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We’ve had a beautiful white winter this year, haven’t seen one of those in a long time. Not always much fun shovelling as it gets higher and higher but sure looked like a wonderland looking out my office window into our backyard. Sadly the weight of all that snow on some of our shrubs and bushes was just too much after it started raining and broke the branches off of them.

That’s going to require a lot of extra work come spring, might even have to replace them all. I would much rather be spending that money on fly fishing gear, hope my wife didn’t hear me type that.

On a happier note fishing season’s not far off and that always lifts my spirits, so today I’m bringing my fly fishing gear up from the basement for another season.

Fly Fishing For Chain Pickerel And Smallmouth Bass

Fishing buddy Casey emailed me the other day asking if I had flies for pickerel and bass, which I thought was curious because he doesn’t fly fish, well not yet. As I read on he said he wants to give it a try this year and my excitement level went through the roof.

I told Casey I had some that have been torn up pretty good but would be tying some before fishing season starts. Now I will tie enough so that Jamie, Casey and myself will have enough to tie into some wacky and wild pickerel in our favourite spots. My first pickerel ever was on a fly rod and it’s a lot of fun, especially from my float tube.

I have been fly fishing for smallmouth bass as well and they are a blast on the fly rod. A great fish to watch jumping all over the place. So you can well imagine I am already dreaming of our days on the water in 2011.

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• Tying A Few Flies For New Brunswick Chain Pickerel Action On The Fly (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

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.

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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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 always prefer to be out on the water rather than stuck in the house or at home for that matter, don’t tell my wife. However when I am stuck at home for what ever reason I still have my satellite and WFN. I also have a PVR so I can record all the fishing shows I love to watch, without the need to be home.

I used to have to surf all the channels to find what fishing shows are on but now I can just go through the guide and record any future events while I am sleeping or better yet, while I am out enjoying a day on the water fishing with friends.

A couple of the programs I like most are the fly fishing related programs, as I love to fly fish and really enjoy tying some of my own flies.

I can cast a fly pretty well but I am always ready and willing to learn new things to get a better cast.

I also like watching fly tying sections on these shows. I am a show me kinda guy. I do so much better when I see someone tie something. I end up tying flies I would have just been left scratching my head trying to figure out.

It’s also nice to be able to jump online and see what’s going on at www.wfn.tv both in the past and what’s upcoming.

The last couple of years we have fished the same spots for chain pickerel. I took fishing buddy Jamie once and he was hooked just like the first time I fished pickerel. The fishing was so good most of the time that we kept returning to the same area. We practice CPR, catch, photograph and release, so there are always lots of them and they just keep getting bigger each year.

About mid July, last year I took Jamie to a couple of spots we had not fished pickerel. A couple of little hot spots that I have had so much fun fishing over the years. I kind of expected the water to be pretty much gone, as in years before, but there was still plenty of water.

The day I took him in to my secret pickerel spots I was really hot and very windy, so the pickerel were hard to catch on top water, which of course is our favorite method of fishing pickerel.

I half expected to catch nothing and be back out of there quickly. I just wanted to show him these spots until the wind died down a bit.

My first hot spot is very open but on the very first cast they were active and we spend a few hours there having a blast. The hardest part was keeping the canoe still in that wind. One anchor just didn’t cut it and we kept blowing off course. Still had a great time though, one would control the canoe while the other fished and then we switched.

After we fished that hot spot for a few hours I wanted to show him my second hot spot. The first spot we could paddle through channels to get there but this spot was faster to get to if we carried the canoe through the bush, but it was just too hot and I wasn’t sure there was even any water left there. So we hiked in on foot.

We did bring our rods but it was so dry in the bush that we didn’t even bring our waders with us. That was a mistake on my part, I knew better.

I was surprised just how much water was still holding in there.

Jamie and I stood there for a few minutes. The wind was almost non-existent in there and the water was like glass, except for a gust that would put a little ripple on the water, but nothing like it was out in the open.

Even though there was still water there I wasn’t so sure about the pickerel. So I walked to a spot where I cast to the water, over a lot of grass, but it looked like the perfect spot. The plastic worm hit the water at the same time a good sized pickerel smashed it.

Well I was in my sneakers, sneakers that were about 10 years old and had never been in smelly sticky mud but I wasn’t about to let that pickerel get away, so I started walking towards that water, quickly sinking up to my knees in mud and weeds, but I got that toothy critter landed.

I have this terrible habit of picking fishing up with the wrong hand

Next time I will at least carry my waders in or maybe we will go to the other end and find our way back out the river so we can get in that way the next time.

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A species generally encountered in the northern fresh waters of the globe, pike is a favorite catch for many hobbyists, myself included, although here in New Brunswick we have Chain Pickerel instead of the Northern pike, but they are still a lot of fun.

The maximum length one pike can reach is 1.83 meters and its weight can go up to 35 kilograms, whereas the chain pickerel is smaller it’s still a power house when it comes to fighting.

Many people who are taking up fly fishing as a sport and hobby just have to give pike fishing on the fly a try. Before concerning themselves about what flies and accessories to use, it is good to find out about the eating habits specific to the species so you can match the hatch as they say, or give them an artificial fly that looks like what they feed on.

Usually I use artificial flies inspired from this toothy monster of the shallows’ diet which covers just about anything that moves, above, on or below the water surface.

Pike feast on shoal fish and they sometimes prey on their smaller kin. They also love insects and amphibians and would not say no to mice or moles or even ducklings if they are really hungry. You could almost just tie a feather or two on a hook and they will still pounce on it.

Flies That Attract Pike

I love using top water flies. I tie them to look like mice, frogs  or small birds. It can make casting a little tougher but once you get that strike the almosts rips the fly rod from your hands it’s all worth the effort.

Of course I catch pike and pickerel on flies that are just regular trout flies but I enjoy using the big bad flies, even if my arm is worn out by noon.

I also use my Atlantic salmon flies. They look just like minnows and pike and pickerel just can’t seem to turn down a free meal or two.

What it really comes down to, when fly fishing pike, is to have something to throw at them and then look out because you’re in for some great fun.

Brrrr, it’s chilly out there today, glad I’m in my nice warm office. A great day for a few helpful bass fishing tips.

Get familiar with the instinctive behavior of the bass because it is going to be the focal point of these tips. I have always had good luck with bass but learning just a couple of tricks can make your bass fishing all the more fun and exciting making you into a truly serious angler.

Look For Cover, They Do

Yeah, bass do like to hang out under cover. Shade lovers at heart they get protection from the sun and other pretators. Plus the bait fish are constantly popping in and out of these areas giving the bass opporunties for ambushing dinner.

I really like fishing lily pads, big rock and docks for site fishing these crazy fish. I like to fish the docks before any one is out of bed as some people don’t care for people around their docks.

Cool And Clear Water

I have only fished smallmouth bass and they seem to like the warmer water as long as it doesn’t get too hot. Maybe somewhere between 58 and 80 degrees or 14 to 28 Celcius. Once it gets beyond these temps they shut down and get a lot tougher to find and fish.

What To Throw At Them?

Smallmouth bass have a wide range of food munch on. They will eat almost anything that’s alive so if you are using live baits be sure you keep them alive. Artificials are fine though, just put a bit of action into those baits.

Bass are very territorial and will swim back to the same spot their were caught in if possible. They don’t tend to school like other fish but if you can find great cover or humps with nice drop offs you can hook into multiple bass without moving around. If they are in the open they tend to travel alone.

Make sure to utilize these great fishing tips and let me know how it goes for you.

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While fly fishing is conceived to be one of the most relaxing hobbies you’ll ever engage in, there is still a decided amount of skill requirement in order to be successful. You might have heard so much about the cast and about tying your own flies and may wonder how to really improve your fly fishing techniques in order to improve your catch broad. There are just a few simple things you can remember in order to affect your time on the water a more enjoyable experience and to just plain old catch more fish; let’s review these few simple things to remember about your fly fishing techniques.

Being gentle with your cast is important and probably the most important of all fly fishing techniques. Many anglers make the error of attempting to force their project the direction you do with regular fishing. Remember that you’re not trying to achieve too far ahead of you and certainly don’t want to sink your bait the way you do with average fishing. Your target is to just skim or flit your fly over the top of the water. You also want to remember that with fly fishing, the fly is virtually weightless and the line is heavy, so the line pulls the fly and not the different way around. If you give your line just the smallest bit of guidance you’ll see how it pulls the fly behind it and how the fly then skims the water. Practice your cast as part of your fly fishing techniques as much as you can. You can stand in the yard and just apply a line without a fly. Aim for about ten or fifteen feet in front of you and keep exercising until you can hit it perfectly.

Other ways to improve your fly fishing techniques is to get sufficient with working the line. With typical fishing you commonly have no slack in your line but with fly fishing, that slack is essential for when you pull the line up for another project. Getting used to how it feels to control the slack with your secondary hand may take some practice. As you exercise your project, practice covering that slack so that it doesn’t get tangled up in the line and so that you have enough slack overall. Both hands are going to be important when it comes to your fly fishing techniques so get used to how the line feels to you and what it takes to control it.

While you’re exercising your fly fishing techniques, remember not to get too taken up in instructions and the “proper” way to cast. If you do, you might find that you’re lost on the enjoyment of fly fishing overall. Anglers have been successful with fly fishing for hundreds of years without fancy schools or teachings, so you don’t need to worry too much about these matters. Do the best you can with your own fly fishing techniques and remember to enjoy

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For a beginner, bass fishing tips truly make a difference. First of all, it would be a good thing to know that bass are fish whose metabolism depends on the temperature of water. Their metabolism becomes higher proportionally with temperature increase. If the water where they live is cold, as it is in deeper waters, they show lethargy and a reduced appetite.

Bass Fishing

Moreover, at the beginning of every year those interested in bass fishing start to be directed towards warm waters as bass tend to leave cold deep waters for environments more favorable to spawning. Also, this migration takes place the other way round in autumn, when the bass prepare for winter in cold deep waters. Yet fishermen should not expect them to cover distances too rapidly. The cycles of moving from one place to another follow the seasons and last for several months.

Also good to know when bass fishing is that these animals live in large groups. They tend to stick together in schools, especially the ones of the same size. Therefore, should you get lucky and get a capture, be sure that there is more bass in the area to catch as long as you do not throw the dead caught fish in the water to panic the rest of the school.

Bass Fishing Reports

In addition, bass fishing areas are easy to spot. Bass prey on smaller fish, but they are not great hunters due to their slow motion features. They would rather wait patiently and lazily for a victim to come by and unexpectedly get in their way. They very often go for injured or less energetic game even though this kind of food might not be part of their regular menu. They normally eat frogs craw-fish, worms, minnows insects and so on. For an experienced fisherman, knowledge of the eating habits and the mating peculiarities is no secret.

On the other hand, these fish are prey themselves therefore, in the normal habitat, there should be rocks and alls sorts of sea vegetation to provide them a safe retreat. That is why bass fishing is usually organized in those areas that provide camouflage for both fisherman and fish.

Bass Fishing Tips

Successful bass fishing may also depend on the type of bait that is chosen by the anglers. Bait should vary according to both the season – spring, summer, autumn or winter – and the spawning cycle of this fish species. Hence, those new to bass fishing should pay attention to more experienced anglers to learn the basic steps.