Jamie and I have gone fly fishing for brook trout but my fishing buddy Casey is new to fly fishing. It would be really cool to watch him tangle with a few big smallies and some chunky and toothy chain pickerel.

I haven’t tied any flies that were designed for smallies or pickerel as my trout and salmon flies seem to work just fine. However today it’s a messy day outside and I’m not about to get any outdoor work done today, so I’m playing with Youtube looking for some flies I can tie that are a little different from what I use now.

Smallies And Pickerel Love A Leech Pattern

I know our New Brunswick Smallmouth Bass and Chain pickerel love to gobble up as many leeches as possible. The leeches I like to use and have the most success with are leech patterns in black or brown. Actually I think every species I fish here like leech patterns, a lot.

The leech pattern in the video above is really easy to tie so it’s a good one to start with. I’d tie a lot of them as they get destroyed by bass and pickerel.

I have never used a bell weight on my leech patterns as they tend to sink just below the surface without a weight, once they are wet. I love seeing them take the leech right under the surface.

With the leech patterns I use they tend to attract and catch more fish the more tattered they become, to the point all the feathers get torn off. Then it’s time to tie on a new one and get back to the action.

Related articles

• My First Day of Pickerel Fishing 2012 (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• “Fishing for Memories” Pickerel Tournament For Alzheimer’s Support (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

Tuesday wasn’t a bad day so I used it to get a little more cleaning in our backyard and I got more seeds started indoors for our gardening season this year. Started lots of tomatoes and even some sunflowers.

As usual I didn’t get a lot of sleep. I woke up every half hour to see what time it was. When it comes to fishing I’m like a kid at Christmas, a 60 year old kid at that.

I was ready and had everything outside when Casey arrived, early as usual. I love it. Three minutes later we were on the road.

The weather was even better than I expected. The clouds over Moncton were quickly left behind and the skies just got clearer as we drove. The image below shows just how clear the skies got the further we were from Moncton.

View From Chipman Boat Launch

The Chipman boat launch is great and makes it quick and easy get your boat in the water.

The water was still high enough for us to be able to move right through the trees where normally it’s all dry land. We were careful and safe but we saw a guy on a seadoo like vehicle buzzing through the trees at ridiculous speeds. I don’t think he was too smart and he was alone so if he hit anything he was pretty much screwed.

As we got close to Redbank I remembered the day Jamie and I were fishing from his canoe there and Jamie hooked and landed a big ole Smallmouth bass. I have fished there for 30 years and never once caught a bass. He hooked it right in front of the culverts.

Yes! The First Fish of The Day And Season

The first pickerel of the day was mine and about 20” long. It’s always a great feeling to get that first fish of year.

I’m sure Casey’s plan was to be the first so he didn’t take long catching up. He then landed the second and third pickerel.

And to push it he had to catch a 22” pickerel so that he had the largest of the day, as you can see from the image below.

During the winter I had purchased some new baits and had decided I would only use the new baits to see how they performed.

I now have a few more confidence baits and never used a red worm all day long, even when Casey started to. I had to stick to the newest baits.

Well I have to say I had selected some winners. They worked great while trolling and even fishing them through weeds without catching up on them.

By the end of the day Casey still had the biggest fish but I kind of out fished him with my new baits and now have about 5 new confidence baits. Before I knew it the was at an end and we were heading back home. What a great first day of fishing. Casey certainly knows how to pick em.

I added the picture below just to show you how beautiful our day was. I did get a bit of a sunburn as it was just cool enough for me to forget how strong the sun was. I did remember eventually and put on sunscreen. I think I would be very sorry today if I hadn’t.

Largest Moon In Ages

As we were heading back home I saw the moon high in the sky and it was about double the normal size.

As we were heading back to Moncton it started clouding over just like it started when we left Moncton in the morning.

The clouds kept hiding part of the moon so I had to wait for just the right moment to get an image. It’s not the best image but it was pretty cool to see the moon so big. I hope we get to see it tonight when it’s a full moon.

Related articles

• “Fishing for Memories” Pickerel Tournament For Alzheimer’s Support (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

I haven’t gotten out for any spring salmon fishing for the past decade but not by choice, it’s due to health issues. Sure sucks getting older, sometimes.

Well Jamie managed to get out with a few friends on the weekend for some spring salmon fishing and actually landed a few himself. I think his buddies showed him up but he wasn’t discouraged and happy to have gotten anything.

I have also caught some pretty tasty brook trout at this time of year. I love the taste when they come from cold clear waters like we can find in New Brunswick.

Well I suppose I should stop talking and show you the link to Jamie’s fun day of spring fishing Atlantic salmon on the fly.

Related articles

• Going To Chubby’s For My Fishing License Today (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• The Dieppe Fly Tying Club (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

I did take the opportunity to walk up to Chubby’s on Killam Dr. to get my salmon fishing license, so now I’m ready for just about anything, fishing related anyways.

It looks like winter has let go and spring has definitely sprung. My lawn loved the last snow fall we had but agreed that enough was enough. We almost have all the garbage, which seems to cover our property fence by spring, cleaned up and can get down to real yard work and garden preparation.

I just noticed that Jamie has a blog post. He and some friends got out for some black salmon fishing on Sunday. It’s always great to get out on opening day and catching fish is even better.

I don’t think Casey had a chance to use his new fly rod last years so maybe we will be able to hit a few Atlantic salmon holes this year. Don’t you just love first times? Happy fishing friends.

“Fishing for Memories”

After witnessing the toll this disease took, not only on the person suffering from the illness, but their loved ones as well, we felt it important to create an event that could involve the whole family.

The gentleman who inspired this event was an avid outdoorsman who loved his time on the water, and we felt it fitting that our event would allow others to share his love for the outdoors, while at the same time, allowing participants to create new and lasting memories with their families, all while supporting a great cause.

The “Fishing for Memories” tournament has been designed in a way that allows anyone to participate. We hope to attract people of all ages and all walks of life. The tournament will take place along a stretch of the beautiful Saint John River, but having a boat is not necessary as there are many locations in the area where fishing from shore can be very successful. All that is needed is a fishing pole and the desire to have a good time and support a great cause.

We will be hitting the water at 8am on June 23, 2012 from the Hampstead Ferry Wharf, just off of Route 102 in Hampstead NB. Entry fees are: Adults $25, Youth 12-18 $10, and Kids Under 12 free. All prizes will be based on a percentage of entry fees plus donations from sponsors.

You can find the rules of the Fishing For Memories Pickerel Tournament here.

Anyone interested in participating in the tournament, or helping out on shore as a volunteer, please call Donald Paterson at (506)468-9098 or email dcpaterson@live.com

… yelling Fish On!! That started 50 years ago and I still yell it when I get a fish on today.

It was that long ago when I had my very first experience with fishing and I’ve been hooked ever since. For me fishing became an instant hit and a great way to relax after daily chores on the farm.

I even made my own first fishing rod, at just eight years old.

Jim’s First Custom Fishing Rod

Okay it wasn’t really a fishing rod before I snagged it out of the shed behind the barn but it worked for me, for many years. It was metal rod used in electric fences. It was just lying there doing nothing so I put it good use. My custom rod building never went beyond that first one as fishing rod building was really not my strong suit. I was better at catching catfish.

It was about 3 or 4 feet long, can’t really remember, and it didn’t have a reel. I just tied some line to the end, used nuts from Dad’s shed and a hook I found on an old ice fishing setup in the barn. There was plenty of bait, all I had to do was flip over rocks to find worms.

At every opportunity I would sneak off to go fishing, with my new custom fishing rod. At the time I was living in central Ontario and fished the Black River for catfish as the river ran right through the back of our 120 acre farm.

Once I was out on my own I was able to buy a fishing rod but didn’t get a lot of fishing done at the that time. It was more about girls and drinking back then.

A Custom Fly Fishing Rod

At 30 I was married, living in New Brunswick and had been taught to fly fish. What a great experience that was and for many more years it was all about fly fishing.

Jenny, my wife, was born and raised in Cambellton, New Brunswick, right at the base of Sugarloaf. It’s then I met a friend of her fathers. A man who tied Atlantic salmon fishing flies and was pretty famous.

Her dad had Ralph build me a custom fly fishing rod that would handle those feisty Atlantic salmon. He even made flies for the Queen of England. That impressed me.

My wife was wondering if I was visiting her parents or Ralph as she would have to call Ralph’s to see if I was ever coming back. He had so many tales of fly fishing the Restigouche River I just couldn’t leave but her dad understood.

You’ll find there are custom built fishing rods which are a mix match of components commercially available so you get a mix of the things you like in other fishing rods. This is a great way to get a fishing rod with all the features you prefer from other rods.

Having a custom fishing rod built to your specifications can still be affordable as the cost of the components are usually not expensive, it’s what you get the custom builder to do with those parts that can start to add up.

Personal preferences, such as your casting style, is a good thing to point out to  your local fishing rod creator because they may have ideas that will make your casting style feel better than with other types of fishing rod handles.

For me a day of fishing is always better when I am not getting blisters from my fishing rod. Having a custom rod handle built to my specs could make my days on the water even better.

Hey I wonder if it’s legal to go ice fishing with fly rods? Okay, I really have no plans to try that, although I see open water along Shediac Bay and people are catching some smelts in the open water.

I could see it now. The first cast that hits the water would cause the fly line to freeze and would likely make it tough to get that second cast out there. It would be fun to watch someone, from the comfort of a vehicle I think.

I may be a proud Canadian but I can only take so much cold and I begin to freeze up myself and then it’s just not fun anymore. Especially on a day like today when it’s cold and crisp, about –20 Celsius crisp actually and –30 when that wind hits your face.

I think I will just stay home and hide in my nice cosy office where I can crank the heat as high as I want. So really it’s a great day to stay indoors and maybe write a few blog posts and drink hot coffee.

I took Honey out so she could do her business this morning and she didn’t feel the need to play around in the yard. She did her business and was immediately barking for me to get her hairy butt back inside the house.

Her chain was covered with snow and ice which made my hands wet and they actually froze to the door handle for a couple of seconds. Never had that before, except the last time I used my tongue to open the door.

I guess I will spend the next few hours looking through some of my favourite sites for fly fishing bargains. I love eBay shopping as I get a lot of great deals which means I can buy even more fishing related products.

This past Sunday was like most other Sundays in the Mann residence during the winter months. I usually park my butt on the couch, watch TV all day long while playing my guitar and maybe having a couple of beers or maybe a shot or two of Scotch.

It’s usually about this time of year I start feeling a bit of cabin fever as I don’t get out much in the winter due to health issues. Good thing I have a treadmill or I wouldn’t get any exercise in the winter.

So when the phone rang with Casey on the other end calling to see if I was interested in checking out his fishing hut they had just put out on Shediac Bay, I got excited. He wasn’t going for long, unless the fishing was hot, and just wanted to finish up a few things and to bring a couple of items they had forgotten on the first trip.

Casey’s lives at Hopewell Cape, such a gorgeous spot to live. Jenny and I really enjoy the drive through this area, especially the Rocks on the Fundy Bay.

Less than an hour later Casey was at my door ready to head off to Shediac by the sea. Just as I was heading out the door my son Steve handed me a flask with Scotch in it and said, ‘Just in case it’s chilly out there’.

Getting There From Here

We left Moncton heading towards Dieppe and then took Veterans Highway to Shediac. From there we we took route 133 until to the Queens Warf turn off where it was just about one minute to the end where we could see fishing huts.

Casey and a friend hauled his fish hut out onto Shediac Bay, in about 6 sections, and assembled it right on the spot.

It was pretty efficient with four side panels that bolted to the floor and roof. I’ll be it didn’t take long to put it up and it has plenty of elbow room inside as well.

The floor boards opened opposite the door revealing a big hole to fish through. You could bring a whale through that hole.

The first thing I saw when I looked down the hole was what looked like a big hunk of ice but it was on the bottom. It was white bed sheets, with a little floral pattern along the edges, sown together to make a big pillow cases filled with chains.

Sheets Sown Together With Chains

I told Casey I was telling his wife he was stealing bed sheet. Then he told me she was the one who sowed it all together. What a great wife.

We spent a few minutes tightening the bolts that hold the hut together to make sure the winds hadn’t loosened them. And then cleared the ice from the hole and settled in with a nice fresh cup of hot coffee.

He has a nice little stove that keeps the hut nice and cosy so there was no need for all the clothing I was wearing and I started peeling off one layer at a time. The only thing missing was a wide screen TV.

As it turned out the tide was just heading out and the water was really low. Plus we didn’t see any fish. The locals weren’t out there either which is usually an indicator that the fishing isn’t that hot at the moment.

We stay for a few hours and enjoy the Scotch Steve gave us along with a few snacks and then closed things up for the day and headed back to home. I am so looking forward to the next opportunity to go ice fishing.

I do as much fishing as I can and when I’m fishing brooks and streams I do a lot of sight fishing, however as the water gets bigger and deeper it’s hard to see the fish that aren’t on the surface. That’s when a fish finder, like both of Casey’s Humminbird fishfinders.

I don’t have eyes like my fishing buddy Eagle Eye Paul. When I first started fishing with him I doubted the things he said he was able to see until he proved it over and over. Sure would be nice to have great vision.

Without a way to know what’s going on under the surface you either need to take a dive or use tools that will show you can keep you dry, like a fish finder.

I see a lot of clues that indicate what might be going on around the shoreline such as points that extend into the water or downed trees. Love through to structure.

When I had my canoe and fished lakes around New Brunswick I caught a lot of fish but when I got my first portable Humminbird Fishfinder I was able to see what I was fishing over and the fish I had been missing out on.

Casey has two fish finders which is great because when we are fishing together I have one I can see and he can usually see both.

I really enjoy float tube fishing and now there are fish finders available for even the float tube. I can just hook the transducer to a little fishing line and just toss it out in front of me to see what’s going on below and then I just keep moving around.

There are plenty of indicators that will help you find fish whether you’re fishing shorelines or off-shore. It just takes observing your surroundings but I have to admit I would rather take pictures of the scenery and use a Humminbird Fishfinder to locate the fish.

Related articles

• Checking Out Garmin Fish Finders (flyfishinginnewbrunswick.com)
• Fished Beautiful Meenan Cove With Casey (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• 5 Tips For Better Trout Fishing Success (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

Jamie’s King Of The Happy Dance

Looking at the image on the left can you tell Jamie’s happy to be out fishing again? That’s his happy dance, what a great job and I didn’t realize he was so talented.

I was doing the happy dance getting from the canoe to the bushes.

Jamie Suggested The Oromocto River

We have fished the Saint John river from Jamie’s canoe and had fun and good fishing but every time a big boat flies by leaving us in it’s wake it gets tense turning the canoe into the waves. So for that reason we thought the Oromocto river would be a bit safer feeling.

The fact the Oromocto is a narrower river with trees along it’s bank might help us if the wind picked up throughout the day.

We left Moncton while the sky was clear and starry but once we got past Jemseg the sky was thick with clouds.

As we arrived we could see that others had already launched before us and two guys were launching as we pulled down to the beach where we launched.

A few minutes later we were on our way up river and there wasn’t any breeze at all. Perfect.

Not long after we started a big hole opened in the clouds and the sun burst onto the scene completely blinding me. It made the trees look so awesome but it was painful. I wish my glasses would go a whole lot darker.

You know that feeling when the early morning sun hits your eyes after a night of too many beers around the campfire. Well the was how I felt when the clouds parted and the sun hit me right in the face.

The Sun Rise Lights The Forest

I was so glad when we came to a bend in the river that put the sun to one side.

Jamie Sees The First Action

I seem to remember Jamie used to wait until I had my first fish before he started catching but not this day. Not long after we started fishing Jamie switched his firetiger pattern lure to a green 5” senko worm that he had wacky rigged.

I think it was on his second or third cast into the structure and Jamie had the first fish on. I did a great job of netting his bass. Love that rubber net.

We’ve had a few days this year that we went a long time before seeing any fish so this was a great start to our day.

“Jamie has the first, biggest and most fish, so far”

Once Jamie had the first fish I didn’t take long catching up, maybe 10 minutes later.

My first bass wasn’t as big as Jamie’s first but now we were tied up.

I was using a #3 Silver & White Mepps that had a skirt with white feathers.

If you look close at my left hand you can see the Mepps, a little bit.

I would say we were having a perfect day so far. No wind, rain or cold weather, although we had on a few layers but were very comfortable.

The Silver & White Mepps, and the Red Devils were the best lures of the day by far.

Love Having The Trolling Motor Along

I remember when I had my canoe I didn’t have a trolling motor and would use up a lot of energy on those windy days. It’s so nice to have a trolling motor. Nice to save all our energy for casting and catching fish.

We started fishing just after 7am and fished until about 7pm. So that was 12 hrs of trolling and fishing. The trolling motor battery did run out of energy about 15 minutes before we were back at the launch so Jamie paddled the rest of the way.

I was wondering if the trolling motor would have lasted longer had Jamie not brought so much tackle but then I thought it better not to say that as he could have left me home. Ha Ha

Jamie, How Are You Able To Fit In The Canoe?

Trolling Didn’t Produce A Single Strike

Even though we spent most of the day casting to structure and shore line we did do a fair bit of trolling while casting but never seen a single strike all day long. I thought that was strange as we always catch something, even a perch, but not this time.

Our Two Biggest Bass of The Day

I hooked into a nice fat bass that put up a great fight and even jumped clear of the water a few times.

Each time it jumped I thought it would spit the hook but, even after Jamie tried releasing it with his rubber net, I managed to get it in the canoe.

That smallmouth bass measured in at 18 inches in length.

Jamie’s biggest bass of the day was 16 inches and fought like it was at least 19”.

We reached this one section of the river that seemed to have a lot of pickerel in it although it didn’t look any different than any other part we had fished.

Jamie managed to catch all the little pickerel so that I could get at the bigger ones, he’s good like that.

I would say that we caught 10 or 12 pickerel in that stretch and then they stopped again and the bass took over.

The Fish Action Stopped

I always look forward to fishing at dusk as it always seems to get a little wild about that time but not on October 22, 2011. As soon as we started to lose the light the fish shut right down, completely, not even a strike for the last half hour of our fishing day.

At the end of it all we had a great day, plenty of fish to keep us happy and talking all the way back to Moncton and Riverview. Actually we may have caught more fish on this fishing trip that any other all year.