The Joy of Fishing in New Brunswick

I really enjoy using top water baits when the fishing conditions are right. For me that means really calm waters so the fish can clearly see the ripples and I can see the explosion that usually follows.

Over the winter I purchased a few more bass poppers which work great but will catch a lot more than just bass. I use them to drive chain pickerel, the pike of the Maritimes.

How I Use Bass Poppers

Bass poppers are pretty simple to use but may require a little patience. I just toss the popper to the location I’m interested in and then I wait patiently for the ripples to disappear. Next I give it a little tug with my fishing rod. It only needs to move a short distance and quite often that’s all it takes to get that strike you’re looking for.

I’m not the most patient guy so I honestly think it’s just about as hard for me to wait for the ripples to disappear as it is for a pickerel or bass to ignore them.

Keeping Up With What Works

I ask my family for subscriptions to magazines I like. Fishing is just one of my hobbies and magazines are great for finding what’s working and for tips and tricks on how to use them.

We do have a PVR so I get to record every fishing show we have available. I love skipping the commercials so I do miss some things that might be useful so having bass fishing magazines come is very handy.

A Few Bass Poppers To Try

The Rebel Pop-R Bass Popper

The Rebel Pop-R lure has been around for a long time and has made many anglers much happier anglers.

The Arbogast Hula Popper

The Arbogast Hula Popper gives the bass in the area you’re fishing a big wake up call. It’s an awesome lure for fishing over fallen trees and grassy patches.

For over 60 years, this lure with its pulsating skirt has helped many anglers to reel in the big ones, even when nothing else would work for them.

The Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper

Perhaps the Cotton Cordell Pencil Popper is the lure that you need to make your next fishing trip a huge success. This lure is a little heavier than most top water lures making it easy to cast further. The weight that is on the tail of this lure helps it to produce a clicking noise as you drag it across the top of the water. That clicking noise make the fish in the area agitated leading them to ambush this bait. Once they do, you have your bass on the line.

You will find that there are a large variety of top water lures that you can choose from to make your fishing trip a success and exciting.

Related articles

• Bass Fishing Lures That Get More Action (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• My First Day of Pickerel Fishing 2012 (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• “Fishing for Memories” Pickerel Tournament For Alzheimer’s Support (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

Okay, let me start by saying it’s really only my favourite digital camera because it’s my only digital camera. Well, was my only digital camera as I just bought a new one this week, now I have to try it out to see if it’s as good as the little Casio Exilim 10MP.

I only have 14 days to test it out and still be able to return it so I’m going to be very busy over the next week to see what I can do with it so I can make the decision to keep it or return it to try another.

The FujiFilm FinePIX XP20

This digital camera is water proof, shock proof, freeze proof and even dust proof. That says a lot and so I expect a lot.

The first thing I did was to fill a tub with mud filled water and left it submerged all night and then put it in the freezer, muddy water container and all, for three days. Then I threw the bucket out of my bedroom window onto the driveway to break it loose from the icy container.

Alright I made that last paragraph up, although the claims in the paragraph above that are right on the box and in the ads I see on TV. Not sure I want to put them to the test but it should help me from destroying another digital camera. Not that I destroy a lot of camera as my first digital camera was given to my son when I bought the Casio. So really I’ve only had two.

Fortunately I was able to use the memory card I purchased for the Casio in my new FinePIX XP20. And the XP20 is 14MP (megapixels). The LCD display window is slightly bigger as well.

How Do You Break Your Camera Jim?

So glad you asked. It’s kind of funny really.

Casey and I went pickerel fishing last week, great trip, best of the year so far. Yeah it was our first day out for 2012.

Well I was telling Casey how Jamie and I take the canoe through the culverts at Redbank which got us to thinking about going through with Casey’s boat. The water was deep enough and the culvert was wide enough.

We went through without a hitch. Later when we returned we decided to go through the other culvert. I decide I wanted to take a video of us going through so I crouched in the front and kept my head low.

I was paying attention to the video and not watching the front of the boat. When it made contact with the side of the culvert I instinctively threw my arms out to the sides to even the boat up and smashed my camera against the culvert and that was that.

As they say, Shit Happens. It certainly didn’t stop us from having a great day. BTW: I was able to retrieve all the images on the camera, except for the video of us going through the culvert. I would love to seen what that looked like. Check out our digital cameras

The original plan was to go fishing on Tuesday but the weather forecast said Thursday would be a better day. I was able to get a bit more yard work done.

Didn’t sleep much Wednesday night and was up at about 4am. I get like then when I know I’m going fishing, just like  a 60 year old kid.

Casey was a few minutes early picking me up, which I love as I’m always eager to get going.

Even though the forecast was for a great day we still came prepared for any kind of weather, not that we don’t trust those weather people, but…

Leaving Moncton the sky was cloudy but the closer we got to our destination the fewer clouds we saw. By the time we reached the boat launch at Chipman the sky was clear of any clouds. And, to make it an even better day there was no wind to speak of.

Chipman Boat Launch

We launched at Chipman as they have a nice little boat launch which makes it quick and easy getting a boat in the water.

I could see it getting a little congested later in the season but this day there were no other boats launching and after a little walk around Casey’s boat, to be sure everything was as it should be we launched and headed up river.

I was thinking the water would be a little higher than it was. And the water wasn’t churned up any more than usually. The water in the Salmon river is always dark so that’s not a new thing. My expectations of a great day were getting higher every minute.

On our way up river Redbank came into view. The first thought that came to my mind was that nice smallmouth bass Jamie caught at the culverts. It would be a great way to start the day, wouldn’t it. Guess it wasn’t meant to be as we didn’t get a single strike.

Fish On: Jimmy Lands The First Pickerel

I won’t mention the location but it wasn’t long before I had the first pickerel of the day. Man it feels good getting that first fish of the year.

Casey didn’t waste any time getting the next pickerel and tied things up. Then Casey lands a second and has the lead.

Next Casey caught a third pickerel and this one was 22” long. What a show off.

Now Casey had the most fish and the biggest. Time to bring out the confidence bait.

I had to work hard but I caught up to Casey’s 4 fish and moved a head. From the point on I kept the upper hand, just enough so I wouldn’t have to walk home, again.

We had a great day out for our first day out and we couldn’t have asked for a better day. Just look at what the sky and water looked like at the end of the day.

Where Did Our Day Go?

We came prepared for pretty much any kind of weather as we know just how fast Mother Nature can change her mind during a day here in New Brunswick.

However it just got better and better as the day went on and before I knew it the day of fishing was done and we were back at the boat launch again.

Related articles

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

I have a fishing buddy who goes on the Pollett river run here in New Brunswick every year. I believe it’s a family thing and he goes with his dad and uncles. I’ve heard some funny stories and it makes me wonder how every one manages to survive the run. Maybe it has something to do with the beverages they consume along the way to keep warm.

This year’s run is the weekend of April 28, 2012. Man it comes around so fast.

Not sure what the Pollett river run is, well here are a few videos I found on Youtube that will show you what it’s all about. Enjoy

Check out some of the homemade rafts going on the Pollett River Run last year.

That was just the water run, now check out the trucks in the mud run. At the end there is even a mud bogging beer walk.

Would love to have a vehicle to get there but maybe in 2013, for now I’ll just enjoy hearing about it and watching the new videos as they come online.

My early years of fishing started in 1960 and my gear was pretty simple and my bait was worms.

As I got older I bought my first fishing rod and a Red Devil. Back then I had no problem catching all the fish I could land just using worms or my Red Devil. Those were my catfish and pike days on the river behind our farm.

In never did any bass fishing until I was in my 30s.

Since then I have enjoyed smallmouth bass fishing and have acquired a few favourite bass lures and many have become my go to lures when fishing gets tough.

Today I walk into the bass fishing section and get immediately excited as well as a bit scared as there are so many bass lures to choose from and in they come in a variety of sizes and colours, just to make it more confusing.

I was looking at bass lures a few weeks ago and over heard a guy say “Holy Shit” excuse my language but he said it, not me. The look on his face was funny because you could see he was instantly overwhelmed with the huge supply. I laughed and said, ‘Isn’t it great??’.

Staying On Budget

We have a limited budget so my wife continually reminds me not to go overboard when I head for the bass fishing section. If it was for Jenny I would probably have tackle boxes like my fishing buddies have.

I do buy a few new bass fishing lures each year. Some are to replace those I lost the previous fishing season and other to add to my little collection of confidence bass baits. I also watch eBay for any deals I can get on bass lures, usually during the winter when I have more time on my hands.

I took a few minutes with Ron, the guy I met in the bass fishing lure section, and learned that he was new to bass fishing so I pointed out a few lures I like to call my confidence baits. I think he grabbed at least one of each lure I pointed out and in every size available.

Look For Bass Lure Sales

The bass fishing experience I’ve gained over the past 30 years here in New Brunswick helps me to narrow my focus to just the lures I really want to try. I have to keep a check list of the lures I am interested in or I get shopping for bass lures and completely forget my goals, then I have to deal with my wife.

Okay, Jenny’s not that bad, I kind of make fun of her because she won’t go fishing with me.

Fishing is a costly hobby if you don’t look for sales. Well if money isn’t an issue I guess it doesn’t matter but to those of us on a budget it does. I love it when I find a sale and get double the lures for the money.

When I show up for a day of fishing I may not have a hundred bass lures at the ready, like most of my fishing buddies do but I still have fun and catch bass, pickerel and perch, so I’m a happy fisher.

Heck I have a hard time remembering the names of the few bass lures I have. What would I do if I had a hundred.

Using Ebay To Get Bass Fishing Lure Deals

I like keep my eye on eBay for great deals on bass fishing lures as people will sell of their current supplies of lures in order to get more and I like to get in on the deals when they are happening.

Just last Sunday morning I was able to get more than 30 awesome lures for under $50.00 and that was delivered right to my door. My budget for bass fishing lures is higher than that so I have money left over to buy even more this year.

My Personal Favourite Bass Lure Types

The Rat-L Trap

Rat-L Trap bass fishing lures are what I use to cover water and to bring smallmouth bass closer to the boat. The work in all kinds of water clarity, good or poor as they have a rattle inside made up of metal beads and makes a noise bass find hard to ignore.

I have been fishing this type of bass lure for many years and have some that are older than my 26 years old son and they still attract and catch bass every year.

The metallic beads inside of the rattle chamber help make a noise that a number of kinds of bass are unable to avoid.

Bill Lewis Original Saltwater Rat-L-Trap – Chrome Hot Chartreuse Red – Lures

Bass Jigs

There will be times you just can’t get the attention of a bass using other types of lures such as the Rat-L Trap. This is the time to get out a bass jig and a plastic worm or crayfish. I have had days of catching 30 and 40 bass, all with jigs, when nothing else seemed to work.

I never used jigs until one day we were fishing this huge bass pond in our area which I normally used my fly rod on. This day nothing was happening and we tried every lure we had.

My fishing buddy finally pulled out a jig and put on a little pumpkin seed coloured grub and dropped it into the water and let it sink to the bottom. It didn’t even make it to the bottom before he yelled ‘Fish On’. And then another and another.

I moved over to his location and snagged a couple of those jigs and grubs from him and tried them myself. I had just found a brand new bass lure to add to my collection. We continued to catch smallmouth bass all day long, just tossing them to the shore and dragging them across the bottom.

The jig is just a hook with a small ball on the end that usually has eyes on it. They of course come in a multitude of colours although my favourite today is still the pumpkin seed colour. The just catch bass when nothing else seems to be working.

I have a special tackle box that’s just jigs of various sizes along with grubs and other plastic baits I can use on the jigs.

Fluke Baits

Fluke baits all tend to look like bait fish so it’s important to find fluke baits that match the bait in the waters you will be fishing. We fish a variety of lakes and streams so a variety of fluke baits are required because bass can be picky when looking at something that doesn’t match what they are used to eating.

These fluke baits don’t come with hooks in them so you need to have hooks that will allow you to hook the fluke bait so that it moves through the water naturally, like the real thing as bass today aren’t all that stupid and not as easy to fool as some people think.

These baits are great for pulling through weeds as the hook can be buried in the bait and not get caught up so much on the local vegetation.

Zoom Soft Plastic Baits – Super Fluke Jr. – Rainbow Shad – Softbaits

Spinner Bait

My fishing buddy Roland and I have has some awesome days fishing smallmouth bass using spinner baits. You can cast them a country mile and they attract bass. They are pretty versatile as well.

I also love using Mepps to attract smallmouth bass. I can cast them under trees along the shores, from my float tube, and catch feisty bass all day long. I love them on those really hot days when it’s great to have the shade of those trees.

I have only touch on bass fishing lures but these will give you a start and have worked for me for a long long time. Have a great time on the water and let us know what’s been working for you.

I think it’s safe to say that winter appears to be handed things over to spring, finally. I have even been able to get out into the back yard to clean up all the garbage that blows into our yard over the winter months.

It’s a whole lot drier right now than it was last year at this time. I wasn’t able to work in the back part of the yard until at least May as the yard was under about 4 to 6 inches of water. I’ve been out there working in my sneakers.

Heading To Chubby’s To Get My Fishing License

I’m anticipating an awesome year of fishing, to make up for last year, hopefully. I’m sure you remember what a strange and wet year we had here in New Brunswick and many other places. I don’t think we saw normal water levels until about August.

Even though the water was high which made fishing a bit tougher Jamie and I still had great fun fishing from his canoe and catching smallmouth bass and chain pickerel in the Saint John river around the Jemseg area.

Some more good news is our son finally got a job offer in his field which has allowed him to move out of the house. The sad part is that he had to move to Saskatchewan for the job. Some more good news, he loves the Oxbow and his new job.

He is paying us back for the financial support we’ve given him for the past few years so I may just have a little extra money this year to help with gas for fishing trips and maybe even for a couple of tournaments.

I can’t believe I’ve fished for 51 years now and I’ve never been in a tournament.

Oh better get my butt in gear, Jenny’s just getting ready to head off to work I want to leave with her and then head to Chubby’s over on Killam Dr. to get my salmon fishing license.

I always get a salmon license, just in case we get a chance to get the fly rods out to hit places like the Cains and Quarryville, two of my favourite spots. Maybe Casey, Jamie and I will get a chance for a fly fishing trip for a few Atlantic salmon together, we’ve never done that yet.

“Fishing for Memories” was created after watching the father of a dear friend struggle through the late stages of Alzheimer’s.

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