Heavy Rains Hammer the Miramichi

When it rains it pours, and that is exactly what happened on the Miramichi river system this week. As the banks of the Miramichi River was finally starting to get to perfect levels for fishing pools and having fish hold up a bit.

When! Old Mother Nature had a much different look at things, as the river got hammered hard with heavy rains Monday and Tuesday morning. With so much rain in a short period of time the levels were rising very fast on the river Tuesday afternoon.

Grilse I released using the new Hardy Jet series 14 Spey Rod

Then late Tuesday night the SW Miramichi got hit with over another inch of rain in Clearwater and conditions were still rising Wednesday.

Visibility is good despite the high water conditions but the few fish that were jumping was not taking a thing.

Conditions were just getting good on the lower stretches of the river and almost to perfect levels before the rain.The upper stretches from Doaktown to Boistown were at great levels but with all the rain it will be a week or so before conditions improve again.Temperatures are perfect in the high 50's and low 60's which is awesome going into September.

Last weekend and up until Tuesday morning we were picking up a few salmon. Flies again was the Paul Caron stone fly, wt green machine, samething Murray's and bombers.

This is a picture of a boat I rescued this week in the Doaktown area. The owner was very happy.

Paul Caron Stone Fly

Stonefly Caron Signature / A. Jackson.
David Bishop says this is one of his favourite flies ever. Paul Caron, a good friend and awesome angler developed this fly. You NEED them in ALL SIZES. Period! Find out more by going to www.salmonsteelheadflies.com and see many great looking patterns that David has on hand.

At The Ledges Inn in Doaktown we were having half decent fishing. With all the rain our pools are a bit high to fish properly so back to boat fishing. It will take a few days to improve. This is a picture I took of guide Derek Munn and Richard Campbell of PEI just before the rise in water. We hooked 3 and landed two that night. The other salmon was landed by Allan Moore of PEI and all fish were landed on Hardy gear.

Guest at Bullocks Lodge

Dan Bullock of Bullocks Lodge had a good week of fishing in Boiestown. Fish were caught almost every day with great conditions and fish starting to show in bigger numbers. The fly of the week was definitely the Yellow Winged Butterfly, with the RBM Muddlers and Glitter Bear also being noteworthy. 3 1/8inches of rain in past 24 hours are going to make the next few days a challenge.







Wilson Sporting Camps said conditions were slow in their area. A few fish were around but seemed to be a lot of old fish. With all the rain it's looking good going into September for the fish.

Country Haven Lodge said before the raise in water on the lower stretch of the SW Miramichi river fish were just starting to hold in their pools. They landed fish last week and Monday on peach carter bugs. But with the rain monday and Tuesday night and rising water this morning, fish will probably be on the move again.

Larry Van-Pearson fishing at the Ledges Inn

The Atlantic Salmon Museum in Doaktown, New Brunswick, will host its annual ‘Hall of Fame Award Banquet’ on Saturday, September 14th. For those attending the dinner, there will be an open house at the Atlantic Salmon Museum from 4 – 5 p.m. followed by a ‘meet and greet’ reception at 5 p.m. in the Doaktown Curling Club.
A buffet style dinner including beef, salmon and fiddleheads will be served at the Curling Club at 6 p.m. The price for this special event is $75, and a tax receipt for $40 will be issued. A limited number of tickets are available, and they go quickly.
During the banquet, there will be a live auction of 2014 donated fishing waters plus much more. Please call (506) 365-7787 to pay for your ticket or stop by the Museum, 263 Main Street in Doaktown.
Inductees for 2013 include: David Adams Richards, Vivian Harris-Astle and Dieppe Fly Tying Club.



A dry fly fishermen throwing a fly from the bench at Mill Brook.












Paraglidders having a blast on the river over the weekend as anglers fish below.











Ghislain Basque posted this for a friend, this may help him. (My folding Frabill net ($80.00) was stolen at the Cache pool today. We were parked on the shore below the pool and stood the net half way of the pool. While we were lunching on the tailgate someone came down the trail at the head of the pool and fished for a while where we could see him from the truck. The net was on shore around enough of a bend that we couldn't see him take it but when he left it was gone! It has my name and number on it; John Farnham 375-8655 )... also a video from you tube. Perhaps someone picked it up by mistake and is looking to return it.

Many fishermen are hoping the fall run of salmon will start with this high water we have. I'd say the Miramichi is about high enough, lets hope they make their way in soon.


Until next week keep your lines tight and reels screaming on the river.

Rodney Colford

River Conditions are improving on the Miramichi

Miramichi river conditions are improving everyday, weather conditions and the river dropping is a big factor in getting the level back to late ideal summer conditions.

Beautiful Rainbow

Alanda Harrison with a salmon

With fall on our doorsteps, and cool mornings showing fog on the river already. It's beginning to look like fall fishing conditions in August. I've noticed several salmon that were very coloured and some looked like they were hook bills as they leaped through the air.

The last couple days should be bringing a few fresh fish in the system as high tides on the full moon usually does bring some runs, in late August.

Kelly Channel

I asked many fishermen what they do when the water is too high to fish.
And many anglers said they take the time in high water levels to Ty fly patterns that there out of. While many say they enjoy canoeing on the water in the afternoons, taking advantage of the beautiful weather were having in the later part of August.



With river levels dropping and pools starting to show their form, anglers are starting to land a few fish.



At the Ledges Inn in Doaktown were having some luck. I had clients Alanda Harrison and David Harding of PlasterRock land a salmon and a fresh sea liced covered grilse yesterday. Lloyd Lyons guided his clients to a 15 lb salmon using a GP. Conditions in the Doaktown stretch of the river is almost perfect.


Our Mountain Channel Lodge fished Cains River and client Tom Kleeman landed a nice fresh salmon at Moores Pool.

Tom Kleeman with a Cains Fish

Dan Bullock of Bullocks Lodge had a slow week in Boiestown with high water. Level has been improving and some fish are starting to show. Dan is expecting good fishing the next few days, and hoping to get some better conditions for dry fly fishing.

David Harding & Alanda Harrison

Country Haven Fishing Lodge in the Blackville area of the river said they had a very good week. Overall with the high water conditions they landed salmon everyday, but only a few grilse this week. Some fish are sea lice covered and more fish were showing the last couple days. Cains river was fishing good but fish weren't showing until taking the fly.

Wilson’s Sporting Camps said they are happy to report that the river is still much higher than normal for mid August. Combine this with cool nights and a good run of salmon, the result is better than average fishing in most areas . We are still getting mostly salmon, some very dark but some very fresh. One angler fishing near Bloomflield Ridge in Boistown on Friday and Saturday had exceptionally good fishing in deep fast moving water on a size 8 Bonnie Belle . The pools are starting to take shape again so it looks like a good week ahead for fly-fishing Atantic salmon on the Miramichi River.

Miramichi Salmon Club in the Blissfield area said angling was slow the last week with not much sign of any fish. But the last couple days things starting to improve with some fresh fish being landed.

Alanda Harrison with a close up of her salmon

Anglers near the mouth of Cains River were hooking fish on dry flies but said water could be down a foot too a couple feet to improve.

If your in the area and fishing gear is on the menu drop by WW.Doaks for all your fly fishing supplies and local fishing reports.

Canoers high fiving after falling out of the boat.

Flies of choice again seems to be a mixture of what you throw at the fish. Dry flies are working, I landed a few on glitter bears, a few on a Dylan Spey, apache shrimp and green machines.

With the third week of August in the books and looking very good for the last week of August. We should see some exceptional salmon fishing for late August through September moving forward.

So if you can get time to throw a line, it should be very promising results the rest of the season.

Until next week may your reels be screaming on the river.

Rodney Colford

Anglers challenge the high water on the Miramichi

Salmon fishing on the Miramichi is quite the challenge with all the high water conditions we are receiving.

After heavy rains hit our head waters last weekend we got hit again with more rain Tuesday driving conditions up into the alters.

Monday it was starting to pick up and a few fish were being hooked and several good signs of fish around. And Tuesday was also looking good and conditions were not far from being able to wade in pools again. But that all went out the window as Wednesday the river was rising fast. Early morning there were still lots of fish but as we closer to midday the fish were not showing and conditions were chocolate colored. And then we got hit with more thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon.

The past week on the river anglers have picked up a few fish.

In the Boistown stretch of the river Dan Bullock of Bullocks Lodge said they had good fishing last week with several nice salmon caught in the 12 to 15 lbs range. Thursday and Sunday night especially were very productive. Flies of note included Gary Tanner's Celtic Beauty, Glitter Bear and Orange winged streamers. All fish were very bright and fought exceptionally hard with several runs into backing.

River was at flood level after Fridays rain, but is very close to being ideal in the Boiestown area on our pools. Expecting great fishing in the coming days.

Keith Wilson of Wilson's Sporting Camps said anglers won't complain of no rain for awhile. Another huge raise of water .Just when the river was getting down to a normal where one could expect to hook into some of the many salmon on the move this week, we are hit with a big rise and very dirty conditions. It does not look good for anglers for at least a few days . After the drought of 2012 with no water and no fish for most of the summer we will not complain for long about the high water today we are receiving.

Derek Munn of the Ledges Inn said water was high by two feet in the Doaktown area on Tuesday. They were hooking a few and saw lots of fish. Most pools were unfishable with too much water in the system.

Byron Coughlan of Country Haven Lodge below Blackville said there was lots of water but still seeing lots of fish. Landed 4 yesterday. A lot of pools were to high to fish but doing good from shore. Byron said he saw lots of fish moving past the lodge all week, and the positive note the rain and high water is great for the salmon.

Cains river is high but I have several reports of fish in the system and a few being hooked.

Flies of choice are green machines, glitter bears, black ghost, ally shrimps and pacasse.

Anglers may want to start trying a sink tip in this high water to get down to the fish. Larger flies will work and some marabou patterns.

So with so much rain and not many tight lines, it does sound positive about good numbers of fish in the rivers. Lets hope things will improve for the fishermen for a few days so we can hook up.

Until next week may your reels be screaming on the Miramichi.

Rodney Colford

River up in the Alders on Miramichi

Well if you were fishing on the Miramichi River the past week, you would not have to get in the water to get your feet wet.

Four inches of rain fell and put the river up into the alders. Leaving many anglers going from wading to boating to hook up. Salmon pools that were to low and warm to fish were now to high and dirty with debre to fish.

Just before the river started to raise, fishing was very good. Many anglers were hooking fish and some limiting out with 4 per day.

Byron Coughlan of Country Haven Lodge of the lower stretch of the Miramichi said the river is full of fresh fish since Sunday. Fishermen were having very good luck. Fish seemed to be moving through and the ones they were hooking was close to shore. Water conditions are still high for the lower stretch. Cains river was still to high, the upper Renous was fishable, lower Renous was still to high.

Guides Donald and Eddie Colford of Black Brook Salmon Club said fishing was very good the past week. Many sports limit out on many different patterns of flies. Conditions are still to high for the Mouth of Cains river area but lots of fish moving.

Derek Munn of the Ledges Inn in the Doaktown Area of the river said fishing was good. We landed almost 50 salmon at the lodge this week, one weighing 27 pounds. Conditions seem to slow down yesterday, but rumours of fresh fish down river is great to hear. The river raised Tuesday night about 6 inches. Flies of choice were pacas, green machines, shady ladies and smurfs. At our Mountain Channel Lodge we were picking up 2 or 3 salmon per day.

Keith Wilson of Wilsons Sporting Camps said salmon anglers are never ones to complain about a nice raise of water in late July but this is a little much. Heavy rain brought the water up in McNamee app 3 feet and was very dirty. Keith said the MSA reported the best numbers of the season coming through the Millerton trap net this past week, so combined with the big raise in water we should see much improved fishing going into the month of August.

Dan Bullock of Bullocks Lodge in Boistown said they received 4" of rain in past week. Water is high, but very fishable. Probably 2-3 days away from ideal height for our pools.
We did land a few fish last week, including a salmon on the RBM Muddler tied by Renate Bullock. Looking forward to what should be excellent fishing next couple of weeks.

Chris Edmonds of Miramichi Fish and Game Club and C.E.Salmon Flies and Guiding was hooking a few fish. Conditions were very good on the NW and should be awesome by the weekend.

So with lots of water in the system for the Miramichi river and tributaries we should see some great fishing over the next few days as the water drops. River temperatures are in the low 60's (f) which is ideal.

A few flies to try while your out this weekend on the water is green machines, undertakers, smurfs, green highlanders and try some dry flies in this high water. Tight to shore with those dries you'll see, you might just catch a whopper.

Until next week keep those reels screaming on the river.
Rodney Colford

Success in tough conditions

Atlantic salmon fishing is a cold water sport by far. And over the past week old Mother Nature has thrown lots of great weather too us, but the odd few of us are salmon fishermen and we like cloudy damp days 75% of the time. So if she could cool off a bit would be awesome to get the fish moving again.

Over the past week at the Ledges Inn where I guide some of the finest fishermen, in some of the finest pools on the Miramichi. We were fortunate to hook an above average amount of fish in these warm conditions.

Fishing early mornings were key to our guides success to having our clients hook up.

Mentioning a few names that were lucky to hook salmon were: Len Lockhart with a grilse taken on a Almost fly, Wes Armour with a grilse, Deni Losier landed a grilse and lost a salmon on a shady lady, Sandy Kitchen and Earl Brewer of Fredericton hooked 7 and landed 3 using an Almost and blue bombers, Jaques Penet landed a grilse on a Butterfly, Andrew Anthony's guest landed a 40 incher on one of my irresistible Adams patterns. Derek Muun and Dr. Boley have been landing a few each day.

Country Haven Fishing Lodge are also hooking a few according to guide Gary Colford. Pools on the Miramichi and Cains river have been successful for many guest.

Keith Wilson of wilson sporting camps said angling is slow over the past 4 days. The river level is good in the area of MacNamee just the temperatures are bad.

River temperatures are still ranging from 56 to 60 degrees in brooks in morning to night and up to 70 - 75 degrees out in the runs morning until night.

With very little rain expected in the forecast over the next week anglers are already starting to worry about the river shutting down.

So lets hope for a change in weather and cool nights to keep things fishable.

Pictured below is Sandy Kitchen with two nice salmon. And Len Lockhart with a grilse.

Until next week may you reels be screaming on the Miramichi.

Rodney Colford

Fishing good on the Miramichi

With ideal conditions on the Miramichi it has been a bit of mixed fishing the past week. Where some anglers are hooking fish, while others are seeing fish and saying there not taking too well.
With the middle section of the river getting into prime levels for fishing the lower stretch is still very high with fish everywhere.

Derek Munn of the Ledges Inn said fishing was good with guest hooking a few fish. River levels are ideal and a few fresh fish were showing moving up stream. Our sister lodge at Mountain Channel was having good luck and hooked 9 salmon on Tuesday.

W.W.Doaks & Sons said fishing was picking up. Fishermen were hooking a few on shady ladies, bonnie bells and white tail green machines.

Norma Brennan of Curtis Miramichi River Outfitters said fishing was very good in the Blackville area. Many fishermen were landing fish. Norma said fish were jumping all over the river.
Temperatures are very good as of Wednesday around 62 to 65 (f).

Keith Wilson of Wilson's Sporting Camps said fishing was superb and guest were very happy with seeing fresh fish.

Guide Gary Colford of Country Haven said fishing was good and saw lots of fish. He hooked and landed 5 this week on white tail green machines.

So with a great run on the way for the start of July and a mix of salmon and grilse it's looking good for the system.
Lets hope with the warm weather on the way the next few days will be short stay to keep the salmon running.

Tip for the coming week is to beat the heat and fish early mornings and late evenings to up your catch.

Tight lines and may your reels be screeching on the Miramichi.

Fishing weather improving on the Miramichi

After a great weekend on the Miramichi, Salmon fishing was slow on the river Monday and Tuesday as hot weather drove river temps up into the 70's and fish were not taking very well.
Wednesday was much better as river conditions were back in the 60's (f).
This should keep fish coming into the system like they have been doing.
Salmon have already started to hold up in colder water pools at the mouth of brooks and streams.
A few anglers have been hooking up in the mornings, but the evening fishing was very slow the last few days.

Derek Munn of the Ledges Inn said fishing was very good the past week. They landed over 20 salmon. Conditions were good until the warm days heated the river up.

Keith Wilson of Wilson’s Sporting Camps said the weather warmed up a bit but conditions are still ideal for migrating salmon . We are seeing plenty of salmon on the move and plenty of smiles from anglers up and down the system .
Byron Coughlan of Country Haven Lodge said fishing was good the past week. A couple days were slow as the river warmed up. We are seeing lots of fish moving up stream maybe most we have ever saw for the month of June, even with the warm weather.
Miramichi City Surplus said anglers were seeing a good run of fish on the Sevogle River. Fly of choice was a silver grey.
The NW Miramichi is getting very low. Michael Mackinnon said fishing was great the past week but the catching was a little slow. Two rods only landed 5 fish, and saw very few fish moving.
Fly of choice for most of the river is the white tail green machine number 8 & 6's, Conrad's, and a few bombers of different colours.
The next week is looking good for fishing as the weather is calling for a mix of rain and cloudy weather, fishermen's weather. This should get the North West back to much better conditions.
As for the South West Miramichi, just cooler temperatures would be awesome to improve the fishing.
Until next time have tight lines on the river. Rodney Colford