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The Wilson gang is all smiles as we wrap up what has been a fantastic 2008 season. The highlight of the year was a report of a 52 inch hen salmon that made it safely to the barrier pool at Juniper , just knowing that this size of salmon is back to our rivers makes every cast on the water worth the effort . 2008 was a banner year for Wilson’s and I am sure this is the case for most anglers that fished salmon anywhere in Atlantic Canada . I asked a neighbor of mine yesterday how many fish he hooked this year , an incredible 105 hook-ups . All rivers are reporting increased numbers of Atlantic slamon . We had more than our share of high water this year with three big rises of over 3 feet , too much water at times for the best fishing but it kept the watershed saturated . Our fall season was a little tough with big water but all visitors to Wilson’s could not believe the shear number of salmon in the pools , and it was common to see fish in the 20 – 30 pound range just about every day . Cains River had high water as well and a good run of salmon came right on time . Sea-run brook trout on the Cains done very well this year with all the high water , not so good for anglers but excellent conditions to protect and feed the trout .
All in all 2008 was one of the best seasons in the past twenty and we are optomistic that this upward trend will continue . As always , we strongly encourage all readers to keep your memberships up to date in the Miramichi Salmon Association and the Atlantic Salmon Federation. Thanks to these two hard working organizations we are enjoying better fishing on all east coast salmon rivers .
PS> I will be off line for a few weeks as I head out for the deer season , I will be reporting back in 2009 . Thanks for reading our report , looking forward to 2009.

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Well folks as you can see it sure is beautiful here this last few days of the 2008 season , but the fish are still not cooperating . The weather is gorgeous , the water is down to almost normal and we are seeing plenty of salmon , but they obviously have something on their mind besides chewing on a big green machine . It appears the same storey holds true for the Cains , most of the fall run is up there now and we are seeing a few fish in the upper headwaters actually working the redds a little . My only luck over the weekend was on a big purple mariboo ??

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Atlantic salmon fly-fishing conditions for the Miramichi River at McNamee as of Oct 9th . The water is coming down very slow and we guess that it will remain higher than normal till the last day ( Oct 15th ) . We are seeing and hooking fewer fish than before the big raise but the fish we are hooking are some real beauties . In the last three days we landed four fish in the twenty pound range so that makes up for the lazy grilse for the moment . The weather is forecast to stay clear so we predict that as the water continues to drop we will have better fishing . There are reports of decent fishing on some parts of the lower Cains River but the upper watershed is still slow , they will show up as always , but sometimes not till after the close. The Cains actually needs another little raise to get the fish into the headwaters before the 15th . Big red/orange flys are working best .

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The water on the upper Miramichi is coming down nicely but still too high for good fishing , but for folks like Fred and Suzie who came in with their group for a Cast & Blast trip , are finding the upland hunting to be great . The leaves are dropping at a good pace , the weather is cooling and the dogs are in their prime . Flight birds will begin showing up in greater numbers soon and as the river drops off we expect a great wrap up of the season .

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The boys took a moment for a quick photo shoot before heading out this morning . The water is extremely high but with experienced guides like these guys on duty Wilson’s guests can rest assured that if there is a chance at all at getting into a salmon then these boys can get the job done for you . These guys are the real pros, they know their stuff and most importantly they know how to teach to do it right regardless of water conditions . Remember , a good guide can make or break your trip . Left to right front, Joe Stewart , Ernest Long , Karl Wilson II ( fifth generation ) , back row Danny Villeneuve & Kevin Jordan .
Hunting conditions are nearing prime and with the next ten days forecast of sunny rain free days , we expect good fishing and hunting for all .

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Atlantic salmon fly-fishing conditions for the Miramichi River at McNamee as of October 2nd . Well folks we are flooded again , and with this raise coming on the heals of a 3 foot raise just a few days ago it will probably mean early next week before we see any resemblance of a normal river . Even with this big water we are seeing some monster salmon jumping , but of course we can’t get a fly over them at this stage . We fished the Cains today but it too is blown out , the water came up at least two feet by days end . The big rain and wind is a blessing for the upland hunters though and our weather forecast is for clear and cold for the next 10 days . Woodcock will begin moving better and of course hunters welcome the more open coverts as the leaves continue dropping .