Salmon fishing on the Miramichi is in the transition stages

Atlantic salmon fishing on the Miramichi is in the transition stages of the 2011 season as most anglers are switching there flies and lines over to summer tackle. And as the spring salmon are still in the system on the lower stretches of the river the upper stretches they are very spotty and seemed of moved on downstream. There are not many fishermen out on the water above the Blackville area but there are a few fishermen fishing and still hooking salmon down river by Quarryville.

With all the rain the past two weeks it has kept the rivers very high and fishing very difficult to get to certain pools and lies you would normally fish wading, is the rain ever going to stop and give us a chance at the sea run trout. The sea trout should be along anytime now and let’s hope we get a crack at them before they sail through.

For those of you that are looking to get into some Fly tying or Spey casting check out Fredericton Outfitters and Anglers. June 3^rd to 5^th 2011 for their Spey Casting clinic with Rick Worrell of G.Loomis.

Curtis Miramichi River Outfitters are also putting on their 2^nd Spey casting clinic on July 16^th and 17^th 2011. Dennis Grant of Atlantic Fly Fishing School will be on hand with his wife Valerie and Steve Smith. Give the fly shop a call to reserve your spot.

Why not drop into W.W.Doak & Sons for up to date fishing reports for the area and some of the finest quality fishing gear on the river. They are located in Doaktown, on Route 8 in the heart of the Miramichi river valley, right across the street from Tim Horton’s. Their just an hour from Fredericton, 50 minutes from Miramichi City, 100 minutes from Moncton and 2 hours from Saint John. Their open all year long, as well as all summer statutory holidays but remember we're always closed on Sunday.

Keith Wilson of Wilsons Sporting camps said there are still a few anglers around and a few fish but most have moved downstream from the area they fish. Keith said some anglers are catching a few trout and expects the sea run trout should be soon in the system.

Dereck Munn of The Ledges Inn said the season is coming to an end but the water was still at a good height and lots of fish. He had a few guest in on the weekend that caught fish from the 30-36 inch range. He said they were a lot of fish jumping and looks like they are moving downstream but with the amount of fish still showing on the upper area of Doaktown it should be still good for another week yet. Flies were various patterns such as Marabous and Rabbit Strips and black had been working best. There were also no reports of fresh salmon or sea trout.

Country Haven Lodge said anglers have been landing some great fish over the past week even though the numbers are not quite as good as they were in April. Fishermen are still doing very well in the lower stretches of the Main River. With the exception of the weather, so far this spring the fishing has made it worthwhile being on the river. After last weekend's rise in water levels the water has since been dropping and the fishing kept improving daily, in fact this weekend has been the best weekend since early April. Sometimes, the quality of the salmon landed later in May encourages the guides to say they enjoy fishing now more than April, especially with many anglers now using floating lines instead of the full sinking lines used in April - much more like summer and fall fishing. May can be a lot of fun when conditions and fish hold as they are doing this year.

Also the Atlantic Salmon Museum in Doaktown is hosting two Ladies Fishing Retreats. Their first one is on June 17^th to 20^th and the second is on September 10^th to 13^th. This is a great chance for all the women that can’t go with their husbands because they can’t fish, or your husband saying I wish you could fish so we can fish together. So check out this amazing retreat for the women to learn to fish and meet some new friends. Also get your River Guide to all the public water on the Main South West Miramichi. You can also pick up a copy of Salmon Country: NB’s Great Angling Rivers by Doug Underhill, Andre Gallant and Jacques Heroux.

Well it looks like the rain is going to stay with us again next week so let’s enjoy the couple days of sunshine and get out on the water. I will be back next week with your report on the Miramichi River and let you know how I made out fishing the North West Miramichi.

I would like to thank all the people helping me out with the fishing information and making the report possible. And if I forgot you this week or have not contacted you for your reports on certain sections of the river and tributaries please give me a shout anytime and I will get your report in the next week. You can see some photos of the weeks fishing on my blog at miramichifishingreports.blogspot.com. And if you want your pictures added please send them along.

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

*Rodney Colford is a third-generation salmon guide on the Miramichi River. He has been guiding fishermen for the past 28 years. His column appears every Thursday.