Salmon fishing on the Miramichi was wonderful the past week as hundreds of big silver salmon and grilse are running up the rivers. Most anglers are finding it very unusual to see this many grilse so early in the season. Others small rivers like the Sevogle, Little South West Miramichi and the Renous are also producing fish.
The past week I fished on both the North West and the South West Miramichi River and had very good luck. We landed 8 salmon and grilse and 2 striped bass. We lost another 6 fish that were very close to the net. There were many anglers on the North West Miramichi hooking fish and most said they saw lots of fish in the river. Flies were green machine, black ghost, green highlander and some bombers.
The Upper stretches of the Main South West Miramichi near Boistown is starting to see more signs of salmon in the river along with some sea trout the past week. Down near Doaktown Anglers were having very good luck hooking trout and salmon over the past week and some fish hitting the 25 pound range.
On the lower stretches near Upper Blackville to Quarryville fishermen were also having very good luck and one fish I heard being landed between Blackville and the Mouth of Cains River weighing over 30 pounds. Anglers were landing a few salmon on green machines, undertakers, green butt moose hairs and bombers.
If you’re looking to get out over the weekend fishing you’re best chances should be the North West Miramichi or the Upper Stretches of the Main South West Miramichi as the river levels are almost perfect conditions and with water temperatures being in the high 50’s to low 60’s (F) chances are very good to hook up. Flies of choice should be number 2 or number 4 brown bombers with white tails and some wet flies like the green machine, undertakers, black ghost and green highlanders of all different sizes from number 6 to number 2.
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.
