Miramichi Looking Up For The Start Of The Season

Colfords Miramichi Fishing Reports for the lower section of the Main South West Miramichi River.

No worries for gravel bars today on the Main SW Miramichi River with water being very high and a beautiful day with a high of 17 C and makes you want to be on the water fishing.

These photos from Doaktown to Quarryville are over the last couple days. My last post said that the fish would be out of the river by the 15th? I meant that for the Cains River and not the Miramichi. And who says I no for sure if there going to be out of the river? As we all no that Atlantic Salmon have a mind of there own and what we think we no of them it can change the next time. Maybe what keeps us fishing them.

Here is a photo of the river in Doaktown today as you can see very little ice about eh! Don't forget to stop at W.W. Doak for supplies when in Doaktown for Sage products.

Looking up from the Upper Blackville bridge and feeling the pain of wanting to go out there fishing!!!! Taking that sinking line and casting or trolling and feeling that line tighten when it grabs your fly over the long winter months of not being able too! I'm sure you feel the same way.

This is a photo off the Howard Road looking at the river between Upper Blackville bridge and the Mouth of Cains River.

This photo looking at doctors Island yesterday and had plenty of ice in the river.

And here you can see lots of ice in the Quarryville area of the river.

As for salmon flies I still have lots available and still taking orders for more if you want them ready for what looks to be and could be one of the best seasons to come!!! I have talked to older guides like Pat Brophy and Malcolm McCormack and they said the fish will no when to get out of the river and usually when the 15th of April gets here is when they start to make there way down the river. And said the water will come up as high as the ice along the shore line and yes its up that far now!

And for any information you need please ask me anytime like Samuel Poirier with a photo of his first Atlantic Salmon ever last fall, he also asked for a few tips on fishing.

For more reports on the ice conditions along the river and tributaries else where check out Doug Underhills reports of the Miramichi and Keith Wilson on the upper stretches of the SW Miramichi river. And for the the Lowest Stretch on the Miramichi river check out Byron Coughlan reports of Country Haven.

If you want to subscribe to my blog please enter your email free of charge and get updates of the river. Or if you have something you want to post for the viewers to see from a fish to a fishing lodge for sale, please send it along or contact me with info how to have it posted here or on my website.

So until next time tight Lines,

Rodney Colford

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

Blogger Buzz: Blogger integrates with Amazon Associates

Miramichi Ice Conditions March 21st

Miramichi River Report for March 21st 2010.

These first two photos are pictures of a couple of guides boats getting ready for spring fishing. The first boat belongs to John Colford of Howard.

This 2nd boat belongs to Donnie Colford of Howard. Also you can still see some snow that will make its way to the river.

You will see from these photos I added, the river is breaking up in places and also very very low water conditions. There is a jam between the mouth of Cains River and Blackville.

With the Cains River ice being gone so early the fish may completely be out of the river by April 15th. Also trying to boat on the Cains will be very difficult or pretty much impossible to motor up and down the river without breaking the motor. You can see from photo 5 that the ice is gone out of the Cains.

The Main Miramichi will have the same troubles with low water. The lower stretches is not so bad but when you get to the Middle Stretches of the river there are so many gravel bars that will make it hard to get over for the flat bottom boats.

Some of these photos the river is almost summer low! With very little snow in the woods we really need the big rains that are in the forecast. Only problem with getting the rains it will get the ice moving and raise the water which is good. But for the fisherman that believe the fish will start dropping back out to sea it is not good. Lets hope that the fish do stay in until the smelts make there run in and the salmon follow them out. And if this is what they do your into some good fishing on the Miramichi. The salmon feed on the smelts after a long hard winter under the ice and too help them get some strength back on there travels back to Greenland. You will even see them swim into towards shore after them if you watch closely and be lucky enough to be in the right spot at the time of feeding. I have caught them with smelts in there mouth and still take the fly.

Advantages to low water conditions will be having a guide that knows the lies of the river. Knowing how to get over the gravel bars with his boat. Telling you with type of line you should be using such as a sinking tip perhaps? Fly selection will make a difference aswell like the size of the flies. A few top flies will be Renous Special, Miramichi Smelt, Black Ghost, Golden Eagle and Christmas Tree.

These conditions are not something to get over excited about and cancel your trip! If you are the addicted fly fisherman you will know that there are so many different things about fly fishing that can change the way that a salmon will act. Just think of this season as another way to fish these wonderful fish.




Forecast for the Miramichi area this week is rain. We are suppose to get 3 days of rain starting Tuesday March 23rd 20mm, Wednesday 24th 10mm and Thursday a little more. Rumors were saying 50 mm before it is all said and done the next few days.







Photos 1 to 12 are, the first two are the boats, the 3rd & 4th is just a mile below the mouth of the Cains. 5,6 & 7 are at or around the mouth of Cains River, 8 is looking up towards Doctors Island off the Blackville bridge going to south Cains, 9 is looking down river off the Doaktown bridge, 10 is looking up river off the Upper Blackville bridge on the Miramichi, 11 is looking down of the Upper Blackville bridge and 12 is looking up river on the Doaktown bridge.

Hopefully everyone enjoys my reports! I by no means am no writer but I do enjoy giving you the reports of the river. I'd rather be fishing!! Perhaps the next few days I will have better reports for you for in planning your trip to the famous river The Miramichi.

I would like to thank everyone who emailed me with there thoughts for my fishing reports. I would like anyone that does have comments to please email me anytime. And if I can give you an answer I will or try my best in finding one.

I also have a good blog of the Miramichi for you too read and its at read more: You will see some nice fishing from this winter and more.

Also don't forget about the Dieppe Fly Fishing Show in Moncton next weekend for those who are close enough to go. There is some great deals at the show and good prizes.

Tight lines from the Miramichi,

Rod Colford

Ice Conditions

Colfords Miramichi River Reports for March 17th 2010. First off, A Happy New Year to all and hope you enjoy the reports for another season. With fishing season less than a month away and anglers getting excited for the first cast, everyone is wondering how the ice conditions are on the Miramichi River. I have a few photo's for you from around the area of Blackville.



This is at the Upper Blackville Bridge

The ice does not look like it is very thick in these photos. The mild weather were having appears that the ice may be out sooner than we would want for fishing season. The river is very low and boating may be very hard to get to places this spring as well.

Just a reminder does everyone have there boaters operating card?







This is at the Blackville Bridge.







This is looking up towards Doctors Island.





Salmon Flies: I have several spring & Summer salmon patterns tied if anyone wants an order please email me and I will get them done for you. I have Renous Special, Golden Eagles, Black Ghost, Elmer Specials, Christmas Trees, Red & Green Eagles and Blue Smelts for spring flies.



















I will be back tomorrow with more photos and an update of the ice out conditions.

Tight Lines, Rodney Colford

Heavy Rains Hits the Miramichi Area But Not before the Fish are in the Net.

Colfords Miramichi Fishing Reports For Oct 5th 2009 by Guide Rodney Colford. Its been a fun few days on the Miramichi for David Jap of Germany and Christian Stathis of New York. They both arrived in some of the lowest waters we had this 2009 season to leave to some of the highest in years for fall fishing on the Miramichi. It was a very good week fishing and the catching was not bad too, as you will see from the photo's. The above photo is davids 1st for Sunday of 4 fish hooked for the day.
This is Christian with a 15 plus salmon at Moores Pool on the Cains and 1 of six salmon for his week.
This is a photo of us having a cook-out on the Cains before the heavy rains struck us.

In route to a pool on the Miramichi and some happy fisherman at that.This is Christian casting a single hand rod.David Jap holding one of his 13 fish he landed over the last several days in Canada.He is releasing it back to the Cains, this fish was hooked at Moores Pool on a Ally Shrimp.This fish was caught above the Mouth of Cains River and gave a ver good fight and was out into the backing a couple times before I netted it for David.This is the only grilse we got on a dry fly, and it was a brown bomber orange hackle.This a grilse Christian got and it had sea lice on it and a tag. Caught on the lower stretches of the Miramichi.
Christian Stathis with a male salmon and a great fighter too.
This is a photo of the Moore's Pool on the Cains at 8:30 am Monday morning today. Notice the other pictures of the same pool and after just the night the seat in the photos. The water was raising almost 1 foot per hour all day for a while.Looking down stream this morning on the Cains River.
Last night David with his 3rd fish of the day.
This is me holding Davids 2nd fish of the day. And we caught all our fish on a Ally Shrimp.
This is Randy of Wades fishing in the home pool.
This is some fisherman canoeing before the 2nd raise in water.

.The famous Green Machine and also a beat up one after landing a few fish.
A photo of the Cains before the rise in water.
The home pool in front of the lodge.
Here is a tube fly called a Willie Gun. A very productive pattern.


This is a picture of our Lodge from the Hershey Club on the Miramichi.
This photo of us on route to the Cains. This is guys dad was guiding from Country haven. They were from Maine and were enjoying there fishing on the Miramichi and Tributaries.

The weather over the next few days looks like more showers for the Miramichi area. Lets hope it does not amount to much and maybe things will pick up again.

I have this report from Bob Wallace: Good Morning Rodney, got back from my trailer at Hennessey's on Friday. With the rise of water from the Rain Sunday and Monday, made fishing better, then what it had been. I took a big Salmon on Monday Night on a #6 Cain's River Special and then took two more on the same fly Wednesday night. With the luck that I had, I thought with the rise of water, there would of been more Fresh run fish in the river then what we were seeing. I stopped before the bridge at Quarryville, to see how many fishermen were fishing, and there were a pile of them, so there must still be some fall run fish still in that area.

Another report from Larry Vanperson of Salor Haven fishing club: they were hooking fish and he landed a salmon. Another guy landed a 52 inch fish with them, he said they may have photos on a disposable camera. I will keep you posted if I get the photo.

My father Gary Colford landed a salmon last night on the Cains as well and in the lower parts of Moore's Pool.

The rain brought some high water to us and until dark this evening it was still raising. At times today it was rising at least a foot per hour. It must have raised 8 feet! I expect without rain and debris we may get into fish 24 to 48 hours. Or maybe in the morning EH! ha ha! You got to think positive!! My grand father always told me that? The river was very dirty all day with almost every cast hooking grass and sticks. But towards the end of the day things did look better.

I also want to note that most of the fishing is being done by Spey Rods and anglers are finding it so much easier in the high water conditions to cast. So when coming fishing if you have a Spey Rod please bring it with you and a single rod as well. I do not mention on my web site much about bringing Spey Rods to the Miramichi but I will update that information soon for the 2010 season.

All for tonight and I hope every one enjoys the photos of our beautiful Miramichi River and Tributaries.

Tight Lines,
Rodney