A few locals hooking up

August is taking its toll on fisherman through out New Brunswick who fish for Atlantic salmon. Over the past week the Miramichi river has slowed down considerably due to no rain leaving rivers low and anglers wondering when the conditions are going to change for the good. With not much rain in the forecast until the weekend, anglers will have to keep there fingers crossed and hope the expected rain to hit the headwaters will and increase the height and keep the temperatures low. Ideal temperatures are 55 to 65 F for fall fishing. The last week temperatures were 68 to 76 F depending on the area of the river fished.

A few lucky fly fisherman over the past week managed to hook up. Ian Fortune fishing near the mouth of Bartholomew landed 2 grilse and 2 salmon using brown bombers with split wings. Damir Sahic of Fredericton landed a grilse at Pool 66 on his third cast using an Undertaker number 10 single hook. Rob Strange of Fredericton also fishing Pool 66 the next day landed two 15 lb plus salmon using a Green Butt Bear Hair on a number 10 double hook. He lost another one on the same fly. Allie Keenan and his two brothers each hooked a fish at the mouth of Keenan brook.

Guides at Black Brook Salmon Club said conditions were good in the mornings with a couple fish each day this week but warmed up in the afternoons and evenings. Flies of choice were bear hairs, undertakers and bombers.

Curtis Miramichi River Outfitters said things were slow with reports of a few fish hooked down river at Mountain Channel which is a low water pool.

Wilson's Sporting Camps on the Upper Miramichi said water height is down making some pools impossible to fish. The deeper holding pools still had some good numbers of fish that were looking at the dry flies. They were still getting a few fish on small wet flies and stripping to speed the fly up as it swung across the current.

With conditions not as we would like to see them for August fishing. It should start to improve in the next couple weeks as the nights are getting colder and more and more rumors of Jack Frost in the air. September always has lots of rain for us and along with cold frosty nights you should see some good fishing in the weeks to come. And if your new to the sport or wanting to know a peak time to catch your first Atlantic salmon, check with fly shops, guides, outfitters or even a fish reporter like me to find one for you.

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 flyfishermen in the world for 27 years. His fishing reports appear every Thursday in the Times & Transcript.