I love to get out fishing from my float tube. It’s so relaxing and at the same time exciting. Back when I had a canoe and a boat I had a nice little Humminbird portable fishfinder but found it too big for my float tube so I sold it with my boat.

I have looked for a nice portable fish-finder since but never saw anything that I really liked, until this morning.

It’s getting close to Christmas so I was looking through Amazon to see what was there and found this cool little wrist mounted fish finder, perfect for float tube fishing adventures.

Humminbird Smartcast Wrist Mount

I remember fishing Lake George New Brunswick, along with a few other larger lakes in the area, from both my canoe and boat. It was nice to have a fishfinder so we could located active spots we could come back to. We must have fished Lake George a hundred times and always seemed to hook into a lot of smallmouth bass.

I’d say it was mostly because of the Humminbird fish finder keeping us on the right locations.

I remember so many times I wished I had a fishfinder for my float tube so I could find those great spots again.

Here are a few specs for the Humminbird Smartcast RF 35 fishfinder.

First, Humminbird is using wireless technologies to the Smartcaster rf35 so you don’t require a wire going to the sensor. Just attach a length of fishing line and give it a toss out on the water and you’re ready to go fish finding.

The Remote Sonar Sensor has a separate, lithium battery that is non-replaceable , that has a lifespan of three years and will work for somewhere around five-hundred hours in the water.

Note: It’s always good advice to clean your equipment after a day on the water and it goes the same for your remote sensor. Keep it cleaned and it will keep going on keeping on.

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I don’t seem to get out fly fishing for trout and salmon as often as I would like these days and I don’t mean because the season is closed. It’s more because I have some new fishing buddies over the past couple of years and we are kind of addicted to fishing for bass and chain pickerel, although they are a blast on the fly rod as well but I don’t use the same flies for these guys that I use for trout and salmon here in New Brunswick. I prefer to use small dry flies when ever possible but for bass and pickerel I like to use big flies, like streamers and big deer hair bugs.

When I am fly fishing trout streams I like to start with dry flies like the Adams dry fly with a lot of brown in it. There is just something about using brown hackle dry flies, the trout just love them and I seem to catch far more trout with them. I haven’t tied any Adams for years so I jumped onto Youtube and looked up a video for tying an Adams dry fly, check it out.

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I love catching big fish, but then again don’t we all. But, using a light action rod and reel setup and I don’t mind catching smaller fish. Heck I fish brook trout about 8 to 13 inches long using my light action fly rod or spinning rod.

Smallmouth bass are no different. I love catching the big ones explode on my baits but the little guys of about 16 inches, are great fun on light action gear as well. It’s so cool to be able to watch them dart around your float tube or canoe so fast it’s unbelievable.

My son Steve caught the little guy in the picture below with just a little yellow head jig and a plastic grub. He was catching them all day long and never changed his bait, other than to replace the grub once it was munched up too much to stay on the jig.

Steve With His First Bass From His Float Tube

Keep Your Secret Spots Secret

The little spot I took my son is full of smallmouth up to about 15 or 16 inches. I like going here when fishing conditions elsewhere suck. I can usually fish and catch and release dozens of these little smallies all day long.

I have friends that never release fish and friends who practice catch and release like I do and for this spot I only ever take my catch and release friends. I certainly wouldn’t give up this location to any of my catch em and eat friends, I have lots of other places to take them.

Tricked And Treated To A Happy Surprise

The first time at this place was when a friend I worked with took me. He really didn’t tell me anything about it as we were fishing somewhere else and it just got too windy for our float tubes.

It was funny because he only showed me one small pond first and trust me I wasn’t overly impressed as it was so small I could almost cast to any point without moving my feet.

I did see a beaver and her hut and hooked into a little bass about 8 inches long. After fishing for a few minutes I noticed my friend was not to be seen. I figured he was taking a leak behind a tree but after a few minutes I called his name and then followed his voice.

As I came up over the ridge behind the little pond I was fishing he was snickering away with a 15 inch bass dangling from his fishing rod. He was standing on the edge of a pond that was, at first glance, about 3 or 4 times as large as the first pond. What a funny guy, eh?

We fished there for a long time and cast after cast after cast we were getting strikes, almost every cast was a bass on.

Then he started walking and in just a few minutes came to a channel that led to yet another section of water and then another. We fished all day and I still didn’t get to see all the water there. It wasn’t until the next time we came that I got to see the entire body of water.

By this time I was impressed.

So, the second time we brought our float tubes and that’s when I got to see all the water that was seldom seen by anyone on foot.

Being Prepared With Little Tackle

I can easily carry all the tackle I use for these ponds in just one little tackle box, small enough to fit in my fly fishing vest. Just a few small baits, crankbaits, tubes, top water, jigs and grubs.

For fly fishing for these bass I use all small top water dry flies and my favourite are brown, anything brown.

When I am not fly fishing for these little guys I like to use a small jig and a pumpkin coloured grub. It has been the setup that has landed me the most fish here, other than the fly rod of course.

Fishing Solitude

These ponds are not far off the beaten path and one can even drive their vehicle right down to the water. Yet, after fishing here for the past 10 or 15 years I can say that most times I never see anyone else or even hear a voice all day long.

In all those years I can count, on one hand, the number of people I have seen in there. Very quite and peaceful.

When I am not fly fishing for these little smallmouth’s I prefer to use a small jigg and a pumpkin coloured grub like the BearPaw Fat Bear Grub. It has been the setup that has landed me the most fish here, other than the fly rod of course.

BearPaws Fat Bear Grub $ 3.69
The Grub (12 per bag) is a very powerful bait in the world of bass fishing, or any type of fishing for that matter. The grubs outstanding natural action makes it one of the best baits in the water. Fish are attracted to grubs under all fishing conditions making it a sure bait throughout all seasons. The 3″ Bear Claw Grub is exceptional within it’s own right. This grub has a soft texture for a lifelike feel and action along with a special blend of seasonings and scents, just like all our other Bearpaws baits.

All Terrain Tackle Jim Moynagh Rock Jig – Undressed $ 2.49
We build the Rock Jig on a heavy, black-nickel, Mustad UltraPoint hook.

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Some of my fishing chums and I love angling for smallmouth bass at any time of year, although fall is without a doubt my favourite time since smallmouth bass begin a final eating frenzy to fatten up for the lean days of winter. You now are aware of precisely why autumn smallie fishing happens to be my personal favourite time of year to fish for bass in my humble opinion but springtime is in a really close second. The reason, it is largely due to the fact I have experienced enough winter by that time.

As summer shifts to fall the lake temperature will start dropping and then the weeds begin to die and that slows the quantity of oxygen within the water. The shortage of oxygen tends to localize the bass in places having more oxygen making it a lot easier to catch increased numbers of bass.

At this time of year Smallmouth bass seem to be less discriminating than they may be at other times of the year because winter is fast approaching and time is running out to fatten up for the winter. Smallies tend chase practically any lures at this time of the year. I have seen Smallmouth bass come a long ways to smack a lure in the Fall months.

I definitely enjoy working the weed beds for Smallmouth bass anytime but specifically in the Fall when weed patches that are generating oxygen begin to die off. In the fall I really watch the healthier weeds still producing oxygen.

Smallmouth’s are cold-blooded which means as the temperature of the lake water falls the Smallmouth’s usually slow therefore it’s crucial to slow down your baits also. You will find that you hook up with a lot more Smallmouth bass.

Look at Jamie’s face in the image on the left. Doesn’t he look a bit shocked to you? You will see the reason in the picture below.

I have been fishing pickerel here in New Brunswick for about 30 years now and yeah my arms are sore. Seriously though, my first experience pickerel fishing was in Cassidy Lake near Norton with my fishing buddy Roland.

His first day out and he caught a record 26″ pickerel and kicked my 24 incher out of the lead. That’s another story about an unexpected catch.

Jamie found me through my web site back in the spring 2008. He asked if I would give up any good bass fishing locations he could take his kids to. That started a relationship that has been growing ever since.

Catch of The Year 2009

It was dark when we left home and it was foggy. A very thick fog, the kind of fog that makes things look mystical. I was looking forward to stopping at the Cannan river to snap a couple of pictures. However, when we got as far as the river the fog had lifted and was completely clear.

Chipman was like a ghost town, nothing was stirring at all. We passed through Chipman and headed to our first fishing spot for the day.

We launched Jamie’s canoe from Redbank as it gave us a great starting point for hitting the coves along the Salmon river. Sure helps having a trolling motor, especially on those windy days.

We usually catch plenty of pickerel and even some perch at this spot, however on this day we paddle over to the culverts as there is usually at least one fat pickerel lying in wait.

Jamie made the first cast, only because my back was to the spot, lucky for him. The pink plastic worm Jamie had on hadn’t even hit the water when it disappeared in an explosion of water.

Jamie had hooked into a huge smallmouth bass, in a spot I have only ever caught pickerel. We were both shocked, surprised and laughing like fools. He fought it for a little bit and then landed it. He had a new record. Show off.

The first cast of the day and Jamie kicked my butt.

Jamie is so excited he wants to scream, I know it.

I’m still jealous and probably will be until I manage to catch a big bass for myself in this spot.

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