The Joy of Fly Fishing in New Brunswick

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Learn more about the Atlantic salmon from Wikipedia

The Altantic salmon are born in our rivers and streams where they start the life cycle that will bring them right back to the exact river that spawned them.

Man, in his never ending attempt to dominate the globe, has destroyed many river habitats so much so that the Atlantic salmon no longer returns to their homes leaving so many fly fishers and anglers crying as they have to drive by once productive waters.

Fortunately for the Atlantic salmon and of course the fly fishing enthusiasts all is not lost and with more awareness and many willing to make the necessary changes our salmon waters are improving and life is returning.

There are many factors that come into play which make Atlantic salmon fishing in New Brunswick such a sport. A huge factor is you and me. We can make a huge difference in our environment and that of the salmon by not polluting, leaving no garbage and cleaning up any that we see.

We call this our planet but in reality the planet is the future of our grand children. If we keep that in mind all the time we might just take better care of her.

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When I first made Moncton New Brunswick my home I was only working part time and had plenty of time to find new places to fish.

I drove all the back roads and many times found myself rather turned around but I always found my way back home again. My little treks around our great province has led me to many beautiful locations in my search for more trout fishing hot spots.

One fine day I was cruising the back roads, less than an hour from home, and found this little brook that didn’t look much different that so many other brooks and streams I have fished. The biggest difference in this brook was the fact that it wasn’t choked with trees making it hard to fish.

This little brook was wide open and the trees were more mature and not as close the water. This was the kind of place I could bring my son, as he was still a little guy at this time, and a great place for a picnic. I love these spots as it makes for a great family day with a bit of fishing included.

I had such a great day at this spot that it took me longer to walk back to my car than it took me to drive back home to Moncton.

New Brunswick is so full of great brook trout streams you could fish you whole life and never fish the same spot.

This is one of my favorite fly fishing in New Brunswick Atlantic salmon fishing spots. It’s one of those places that you don’t even need a boat, even though the river is fairly wide and deep at this point.

I think that this particular area has a place in my heart because it’s where I caught my first good size salmon and also where my brother-in-law took me when I first moved to New Brusnwick in 1974.

It’s also the same place, just to the right in this photo where I was charged with holding a salmon out of the water too long. That dumb stunt cost me a day of work, to go to court, and a $200 fine.

I didn’t agree with the charge as I continually put the salmon back in the water as we were taking pictures and held it in the water until it was strong enough to pull out of my hands.

This spot is a great place to fly fish for salmon without being crowded. A little further up where you see the river divide it can get a little congested at peak times but most fly fishers are very polite and move up the river without much prompting.

When my fly fishing buddies and I head into the Renous backroads for Atlantic Salmon trip we will usually stop here and fish for the evening before heading in and setting up camp.

We certainly are blessed with Atlantic salmon rivers, let’s take care of our waters.

This is one of my favorite spots to fly fish for Atlantic salmon and brook trout. To the right of the bridge a nice cool brook flows into the Marimichi River making for a great spot to catch the odd monster brook trout.

The last time I fished here they were just starting the new bridge and the old one vehicle steel bridge was still there. It was nice to use the new bridge without waiting for the on coming traffic, which could get pretty crowded at certain times of the year.

My wife and I stopped here on our day of fishing and I noticed that the big boulders that used to be along the river at this point, just off shore, have gone. This is going to definitely change this stretch of water.

We stayed there for a couple of hours and saw absolutely nothing moving. The water was still a little high here but in past years I have fished here this early and caught Atlantic salmon and trout.

I certainly hope this was just one of those days and that the fishing at this spot comes back. Maybe I will get back there this weekend to give it another go.

It just shows how man can mess things up when they are trying to make things better for us humans.

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If you want to make it even more exciting you need to fly fish from a float tube. Yeah, you could fish from a boat but it’s just not the same as when your elbows can touch the water.

When you make a cast into a grassy or weedy area you need to hang on because when you see a wake from a chain pickerel moving through the water you get the greatest urge to yank on your line but wait, it’s just about to get really exciting.

It’s always nice to get big pickerel but I have so much fun with the little 16-20 inch guys and my Fly rod. They just don’t seem to give up. Another part of pickerel fishing I love is that fact they will quietly follow your fly all the way back to your float tube before exploding on the fly just as you are about to draw it out of the water for another cast.

Most already know I like to fish with friends. I have had too many times fishing and having such a good time but was alone. No one to share the experience with. There is nothing much more fun that fishing side by side or back to back with all day action and laughing.

I haven’t been out fishing with my buddies yet this year but being out in the last couple of weeks without my float tube has me itching to do some chain pickerel fly fishing with Roland and Paul. It’s been way too long, five years to be exact.

I am putting my float tube together today to make sure I have no surprises when I do finally hit the water with it. So guys if you’re reading this you better have yours ready as well.

When is it time for bass fishing in New Brunswick? When the turtles are on the logs.

My wife and I went fishing last weekend. I took her to a place she had been to before about 7 or 8 years ago when our dog was just a pup. Our dog was a black lab mix and we soon found out just how much she loves the water.

I was guiding my wife to where I was going to fish, she doesn’t fish, just loves to come with me, when Shadow, our new pup, just jumped off an 8 foot ledge into the water without hesitation at all. My son and wife freaked thinking she was going to drown.

Well she didn’t drown, she loved it and we had a hard time keeping her out of the water when I was trying to fish, especially when I had a bass on the line.

We parked at the same spot I always park and saw that we were alone, excellent.

I looked around for a few minutes decided where I would start fishing this pond. I walked up one of the steep hills made up of bits of shale making it hard to walk up because it would shift under your feet.

When I got to the top I noticed 4 turtles all in a row on this log. I wanted to take a picture but I wanted my wife to see them first so I was trying to get her to climb the hill so she could see but she made too much noise and the turtles all slide into the water.

For me seeing the turtles on the logs is always a good indicator that the bass are ready for just about anything I would throw at them.

Next time I go there I will not wait for Jenny, I will just take the picture and show it to her.

I know of this great little spot for fly fishing smallmouth bass in New Brunswick on those really windy days. This spot is protected on all sides by high mounds of crushed rocks and trees from strip mining.

Many years ago, not sure how many but by the size of the trees growing on these mounds I would say it been abuot 50 years or more since the mining stopped do to hitting too many springs and flooding the entire area.

The miners just packed up and moved on leaving a huge new area of spring water and potential, so the wardens stocked these new ponds with smallmouth bass after about 10 or 20 years. The result, a lot of fun for bass fishers like me.

The bass don’t get huge here but with light gear you can have fun all day. This is a great place to bring kids if you want them to catch fish, almost guaranteed.

I brought my son here for his first exprience with a float tube and fishing bass. He doesn’t use a Fly rod but we still had a great time. Actually we always have a great time when we go fishing.

This is a great spot to fish. You don’t need a boat of a float tube as you can fish right from the banks around the ponds. It can be a little hard walking here as the shale moves under your feet a bit and the piles are pretty high but it’s all worth it when you see how much fun you can have.