This past week was the one we were all waiting for in terms of the arrival of large amounts of fish. The daily counts were up at the counting stations and anglers were reporting seeing and catching lots of fish. Like last week, the salmon numbers are most encouraging with more salmon reported than grilse, and this despite good grilse numbers. This bodes well for the future of the species and for the sport of angling.

There have been some grumbling by some anglers about having to put a salmon back, but by putting them back, we are guaranteeing that the sport we love will be there for our kids and grandkids. These restrictions, along with the help of our fish hatchery, have gradually brought our resource back to a reasonably safe level, compared to what it was. The Miramichi Salmon Association which operates the hatchery, is now one of the sponsors of this column, and has the unique notoriety of being the longest continuously operating fish hatchery in North America.

Hatchery manager Mark Hambrook emphasized that the role of the hatchery is "simply to help preserve and conserve the salmon stocks. We push for the conservation of Atlantic Salmon, and yet we also want anglers to be able to enjoy the sport of angling and so we strongly urge every angler to carefully return all salmon back to the river so they can spawn," said Hambrook. He has often referred to the work of the hatchery as "An insurance policy for the salmon stocks in the Miramichi."

Hambrook said this season is unfolding as predicted. "Last year we had a great year in terms of grilse return, and we felt that this year we would have a big salmon return and this has proven to be true."

So the next time you have a few minutes to spare, drop into the hatchery and take a tour. It will give you an even greater appreciation of the fish we loved to angle for, as well as the work that the MSA does on our behalf. Try to attend some of their dinner / auctions in your area, and support the MSA with a membership which is $40.00 (or $10.00 for those who make their living working in angling such as guides and camp owners). The money goes to research and salmon conservation. As well, there is a new Native Fishing Village being constructed at the hatchery, so visit and bring friends and relatives. Drop in to the trout ponds which have 20,000 fish and take the kids or grand-kids. What better way to get them into the sport of angling as they catch the pay-per-pound trout for your supper.

In terms of water, there was lots of it, and it was finally getting down to fishable levels and "Then came the rains... again, and even more on Friday. But the positive is that the fish have perfect conditions to get to the spawning grounds as levels are up and the temperature is good.

Keith Pond of Pond’s Resort in Porter Cove Road said angling had been good since last Saturday with a lot of big salmon being caught. There were also good numbers of grilse in the system as well. He said the fish were holding in the pools a bit until Wednesday when the rain started. "Now they are taking off like rockets again and heading up-stream" said Pond. There were some 15-pounders and a lot in the eight-10 pound range. He said he was very happy with the way the fishing was and his customers were also happy.

Flies of choice were a variety of Bugs and Bombers.

W. W. Doak and Sons in Doaktown said angling was fabulous the end of last week, but slowed to moderate Monday and Tuesday. The cooler weather and rain kicked it into high gear again on Wednesday morning. There are great numbers of fish around and when they are in the mood, angling is great. There were some camp records set last week.

Flies of choice were Green Machines, Black Bugs, Bear Hairs, Undertakers, but not many dry flies yet.

Derek Munn of Ledges Inn in Doaktown and Mountain Channel in the Rapids area said they were having great fishing at the Ledges, and that Mountain Channel was also picking up. "The fish are everywhere. IT was great, then slowed a bit, but picked up Wednesday again as the rain came", said Munn. He said that there was probably a 70-30 ratio of salmon to grilse. They had caught six on Tuesday at Mountain Channel and 11 Wednesday morning at the Ledges, eight of which were salmon. Most were in the 12-18 pound range.

Flies of choice were Shady Ladies, Undertakers, Green-butt Bear hairs and even a few Cossebooms and Bombers.

Herb Barry Sr. of Herb’s Fly Shop on the Station Road in Blackville said there were lots of fish around, but they were not taking well. However, anglers were getting some. It seemed the fish were taking below and above Blackville, but not in the village. AS with the other reports, there were more salmon than grilse. One angler had hooked three salmon before he caught a grilse. Others were losing a lot. He had lost five or six in three days, but did catch a grilse on Tuesday.

Flies of choice were anything dark such as Bear Hairs, Undertakers, Shady Ladies and Glitter Bears.

Curtis Miramichi River Outfitting in Blackville said anglers were seeing lots of fish, but they were taking short. There were more salmon than grilse. The water was still up and would get even higher with the rain. Some were still running motor-boats which was very unusual for this time of year. They felt the fish were moving right through and not holding. Canoeing conditions are excellent.

Norma Brennan, who works at the Curtis shop, has a special project on the go this year. She is keeping a journal which she is calling "Catch of The Day", and she would appreciate anglers dropping in to record their catches with her.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Shady Ladies, Traditional Shady Ladies, Glitter Bears, Green-butt Bear hairs and some Bombers.

George Routledge of George’s Fly Shop at the Mouth of Renous in Quarryville was back in the hospital, but they seem to have found his problem. He has to become a "TEA-Totaller". Anyone who knows George, knows that the Tea Pot is always near and ready. Apparently, he has been drinking too much tea which was affecting his system negatively. So at least there is good news.

There were good numbers of anglers at Quarryville this past week, and they were having reasonable success. I counted 14 during a slow period Tuesday afternoon.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines.

Jim Laws of Miramichi Hunting and Fishing in Newcastle, Miramichi reported that fishing was just getting good and now the rains have come again, putting water levels back up. Anglers were picking up both grilse and salmon, and Laws was surprised and pleased with the number of salmon being reported.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Butterflies, Black Ghosts and some Bombers.

Syd Matchett of Trout Brook Fly Shop on the Northwest Miramichi said angling was not great, but steady. There were good numbers of salmon in the 18-20 pound range which he noted spoke well for the future. DR. Louis Theriault had good luck on Wednesday landing an eight-pound salmon and a 12-to-14 pounder on a Silver Bear Hair. Leo Daigle, with whom I chatted last week, had great fishing all along. His latest was a grilse this week, and a MINK. I’m not sure what fly the mink took, but by all reports, it was a circus trying to land it. Young Derek Girouard hooked and landed his first grilse ever on a White-tailed Green Machine. Syd noted that there is nothing more pleasing than to see a youngster come into his shop with his face glowing, and ready to tell about his first big catch. Syd said they received about an inch of rain on Wednesday which generally translates into a foot-raise in water levels.

Flies of choice were White-Tailed Green Machines, Bear Hairs and anything with lots of silver in the body like an Echo Beach, Silver Rat or Silver Bear Hair.

Debbie Norton of Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures on the Little Southwest Miramichi said there were lots of fish around and anglers were having some luck, although most of the catches were salmon, many in the 20-pound range. The water had just come down to fishable levels, but most likely would be back up again with the rain. Canoeing and Kayaking conditions were excellent.

But Norton’s biggest catch this week is one of which she is most proud. She is now a “Grammy” as her daughter Betsy and son-in-law Sean McGraw added little “Abby” to the fold.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines and Butterflies.

As we move toward the end of July, angling seems to be unfolding as it should. Jacques Heroux who organizes the Fly-Fishing Form in Dieppe each year had some success at Quarryville, and Jennifer Jardine said Jeffrey caught a nice grilse on the Dungarvon. So, get out and "on the water".

P.S. Thanks to the large number of people who have signed up for the column and to those who have graciously agreed to sponsorship, as well as to those who have given feedback. We can still use more support and more sign-ups, so tell your friends. Send along your stories and photos.

Be sure to drop into Eskape Anglers in Riverview for all of your fishing needs, and pick up a few Carter’s Bugs, and a few good stories from Bryant Freeman. With angling heading in to the middle of summer, it is getting to be prime-time for fishing a "Carter’s Bug". Maybe if you drop into to his shop and sweet-talk him a bit, Bryant might tell you the correct way to fish it.

Another of our sponsors is Paul Marriner who is producing a new salmon book titled Atlantic Salmon: A Fly Fishing Reference. There will be 35 hardcover copies, bound in simulated leather and individually numbered and inscribed to the buyer. These are already 2/3 subscribed. A brief description of the book is below and will be available in late May. Price about $80.00.

The book is 8.5 x 11 inches, 240 pages, with more than 300 photos and illustrations. All of the more than 250 photos are in colour. The soft cover version will retail for $40.00.

Table of Contents: Preface and Acknowledgments; Introduction; The Habits of Salmon; Tackle; Casting; Pools & Lies; Wet Fly Methods; Dry Fly Methods; Fishing A Pool; Hooking, Playing & Landing; Patterns; Places & Rivers; Random Casts & Final Thoughts; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

Marriner is no stranger to Atlantic anglers. He is the author of: A Compendium of Canadian Fly Patterns (co-author), Stillwater Fly Fishing: Tools & Tactics, How to Choose & Use Fly-tying Thread, Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies, Miramichi River Journal, A Usable River Journal, and Atlantic Salmon.

Of NOTE: The Miramichi has a distinguished guest this past week. Former American Vice-President Dick Cheney was here to angle for salmon. Reports are that he had a great time, caught some fish, and didn’t shoot anybody.

A weird coincidence happened to my wife Barb and me last week. Barb answered the phone at suppertime, and the person on the other end said Hello, how are you? We’re doing a survey or something to that effect and then promptly asked "Is Dick Cheney staying at your house?" She replied, yeah, sure! And slammed the phone down on the hook. I asked what was going on and she said it must have been some prank call. When I told her that Cheney had been here this past week, the light went on. One wonders just what was going on.

Thought for the Week: "Fishing does not build character. It reveals it." (Anonymous)

TIGHT LINES...
Doug

Elvis is IN the building! By all accounts, there are very good numbers of fish making their way into the system this past week. If not a “run”, then there is at least a major improvement.

On the positive side, there are as many salmon as there are grilse. I realize that in the past few weeks, there have been more salmon than grilse, but the number of grilse now entering the system is substantial and the salmon numbers are still matching them. Normally, if they were 100 grilse reported at a counting fence, there would be maybe 30 salmon, but now the numbers are equal. What a plug for the future!

Syd Matchett said teasingly: "This is the first time Mark Hambrook hasn’t lied to me. He told me in February that there would be great salmon numbers this year and it looks like he’s right."

Keith Pond of Pond’s Resort in Porter Cove Road said angling this week is much better than the past with more fish being seen and hooked. The water is still high, but very fishable. He said they were catching some big salmon. He noted two 27 pounders and two 30 pounders caught this past week. He considered this abnormal for this time of year.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Green Machines with Krystal Flash, and undertakers.

W. W. Doak and Sons in Doaktown said water levels were much better this week and the river was fishing better with small waves of fish going through. They had good numbers early in the week, but only moderate ones mid week. But over all there was a moderate improvement.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Green Machines with double red & green butts, Undertakers, Bear Hairs and Butterflies.

Derek Munn of Ledges Inn in Doaktown and Mountain Channel in the Rapids area said the river was in great shape this week and there were lots of fish, particularly salmon. His groups had landed 52 fish the last seven days, and over half were salmon. Jacques Pinet had great luck Tuesday evening landing a 26, a 20 and an 18 pound salmon.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Shady Ladies, Half & Halfs and even some Bombers.

Herb Barry Sr. of Herb’s Fly Shop on the Station Road in Blackville said there were lots of fish in the river, but they were fussy and it was tough to get them to take. He had landed a 15-pound salmon early this week and said there were a lot of fish, especially big salmon, that had moved through on Monday. Anglers had seen about salmon and two grilse jump.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Shady Ladies, White-tailed Green Machines, Bear Hairs, Undertakers, Preachers and bright yellow Buck Bugs.

Curtis Miramichi River Outfitting in Blackville said anglers were getting decent numbers of fish, although most were salmon. The water is still high, but certainly fishable.

Norma Brennan, who works at the Curtis shop, has a special project on the go this year. She is keeping a journal which she is calling “Catch of The Day”, and she would appreciate anglers dropping in to record their catches with her.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Undertakers and Preachers on no. 6 hooks.

George Routledge of George’s Fly Shop at the Mouth of Renous in Quarryville had the best news…George is finally home! He said fishing had been good yesterday. The water was still high, but fishable. Anglers were catching mostly salmon.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Black Ghosts and especially Shady Ladies.

Jim Laws of Miramichi Hunting and Fishing in Newcastle, Miramichi reported the water was getting better for angling and the fishing had picked up the early part of this week. Anglers were catching decent numbers of salmon more so than grilse.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Black Ghosts, Undertakers and Butterflies.

Syd Matchett of Trout Brook Fly Shop on the Northwest Miramichi said angling was steady, but not great. Some pools were fishing well while others were not producing. There were a lot of big salmon being reported. The fish were there, but on the move and were fussy. Water temperatures and height were excellent.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Black Ghosts, Yellow-winged Butterflies, Bear Hairs and Squirrel Tails on nos. 4 & 6 hooks.

Debbie Norton of Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures on the Little Southwest Miramichi said anglers were catching some. She reported a successful Miramichi Salmon Classic with some anglers limiting out, while others were not so lucky. However, fish were being report all along the system and the water was high, but fishable.

Fly of choice was a Green Machines with an orange tail.

Maybe Father Leon Creamer is responsible for the fish arriving. He must have blessed the water last week as he landed a very nice grilse. Congrats Padre and many more!

Hopefully, some of the fish head up the Dungarvon towards Don McKinley’s place as he was not having any luck last week.

If the water drops a bit more, the fish will start to hold in the pools and angling should be awfully good, so get out and "on the water".

P.S. Thanks to the large number of people who have signed up for the column and to those who have graciously agreed to sponsorship, as well as to those who have given feedback. We can still use more support and more sign-ups, so tell your friends. Send along your stories and photos.

Be sure to drop into Eskape Anglers in Riverview for all of your fishing needs, and pick up a few Carter’s Bugs, and a few good stories from Bryant Freeman.

As well when in Miramichi, pick up that supply of groceries for the fishing trip at Deals 4 U on Petrie St, and don’t forget to add a few nice Cubans from their humidor to relax and /or celebrate the catch of the day.

Both of these businesses support us, so let’s support them.

Thought for the Week: "A trout is a moment of beauty known only to those who seek it." (Arnold Gingrich)

To start on the positive, I can assure you there are no “low water” warnings, and conditions are perfect for the fish, and certainly improving for the angler. Anglers are seeing more fish, even if they cannot always get out to where they would like to in the rivers. There is also an increase in the number of grilse being caught. As a general conclusion to most, there are more fish in the system, but they sure aren’t holding. If you can get a fly over one as it motors through, you might have some luck. With nicer weather, the water levels are dropping and anglers should enjoy their time on the water by the weekend.

Keith Pond of Pond’s Resort in Porter Cove Road said the water was up and the fish were motoring right on through. They were having some luck before the rain and through the rain on the weekend, but then the water really came up and they haven’t caught anything since.

Pond heard a rumour that the fishery officials in Newfoundland had directed the code fishermen to take up their nets as they were catching too many salmon/grilse, so if true, it is good news as the fish are on their way.

Flies of choice were the Green Machines, Conrads, Green-butt Bear Hairs and Undertakers. Anglers had been using no. 4 hooks, but are gradually shifting to no. 6 hooks as the water drops.

W. W. Doak and Sons in Doaktown said angling has improved the last few days as the water dropped and there were more grilse being caught, especially since Monday and Tuesday. However, anglers were still hooking more salmon than grilse. The water was still high on Wednesday, especially for Blackville. They felt that by the weekend, the whole system should be nicely fishable. They had unconfirmed reports of a 33-pound salmon in the Upper Blackville area last week.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Shady Ladies, Undertakers and Green-butt Bear Hairs on no. 4 and 6 hooks.

Derek Munn of Ledges Inn in Doaktown and Mountain Channel in the Rapids area said there was certainly lots of water around, but they were catching a few each day. They were starting to see more fish by Wednesday of this week, but nothing spectacular. However, it was still an improvement, with more grilse being seen, although the catches were still mostly salmon which were in the 10-14 pound range, with one being 18 pounds.

Flies of choice were Shady Ladies, Green-butt Squirrel Tails and White-tailed Green Machines. They had been using no. 4 hooks, but were moving to no. 6s as the water dropped.

Herb Barry Sr. of Herb’s Fly Shop on the Station Road in Blackville said there were some fish going, but the water was very high and cold. He measured the temperature at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. He had hooked one and lost it Tuesday evening and saw two roll. He felt the number of fish was gradually improving, but they were taking where you least expected, which was often closer to shore than normal as they were moving through. Wayne Kelly did catch a grilse there Saturday.

Another source said anglers were catching fish from motor boats, but shore fishing had been out of the question.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, White-tailed Shady Ladies and big No. 4 Butterflies. Anglers were moving to no. 6 hooks as the water dropped.

Curtis Miramichi River Outfitting in Blackville said anglers were catching some, but the water was very high and cold. Most being caught were close to shore and the number of catches was not spectacular, but was showing a steady increase. There was more talk of grilse this past week, with more being reported each day. Canoeing conditions on the Main Southwest and tributaries was perfect.

Norma Brennan, who works at the Curtis shop, has a special project on the go this year. She is keeping a journal which she is calling “Catch of The Day”, and she would appreciate anglers dropping in to record their catches with her.

Flies of choice were Green Machines, Butterflies, Cossebooms, Rusty Rats, Green Rats and even some Bombers. Most had been using no. 4 hooks and were gradually shifting to no. 6s.

George Routledge of George’s Fly Shop at the Mouth of Renous in Quarryville was still unavailable. However, He did get to Halifax, and if all goes well, he should be coming home on Friday.

The water at Quarryville is very high, making it almost impossible to wade. There might be some angling being done from boats.

Jim Laws of Miramichi Hunting and Fishing in Newcastle, Miramichi reported anglers were getting some fish, but it was still spotty as the water had been desperately high. He figured fishing would improve as the water drops. Anglers were catching mostly salmon, but there were more reports of grilse than before.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Yellow winged and White-winged Butterflies, Shady Ladies, Black Ghosts and Muddlers on nos. 4 & 6 hooks.

Syd Matchett of Trout Brook Fly Shop on the Northwest Miramichi had the best report this week. One pool produced 10 fish after supper on Saturday and another nine during the day on Sunday. Generally the pools that were fishable were producing fish. Close to 20 were hooked in the Trout Brook area on Wednesday. Anglers were still hooking a lot of salmon. The Elbow Crown Reserve fished well last Thursday to Saturday, but the Sevogle stretches were a bit too high. Howe3ver, angling appears to be improving each day as the water drops.

As for Syd himself, well it was a case of “All in the Family”, or sort of. His son Jason landed a grilse Wednesday ( after a “dip” on Tuesday, Syd added), his nephew Jared Matchett caught a grilse mid-week, and Syd’s 12-year old grandson landed a grilse on Monday which was his mother’s birthday. Do you notice anyone missing in this story? But I would never tell who!

Flies of choice were Yellow-winged Butterflies, White-tailed Green Machines, and Syd’s Favourite Green Machine.

Debbie Norton of Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures on the Little Southwest Miramichi said they were catching some fish despite the high water. Their Upper Oxbow Salmo Salar Derby was successful with Marina Chase of New Hampshire, US taking top spot with a salmon and two grilse during the three-day event. Lew Chase also caught a salmon as did Ken Dugas. Betty Ward caught a nice 15-pound salmon (and said to make sure Patty-Joe was told) and Bonnie Wright landed a grilse. Norton said angling was not great, but good for the height of water. Jarvis Bryenton also picked up his first grilse of the year on his favourite fly, the Will Taylor Special. She predicted angling would improve as the water dropped. Conditions are now good for tubing.

The Miramichi Salmon Association’s Miramichi Classic begins Sunday with a banquet and then fishing for three day starting Monday. Of note will be guest Joan Wulff, wife of the late Lee Wulff. Both are well known in the angling community.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Big Butterflies, and Shady Ladies.

As the sun shines and the water continues to drop, both conditions and numbers of fish entering the system are improving, so get out and “on the water”.

P.S. Thanks to the large number of people who have signed up for the column and to those who have graciously agreed to sponsorship, as well as to those who have given feedback. We can still use more support and more sign-ups, so tell your friends. Send along your stories and photos.

Be sure to drop into Eskape Anglers in Riverview for all of your fishing needs, and pick up a few Carter’s Bugs, and a few good stories from Bryant Freeman.

As well when in Miramichi, pick up that supply of groceries for the fishing trip at Deals 4 U on Petrie St, and don’t forget to add a few nice Cubans from their humidor to relax and /or celebrate the catch of the day. Both of these businesses support us, so let’s support them.

We have a new minor sponsor this week in the person of Paul Marriner. Paul is no stranger to the angling community as he has authored several books such as: A Compendium of Canadian Fly Patterns (co-author), Stillwater Fly Fishing: Tools & Tactics, How to Choose & Use Fly-tying Thread, Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies, Miramichi River Journal, A Usable River Journal, and his new Atlantic Salmon.

Marriner is producing 35 hardcover copies, bound in simulated leather and individually numbered and inscribed to the buyer. These are already 2/3 subscribed. A brief description of the book is below and will be available in late May. Price about $80.00.

Atlantic Salmon: A Fly Fishing Reference is 8.5 x 11 inches, 240 pages, with more than 300 photos and illustrations. All of the more than 250 photos are in colour. The soft cover version will retail for $40.00.

Table of Contents: Preface and Acknowledgments; Introduction; The Habits of Salmon; Tackle; Casting; Pools & Lies; Wet Fly Methods; Dry Fly Methods; Fishing A Pool; Hooking, Playing & Landing; Patterns; Places & Rivers; Random Casts & Final Thoughts; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

Not only is this book to be excellent reading, but it also will make a nice gift for organization or individuals to give to guest speakers or special friends on special occasions. Check out his ad.

Thought for the Week: “Fly-fishing may well be considered the most beautiful of all rural sports. (Frank Forester)

Story: With all the rain we have had, people are complaining about the flies, the mosquitoes in particular. I was talking to an old fellow last week, and when I mentioned the mosquito situation, he replied “Yep, they’re bad alright. You should have seen the one I SHOT yesterday!”

Of Note: Dewey Gillespie and Bryant Freeman of Eskape Anglers are undertaking a unique project. The two will put in their canoe Sunday morning (July 12) at Boiestown and pole up-river to Half-Moon. They are allowing five to six days for the trip. Gillespie said that the purpose of their endeavour is to draw attention to and to honour the guides of the Upper Miramichi area.

Gillespie asks people along that section of the river to bring a father or a guide to the river and give a whoop. They will be only too happy to stop, come ashore and tape and film some of the stories of the river and guide who worked on it.

Check out the following websites for work Dewey Gillespie and Jack Kitchen have done concerning Fly Tyers of NB. www.flyfishingNB.com or www.nbflytyers.ca

Tight Lines,
Doug

There are some fish going up-river, and they are easy to spot. They’re carrying umbrellas. Needless to say, we have lots and lots of water, and if the forecast to come doesn’t change, we can expect a lot more. It is time to turn off the tap if anyone is listening. The positive side of this is that conditions are perfect for the fish, but not quite so good for anglers.

Keith Pond of Pond’s Resort in Porter Cove Road said angling there was better than last week as they are getting some fish, but not great numbers by any means. “They are some, and they’re going up river at about 100 mph,” said Pond. He noted you will not catch any fishing in the “usual spots”. They were hooking them at the very top of the pools as they going through. They were getting a few each day since Monday, but the numbers were “not anything to get up in the middle of the night for”. They were also picking up a smattering of ½ pound trout.

Flies of choice were Butterflies, Tobique Specials and Blue Charms.

W. W. Doak and Sons in Doaktown said the water was quite high and it was difficult to narrow down the fish. Anglers were only catching one here and one there. They noted conditions were perfect for the fish, but not so for anglers. There was a wave of fish now and then, but no major movement.

Flies of choice were big and bright such as White-tailed Green Machines, Glitter Bugs, Butterflies and Black Bugs. There was one caught on a Silver Down-easter, an often forgotten pattern.

Derek Munn of Ledges Inn in Doaktown and Mountain Channel in the Rapids area said there had been an improvement last weekend when they caught eight salmon and lost four between six anglers. They then got one salmon Monday and nothing since.

At Mountain Channel below Blackville they had caught a salmon Tuesday evening and had a grilse and lost another on Wednesday, but over all it was tough fishing. Munn said there spurts of fish moving through, but no big run.

Flies of choice were Green Machines with a double butt (red & Green), White-tailed Green Machines and Bear Hairs with a green butt.

Herb Barry Sr. of Herb’s Fly Shop on the Station Road in Blackville said there was only the odd fish being hooked as the water was high and dirty. He had heard of only three grilse hooked in the Upper Blackville area, and figured things would stay that way until the water dropped.

Flies of choice were big Butterflies, White-tailed Green Machines, Shady Ladies and Preachers.

Curtis Miramichi River Outfitting in Blackville said reported the water was rising Tuesday, and we still were getting rain on Wednesday, so it was pretty much the same. He said there was the odd fish being hooked, and primarily salmon. There was only a trickle of fish moving through. Canoeing conditions were very good, especially for many of the smaller tributaries.

Norma Brennan, who works at the Curtis shop, has a special project on the go this year. She is keeping a journal which she is calling “Catch of The Day”, and she would appreciate anglers dropping in to record their catches with her.

Flies of choice were Cossebooms, a variation of Bugs, Butterflies, Ross Specials and the natural brown Muddler.

George Routledge of George’s Fly Shop at the Mouth of Renous in Quarryville was unavailable for comment as he is still in the hospital in Miramichi, waiting for a bed in Halifax. His fibulater has a loose wire, and once that is fixed, he hopes to be fine. He and his wife Shirley thank all who have send best wishes. A group of anglers fishing Quarryville had a card which everyone who was there signed and had it dropped off to be given to George. This was certainly a nice touch and those involved deserve a good pat on the back.

There were very few fish reported at Quarryville, but there was a ton of water.

Jim Laws of Miramichi Hunting and Fishing in Newcastle, Miramichi reported a lot of high water with only the odd fish being hooked. Laws himself caught and then broke off a big salmon on the Northwest last Sunday, using a green dry fly. So if anyone sees it going by, say “Hi” for Jim, or if they catch it, surprise him and return the fly.

Flies of choice were White-tailed Green Machines, Black Ghosts, Preachers, Undertakers, and a green Dry Fly.

Syd Matchett of Trout Brook Fly Shop on the Northwest Miramichi said there was a smattering of fish being hooked here and there along the Northwest. There were a couple of salmon caught Wednesday morning, close to shore before the water started to rise again.

Last Sunday, John Shaddick caught a grilse, and said that he now had to take a week’s holidays to be a guide for Holly Harris who has been skunked so far. John Gray also picked up a grilse, wading to his arm pits, on Tuesday. Tuesday evening Anthony Couture landed his first fish, but it was a tussle. He took a little swim with the fish before a couple of anglers helped him ashore to finish the battle. There was also a couple reported at Wayerton.

Syd is working on a new fly, and the only hint he would give so far is to keep your PINK tying materials handy. He’ll give a follow-up report next week.

Flies of choice were Green Machines with white WINGS, Green Machines with white-tails and Butterflies.

Debbie Norton of Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures on the Little Southwest Miramichi said there was lots and lots of water, and lots more to come. She had a party of eight anglers in camp for their annual Upper Oxbow Salmo Salar Derby. They managed only one salmon on Wednesday on a no. 4 Glitter Bear. Norton added the water was so high, they had to tie up the counting nets.

Last week, Bob Andrews of Missouri landed a second fish before he headed home on Saturday.

Flies of choice were big flies such patterns as Glitter Bugs, Maribous, White-tailed Green Machines and Butterflies.

So if anyone knows a “Stop-the-rain-dance”, start doing it. When the water drops a bit, there should be perfect angling conditions, and hopefully some fish to go along with it. Then we can get out and “on the water”.

P.S. Thanks to the large number of people who have signed up for the column and to those who have graciously agreed to sponsorship, as well as to those who have given feedback. We can still use more support and more sign-ups, so tell your friends. Send along your stories and photos.

Be sure to drop into Eskape Anglers in Riverview for all of your fishing needs, and pick up a few Carter’s Bugs, and a few good stories from Bryant Freeman.

As well when in Miramichi, pick up that supply of groceries for the fishing trip at Deals 4 U on Petrie St, and don’t forget to add a few nice Cubans from their humidor to relax and /or celebrate the catch of the day. Both of these businesses support us, so let’s support them.

Thought for the Week: “Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers. (Herbert Hoover)

A Fishing Story: There was this old angler who always fished by himself. He would either go up or down river to be able to fish alone, and he usually came back with a fish. The other anglers would ask him "Where did you catch it?" He would place his right index finger to the side of his upper lip, pull on it a bit, and say "Right here!".