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 Miramichi is in superb condition this morning . We had a couple days of rain that soaked things up real good and brought the river up app. 15 inches . This is the perfect rise at the perfect time . The air temps are still cool , as a matter of fact I had to have a fire on in the wood stove at Leighton two nights this past week . There are reports of a few salmon being picked up so it looks good for next week , and beyond as long as the weather treats us right . If I was heading to the river today I would use a # 6 green machine with white calf tail .

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 .

Please consider the following facts :

* Wilson’s on the Miramichi River is one of the most economically priced Salmon fishing lodges in the world

* compare our rates to fishing in Russia , Norway , Iceland and even Quebec .

* The US > CDN exchange rate is app. 25% in your favor today . We quote in CDN funds .

* Wilson’s is just a days drive by car from New York and Boston

* 2008 was the best season since the mid 1980′s and it promises to be as good or better for MSW salmon in 2009

* Wilson’s own’s some of the finest private salmon fishing pools on the river ( 5 miles – 16 pools) and we fish small groups resulting in no crowds and no line ups .

* Wilson’s has been in business since 1855, we know a thing or two about catching Atlantic Salmon .

* Wilson’s guides can make you a better angler .

………..I invite you to fish Wilson’s in 2009, it is going to be great fishing and more affordable than most other Salmon fishing destinations .

Sincerely yours, Keith Wilson

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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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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 .

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Atlantic salmon fly-fishing conditions for the McNamee area of the Miramichi River as of September 29th . Thank goodness we missed hurricane Kyle but we still got a 3 foot raise of water . Good news is that even though the water is high , it is still clean . We are lucky in the McNamee area with all the islands and long sloping bars from these areas that hold fish in these conditions . We were seeing a lot of fresh fish the last few days so the fall-run is on the move , so this raise can only help us . Anglers this morning are fishing mostly from the big canoes using slow sink of sinking tip lines with larger streamer patterns . The jumping fish that have been entertaining us for two weeks or more are still at it , and even in the same places , so the high water did not seem to change their habits yet . The high water will be perfect for the Cains , which we plan to take full advantage of in the coming days . Don’t despair anglers , this high water will only help us in the McNamee and Cains River areas .

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Steve W. with the PWC group hooked into this monster on his first ever salmon fishing trip to the Miramichi River . He eventually lost the big salar but needless to say was more than thrilled with his trip . The boys had good fishing , mostly on one of Marcus’s creations , but standard fly patterns are doing the job too . The water is low but the fish are moving , so with the coming rain on the weekend we hope to get just enough water to bump it up a few inches , we don’t need a big raise at this stage in the game . All eyes are on the Cains to see what happens after the rain , based on reports from the lower Cains I think we may be in for some great action in there as well . PS: Expert guide Joe Stewart not only puts his man onto fish , he can also handle a camera . Correction: Steve did in fact land the big fish , and as quoted by Joe , “he done it like a pro “

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Atlantic salmon fly-fishing conditions for the Miramichi River at McNamee as of September 24th . The last ten to twelve days has been fairly slow but still a fish or two per day on average were taken . The PWC group finished up at noon today with 15 fish landed . Things are steadily improving with reports of fresh-run salmon coming in on good water . The temperature is warming up over the next several days as well as rain due on Saturday , which will set the stage for great fishing . We are seeing many huge salmon , and expect these big boys to begin taking better soon . The coming rain will set us up for good fishing on the Cains as well .

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Atlantic salmon fly-fishing conditions on the Miramichi River at McNamee as of Sept 17th . The Ruckno gang pictured here fished up until Sept 14th with mixed results but again a very successful trip according to party chief, “The Rev.” . The water has dropped off a little more since the 14th and the fish are still in the jumping mode . We have tried every fly in the book but it is still slow going and will probably remain so until these “fall fish” decide to turn on , which they always do. There are a few fresh fish but obviously the big fall push is not on yet . Small flys with long leaders is a suggestion and of course a good bomber presentation will work too. As for the weather , it is absolutely beautiful being on the water , it is sunny and only +15C. with very little wind and the fall colors are beginning to show . Fish on the line or not it is still the best time of the year to be on the river .

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Good news folks, it appears that the big fall run salmon are on their way . The river is in superb condition with more light rain coming today ,which is ideal for moving fish in . Last night I received word from a warden down river that the fresh fish were on their way and this was confirmed when one of our a guests landed our first two really bright and silver grilse in over two weeks . So, with the hundreds of older fish that we see jumping in all pools , that will also begin taking better , combined with these fresh-run fish we can promise some great angling heading into the final five weeks of the 2008 season . Our biggest salmon to date was app. 22 pound but we are seeing many fish in the 30 pound range that will soon be turning on as well .

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Thanks to organizations such as the Miramichi Salmon Association and The Atlantic Salmon Federation giant salmon like this 35 pound hen salmon taken at Dudley Pool Sept 2006 are more frequent these days .The Miramichi River is fast becoming a “big fish river” too . (more…)

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Atlantic salmon fly-fishing conditions for the Miramichi River at McNamee as of September 12th . The water is holding perfect and there are fish in every holding pool . We are starting to see more big fish in the 20 – 30 pound range but unfortunately they are taking slow . The fish are in the jumping mode , which is not unusual for early September but will soon switch to the taking mode as they begin the fall move in preperation to spawning time ( late October ) . All fish taken this week were on everyones favorite fly , the green machine with white calf tail . If the water stays normal height and clears up a little more we will start using more small black flys again . The long range weather forecast is calling for a little rain and moderate temps so hopefully the river will not get too cold before the big fall fish turn on . Anglers , keep the faith , we always have this little slow period with fish jumping eveywhere but taking slow , then it suddenly turns on .

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Atlantic salmon fly-fishing conditions for the Miramichi River at McNamee as of September 8th . Tropical storm Hanna treated us just perfect here in McNamee . The water is up this morning app. 10 inches and not at all dirty . For the last week we had tons of fish everywhere but the water was very clear . Even with that we had good fishing but now with this raise we expect new fish to come in and see more of the summer-run begin to move . Last night as the water began to raise the fish moved up tight to the bars and began jumping above the pools as they moved out . Just what the doctor ordered , a perfect raise of water heading into the middle of September is almost too good to be true . We shall see , remember we are still dealing with wild fish who make up their own mind as to when to take or not . Yesterday we were using small black flys in the 10′s and 8′s but today it looks like we are back to 4′s and 6′s , and of course the best fly on the river , green machine with white calf tail .