Fishing Friends: This is a really exciting time to be a Miramichi fisherman.  Spring salmon fishing is over for another year, but it is already early enough to be fishing for bright salmon.  Last year, Colin Gilks of the Miramichi Salmon Club in Blissfield, landed the first bright salmon of the season.  It was a real beauty: tiny head, thick powerful shoulders, a terrific specimen.  Colin’s fish would make the season for most experienced, …Read More →

  Fishing Friends: I’ve got a number of salmon news items today that I hope you’ll find interesting.  First of all is a report on the Miramichi spring salmon season.  The word is now getting out that 2023 was the best spring salmon season in some years.  I’ve been in touch with Country Haven, The Ledges, Upper Oxbow Adventures, Black Brook Salmon Club, Wilson’s plus individual fishermen, and they all report limit catches, often, …Read More →

Fishing Friends: It’s the best spring salmon season in some years according to Eddie Colford, the manager and head guide of the Black Brook Salmon Club.  I saw Eddie and his son Alex out on the river this last weekend, with their sports, BBSC member Frank Harrington, and his guest Ken Blomquist who had recently caught a 43.5-inch salmon. I also spoke with Rick Cunjak PhD who had been helping his UNB/CRI University of, …Read More →

  Fishing Friends:  The salmon season on the Miramichi River opened on April 15.   Ice out has been a bit unusual as there had been no rain.  Warm weather this past week after a long stretch of cold and snowy spring weather softened the river ice and sent a lot of snow melt into the river.  The Miramichi rose about 6 feet in the last week or so and was very milky on opening, …Read More →

Fishing Friends The salmon season opens April 15 on the Miramichi.  I just bought my annual catch and release license.  It will sure be great to be out on the river fishing at the beginning of a new season.  So how are things looking today, April 5th?  First, here is a shot from the MSA webcam of Bullock’s Pool in Boiestown, then here is a photo sent in by Eddy Colford of the Black Brook, …Read More →

Fishing Friends – On Jan 13 I wrote a letter to two Canadian ministers complaining about DFO’s failure to effectively manage the Miramichi’s salmon population. Many of you did the same.  Most specifically my letter faulted them for not controlling the outrageous growth in the overly protected striped bass population, and failing to follow its federal mandates by not working with citizens and First Nations people to protect the salmon fishery.    On March 2nd, …Read More →

  Fishing Friends Bright salmon begin entering some rivers on the north and east coasts of Scotland during December and January.  Historically, as some of the older ghillies have told me, when the season opened in January the pools on the middle beats of the River Dee already held a number of salmon which had started to develop slight color in their sides, indicating that they had been there for a while.  These fish, …Read More →

Fishing Friends An old friend of mine, 2nd generation master Maine guide and a very talented Yankee character, Michael Jones, has a new venture called Fly Line Podcast – Maine Fishing Guides and Luminaries.  I knew the first generation too, Michael’s father Dean, we worked together 50 years ago.  This is a labor of love for Michael.  He says that he is doing this podcast to build a legacy about Maine fishing that he, …Read More →

Fishing Friends:  For 20 years I’ve felt as if the MSA US dinner, historically held the first weekend in February, was the turning point in the winter.  The young turkeys living around our place in Maine were sort of unisex until recently, but now a good number of them have emerged as males and are in full strut every morning.  There are some big open patches on the south facing hills in the field,, …Read More →

  Fishing Friends – we had a Miramichi Salmon Association executive committee meeting yesterday, 2/1/23 from Fredericton and by Zoom.  We received good news on the condition of the eggs in the MSA hatchery, and while not a final count, it is anticipated that in June of 2023 approximately 500,000 fry will be stocked in the headwaters of the SWMiramichi, the Cains River and the Dungarvon River.  The MSA is conducting a multi-year experiment, …Read More →