late to start. I had an 82 year old lady start fishing this week and she enjoyed it very much. She said it was hard to fish with so much beauty around the Miramichi and NB as rainbows and eagles were in the sky.


And for another week of fly fishing on the Miramichi may your lines be tight and your reels be screeching.

Extraordinary fishing in Cains River

Extraordinary fishing in Cains River for early August. The lower stretch of the Cains was fishing very good Tuesday as many anglers were hooking up or limiting out. Peter Beardsworth and his sons Adam and Chris were fishing with me as we hooked into several salmon and it seemed like every second fish was covered in sea lice. We landed 9 salmon and hooked another 6 all on dry flies.

We returned yesterday and I hooked 4 and landed 2 by noon. My son Zachery landed a 20lb, 15lb and a grilse in the early afternoon also on dry flies. I also saw several locals fishing and many with fresh fish being landed. Flies of choice for many were brown and orange colored bombers and a few on green machines.

Steven Moody of Wades Fishing Lodge was also hooking a few fish. They were hooking fish in the home pool and on the Cains he said. His father Peter who never fished before landed his first on Monday using a bomber. I also tailed two salmon for Lester Vickers on the Cains River, he was using a white tail green machine.

On Lower stretch of the Main SW Miramichi River fishermen at Mountain Channel Club were hooking a few fish even though water levels were on the high side.

The Hershey Pool was fishing very well as Doctors Island were hooking fish almost every day there. They were also hooking fish at their home pool in Blackville.

Black Brook Salmon Club near the mouth of Cains River was having very good luck both on the Miramichi and Cains. Most fish seem to be running on the Camp side and heading up the Cains River.

In the Doaktown area Derek Munn of the Ledges Inn said fishing was good and there were good numbers of fish in all of their pools. He also said fish were getting very selective to fly patterns and they had to go with smaller flies to hook up. Flies of choice were green butt bear hairs, brown and blue bombers.

Local anglers on the North West Miramichi are still hooking a few fish. Between the bridges fishing has slowed down as it is hook and release, but anglers who do get out are seeing their share of fish they tell me. Fishermen fishing near Trout Brook are also hooking some fish. Trout Brook Fly Shop is the place to stop at while fishing the North West for that certain fly or type of gear that others may not have. It is also a great place to get the best fish report on the river as many guides and anglers are in daily.

Local fly shops on the river are always on hand to help you. Check with Curtis Miramichi River Outfitters, Doaks Fly Shop, Herb Barry’s Fly Shop and Georges Fly Shop for the gear you need. These shops all carry different gear so call or check them out when fishing.

When on the River fishing and your limit out early, places to check out is the Atlantic Salmon Museum where you will see lots of history on fly fishing. They have a great selection in their gift shop and such items as the Miramichi River Map, Doug Underhill’s new book Salmon Country along with much more.

McCormack Adventures in Boistown said fishing was very good last week. Many guest said they saw or hooked fish in the mornings. They also reported that tubing in the afternoons was going good while the fishermen take their rest. They also have canoes and kayaks available.

The river temperature is almost perfect and averaging in the 60’s (F). The river levels are a bit high for the lower parts of the river, but it makes it very good for the middle and upper stretches of the river and keeps the fish moving with this high water. Flies of choice are still the summer favorites’ like the green machines, green butts, undertakers and all sorts of bombers for the dry flies.

Until next week keep your lines tight and your reels screeching on the Miramichi.

Several fish in the system

Your Miramichi river report for the past week has had some ups and downs but there are several fish in the system to fish for if you decide to get out on the river.

Starting in the Quarryville area with Goerge Rutledge’s Fly Shop. George said fishing was slow except for a few guys hooking fish in early mornings. He also said this rain should pick things up again.

In the Blackville area at Curtis River Outfitters shop said fishing was average for this time of year and with the heavy rain yesterday it should start getting good again. Canoeing was very good last week and there are always extra canoes for rent.

Mountain Channel was still hooking fish in the mornings but only a few fish were running through.

Country Haven Fishing Lodge was hooking fish everyday in some of their pools. They were also doing well on the Cains River and Renous River.

Pool 66 near Black Brook Pool was fishing very well all week and yesterday in the rain it was fishing extremely well as many huge salmon were taking the fly. Danny Munn of Doaktown landed 2 salmon and a grilse by 10:00 am yesterday on a few of my bombers. My son Zach lost 3 on brown bombers and saw many more fish.

The Bridge Pool in Upper Blackville was fishing in the early mornings and the fly of choice was a green butt moose hair.

In the Doaktown area at the Ledges Inn fishing has been very good the past week in early mornings. Head Guide Derek Munn said the fish were getting more selective in the low water. Derek fished the past couple of weeks with Dr. Scott Boley and his wife Sanda (Sonny) Boley from the Bronx, NY. Dr. Boley said he fished here the past 53 years and can’t remember ever seeing so many fish. Scott told me he was to Russia several times and nothing compares to the Miramichi. Scott and his wife hooked over a hundred fish in 18 days fishing at the Ledges Inn with Derek.

The past week we had some very hot conditions at the Ledges Inn. We decided to take advantage of the cooler mornings and very late evenings. Most mornings we hooked or rolled fish, Andrew Anthony, Lloyd Lyons and I rotated the pools and many mornings we hooked up with our clients.

The River conditions were from 61 (F) in the cold water pools to 76 (F) in the late afternoon in the hot days. Now since the rain yesterday the water is starting to rise and fish are starting to take the flies. Last night the river temperatures were in the low 60’s (F). This rain is a great boost for the month of August. I have seen there be sensational fishing from the rains in August so get out on the river this August or call and we’ll see if we can take you out on the river.

Mathew Doak of Doaks Fly Shop said there were fish taking the regular flies like the green machines and shady ladies.

Cains River is still fishing very well for some anglers. Gary Colford hooked several fish this week at the Brophy Pool and Moores Pool. Tom LeBlanc of Moncton fished the Sabbies Yesterday on the Cains and had no luck. He then went to the Main Miramichi where he hooked a few salmon. Glen Keenan hooked a nice salmon on the Miramichi on one of my bombers.

Flies to take with you that worked the past week are Green Machines, Undertakers, Shady Ladies, and bombers. I also fished the Mighty Quinn, a fly I got from Ralph Goodwin of Minto, NB. Ralph has a Fly Shop there where he carries several fly fishing and spin casting gear. So if you’re in route for the Miramichi drop in and see Ralph at his shop. You can check out my photos of the past weeks fishing or send me your photos and I will add them to my Blog at www.miramichifishingreports.blogspot.com

For another week on the Miramichi keep your lines tight and your reels screeching until next time.