Like I said in the previous post, Casey, Jamie, Ron and I were fishing French Lake New Brunswick on Sunday and had a pretty good day. We caught lots of chain pickerel and even acted a bit foolish at times, well okay, most of the time.

We started of the day with Jamie in Ron’s boat and I was in Casey’s boat.

We moved to the middle of channel to head out to our first fishing spot. Ron and Jamie took off while Casey and I trolled to our first fishing spot.

It was about a minute or two of trolling and I felt a hard strike and it was gone, then almost instantly Casey had a fish on that doubled his rod.

He landed the first pickerel of the day and it wasn’t too shabby at 23 1/2″. We know how big it was because Casey has this cool invention, called a ruler, fastened to his boat for easily measuring fish.

That last little dig was for Jamie.

I, on the other hand decided it was probably better to save my energy for later in the day, so I didn’t bother landing any fish for the first few hours.

I did pretend to fish so Casey wouldn’t think I was slacking off.

Casey landed 4 pickerel before I even got one close to the boat, but once I started I was on fire and soon caught to Casey. The last day we were out Casey had me 3 to zip before I got started too.

I caught a few pickerel that looked like they beat Casey’s 23 1/2 inch pickerel but once measure well they didn’t measure up. One particular pickerel looked like it would beat him but he looked at it and said 22″. I measured it and sure enough it was 22″.

Then came pickerel number 25 and it hit hard and didn’t come near the surface. It fought hard and stayed down, so of course I thought it was was big pickerel.

Jamie did his best to beat it to death with the net but it was a determined pickerel and a good hook set, eventually Jamie stopped smacking it with the net and I landed it.

When I measure it I started doing my happy dance as it measure out at 25 inches, a new personal best for me. I beat my previous personal best pickerel by 1/2 inch, which I caught at French Lake a couple of months earlier.

I am still trying to beat my fishing buddy Roland’s best pickerel at 26″ more than 20 years ago in Cassidy Lake near Norton. That was his very first pickerel every by the way.

Both Casey and Jamie tied at the end of the day with 22 pickerel each and I ended the day with 26 pickerel. Casey and Jamie also landed a perch or two.

You can see Casey cheering me on from the peanut gallery. Now I know why Jamie laughed and took a second picture of my 25 inch pickerel.

Oh Happy Day, A New Person Best for Jimmy

Jamie was in Ron’s boat for the better part of the day so I didn’t get to take any images of his fish. But once he was back in Casey’s boat he landed this angry pickerel.

Jamie’s First Chain Pickerel Once Ron Returned Him

I think Jamie landed another 7-10 pickerel and one perch once he was back in Casey’s boat.

It’s so much fun getting out like that. Great to have met Ron although I didn’t get much of a chance to talk as our boats headed in different directions for the day and only met up to brag about our catch.

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I wasn’t sure if the three of us were going to get out for another day of fishing together but we did. Casey emailed us to see if we were able to go pickerel fishing at French Lake again. He set the date for Sunday as Jamie, poor guy, has to work for a living.

Jamie, Jim(me) & Casey going pickerel fishing

The forecast on the Weather Channel said to expect rain and winds of 20km so I packed clothes for every condition. I even brougth my winter coat to start the day off and was glad to have it both at the start of the day and for the trip back to the launch site at the end of the day.

We knew the Chain pickerel would be rather lethargic first thing in the morning so we didn’t leave early like we usually do. No sense in fishing for 3 or 4 hours waiting for them to warm up. So we left at 7am and we were on the water at 8:30.

Ron, a friend of Casey’s, was going to meet us at French Lake and was just backing down to the water when we arrived.

Ron was alone so Jamie went with him for most of the day, until Ron had to leave. He gets up at 3am to get ready for work, so he came around and brought Jamie back to Casey’s boat around 4pm.

We had a little contest to see which boat could land the most fish. Casey and I had our butts kick as Ron really knows how to hook and land those crazy pickerel.

It was good to meet Ron and hopefully we will get together again for another fun day on the waters of New Brunswick. Maybe next year we’ll get out for some bass and pickerel in the same day.

Time to head home after a great day of fishing

It seems that day always comes to an end too soon but there is always another day. If things go well we may even get one more day out on the water before the season closes for us here in New Brunswick.

I am sure your local video store doesn’t have shelves filled with beginner fly fishing videos. You most likely won’t find customers fighting over the opportunity to be able to rent them. If we had local video store here in New Brunswick that had fly fishing videos I would fight over them though as I am pretty well hooked on fly fishing.

Fly fishing has grown in attractiveness over recent times, particularly with middle aged people and fly fishing professionals have filled the interest in educational and adventure fly fishing videos. The fly fishermen presented during these movies are not normally very well known although some are internationally known with their followers. Yes, a few ardent fly fishing enthusiasts might identify names for example Bill Marts, Mel Krieger, Dick Talleur and Billy Pate.

Instructional Fly Fishing Movies

From Bennett-Watt HD Productions you are able to view movies which will train you about drift boat fishing or lake fishing or how you can tie knots for fresh water angling and salt water fishing. Their professionals might even show you their fly casting tricks, for a price obviously. They’ll provide you with their greatest techniques and fishing tackle recommendations for combating Striped Bass.

These fly fishing videos will even teach you how to read moving water. Jack Dennis offers his well-liked training dvd series featuring movies on tying flies, casting flies, trout fishing and fly rod building. Internationally recognized Mel Krieger will be also included in angling movies.

Fly Fishing Adventure Movies

For those fly fishing fans who choose to be able to be entertained by fly fishing whilst staying at home there are a lot of exciting fly fishing movies in the market. These videos will certainly fulfill your craving for observing expert fly fisherman fight with big fish and truly large fish in beautiful environment from all over the world. If you wish to watch fresh water fly fishing in say in Canada or New Zealand or perhaps Iceland and even Norway the videos happen to be made and are awaiting you. What about Bone fishing and Tarpon angling in Belize? Yes, there are a number of videos to satisfy your desire.

What about a saltwater fly fishing adventure video created off the well-known shores in Florida? Yes, it is obtainable and can be purchased on the web plus retail outlets. If you usually wanted to go to Russia and fly fish at the famous Kola Peninsula but do not have the money or the period you are able to sit back at home and watch an expert have a scuffle with a feisty bass. For those Steel Head angling fans possibly watching Steel Head being caught in British Columbia would be enjoyable. Regardless of whether you’re considering fly fishing instructional or adventure movies or both, there is a large selection to select from.

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It was just over a week ago that Jamie and I hit Redbank, near Chipman, New Brunswick, for some more exciting pickerel fishing. I already wrote a post about our day but I took a picture of the two culverts and noticed that there was no water running through them. That was the first time I can remember no water running through them.

Looks Like Someone is Watching Us

I remember standing on the top of these culverts opening season this year and the water was less than a foot from the top. These culverts are big. I am 5′ 9″ and I can stand inside them with my arms raised and not be close to touching the top so the water was at least 8 or 10 feet higher than it is right now.

I sure was a lot easier getting to the other side with Jamie’s canoe but once the water was no longer moving through the culverts it became much tougher as we tend to keep the canoe loaded with as much stuff as we can carry. That meant we would have to almost empty the canoe to carry it across the road.

It was just on the other side of the culvert, where you can put your boat in that I caught my 23 inch pickerel the last time we were out. Worth the walk to the other side I’d say.

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Summer is just about over here in New Brunswick. It’s the last weekend before the kids head back to school. Jamie, being a teacher and VP of his school has been back for a week already. Glad we were able to get out to Chipman again.

We arrived just as the sun was coming up. It was a bit blinding but most beautiful. A great way to start our day.

September Sunrise at Chipman, New Brunswick

As we drove to Chipman there was no fog on the road but every stream and river we passed has fog floating over it. I always love watching the mist on the water. So I took a few pictures of the water before we started.

I wonder if the Pickerel could see us

Jamie pulled the car down to the water. A few minutes later we were fishing chain pickerel.

The water was so calm that my first cast into the mist covered water caused the fog to move out of the way. It looked pretty cool to see a little circle about 2 feet across with no fog.

Jamie brought his trolling motor again as it makes our day a lot easier, especially if the wind picks up. We can concentrate on fishing instead of fighting the wind all day.

Jamie came prepared for anything today

We even took a few minutes here and there throughout the day to try our hand at trolling. It’s pretty cool hooking into a big ole pickerel when your on the move. It always takes me by surprise.

I put a little bullet weight on my line so that my senko worm would stay under the surface and it got a lot of attention from the pickerel.

Jamie on the other hand decided to try a little lure he bought south of the border while the family was there getting ready for the new school year. He got a lot more attention from the perch, so Jamie is now the Perch King.

I can’t help looking goofy when fishing pickerel

I’m not sure how many pickerel I caught but I do know that Jamie caught the smallest pickerel of the day. It still didn’t beat the smallest pickerel I have the record for so he wouldn’t let me take a picture. But the pickerel above would have eaten it for dinner, I’m sure.

At the end of the day we both caught pickerel and perch. Jamie out fished me for the perch but I have to say that I royally kicked his behind for catching pickerel.

Dumbass James: Yeah, I am calling myself a dumbass.

We pulled a shore for a break from the canoe and decided to take a look at the other side of the road to see if the water there was calmer than the side we were on.

I actually walked away from the canoe and went back to grab my camera. We took our fishing rods, just to make a cast or two.

We walked up to a spot where we could both cast parallel to the bank and make a cast at the same time. Nothing. Jamie then turned and walked to a spot just behind us and I made one more cast and the water exploded.

I landed the biggest pickerel of the day. I had brought a tape measure but left it in the boat so I used my fishing rod to measure the pickerel and released it.

Then I slapped myself in the head because I completely forgot I had put my camera in my back pocket. So, Dumbass James it is.

The pickerel measure at 23 inches. I so hoped it was bigger than my current best at 24 1/2 inches. Still a great fish and he was quit a show off as he jumped and splash, just like they should.

I may not have gotten that picture but here is one Jamie snapped of one of my pickerel. It was a funny fish.

Pete the Pickerel wouldn’t sit still for the picture.

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Image by Montauk Beach via Flickr

Casting is very important in fly fishing. It is the foundation of the sport thus it should be done correctly to achieve the desired results. Below are a few things about casting that one should keep in mind when going fly fishing for the first time.

It all starts out with the grip. The proper casting grip is one which has the thumb on top with the rod. This helps the fisher apply a greater force when casting.

• Prior to casting, any slack on the line ought to be removed. This would enable for a smooth forward and backward cast.
• The line should fly towards the direction where the person points the rod during the cast.
• The size around the loop depends on how the rod tip is moved when casting.

The distance of a typical cast is generally several meters away from the caster. Long distance casts are achieved by tons of practice. The newbie may not get it right on his/her first few tries at casting. However , with the appropriate guidance from a a lot more experienced companion and a lot of time dedicated to practice, the correct way of casting can be achieved.

Ideally, 15-30 minutes spent on practising per day can help enhance the beginner’s technique. As a word of warning, practising casting can be a dangerous activity. That’s why beginners are advised to accomplish their practice away from the water and away from a great deal of people .

Fields are ideal spots to complete this as there is really a large room to accommodate errors that may prove dangerous in otherwise constricted areas.

One of the best ways for fly fishing novices and experienced fly fishermen to improve their technique is through fly fishing books. There is a gigantic selection of books available online which teach great fly fishing technique along with other skills such as those found within fly tying books.

It can be a laborious task to clean a fishing reel and ensure that you maintain it after each trip. However, most fishing reel faults can be put down to the fact that it was not cleaned properly and now has corroded parts or instead under-performs. This is an anglers most frustrating problem. Even more so if it is one of their favourite baitcasting reels that has been affected.

Preparing your fishing trip however should incorporate a full cleanse of your tackle and equipment, and the most important is probably your fishing reel. A good reel should last you for a long time due to the quality construction, however, like any mechanical device it also needs to be looked after.

There are however, a few things you can do in order to keep your reel in tip-top shape.

After you have removed the reel from the rod, you will need to take the handle off – these usually have a reverse locking system so you just need to unwind it. Next, with a damp cloth, wipe over the visible areas of the reel. When you do so, be sure that you use clean water and especially not salt water as this will corrode inside.

Next, you will need to remove the side plate. Depending on your reel, some will un-clip, unwind or perhaps even unscrew. If in doubt, check the manual. To clean the inside of the reel, remove any dirt with a swab and be sure to get out any other debris. Apply some bearing grease, or WD40 to the bearings and gears while you are inside as well to keep them fresh as this is one of the main causes of reel failure. When you have done this part, put the side plate back on.

Before reattaching the handle, give it a good wash too. Its likely to be covered in dirt, bait and a whole lot more!. Just rinsing in water should suffice, but again make sure it is clean water you are using.

As demonstrated in this article, it really doesn’t take much to keep your reel clean after you have used it and it is going to last so much longer. If you ever have a reel stop working while you are trying to retrieve a fish, perhaps its time to look into the maintenance of your reel. Fishing reels, especially some baitcasting reels, are not cheap, so look after them.