Well who would ever think eh ? another big raise of water , this time up app 30 inches and dirty . The guy’s in this photo are still getting over fish from the big canoes but not likely to hook up till things clear up and drop off a bit . There are still encouraging reports from down river and especially the Dungarvon River . This will be a good weekend to rest your arm ,or maybe gain a few points by taking your wife to the market .

Another big raise of water over the weekend . As expected the water is dropping slow but there are plenty of fish moving . Moving too good for most anglers but some real beauties still taking . The water temps are below normal too , which is great for the health of the salmon .We hooked three more monsters in the last two days , one by a first time salmon fisherman from Baltimore who was still shaking this morning at breakfast . The fish put on a great show after the fly line was seized in both hands , it finally broke off a new 8 pound maxima tippet . We are optimistic that when the water gets down to normal again we will be into the “July grilse run ” . I made a quick tour of the Cains last night and of course found that river to be very high as well . It is the perfect condition to set a canoe in on the headwaters of the Cains and fish for the big boy’s that are out of their holding pools on the prowl . My best day in 2008 was during this exact water condition

Decent fishing continues with many MSW salmon . With the higher than normal water and cool temps we will be hitting the big “grilse run” soon . The water is up again this morning and looks like it will rise most of the day . Don’t put your big flys away just yet , the rainy cool weather is supposed to hang around for a while . This is a salmon anglers dream come true , great water and cool temps , especially if you are fishing Wilson’s that are blessed with several excellent high water pools .
We have openings from now through most of August so take advantage of the good water , big run of salmon and huge discounts on last minute bookings .

Last week guest’s and staff at Wilson’s enjoyed not only good fishing but also an exhibition of some beautiful art work . CD Clarke is a good angler for sure but after witnessing his talent in art first hand I would have to say he is a better artist . Those of you who fish in the McNamee area will recognize these images right off . For more information on CD Clarke and his work you can contact him as follows:

C.D.Clarke
3374 Fallbrook Park
Canandaigua ,NY 14424
clarkeart@aol.com
CDClarke.com
410-430-2496

Last week will most likely be remembered as one of the best weeks on the Miramichi in many , many years . Several of Wilson’s guests commented that they haven’t seen fishing like this in over 20 years . Even more amazing was the number of big salmon, two guy’s hooked into 12 salmon in one 4 hour shift, one of which was near thirty pounds . Things are a little more normal this week, maybe due to the bright sun and heat . The weather forecast is calling for more rain and showers this week so maybe the hundreds of fish in the pools will turn on again . Bombers are working and of course green machines and small black bugs .

The “summer run” is finally here and better than anyone would have ever predicted . Camps up and down the river are reporting excellent fishing . Just this morning three of our guests landed seven fish , five of which were between 12 and 17 pound . The water is superb , the weather is spot on and there are fresh-from-the ocean Atlantic salmon by the hundreds on the move . I am pleased to report that I still have a few openings over the next couple of weeks . So for those who always say , “give me call when the fish are in” , they have no excuse this time .

The contest draw was held today and the name is:

Sheldon Shannon of Willow Grove, NB

Please contact Keith at Wilson’s and Chris at Fredericton Outfitters for more information.

Thank you to all who participated.

Fly fishing conditions for Atlantic salmon on the Miramichi River at McNamee for July 16th . This is the place you are going to want to be today . The river is in superb condition with a perfect weather forecast . The “July Run” is obviously here , or is it the June run . Reports from the DFO counting fence at Millbank are the highest so far this year and the most interesting point is that there is still a very high number of MSW salmon coming through . Camps downstream are having the best fishing so far this summer and they too are reporting a high ratio of salmon to grilse .

How good could it get , well Joel A is thinking this is about as good as it gets . Joel and Karl were fishing Dudley Pool this morning with the memories of the 42 inch fish taken last night still fresh in their minds when all of a sudden he is into another monster . He did not land the fish this time but had the big hen on for about ten minutes with several big jumps and is certain that this one was even bigger . We are not seeing huge numbers of grilse yet but everyone is optimistic the “grilse run” will pick up soon .

We don’t have a picture of the fish but you can tell by the smile on the faces of these two guy’s that they had a good night on the Miramchi . Joel A ( guide Karl Wilson) landed a beautiful 42 inch hen last night . She was fresh from the ocean and still had sea lice . The water levels are perfect, the temperature is perfect and we are seeing more fish each day . On one pool yesterday morning there were over a dozen fish sighted , but moving straight through without touching a fly. (more…)

Protection from the sun is not only important for your safety but it helps keep you cooled down on a hot day like yesterday . It was +29c but I was as cool as can be with my new genuine Resistol (200x) straw hat that my friend Bill from Texas left me . It may not be the tradtional wear for a Miramichier but it keeps the sun off and keeps you cool . It is also important that you use good sun screen , a long sleeve shirt and good sun glasses , best to have no skin exposed during these hot summer days . A lot of serious anglers and guides use light weight gloves and maybe even a bandana , not a bad idea if you are on the water day in and day out like a lot of people .

Atlantic salmon fly-fishing conditions for the Miramichi River at McNamee July 11th . The water is slowly getting back to normal in height and good temps are holding . The air temperature is getting up into the high 20′s but with all the water we have in the brooks and small feeder streams I don’t think we have to worry about the river warming up too much just yet . There is light rain forecast for the 12 and 13th which is perfect . (more…)

Atlantic salmon fly-fishing conditions for Wilson’s in the McNamee as of July 8th . The sun has finally came through . The water is still app. 8 inches above normal but clear and cold . Temps are running around 61F this morning . The weather forecast is for sun and moderate temps till Sunday so as the water drops things should improve . Up till now we have had very slow fishing , just last night we began seing more fish and landed a couple of grilse . Wilson’s guests are fortunate to have several high water pools spread out over a mile area and we fish a small crowd , so if there are any fish going we get you over them . We are using #4 and 6 size wet flys but still on floating lines . Who would ever guess , both grilse yesterday were hooked on a green machine with white calf tail .

After a comment I made last week about the idea of lobbying government for more protection for the Sea-run brook trout on the Cains I have been swamped with support for the idea . I would like as many readers as possible to e:mail the Minisiter of Natural Resources in support of total live release angling on the entire Cains River until at least July 1st . This will save a lot of big trout during the critical migration period in May and June .
Please write to the Hon. Wally Stiles at wally.stiles@gnb.ca

Atlantic salmon fly-fishing conditions for the Miramichi River at McNamee for July 4th , 2009 . It has been 20 todays of rain , cloud and cool temps but this picture shows a glimmer of hope that it will soon end . The water is still high and we are seeing just a fish or two on each beat , but we are optimistic that things will improve very soon . We landed two nice grilse yesterday and saw a couple of big salmon in the same pool . Big flys are the choice still and some people are using sink tip lines . The sink tip lines don’t seem to be doing any better than the full floating . I think most will agree that we can’t pass acurate judgement until the water comes down to normal at which time I am certain that the fishing will improve .