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I have always loved getting out on opening day of fishing season but the fact I got married on April 17 means that every so often our anniversary is on the weekend and that kind of messes up my fishing plans.

I had the opportunity to go on a fishing trip and even asked permission. I guess I hadn’t been married long enough to know when YES means NO.

I went away on the fishing trip and I am sure I am still not forgiven for that bone-headed move.

Living in Moncton, New Brunswick we only have one east Indian restaurant that I is within walking distance so we like to go there on our anniversary.

The restaurant is just off Mountain Road on Killiam Drive and has the best Indian cuisine. Mmmm, so good and spicy.

Getting My Fishing License

I knew I wouldn’t be going fishing on the weekend, if I want to stay married, but Chubbies is just up the street and they sell fishing licenses. I suggested we go up there first and pick up my fishing license. I had to make a promise that I would not go fishing on the weekend. She even paid for my salmon license.

As of Sunday we were married 29 years and I remember that day so well. Fear will do that to you, kinda burns things into your mind.

We were blessed with the most gorgeous day.

Finally the wedding stuff was over and we were on our way out of town for our honeymoon. We were heading to Ontario to visit Niagara Falls and then to visit some of our family throughout Ontario. However our first night would be spent in Fredericton.

As we were getting closer to Fredericton we could see the water levels were so high they were right at the road. The radio was saying they might have to close that part of the road if it didn’t stop rising.

There were dozens of moose stranded on the road because the water was too high off road so there were police and rangers everywhere along the road telling people not to stop and take pictures as the moose were stressed enough already.

It took us a long time getting through that section of road and I kinda pushed the pedal to the metal trying to make up time. After all we were on our honeymoon. Then the lights came on, behind us. It was the police.

He saw the writing on the car saying “Just Married“, gave us a warning, wished us a happy marriage and sent us on our way with a message of safety.

Next year, 2012 is our 30th anniversary so I was thinking that maybe we could take a fishing trip somewhere nice. I haven’t got up the nerve to mention that one yet.

I live in New Brunswick Canada where I love fly fishing for the powerful Atlantic salmon. I am sure anyone here older than 10 years would have heard about Atlantic salmon, perhaps not by their scientific name, Salmo Salar, as I was in my 30s and already fly fishing for Atlantic salmon before I heard that term.

Personally I can’t get enough of the fight the Atlantic salmon puts up and they taste so good on the BBQ and Atlantic salmon sandwiches are great. But I also like to just sit on the river bank with a nice hot mug of coffee and just watch these leapers jumping out of the water.

I have also camped right next to salmon pools and find that they tend jump even more during the night. It’s kind of frustrating when you are actually in the water and they are jumping every where except on the end of your line.

Black Salmon

The salmon we catch in the rivers in the early spring, those that have been in the river all winter are known as black salmon because they get so much darker the longer they stay in the river. They start as bright silver from the ocean and then slowly take on the colours of the river and it’s bottom.

The Atlantic salmon can be found in the north and south about as far south as Maine, USA, only returning to the river that spawned them so they can spawn in the same place. Because the spawn takes place in their home rivers salmon are born into fresh water where they stay until for a while and then move out to the ocean for 2 or 3 years before returning to that same river to spawn, although they may not actually spawn on their first trip home.

Today, due to fishing pressure by commercial fishers, you will find a lot of Atlantic salmon being farmed instead of taken from the wild.

We are not allowed to keep adult salmon here in New Brunswick but we can keep a few grilse for dinners with the family.  Grilse are Atlantic salmon smaller than 24 3/4 inches.

I prefer to BBQ my salmon steaks but I also enjoy stuffing the entire salmon grilse with onions, tomatoes, salt and pepper. That’s how my wife’s parents enjoyed it as well.

Check out more Atlantic salmon facts.

During the 1960s I was a kid growing up in central Ontario, Canada. I did a lot of fishing in the river that ran through the back of our farm. The only thing I ever caught there was catfish although there were some big pike in the river, I just didn’t have the gear for them.

I remember my older brother Chuck catching a huge walleye on one of his fishing trips. I was always to young to go on those trips as there was a lot of drinking. Anyways he didn’t call the walleye a walleye, ever. He always called it a pickerel.

I was actually 30 years old and living in New Brunswick Canada before I saw my first Chain pickerel and realized they weren’t the same species.

Chain pickerel are also known as “federation pickerel” and in SE U.S. they are nicknamed “jack fish”.

Caught My First Chain Pickerel on The Fly

It’s kind of cool the way I found out about pickerel here in New Brunswick as I mostly fished brook trout. I consider myself blessed to have caught my first real pickerel on the fly rod while fly fishing for trout so it was a happy accident.

Fishing A Flooded Forest on The Fly Rod

It feels like a lifetime ago I had been invited to go fishing with a fly fishing buddy. Wayne wanted to take me to a little spot he wants to keep secret. He told me we would be able to catch some big brook trout on the fly.

Once we arrived I could not believe he expected me to actually use a fly rod in there. It was a forest that had been flooded years earlier when busy beavers had blocked the flow of water and flooded a large patch of timber.

Wayne told me there was 16″ brookies within. I didn’t call him a liar however I’d been thinking it. I did become a believer after he landed the first 16″ brook trout.

Fly fishing through trees was really a brand new experience. I had fished ponds and brooks for trout using the fly rod, had even learned to deal with trees behind me just not a forest all around me.

I spent most of my time staying out of the trees but did get a few trout. As usual when it comes time to leave I usually need to get a couple more casts. Just as I pulled the fly from the water for that final cast a pencil like 10″ fish flew from the water and grabbed that fly.

I couldn’t imagine just how intense this tiny fish was. That was when I learned the difference between a walleye and a pickerel.

These days I fish Chain pickerel every chance I can. My record continues to grow from that first 10″ chain pickerel to 25″.

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I live in Canada and love Pike and Chain Pickerel fishing every chance I get. They are just so explosive that I can’t get enough of them. I even would like to get a hook or two into a nice big Musky, now that I know we do have them where I live.

Fishing has been a hobby for many years and I love introducing people to my hobby and watch them take up a new hobby.

I have one new friend I introduced to Chain pickerel about 2 years ago and he can’t get enough of them. He never wants to fish anything else. That’s how much fun they are.

BTW: We practice catch and release so our kids and their kids can enjoy this hobby as much as we do now. Keep our waters and land clean for our future.

I really like using the ole fly rod on these toothy critters but my buddy isn’t quite ready for that but I will be sure to get him to bring his fly rod every time we go. I have had days in the heat of summer when there isn’t a breeze anywhere. What a great time to get the fly rod out. I’ve had days where I have caught dozens of pickerel and had to call it a day because my arms where just worn completely out.

Using Big Lures Catches Bigger Fish, Sometimes.

I said sometimes because these pike and pickerel are nuts and will hit just about anything that moves. Even the little guys about the size of a hammer handle like taking on a huge lure that is almost as big as they are. It’s all great fun.

Most of the time when I am fishing I am using something that resembles what the fish I am after eat but not with pike or chain pickerel. I think I could tie just about anything on and toss it in and they would still go after it. I really like getting out the biggest and ugliest lure than you would wonder why I ever purchased it and throw it at them just to show people they will go for almost anything.

But, if you have a lure that does look like something local, like a bait fish, mouse our even a small bird and you will get action, lots of action most days. I have learned not to stick my fingers in the water when pike fishing for just that reason.

I’ll mention three categories that lures fit into and you would be hard pressed to find something they won’t go after most of the time.

• Spoons
• Spinners
• Live Bait

The first category I mentioned is spoons. This is where I started with pike fishing many many years ago and it still works great today. Pike and Pickerel just can’t let it go, the motion is just too erratic for them to ignore. I very seldom ever miss a strike using spoons.

When it comes to using spinner baits go big or stay home. You will get a lot more hookups that stay on if you choose to use larger baits, even adding a trailer hook like we do for bass fishing. The trailer hook will help with the short strikes pike and pickerel are known for.

If I am going to use swim baits I like to match the hatch as they say and feed them what they are already eating.

What it comes down to as far as I am concerned, when fishing pike and chain pickerel is to get something in the water and you’ll do fine most of the time.

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