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

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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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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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Smallmouth bass fishing here in New Brunswick is great fun but I am sure I would be having fun fishing smallies just about anywhere.

Bass fishing is always fun with my spinning gear but what I really enjoy is fly fishing for smallmouth bass. They are almost as much fun as Atlantic salmon but a whole lot easier to get the strike.

To make bass fishing even more exciting you have to try it from a float tube. My first fly fishing for bass trip was to Lake George New Brunswick on the hottest day of the year.

It was so hot the fish seemed to shut right down so we had to hunt for locations where the water temperature was cooler so I suggested we make the mile long trip to the other end of the lake.

My fishing buddy wanted no part of it, it was just too hot. Then I suggested we use the car to take our float tubes to the other end of the lake. He was down with that.

The other end of the lake has so much more rock, weeds and lily pads for the bass to get out of the direct sunlight.

My fishing buddy for the day was kinda dragging his butt. I admit it was hot and I wanted to find some shade for myself but I was more interested in seeing if I could get a smallmouth to strike.

I was a good 10 minutes away from Kerry. He was still puttering around the shoreline as if he was ready to go home. Then a huge bass hit my top water Deer Hair Mouse – Size 1/0 and I yelled FISH ON. That got my buddies attention and he immediately perked up and headed my way.

From that point on we had bass hitting all day long, none stop. I had found the perfect spot.

These smallmouth bass were not really monsters by any stretch of the imagination but they were big enough to spin us around in our float tubes.

I have to get Jamie to Lake George next year. We wanted to go this year but the pickerel here in New Brunswick kind of kept us busy all summer long.

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New Brunswick has great fly fishing waters and like any other type of fishing one needs to keep safety in mind so that they enjoy the sport with injury to themselves or others.

A Few Fly Fishing Safety Tips

1. Bring a Wading Stick

I can’t tell you how many times I have watched people on a river that take one step and right over their heads into the drink. A walking staff would have helped them avoid getting soaked. It could also help to save their life, so bring one with you.

I have a telescope type walking stick that hangs over my shoulder when I don’t need it. But when I am not sure about my footing it’s there ready for use.

I’ve even thrown it back across a river so that one of my fly fishing buddies could use it instead of looking around for a long stick. He now owns one as well.

2. Wear A Hat

There is a couple of reason one should wear a hat fishing.

• The hat will keep the sun off your head, which in my case allows me to stay out in the hot sun much longer.
• Your hat can save you a trip to the hospital to have a hook removed from your head.
• The sun visor on the hat helps to keep the direct sunlight out of your eyes making it easier to see.
• It looks cool and keeps bird crap out of your hair.

Also a hat with a wide brim all the way around can help to protect your ears and neck from too much sun, but it’s really best to wear sunscreen as well.

3. Wear Sunglasses

Well they don’t actually have to be sunglasses but you need protection for your eyes, both from the sun and stray hooks flying through the air.

4. A Good Pair of Waders

Here in New Brunswick we have some rivers that stay pretty cool all year long so it’s good to have waders. Also some of the spot we fish the water is pretty nasty with lots of leeches so a pair of waders keeps those things off you.

5. A Good Pair of Wading Boots

Note: Your waders may have boots built in so be sure you know that soles of the boots are going to be good on slippery rocks. Felt bottoms are good and have saved me from slipping many many times.

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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.

It’s been a year since I went fly fishing, when I took Tim fly fishing for his first Atlantic salmon in the Cains River. It was 5 long years before that since I was out with my fly rod.

I love fly fishing but my health took a sharp 180 back in 2004 and it 5 years before I was able to wave my arms around like I like to do when fly fishing.

I was a little out of practice but it comes back quickly. It was also quite windy and I worked hard to keep control and ended up with three big blisters on my right hand. Ha, they will heal in a few days and for the fun I had it was definitely worth it.

Jamie, who I have never done any fly fishing with, gave me a call and asked if I wanted to go fly fishing . He would be here to pick me up in a half hour. Well I was ready in 5 minutes and paced the floor for the next 25 minutes.

As the title says we went to Penobsquis, near Sussex New Brunswick. I have done a lot of fly fishing in that area over the last 30 years and missed getting there.

The fact that it’s only about a 3/4 of an hour away is great and we were in the water with fly rods waving by 3pm for an evening of brook trout fishing.

The weather has been so hot it was nice to get out fishing while it was a bit cooler. It actually cooled off so much that I started to get chilled. But every time I caught a trout I warmed up.

The water in Stone Creek was the highest I have ever seen it for this time of year and I had to get out of the water in a few places so that I would have to swim.

I didn’t keep track of the number of brookies we caught and released but there was enough to keep us both happy and that’s what it’s all about.

This little Brookie was only out of the water for about
8 seconds and was happy to get back in the water.

Where we were fishing was strictly catch and release and we were fine with that as we pretty much catch and release everything. Well I like to keep the grilse I catch.

Jamie hooked into a brookie and yelled something about supper. Anyways I had to take a picture of his prize catch and laughed for a bit. Such a funny guy.

We did hook into a couple of bigger trout, not a lot bigger but they just won’t stay on the end of our line.

A couple of times it looked like it was going to down pour on us but then it passed but man it got windy and dark. It was at that point that I took a chill so I had to hook into another trout or two to warm up.

Time flew by like we couldn’t believe and before long it was starting to get dark. It took me hours to go to sleep, even though I was beat. I just couldn’t get the day out of my mind and was very cool with that.

A nice thing about this fly fishing spot is you can fish all day, have great fun, catch lots of trout and then it’s just a 15 or 20 minute walk back to the car on the railroad tracks.

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Today was a little more windy that I care for when I am fly fishing but here in New Brunswick is seems like it’s windy every day now. Some times I just have to give up the fly fishing for the day or maybe until just before sunset when the wind tends to die down a bit. I don’t do too well fly fishing in the wind.

I also have a couple of places that are well protected by the wind and I can catch a lot of smallmouth bass on the fly rod which is always fun.

I have a little spot about an hour away that I fish for pickerel, fly fishing for pickerel is a blast, especially from my float tube. But what I was talking about was a spot to fly fish for smallies that go up to about 14″. I use light gear for them but they are so much fun and they really go for top water flies, mostly deer hair bugs I tie, because the water is usually so calm.

I have a couple of spots I can get out of the wind when fly fishing for brook trout as well. Those are few and far between so I wouldn’t even tell my best friend about these spots. They can get fished out pretty quick and take time to come back.

Fly Fishing in New Brunswick Wind

I’ve had a few experiences fly fishing in the wind and most were not good ones, maybe funny but not good.

Example: I was at Quarryville, New Brunswick fly fishing for Atlantic salmon on a windy day. We were all lined up taking turns at the salmon jumping and making a fuss along the far bank. I was a bit nervous as I didn’t usually fly fish were there were too many people as I am not the best at it. Any ways it was windy and I was trying to get my fly in the exact right spot.

While the wind was blowing I switched the rod from my right hand to my left hand as it was easier to cast in the wind. The wind died down and I quickly switched back to my right hand, just as a gust of wind blew across me and the line wrapped around my neck and put the hook right through my earlobe. It was raining just a little, just enough to make the blood run down my neck and look much worse than it was.

The hook went through my ear so fast it didn’t even hurt but every one around me thought I was bleeding to death.

I didn’t want to lose my spot in line so I  quickly cut the line, leaving the hook in my earlobe and tied on a new fly and kept right on fly fishing.

BTW: I didn’t get the salmon I was hoping for but I did get a lot of looks and laughs.

Another time I was fly fishing brookies from my canoe with a fishing buddy. He wasn’t that confident or good with the fly rod at that time and hooked me right in the neck. The fly, barb and all went through the skin on my neck and I couldn’t get it out so I cut the line and kept on fishing. My buddy couldn’t look at me for the rest of the day.

Once I returned to the car where I could use the mirror I took the hook out in about 30 seconds. My buddy was no help at all.

Even though fly fishing in New Brunswick gets a bit windy I still try. I just don’t get very good casts. Always fun.

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