Wilson’s on the Miramichi River also offers housekeeping units to anglers who wish to save a few bucks by shareing the cost of lodging with your friends and enjoy cooking their own meals . The Big Murphy Cabin ( air conditioned )shown here, has a spacious well equiped kitchen and dinning room , a comfortable living room , four bedrooms that have a total of two double beds and four twin beds , two bathrooms and two large screened- in verandas . A gas bar-b-que is an obvious amenity at any housekeeping cabin but the fire-pit at Big Murphy is probably the most popular outdoor activity on site , aside from fantastic fishing of course . The cabin is situated on the water but far enough from the fishing pool that non-fishing guest’s can enjoy a swim out front without disturbing anglers . Our canoe rental service works great too , we are a comfortable 3 or 5 hour canoe ride right to your front door .
For the serious angler , you have easy access to 16 private pools . We also provide top rate professional guides for non-residents , or to resident anglers who wish to learn a few tricks of the trade from a real pro .
If you prefer to just kick back and watch the river flow by then Big Murphy can be your little piece of heaven . We are located just minutes from two beautiful golf course too .
If you are wondering where all that water is coming from check this out. This is a photo taken at WIldcat camp on the Cains River in late February 2009 . For those who have been there you will recognize just how much snow we had this past winter , it is level with the windows . At present we still have snow in the heavy woods so when we get a warm day or two the rivers rise and become dirty by late in the day . The watershed is of course saturated with water so with any luck our rivers will remain in good shape as summer approach’s.
The water level if still higher than normal but fishing is improving daily . We are still catching fish in the back water ( Bogans ) which indicates that the spring migration to sea has not begun in full force . We still have snow in the woods and until it is gone the water will remain cold . The big push to the ocean will not begin until the water warms up so we expect good fishing in the upper reaches of the Miramichi for a while yet . My personal favorite time in spring is when the evenings are longer and the fish can be taken off the top of bars with a sink tip . For now we are still using full sink lines on a cast close to shore . In the first week we were hooking mostly grilse but this week we are seeing some beautiful big salmon .
As you can see from this photo our river has reached flood stage . The current situation is not so good for anglers this week but this high water will clear the river of ice and debris setting the stage for good fishing in the coming days . As the water level drops and warms up a bit the fish will be on the move again . We expect to be back on the water within a few days .
The river is open, with cold nights and no rain it is still holding at a low level. Fishing over the weekend was outstanding , with the clear low water fish were easy to catch with any kind of fly . We need a little raise of water to get the fish out of their winter holding pools and moving around so that the good fishing will last longer . Light rain is predicted this week but it does not look like anything major so conditions should remain good .
As you can see my prediction for a late ice-out was proved wrong . The water is still low but the ice moved out over a three or four day period without incident . The cold temps are keeping the run- off from snow melt to a minimum but we still have an average of app 3 feet of water laden snow everywhere , so when this begins to melt again we will see plenty of ice moving off the shores . This can be a very dangerous time for inexperienced guides or anglers to be on the river , as you can see some of this shore ice is 2 – 3 feet thick and can weigh several ton . The river banks are stacked high with heavy ice so boaters must be extremely careful until the river clears out . We are not fishing yet but I should have a report from the locals in a few days .
Here are few links to the River Watch, flooding info:
The water seems to have peaked yesterday and there is small jams building in most areas . The ice in front of the lodge here has moved down into Little Murphy pool but is holding hard . There is a huge ice-jam upstream at Haysville that I will attempt to bring photos of to you by tommorow . The ice is also building at Porter Cove ( upriver 4 miles ) that will be shown later today . The cold night last night will help slow down the melting snow and decrease run-off so we are are keeping our fingers crossed that the ice leaves gently this season without too much damage to pools and property .
The Miramichi River is the earliest place where you can get your line wet for great Atlantic Salmon fishing . We are offering major discounts for Spring 2009 , give us a call toll-free 1-877-365-7962 .Spring salmon fishing done right can be as rewarding as any other time of the year . First off the average hook-up per rod day is nearly trippled that of summer and fall and the fish are in remarkable shape . In our area of the river best success is by standing and casting , we don’t promote trolling , that should be left for lakes . Our guides do not fish for you , they are here to teach you proper technique and offer advise on the many tackle and fly selections that are required as the water conditions change . A good guide can make or break your trip , at Wilson’s we take our job seriously and go the extra mile to ensure your have the best trip possible
Photo taken on the upper Cains at Leighton Brook . The river is high and the ice is moving out . There is still plenty of snow in the woods yet so with all the rain and warm weather it is safe to assume , that the upper Cains at least , will be open this week. There is no spring salmon fishery on the upper Cains so anglers don’t get too excited yet .
Miramichi River Ice-Run report at McNamee as of April 5th . After two days of hevay rain we can see a dramatic change in the river this morning . The ice is still in tact but the water level is coming up fast . The water is creeping over the islands and around the heavy ice . If the weather remains warm we should see a big change in the river over the next 48 hours . My prediction of a late ice-out for 2009 is now up for question .
