Got an email from Casey inviting both Jamie and I for some fishing fun, last Friday.

I jumped all over that opportunity however Jamie had already been invited for not just one fishing trip but two of them. What a popular guy Jamie is.

I’ll be waiting to hear how his two day fishing trip on Ormocto lake turned out. It’s his first time there and I’ve never been there, yet.

Casey wanted to give the Salmon river from Grand Lake out of Grand lake. He did this run last year with another friend and had a great time.

It sounded great to me. I have fished a few coves off the Salmon river but never actually fished the river itself.

By 6 Friday morning we were on our way.

Whenever I am heading that way I like to see what the water in the Cannan river looks like and this morning it was like glass, just the way I love it.

We weren’t slowing down so I had to snap a picture on the fly. It looked perfect to me.

Cannan River Reflections

We took a few minutes and stopped at the bridge I first tried out my float tube at about 20 years ago. It didn’t really look like a spot you’d want to try backing a boat into.

Checkout The Scenery

I remember that day was about the hottest of the year. I was niche to be so close to the water as it was easy to soak myself to keep cool that day.

It’s a beautiful spot as you can see from the picture below. Made me want to run back to the truck to get my fishing gear.

Breath Taking View And The Fishing Rocks

We only hung around admiring the view for a minute or two as we were eager to get to the boat launch at Chipman and start fishing the Salmon river for some Pickerel or Smallmouth bass fishing.

Chipman Boat Launch

It didn’t take long to get the boat in the water. At this point there wasn’t a breath of wind, just the way I like it when pickerel fishing.

All Well, Let’s Launch

The water temperature was only about 64 degrees so I suggested we hit a little back bay where the water might be warmer. Just up from the bridge there’s a nice cove so we gave it a try.

It didn’t take long to notice the water was still quite high compared to other years I’ve fished there.

It didn’t take Casey long before he hooked the first fish of the day and actually landed it.

Turns out it was the biggest fish of our day as well at 24″.

I grabbed the rubber net and brought it into the boat. You have to love those rubber nets, especially when things are a big tangled up like that pickerel was in the leader.

Two seconds to get it untangled from the rubber net. Would have been a lot longer on the old net.

I don’t usually use a net for that reason but I grab that rubber net every chance I get now as it’s quick and doesn’t seem to hurt the fish at all.

Casey cast his RED WORM into some lilypads not far from the boat and, just as we love it, the water exploded and he had another pickerel.

Love Fishing To Lily Pads For Bass And Pickerel

I wasn’t even getting a strike and before I knew it Casey was up to four pickerel leaving me to take pictures.

Then the wind started and the fish turned off, for hours.

We left the cove and hit the river for a bit of trolling to see how we’d do at that. Still now fish.

Actually we never had a strike while trolling, not a single one all day.

We moved into another small bay after some time on the river and I finally had the chance to give my brand new Ugly Stik Lite combo a try.

I was so pleased with how smooth the casting was on my Ugly Stik and Shakespeare reel that I was probably casting further into the weeds than I should have been.

Of course my first strike was about a hundred feet out into the thick weeds and the battle was on.

I’m happy to say I landed that fish after a few minutes fighting him and the weeds. Then another cast and another pickerel, I was catching up.

Before long I was tied with Casey. He hadn’t even had a strike while I was catching up but once it was 4 all it only took about a minute and Casey landed #5.

What a show-off. I would never do that to a buddy. Ha

All in all the day was a lot of fun and Casey and I spent most of it laughing at the silly things we say and do.

By the way I love to have people take me fishing and I’m already packed for the next day on the water.

Related articles

• Canada Day, Chipman And Chain Pickerel (flyfishinginnewbrunswick.com)
• Cassidy Lake Pickere Fishing 2011 Part Two (flyfishinginnewbrunswick.com)
• Saint John River, Harts Lake And Some Smallmouth Bass And Pickerel Fishing (flyfishinginnewbrunswick.com)

Cassidy Lake Pickerel Fishing 2011 Part One

Casey landed his first pickerel and had the biggest grin on his face. Not sure if it was because it was his first fish of 2011 or because it wasn’t me with the first fish.

Ha, maybe a little of both. I sure hope it’s not a sign of things to come for 2011 as he just kept catching them and smiling, a lot.

Casey was using minnow baits with blood red hooks and what a huge difference it made to the fish catching.

I didn’t have any lures with the blood red hooks and they just weren’t interested at all.

He kept offering me lures, even ones with red hooks but I don’t like losing other people’s lures so for a time I just said thanks but didn’t use them.

Well after Casey’s 7th fish to my zero I was willing to lose one of his lures. Errr I mean use one of his lures.

Finally I hooked into a monster. Well maybe not a monster but I am sure it was all of 12 maybe 13 inches, it just thought it was bigger.

Fishing Tip of the Day: If you haven’t given blood red hooks a try yet you don’t know what you’re missing out on. Casey was smart and started replacing the hooks on his baits at least a year ago.

You can be sure I will be ordering some red hooks to replace my existing hooks.

I will tell you that if you invest in lures with blood red hooks or buy new blood red hooks for your lures you just might get a whole lot more action.

Casey couldn’t seem to do anything wrong Friday, even though it was Friday the 13th.

Even though I started catching pickerel they were few and far between for me. Casey on the other hand just kept catching them.

A Great Day of Pickerel Fishing

I was still determined to catch some pickerel on lures without red hooks. After all I fished for many years before red hooks and did great.

Well I did manage to catch a few more using a perch pattern and ended my day with 7 pickerel and a sun burned face. It really looked like I was most embarrassed about getting my butt kicked

I believe that Casey landed 25 pickerel by the end of our day. So he caught the first fish of the day, the most fish of the day along with the biggest.

I am already looking forward to my next trip to Cassidy Lake. I had kind of forgotten about the lake once we started pickerel fishing the Chipman, New Brunswick area.

I guess there’s just not enough time to fish all the places I love as often as I would like.

Maybe I will get more fishing in once I retire in a couple of years.

Casey, thanks for the great day of fun and I love what you’ve done with your boat. It’s going to be an awesome summer.

Related articles

• A Chain Pickerel By Any Other Name (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• Cassidy Lake Pickerel 2011 (flyfishinginnewbrunswick.com)

I do a lot of fishing from my float tube and there isn’t much room like there is in a canoe or boat so I have to pay attention to what I bring along. That’s why I am interested in the Humminbird Smartcast RF35 Wrist Mount Fish Finder.

Fishing from my float tube is very relaxing yet, at the same, quite explosive and exciting however it’s quite a bit slower getting around so it’s important to make the best use of the water around me and that’s where a fish finder comes in very handy. That was a little joke about a wrist mount fish finder, ha ha.

I have had a couple of portable fish finders from Humminbird but they are even too big for my float tube. The one I had at the time I took my fly in fishing trip to northern Quebec worked perfectly and I caught many more fish than the rest of the group. But I need a much smaller fish finder and the Wrist mounted Smartcast RF35 sounds perfect.

Dear if you are reading this my birthday is just a month and half away, so get your order in today.

Humminbird Smartcast Wrist Mount

I remember fishing Lake George New Brunswick with a friend. We both had float tubes and we had a blast catching smallmouth bass on the fly rod. But I think the day would have been much different if I didn’t know where the fish were as I have fished the lake many times from my boat where we had a Humminbird fish finder.

If we had hit this lake in our float tubes with that knowledge I am sure we would have been hunting bass all day long instead of catching and releasing bass all day long.

A fish finder is invaluable when it comes to new water and the slower you go, like me and my float tube, the better you want to be at finding the fish.

I have fished enough new lakes over the years, without a fish finder, and it takes a lot more work, which isn’t such a problem from a boat but I don’t want to be wasting time when I am only able to about mile an hour.

Humminbird Smartcast RF 35 Fish Finder Specs

• Fully functional watch with date and time capability.
• High visibility 1 1/4″ diagonal display with 48V x 32H resolution.
• Water surface temperature and digital depth readout.
• 75 ft. remote operating range, 100 ft. depth capability.

Wireless Technology

Your Smartcaster rf35 uses wireless technologies so there’s no need for a long messy cable or wire going to the sensor.  All you need to do is attach a length of line so you don’t lose it and then just give it a toss in any direction.

I can’t throw far from my float tube so I would use a spare fishing rod to cast it out.

Lithium Battery – 3 year life

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.

Like any of your tools you need to keep them clean after a day of fishing to make sure they last as long as possible.

Related articles

• Hot Lake George, New Brunswick Smallmouth Bass on the Fly (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• Jiggin’ For Smallmouth Bass (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• Fall Smallmouth Bass Fishing in New Brunswick, Canada (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

When I’m fishing for smallmouth bass or chain pickerel in open water and along weed beds that drop off into deeper water I like to use crankbaits. I especially love to toss my crainbait into opening in the weeds as I am usually rewarded with a huge explosive strike in those hot spots.

I will cast to the shallows close to weeds and bring it back to the deeper water. And if the water drops off quickly I will pull it right along the edge of the weeds for really explosive strikes.

It wasn’t until I moved to New Brunswick that I experienced smallmouth bass fishing and later chain pickerel fishing. Before that it was strickly trout and salmon.

That’s when I started buying a few crankbaits, spinnerbaits and plastic worms.

Fishing Crankbaits

My fishing buddy Roland and I were in my boat on Lake George just past Fredericton, it was really windy, so the top water baits weren’t doing much so I switched to one of my brand new crankbait.

Fishing A Brown Shrimp Crankbait

I remember it was brown with some darker brown stripes going down the sides. It cast a country mile and would float until I started cranking on it. Then it would dive anywhere from 3-7 feet depending on how hard I cranked it.

On my first cast the crankbait was smacked hard and then again on my second and then it seemed like I couldn’t use it without getting strikes.

Guess how many of those I purchased?? Just one because I bought a variety of lures that day and just one of each. Roland didn’t buy one of this particular crankbait and I didn’t have one to loan him.

I kicked his bass fishing butt royally that day.

The crankbait quckly became one of my confidence baits and still is today. I went and bought another two, one for the tackle box and one I just incase Roland didn’t get a chance to buy one.

I used that crankbait until all the finish was worn off, leaving it a matte silver colour and it was still caught bass, which I found strange because I had a silver one that didn’t catch anything much at all.

Then one day I made a very long cast, probably the longest cast I ever made. It went straight across the water and into the trees on the bank somewhere. Never did find it. Guess I didn’t tie that knot as well as I thought.

That crankbait had hooked hundreds and hundreds of bass and pickerel and lasted for a few years before I lost it.

The second crankbait lasted for many years as well until one day Casey and I were bass fishing Lake Petit and on the very last cast of the day I lost it, the same way I lost the first one. The line snapped and it went so far I couldn’t find it. Bummer

A couple of years after I started bass fishing we gave chain pickerel a go and I used the same crankbait in open water along weed banks and found that they love that crankbait as much as the smallies do.

Check out the Rapala Crankbaits on FishUSA.com

Related articles

• Bass Fishing Tips : It’s A Bass’ World (stepbysteptips.com)
• Hot Lake George, New Brunswick Smallmouth Bass on the Fly (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• Fun Fishing in New Brunswick Canada (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

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.

Visit LandBigFish.com

LandBigFish.com is the most complete fishing resource for anglers of North America. Thousands of articles and fishing spots to research. Unmatched tools for anglers. Rate trophy catches. Win prizes in any of their contests. A tackle store loaded with gear at discount prices. Plus so much more. Click here to check out what all the fuss is about.

Related articles

• Fall Smallmouth Bass Fishing in New Brunswick, Canada (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• Hot Lake George, New Brunswick Smallmouth Bass on the Fly (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• July Fishing Lures for Smallmouth Bass (freshwaterfishing.suite101.com)
• Bass Fishing Tips for Summer Smallmouth (freshwaterfishing.suite101.com)

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.

Trout are cold blooded creatures and are directly affected by the change in water temperature, so the colder the water the slower their rate of metabolism. To accelerate their metabolic rate they are going to stay close to the surface in the direct sunlight where it is more effective so they can warm up their body.

The quicker a predator can swim the more they can eat. Of course the faster their food source can swim the hungrier the predator will get so it’s important to get that first direct sunlight in order to be the fastest.

I have noticed when the water reaches a certain temp, typically late spring, they tend not to lay in the sunlight as long.

Fishing During The Burning Hot Summer Days

From the beginning of spring through the beginning summer months fish, small and big, are making an effort to warm up. But, when early spring moves into summer the high temperature coming from direct sunshine gets a lot more extreme. At this time they tend to search for protection out of the burning rays of sunlight.

Fish have a tendency to try to find deeper, cooler water or just about any barrier that offers shade from the sunlight.

It’s at these times angling becomes extremely enjoyable because fish could explode on a lure from the cover of weeds.

Didn’t really think we were going to get another day on the water but Casey got Jamie and I together again at French Lake. One of my favourite places to fish pickerel.

Jamie, Myself & Casey Pickerel Hunters

We were not really sure what the weather was going to be for Sunday but the forecast on the Weather Channel said to expect rain and winds of 20km.

It’s also the end of September so I packed clothes for every condition and thanks to Casey’s reminder I brought gloves. Well it started out cold enough I had on a sweater and my winter jacket and of course the gloves.

As the temperature drops at night so does the water temp causing the Chain pickerel to become rather lethargic until they warm up a bit so we didn’t leave as early as we usually do. We were still early enough to see a black bear and a coyote, but not early enough to see any deer hanging around apple orchards.

We pulled into one little bay section of the lake and the pickerel must have been there sunning themselves. Once we turned into the bay we saw pickerel scattering in every direction. I am pretty sure they were laying close to the the surface so they would warm up but I could be wrong, they may have been having a meeting about where to hangout for the winter.

A friend and fishing buddy of Casey’s, Ron, said he would meet us at the lake and might bring his son. Well he showed up alone so Jamie went with him. Ron was just launching his boat as we pulled in. Perfect timing.

It was good to meet Ron and hopefully we will get together again for another fun day on the waters of New Brunswick. Maybe next year we’ll get out for some bass and pickerel in the same day.

Time to head home after a great day of fishing

It seems that day always comes to an end too soon but there is always another day. If things go well we may even get one more day out on the water before the season closes for us here in New Brunswick.

The Coleman Sundome Tent (10-Feet x 10-Feet)

I am sure you have heard of Coleman. For most of us their name just says camping and fishing.

I have enjoyed camping with my family for more than 50 years now. We have so many great memories of camping and they almost always include Coleman products.

I must admit that I enjoy camping a whole lot more when there is fishing involved. When my son and I get the opportunity to pick up our fishing rods and head out camping for a weekend to catch a few Atlantic salmon and some brook trout. Mmmmm

We’ve had a few tents over the years but the first few we bought didn’t last very long with a kid and a dog but once we bought a Coleman tent that was it, we didn’t need anything else as they are very durable.

Check them out the Coleman Sundome Tent (10-Feet x 10-Feet) as it speaks for it’s self in my books.

Specifications

• Center height: 72 inches
• Fly: Polyester taffeta 75 denier
• Mesh: 68-denier polyester
• Floor: 1,000-denier floor, 140 g/m2
• Flysheet and inner tent coating: 450mm polyurethane
• Base dimensions: 10 by 10 feet
• Poles: 11mm fiberglass
• Country of origin: Made in China
• Warranty: Limited 1 year

I take a few trips into some back country for Brook Trout and Atlantic salmon fishing here in New Brunswick and usually take my float tube with me.

I can only drive so far and the rest of the fishing trip is on foot so I have to pack light and that means I can’t bring the bigger Coleman tent so it’s my backpack Coleman tent. It only has to be big enough to get out of the weather for the nights

My wife and I won a Coleman cooler that came with a smaller cooler inside, just big enough to take on a backpacking fishing trip and is the perfect size for the canoe trips.

I have tried sleeping under the stars without a tent and it’s just not for me, especially when the skies open up and there’s thunder and lightening. I really do prefer a Coleman between me and the elements.

Coleman Product Features

• Spacious 5-person tent with 10-foot-by-10-foot base
• Exclusive WeatherTec system is guaranteed to keep you dry
• Adjustable Variflo ventilation and vented Cool-Air port for comfort
• 2 shock-corded steel poles, continuous pole sleeves, and InstaClip attachments
• Center height of 72 inches; rainfly covers doors and windows

Coleman has many other products that make our camping and fishing excursions more comfortable and enjoyable.

I love fishing but definitely have a passion for the Atlantic salmon here in New Brunswick Canada. The Miramichi River is one of the best fly fishing rivers for Atlantic salmon, hands down.

Fly Fishing the Miramichi River New Brunswick

Upper Oxbow Outdoor Adventures in Sillikers, New Brunswick is just one of the many places you can get skilled Atlantic salmon fly fishing guides. I will put up a few more videos from different outfitters in the future.

Hope you enjoyed this video and are now thinking about your next fly fishing adventure to New Brunswick.