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