May on the Banks of The Miramichi River

What more could we ask for this third weekend of May on the Banks of The Miramichi River. Well I bet if you ask just about any Atlantic Salmon angler, that first catch of the bright's, on a new season are remarkably one of the greatest hook ups one can have the honour off catching. This beautiful chrome football shaped animal that swims our mighty rivers are amongst the King of the sport fish of our wonderful planet. And people all over the world have this same religion for the Atlantic salmon as you do. And yes this is the weekend the past 3 or 4 years to start the ball rolling.

 For many anglers it's all about the take when you have that lucky chance of seeing the roll or swirl as it takes your fly and then like a bolt of lightning your reel is screaming out into the backing and just when you think you have time, you see the end of the spool on your reel and your running out of line. And if your lucky, really lucky, you will have the chance to start running the shore line and  retrieve some of the line before he (the salmon) takes control and does it all over again. What more excitement in fishing can you have than to have this happen on the first runs of Atlantic's.

Many fishermen and fisher-women are fishing for sea run trout coming into the system on the river. Anglers are catching a few trout in the 10 to 16 inch range. But no sign of any fresh trout yet from my contacts on the river. The gaspereau nets are down in the lower stretches of the river, the fiddle heads are up, so as we all know this is around the time the trout and salmon should be coming along.

And with the in between time laggering here on the Miramichi all we can do is wait for the salmon and trout to arrive. There is a very good volume of water and fish will have very little trouble coming in. And to some anglers on the lower stretches of the Main Miramichi this can be very tough as the fish can be just about anywhere. Most of the rivers like the Main SW, NW, Little SW and Renous are still high and could use a bit of a drop to help form the pools or have the fish hold up a little.

The weather has not been the best as we have been getting very high amounts of rain on the Miramichi over the past couple weeks. But the sky seems to be brightening up for the weekend and following week and should get the rivers into a great form for fishing.

Reports on the Restigouche River has over half dozen bright's landed that we know off. What more could get our hearts pumping here on the Miramichi than to hear about our northern river of the province hooking their first runs of bright's. Oh man, Oh man the season is starting.

Flies for the up coming weeks: Now that you can use singles and doubles with barbs as of the 15th of May you still should think about going barbless to help with releasing fish. I would suggest size 2 to 6 depending on the river your fishing you may want to go smaller sizes. Green Machines, Shady Ladies, Undertakers, Black Ghost, Butterflies and many many other great patterns.

Over the next week or the next few days someone will have the chance to catch the first Bright Atlantic Salmon on the Miramichi River system. And if you do please send us the picture and I will have it posted for you. All I need is a photo and or size of your catch, what fly, what river, we do not need the name of the pool or area you caught the fish. Just to know there in the system would be good. To view photos of my reports please go to my blog. You can contact me at www.miramichifishingreports.blogspot.com .


LOST BOAT AND MOTOR
Reward Offered
12 foot aluminium boat & 4 hp Mercury Motor
Boat lost from the Blissfield area.
If you have information please call 506-365-8940 or 506-432-0563.


Until next week may your reels be screaming on the Miramichi.
Rodney Colford Is a third generation salmon-fishing-guide and fly tier on the SW Miramichi River. I have guided fishermen ranging from greenhorns to some of the finest fly fishermen in the world for 27 years. Fly tying since I was ten years old and having the opportunity to fish with anglers all over the world. My favorite fishing buddies are my kids Laura (12) and Zachery(14) which both have caught there own Atlantic Salmon at age 4 & and 7. My fishing reports appear every Thursday in the Moncton Times & Transcript.

Pat Colford

Clark Hallman

Lunch break

Ray Walker

Ray Walker

Rod on a nice rainy day

My Daughter Laura

Laura practising her guiding at age 12

Laura and friends

I got this late report on a few trout and a very good story about what the trout was having for dinner!

Kyle Donovan's boys with a nice 3lb+ trout

This trout a had nice rat in his mouth when they landed it, tail was still hanging out of the mouth! 

Same trout and rat and the ones that did not get away!.

Low water conditions for opening day

This is off the Upper Blackville Bridge

Cains River at Moores Pool

 Well the wait will be over this Sunday on the Miramichi for the 2012 salmon season opening day. And it can’t come soon enough for many anglers as the river ice let go over 3 weeks ago and many anglers are eager to hook up.

The lower end of the School House Pool

Down River from Quarryville

Up river from Quarryville Bridge

Many fly fishermen are wondering, will the fish still be in the river for the Spring Salmon fishing. I can tell you there are lots of fish in the river as they have been jumping for over a couple weeks now. River conditions are very low and very clear and could make this a very good spring season. I have saw fishing very good in low water in early May so why not with low water on April 15^th. It will also give many anglers a chance to see the fish lying still on the bottom and even better see the fish going for your fly before he strikes it. 

Many places all you will need is your floating line. Some places where the water is deep your sinking lines will work but most places floating lines and a short sink tip should be fine. 

Flies of choice are Renous Special, Red Eagle, Golden Eagle, Blue Smelt and Christmas Tree. I would think smaller flies would be worth a try size 2 to 1/0. This should be a great spring for the fly caster casting to their catch.

Up river near Boistown and Doaktown fishing conditions are very similar with low water. The river came up 8 to 10 inches from the rains and snow we got. Hopefully the warm weather expected this week will melt some snow in the woods and raise the river more.

 Derek Munn at the Ledges Inn said the fishing should be very good opening day. He also thought most fish will stay in the river until it starts warming up more before their return.

All the tributaries are very low as well but all are reporting seeing fish throughout. Anglers must remember to pinch the barbs on their hooks and single hooks only until May15th.

A June Salmon 2011

I am looking forward to hearing about all your hook ups this weekend so tight lines until next week.

Rodney C

Extraordinary fishing in Cains River

Extraordinary fishing in Cains River for early August. The lower stretch of the Cains was fishing very good Tuesday as many anglers were hooking up or limiting out. Peter Beardsworth and his sons Adam and Chris were fishing with me as we hooked into several salmon and it seemed like every second fish was covered in sea lice. We landed 9 salmon and hooked another 6 all on dry flies.

We returned yesterday and I hooked 4 and landed 2 by noon. My son Zachery landed a 20lb, 15lb and a grilse in the early afternoon also on dry flies. I also saw several locals fishing and many with fresh fish being landed. Flies of choice for many were brown and orange colored bombers and a few on green machines.

Steven Moody of Wades Fishing Lodge was also hooking a few fish. They were hooking fish in the home pool and on the Cains he said. His father Peter who never fished before landed his first on Monday using a bomber. I also tailed two salmon for Lester Vickers on the Cains River, he was using a white tail green machine.

On Lower stretch of the Main SW Miramichi River fishermen at Mountain Channel Club were hooking a few fish even though water levels were on the high side.

The Hershey Pool was fishing very well as Doctors Island were hooking fish almost every day there. They were also hooking fish at their home pool in Blackville.

Black Brook Salmon Club near the mouth of Cains River was having very good luck both on the Miramichi and Cains. Most fish seem to be running on the Camp side and heading up the Cains River.

In the Doaktown area Derek Munn of the Ledges Inn said fishing was good and there were good numbers of fish in all of their pools. He also said fish were getting very selective to fly patterns and they had to go with smaller flies to hook up. Flies of choice were green butt bear hairs, brown and blue bombers.

Local anglers on the North West Miramichi are still hooking a few fish. Between the bridges fishing has slowed down as it is hook and release, but anglers who do get out are seeing their share of fish they tell me. Fishermen fishing near Trout Brook are also hooking some fish. Trout Brook Fly Shop is the place to stop at while fishing the North West for that certain fly or type of gear that others may not have. It is also a great place to get the best fish report on the river as many guides and anglers are in daily.

Local fly shops on the river are always on hand to help you. Check with Curtis Miramichi River Outfitters, Doaks Fly Shop, Herb Barry’s Fly Shop and Georges Fly Shop for the gear you need. These shops all carry different gear so call or check them out when fishing.

When on the River fishing and your limit out early, places to check out is the Atlantic Salmon Museum where you will see lots of history on fly fishing. They have a great selection in their gift shop and such items as the Miramichi River Map, Doug Underhill’s new book Salmon Country along with much more.

McCormack Adventures in Boistown said fishing was very good last week. Many guest said they saw or hooked fish in the mornings. They also reported that tubing in the afternoons was going good while the fishermen take their rest. They also have canoes and kayaks available.

The river temperature is almost perfect and averaging in the 60’s (F). The river levels are a bit high for the lower parts of the river, but it makes it very good for the middle and upper stretches of the river and keeps the fish moving with this high water. Flies of choice are still the summer favorites’ like the green machines, green butts, undertakers and all sorts of bombers for the dry flies.

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

Hook and release rules return to Northwest Miramichi

Atlantic salmon fishing on the Miramichi is still going strong as huge runs of fish keep coming in from the ocean. All the tributaries of the Miramichi were reporting good runs of salmon and grilse. River conditions are perfect levels and some fish are now starting to hold up longer in the pool which makes the catching a bit easier at times.

The NW Miramichi got hit with a blow for anglers fishing to keep their catch of grilse. For the second season in a row the hook and release method comes into play. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans issued a variation order allowing only hook and release angling on the Northwest Miramichi and its tributaries for at least a portion of the 2011, 2012 and 2013 angling seasons. The department said the decision was made for conservation purposes based on science assessments and is effective as of noon on Wednesday, July 6.

Variation order 2011-056 is for mandatory live release for all of the angling season on the Little Southwest Miramichi and its tributaries upstream from Catamaran Brook, on the Northwest Miramichi upstream from Little River, and on both the north and south branches of the Sevogle upstream from and including Square Forks. In 2012 and beyond, these catch and release restrictions will be in effect for the entire season.

Mandatory live release will be required from noon on July 6 until July 31 on the Northwest Miramichi River from and including Little River downstream to Wayerton Bridge (Route 430). In 2012 and beyond, this catch and release restriction will be in effect from June 1 to July 31.

Salmon fishing on the Upper Stretches of the Main SW Miramichi River is extraordinary. All our pools are fishing very well. Here at the Ledges and Mountain Channel our pools are starting to hold some monster fish. Guide Derek Munn had Tyler and his father James Brown while both landed two fish over the 20 pound mark and several grilse, Tyler also landed a 2lb striped bass. Derek said it was the first time they saw a stripe bass this far up river. You can check out the pictures on our web site at LedgesInn.com. Guide Andrew Anthony also had very good fishing while one morning his clients hooked 12 salmon. Guide Lloyd Lyons was also on the ball as he and his clients were having very good results using the Mighty Quinn pattern tied by Ralph Goodwin of Minto. I was guiding a nice couple that dropped into Doaks Fly Shop in Doaktown on Tuesday and asked which fly was working. They gave them a fly called the Same Thing Murray and they both ended up getting their first ever salmon on the Miramichi.

In the Boistown area Allan McCormack of McCormack’s Tubing said their clients saw several salmon while tubing this week. They said the tubing is going very good now as the weather is helping very much.

Wilson’s Sporting Camps said fishing is also very good with great runs of salmon in all their pools. Guide Karl Wilson netted a 33 incher for his client that was fresh from the ocean.

O’Donnell’s Cottages in the Doaktown area had many canoe’s on the river the past week ranging from young kids to grandparents canoeing. So give them a call for a canoe trip on the Miramichi River.

Local anglers have been hooking up in public pools on the river. You can find your public pools on the Atlantic Salmon Museum maps which they have in Doaktown at the Museum. You can also get them at Curtis Miramichi River Outfitters and W.W.Doaks fly shop.

The lower stretches of the river at Country Haven Lodge said they had very good fishing the past week. Guide Gary Colford and his clients landed a few on Green Machines and Blue Charms.

Mountain Channel is starting to fish very well this week as the pool is a low water pool. So check it out and fish with legend guide of the river Wes Curtis and Brother Boyd whose father use to guide the famous Ted Williams.

Flies of choice for the past week were Green Machine with White Tails, Undertakers with Jungle Cock Cheeks, The Mighty Quinn, the same thing Murray, brown bombers, orange bombers, blue charms, and different color butterflies.

Tips of the week, are you the angler hooking and releasing on the Miramichi. If so pinch your barbs and help release your fish quicker. Use a soft mesh net which helps from hurting the fish when releasing them. And always make sure you hold your fish under the belly and by the tail with their head pointing up stream close to the water for that picture. I hope these tips help you out while catching perhaps that first Miramichi Atlantic Salmon.

Until next week keep your lines tight and your reels a 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.

Good fishing on the Miramichi

Salmon fishing on the Miramichi seems to be off limits on weekends

as it rains just about every weekend. And this was not just any storm that hit the Miramichi River; it raised the river at least 5 feet. The river was just starting to get to normal conditions to see the pools and getting dumped with the rain set our fishing back a few days that’s for sure.

But that was last weekend and now the fish are biting and jumping again. The river temperatures are perfect and we can`t complain there is no water in the river. So with no excuses have a look at some reports from the Miramichi? And don`t forget to give us a call or email for more up to date reports.

Or drop into your fly shops on the river like WW Doaks, Curtis Miramichi River Outfitters, Georges Fly Shop, Herbs Fly Shop, Trout Brook Fly Shop, Fredericton Outfitters and Anglers to name a few for fishing and river reports.

Head guide Derek Munn at the Ledges hooked a few fish over the past week and said with all the rain and the big rise in water it should be very good fishing on the Upper Stretches of the SW Miramichi as the fish will be up there in record time. There were also a few fish taken at Mountain Channel Pool during the past week on the Lower Stretch of the river and a lower pool of the Ledges.

I started guiding last weekend for the Ledges Inn in Doaktown and Derek Munn the head guide showed me around to their pools. I was not long noticing the beautiful salmon pools of the Ledges Inn. My client was Dr. Palmer of Fredericton and long time salmon fishermen. We had a great time fishing over the three days but all we could do was roll them as salmon leaped in the pools near our flies.

Wilsons Sporting Camps said there is another flood on the Miramichi as we got hit with severe thunderstorms up river. Keith expected fishing to pick up Tuesday or Wednesday of this week after the rise in water.

Valerie O’Donnell of O’Donnell Cottages had a few canoe rentals in last weekend and the odd salmon fisherman.

McCormack Outdoor Adventures in Boistown said water was high for tubing for the most part but said by the weekend the river should be good for tubing. They had some cabins available for renting if you’re from out of town and need a place while fishing or tubing.

Salmon fishing near the mouth of Cains River was slow for a few days but as the water cleared the fish started to show and I was after them. Tuesday I hooked four and landed a salmon and a grilse. I hooked a few of the fish on a very new fly pattern that Tyler Storey created called the Glitter Tot. It`s a green fly with some very good style to it, Tyler said he was a long time getting the fly to where he wanted it to be. I would think he nailed it as it worked very well for me in this high water. I was doing mostly boat fishing and fishing high water pools for the most of the time this week.

Depending we don`t get a rise in water fishing should be very good on the weekend. I saw many fish jumping on the lower stretches of the Cains River so salmon are in the river there too. There are lots of fish running on the Main SW Miramichi.

The North West Miramichi is starting to fish again as Chris Edmonds hooked a grilse on the Sevolge River a branch of the NW on Tuesday. A few other fishermen told me they were going to fish the North West Miramichi on the weekend as they thought the water would be down and fishable.

I also heard that there were a couple fish hooked on the lower stretch of the Renous River on Monday.

The Salmon fishing on the Miramichi should get very good over the next week or two as late June and July runs will be starting to fill the river. So give us a call and we will get you out on the water and catch a salmon of a lifetime.

Keep your reels screeching and your lines tight on the Miramichi River.

Tight Lines, Rodney

Fishing season begins to take shape

With salmon season fast approaching anglers have tied there favourite fly patterns and getting there gear set out to be well prepared for the opening day of the season. But the one thing that stands in there way at the start of every season is mother nature and the force of the Mighty Miramichi’s river ice.

The beautiful Miramichi River and tributaries are frozen and anglers have been starting the worry or the guessing game when will the ice start breaking up, or will it be gone out of the river in time for opening day?

Well things are starting to look very good for the fisherman for opening day here on the river. The warmer weather the past couple days has awakened the Power of the Old Miramichi! and it’s starting to move the ice a bit.

The river ice is gone behind the Atlantic Salmon Museum

in Doaktown.

Bev Gaston said the ice had pulled out on Monday night from Nelson Hollow down past the Museum where you could see a jam piling up.

There were also some Canadian Geese enjoying the river for the very first time this season at the Museum.

In Boistown there were also some signs of ice breaking up with jams in a few different places along the river.

Down river near Upper Blackville the shores were starting to rot away and in some places as wide as 40 feet from shore. In the Blackville area the Bartholomew river cleared out on Tuesday.

Cain’s River was starting to loosen up near Cashens and Shinick Burn but the river itself was very low and needs some water to really get things moving.

The Renous River was looking very bad as the shores were very weak near the pump house pool.

The Quarryville Pool at the Mouth of Renous looked like it did in February and seemed to be holding on very strong. And from Quarryville to Miramichi City the ice was still in and looked very good, except a few different places you could see some big cracks in the ice.

With warmer days and some light rain in the forecast it should help raise the river and get the ice breaking up even more. The river ice does not appear to be very thick so it should start the crunching and breaking up sounds this weekend or the first of next week.

Down stream from The Upper Blackville Bridge.

Upper Blackville Bridge.

Since writing this report there is a few changes on the river like the Cains has cleaned out and the ice is jammed up just about a mile below the mouth. I will keep you updated daily on the conditions.

I will be back in a few days with another report from the Miramichi River.

Tight Lines,

Rodney Colford

www.miramichifishingreports.blogspot.com

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 28 years. His fishing reports appear every Thursday in the Times & Transcript.

We're fortunate to fish for salmon

Who would think Eastern Canada would be the hottest spot for Atlantic salmon fishing in all of North America.

Fishermen from all over the world travel to our eastern rivers for our Atlantic salmon. And yes, New Brunswick is the place to be from April 15 to Oct. 15.

Only 176 days until we get out our fly rods. And who would be counting the days for a fresh new season of fresh silver salmon and hearing that old Hardy reel screeching? Readers like you I hope? How lucky we are to live near the Miramichi River.

Salmon fishing officially ended today in all of New Brunswick for 2010 season.

The Nepisiguit River was the only river that had an extra week of fishing this fall.

I had a chance to give it a try this week, but had to say no to a wonderful offer from Ron Godin. Sorry to hear he did not have very good luck as the water was too high and the weather was cold and windy.

The last few days of the season on the Miramichi were very tough as heavy winds made it hard to cast. Cristian Stathis and I only had four fish for the last week and did not see many fish. Most fish we saw seem to be very dark in colour.

I also fished with Country Haven Lodge last week with guest Willy Wood and Richard of Maine. We landed three salmon and lost another fish at the Sabbies pool using Ally Shrimps.

Country Haven said they had a pretty good season under the extreme hot weather conditions this summer.

Trout Brook Fly Shop owner Syd Matchett said the last couple weeks on the North West Miramichi was not too bad. One lad hooked five fish at Blacks and Allison Pool on an Ally Shrimp and a Copper Killer. Syd said there were not many fishermen about as the weather stayed cold the last week.

Curtis Fly Shop said they had a good year and sold a lot of flies and gear. There were not many reports of big hook bills being caught, or none with proof with a picture.

They will open up the shop for anyone at Christmas time. It would be best to call ahead if travelling a great distance.

Have you ever wondered how many fish are hooked and landed each season in our rivers?

I have and I hope someday we will be able to go to a website and check out the numbers of fish hooked, landed and tagged each day.

Many rivers in Scotland (if not all) can tell you their salmon counts per season. What pools produce and which ones will have the best chance at hooking up. Just something for our new government of New Brunswick to think about for future seasons.

They do it for deer, moose and bear why not for our famous Atlantic salmon? Let me know what you think of this idea.

I almost forgot to tell you the story of the grilse that was in the net and found a hole to squeeze through to get back into the Cains River again.

Louis Cormier is from Memramcook and a fly fisherman that is a victim of the netter of Sabbies. We saw many fish at the Sabbies pool whilst there had to be 15 rods fishing on both sides of the river each of the last two days.

* 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 Thursday in the Times &Transcript.

WFN'S ULTIMATE FISHING TOWN

CONGRATULATIONS TO WFN'S ULTIMATE FISHING TOWN: PORT ALBERNI, BC!

Grand Prize Winner: Port Alberni, BC

• Winner of $25,000 community donation
• WFN to produce and broadcast a 30-minute feature about Port Alberni, BC

Second Place Winner: Nestor Falls, ON

• Winner of a $5,000 community donation

Secondary Prize Winners:

The following towns will receive a donation on behalf of WFN and their TV provider:

Thunder Bay, ON

• Winner of $2,000 courtesy of Shaw Cable & WFN

Miramichi, NB

• Winner of $2,500 courtesy of Rogers Cable & WFN

O'Leary, PEI

• Winner of $1,500 courtesy of EastLink & WFN

Niagara Falls, ON

• Winner of $1,000 courtesy of Cogeco Cable & WFN

Dauphin, MB

• Winner of $1,000 courtesy of WFN

Top 10 Standings

Here are the final standings of our Top 10

1. Port Alberni, BC
2. Nestor Falls, ON
3. Dauphin, MB
4. Nipawin, SK
5. Seeley's Bay, ON
6. Port Rowan, ON
7. Miramichi, NB
8. O'Leary, PE
9. Thunder Bay, ON
10. Chilliwack, BC

Congratulations to all the towns competing for WFN's Ultimate Fishing Town. We thank you for your dedicated and community spirit during the contest.

WFN: World Fishing Network
A Great Day For Fishing

Click here for Media Inquiries.

Salmon move upstream

Salmon fishing on the Miramichi is going well and there is good signs of fish in the river. Water levels are very good and temperatures are in the low 50s F the past week. The river had a good rise from the last storm and some fresh salmon decided to make there move upstream so we can have our last chance into hooking a beautiful hook-bill.

Cains River hook-bills are well on there way as anglers at the mouth of Cains are hooking fish and seeing good signs of fish. Black Brook Salmon Club this week are catching a few fish and one hitting the 26-pound mark by Jeff Shearer.

<---Jeff also limit out the day before on the same fly, this fly was tied out of purple marabou on a 1/0 hook.

Guide Donald Colford with the net weighing Jeff's fish.

Other fishermen were hooking fish on GPs, LTs, green slimes, allies orange and purple and bombers, yes bombers. We are still getting fish on bombers in late afternoons. They are also hooking fish at the Island pool on the Cains about a mile up from the mouth.

Johnny Vickery of Bangor, Me. landed a few salmon this week on bombers at Pool 66. David Miller of South Carolina fished six days and hooked a nice 15-pounder on his last evening of fishing. He was using a purple ally shrimp Number 6.

Rob Strange landed a couple grilse on a under-taker at Pool 66. Anglers at Wade's Fishing Lodge was hooking a few fish and one fish was well over 25 pounds and was hooked on a Allies Cascade. Ken MacCloud of Nova Scotia landed a grilse on a GP.

<----Joel Kitchen with a nice hen salmon on the Miramichi!

Country Haven Lodge are hooking fish everyday in the Main SW and also on the Cains. Guide Gary Colford was hooking two or three fish a day at Moore's pool near Shinnickburn and saw many fish running through. Vickers Salmon Pools are hooking a few fish and Marty Vickers landed a grilse at the Washburn Island pool on a streamer pattern.

I fished the North West this week before the rise and had no luck. Water was low and had not raised up, sorry I have no report from the NW after the rain.

With periods of rain for today this should set up the rivers for the last week of the season pretty good. I expect to see many anglers on the Cains this weekend and keeping there fingers crossed for some big fish.

So get some good flies for the last run at them, and try those marabou patterns as they do work very well in this cold water.

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.

High river levels on the Miramichi

Update on the river levels on the SW Miramichi river for October 3rd 2010. Water was very dirty today on the main river and the Cains. The levels were very high and must of been a 2 foot rise at the most, it was still rising at noon today. There were leaves and debris in the water and very murky. Not many fish showing but there were a few if you had patients to stay for a while. I fished the mouth of Cains river this morning and only heard of 2 fish being caught at Black Brook in the cleaner water coming into the river.

My father Gary Colford guiding for Country Haven fished the Cains river at Moore's pool and only saw one fish at the lower end of the pool.

Why are the fish not taking? any theories on it? Have the fish been in the river too long, or is it they are spawning, is it our methods of fishing changing as to patterns, is the water now too high or too cold to warm. Is there a fall run yet to come into the river and where are those big hook-bills? Let me know your thoughts by using the comments on the bottom of this post.

Tight lines and tighter loops!

Rodney Colford

Midday Fishing Report

Miramichi fishing report for Monday September 20th. Fishing the last few days has been great! just the catching has been tough! The river levels are perfect on the South West Miramichi and there are a few fish starting to come in with sea lice! I would expect the big fish should be starting very soon to come in from the estuary. The water temperatures are also very good and going from 50 F in the mornings and to 60 F by the evening. There are anglers hooking up and most seem to be in the morning fish. Flies of choice are Allies, GP's, Copper Killer's and still a few dry flies.

Back in a day or two with a full update and catches of fish!! If you have a catch that you would like posted please send it a long and I will gladly mention it for you. And your photos too! miramichifishingreports@hotmail.com

Tight Lines,

Rodney

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.

Heavy rain hit the river

Colfords Miramichi Fishing Reports for Saturday July 24th. After heavy rains this week we finally got a change in river conditions to help out the fish. The river was 66 degrees this morning and about 2 or 3 feet higher than it was before the rain. Its still a bit dirty but clear enough to fish except they can be anywhere in this high water. Tides for the next few days are as follows.

2010-07-24 (Saturday) Time Height ADT (m) (ft) 05:22 1.5 4.9 13:32 -0.2 -0.7 19:04 0.7 2.3 23:29 0.3 1.0

2010-07-25 (Sunday) Time Height ADT (m) (ft) 06:15 1.5 4.9 14:17 -0.2 -0.7 19:48 0.7 2.3

2010-07-26 (Monday) Time Height ADT (m) (ft) 00:22 0.3 1.0 07:05 1.5 4.9 14:56 -0.1 -0.3 20:23 0.8 2.6

I fished all morning and saw plenty of fish moving but could not get a one too bite our flies. We were fishing white tail green machines and butterflies. Saw a few anglers fishing and few boat fishing but very few locals fishing so that kinda tells you something! Maybe Sunday will be better with a little more drop in water, we`ll see. Also calling for rain 15-20ml on Sunday which will not hurt the system one bit!

Well got to go get at it again and give you some fish stories for the next report! Catch-ya later and Tight Loops,

Rodney