The Joy of Fly Fishing in New Brunswick

After my heart attack I started walking. I was only able to walk 3 minutes the first time and was really scared to death to leave the house but I did it.

The next day I walked a few more minutes and kept doing that until I was up to 30 minutes a day. It took me a bit longer but I eventually reached 40 minutes and at that time I requested a stress test as it was the only way I was ever going to get the okay to go fishing again.

Well we lined up the stress test and when I arrived I noticed the wall where the treadmill was was a huge scene of a river that I am sure I saw a salmon or two jump while I was being tested.

Even though the scene was inspiring and I was willing to go until I dropped the heart specialist stopped the test mid-way. I just was ready to push the limits.

That was another year of no fishing for Jimmy. Bummer, to day the least.

I continued walking and change the area I walked to one that was more hilly. Wow, what a workout.

The next time I went for my stress test I passed with flying colors but by then we were broke because I could no longer work so I still didn’t get fishing that year. Another bummer but if we can’t afford to do other things as a family I don’t feel right about going fishing. So I stayed home, all summer and fall.

Now it’s four years later and I have make a living on the internet now and I am ready to go fishing, but…

… today I went for my first walk since the snow and ice started. I can’t go outside if the weather is too far below zero. My muscles lock up and I just can’t function.

Well long story short, my legs need more walking. I’m exhausted but I feel great. A week or two of walking again and I will be ready for a day on the water with my wife’s blessing as well and my doctors.

Over the past thirty years of fly fishing in New Brunswick I have found may great hot spots for Brook Trout. I like to think these are my very own little secret hot spots. I even have a few that my closest fishing buddies aren’t aware of.

Excuse the poor quality of my photo I shake a lot. I do have a new digital camera this years so I hope to take better and less shakey pictures.

New Brunswick has a large number of Beaver ponds that make for great trout habitat. They are not always easy to get to, which is great for those willing to fight through a few bushes for a great day on the water. The spot in the picture however isn’t one of those hard to get to spot. It’s visible from the road and has an easy path right to the water. You can even drive down to the water to launch a canoe.

I had driven by this spot hundreds of times but this one particular day it was almost windy enough to push my car off the road so I was heading to a more protected spot to fish. As I was driving by I of couse glance through the trees to look at the water but something else caught my eye this day. I thought I saw water further back in the trees.

Well I hit the brakes, backed up and waited for another gust of wind and sure enough I did see water. I got a little excited but I have been fooled before after a good rain fall only to find a big water hole.

It was not easy to get through the trees. They are thick and the branches go almost to the ground making it tough to get through, but I didn’t mind as most people tend to be lazy and wouldn’t struggle to get to a fishing spot.

The little trek through the bush wasn’t a disappointment and it was worth every scratch across my face. It was another Beaver pond and it was only a couple of minutes further through the bush and yet in all the years I have fished this spot I never knew the other pond was here. Cool.

Later I found that if I followed the brook from the first pond for a few yards I could get to the new pond easier and I could come back the same way.

Even though this beaver pond was a bit smaller that the first pond it was all mine. I walked around the pond and never saw another human track which made me really excited.

I wonder how many other great fishing spots are just out of view?

Like I said at the start I have been fishing in New Brunswick for more than thirty years and I find at least one new spot to fish ever year.

Image from Wikipedia

Twenty years ago I literally lived a stones through from this fishing spot. It was right in our backyard, our property went 32 feet right out into the lake.

Other than on a fishing trip in northern Quebec I haven’t fished for northern pike for more than 30 years now. I really only miss fishing in Ontario when I think of the great pike and muskie.

We don’t have the pike here but we do have the chain pickerel. They may not grow to the 48 inch toothy monsters that we grew in Ontario but I still find a 26 inch pickerel quite the experience.

My favorite fishing buddy Roland still has the record for the largest pickerel we have caught, at 26 inches. 24 inches is my record but he is going down this year. He just doesn’t know it yet.

Our first pickerel spots are about an hour’s drive giving us time to recall the great experiences we have had fishing pickerel but as we draw ever closer there is always a silence. I know that I am planning how I will kick my buddies butt and I am sure they are thinking the same thing.

Fishing in New Brunswick is awesome and the pickerel is just one of the species we fish from the float tube.

Image from Wikipedia

So you have decided that you want to learn to fish. There are several ways of learning, the hardest being trial and error. It would be best to find an instructor for one-on-one lessons. A couple of my fishing buddies never fished until they met me and now they are every bit as hooked on fishing as I am.

Learning the things that will make your fishing experience one you want to remember is key.

1. Buy Sea-Sickness Medication. I have had motion sickness my entire life but I don’t let that hold me back. My advice is to buy sea-sickness medication. If you don’t need it who cares, but if you do and you don’t have it, well trust me it’s no fun.

NOTE: When I take sea sickness meds they knock me out cold, so I take one before going to bed, another when I wake up so my body gets adjusted to them and then I take another before hopping on the boat.

2. Buy a Reference Book. A lot of good books are available at your bookstores and online. The book should give you instructions as well as terms and definitions. Some things you may not immediately understand but you should know anyway. Learn how to tie different kinds of knots. This knowledge will be invaluable for other purposes throughout your life.

3. Give Group Fishing on a Boat A Try. There are party boats that carry from fifteen to as many as sixty anglers. The boat provides everything like bait, rod, reel, sinkers and hooks. They assist you in fishing and take the fish off the hook for you. Mates will spot you and will generally stay close to assist you. Party boats generally will cost you $25 - $70 a day, and the fish are yours to keep. The party boat is a bargain for beginners.

My brother Bob and I did this in Florida a couple of times and it was huge fun. We both have fished our entire lives but I would say that 80% of the people there had never fished and they were all like kids in a candy store. Give it a try.

4. Pick Your Pier. Assuming you have already acquired skills to operate a rod and reel, you need to look for a fishing pier. Majority of coastal cities have one public pier or pay-to-fish pier. You can rent tackle and buy bait at the piers. If you’re having trouble, there are many pier anglers willing to help and give you tips.

We are fortunate enough to have a pier within 5 minutes of home. A great place to try out your new tackle.

5. The Reel Deal. The conventional reel is probably what you’re using up to this point. The conventional reel is designed for a lot of wear and tear. You may now want to consider other types and makes of reels. Ideally you have met people and perhaps made a friend or two who can assist you in selecting a reel. You can even ask a tackle shop owner for tips.

You need to understand the mechanics of the reel and the other equipment. Learning to cast, tie knots and bait are not that complicated. Secondly, you need to learn where to fish. Successful fishermen know where the fish are located. Fish move from place to place and knowledgeable anglers understand these patterns and are able to anticipate where the fish are located.

Looking for a few great deals on fishing supplies and gear?

Image from Wikipedia

Well okay I can’t go fishing just yet. I do have to wait for our fishing season to open, just 13 days to go.

I have been so excited to be able to go fishing again after not being allowed because of heart problems since (Friday 13th) February 2004 that I forget what a mess my fishing gear has been in since then.

I do have to go to see my good friend the doctor today but it’s only to a normal visit. I haven’t had a normal visit to the doctor in quite a while.

Since my heart attack we have purchased our dream home and all my fishing gear has been piled in one corner of the basement since we moved in. I didn’t have the energy or desire to go through it all as it only reminded of the fact that I might never fish again.

After I return from seeing the doctor I will drag it all up stairs and sort it, clean and make it all ready to grab on the 15th of April.Some how I don’t think I will be sleeping much between now and the 15th.

Image from Wikipedia

All April Fools does for me now is bring back memories of how much I miss my big brother, Bob. Even though it’s been 9 years it still brings a tear to my eye and a lump in my throat.

We had a strange childhood as we four brothers were left on the side walk to be picked up by the children’s Aid in Toronto Canada while our parents drove off. Well four boys, aged 3-8 are hard to place in one home so we were split up and our lives were never the same.

Even though we were separated we did get to see each other once a year, usually in the summer.

Bob and I had a special bond even before we were separated and it only got stronger the more we were apart. When we finally became adults and were on our own we chose to live together and started catching up on the life we had missed.

I am a bit of fishing fanatic even though I my heart issues doesn’t allow me to get out as much as I would like and Bob was a golf fanatic. Bob told me on numerous occasions that he would live in a box on Yonge Street Toronto as long as he could keep is golf memberships.

He also said that when his time was up he would like to die on the golf course where he always found comfort and that’s exactly what he did.

April 01, 1999, 7th hole Robert Mann died of a massive coronary.

When I got the phone call I was floored and then I realized it was April 1st and then I got really angry that anyone would play such a sick joke, even if it was April Fools. Wish it was a joke, I think I might have gotten over it by now.

Bob you are missed