I spent my childhood years in Ontario, back in the 1960s and was led to believe that walleye were called pickerel. It wasn’t until I was 30 and had moved to New Brunswick that I caught my first pickerel and learned they are not even the same species. What was that all about?

Pickerel also go by “federation pickerel” and in southeastern U.S. they are nicknamed “southern pike”.

Caught My First Chain Pickerel on The Fly

I feel lucky having hooked my first chain pickerel on the flyrod. Because it was a happy accident. A friend and I were actually fishing for brook trout on the fly.

Fishing A Flooded Forest on The Fly Rod

It seems like a very long time ago I had been visiting a flyfishing friend. Wayne was going to show me a little spot he wants to keep quiet about. He told me we would land some large brook trout on the fly.

When we arrived I could hardly believe that he expected me to actually use a fly fishing rod in there. The place was a stand of trees that had been flooded a couple of years before after busy beavers had blocked the flow of water and flooded a large patch of woods.

Wayne told me there were 16″ brookies living there. I didn’t call him a liar nevertheless I’d been considering it. However I became a believer soon after he landed the first 16″ brookie.

Fishing in trees was a brand new experience. I’d fished rivers and lakes for brookies using my fly rod, had even learned to deal with trees behind me but not a forest all about me.

I spent most of my time avoiding trees but did get some brookies. As usual when it comes time to leave I always have to get a few more casts. The second I lifted the fly off the surface for my final cast a pencil like 10 inch fish came flying out of the water and grabbed that dry fly.

I couldn’t imagine how intense that tiny fish was. That is the day I discovered the difference between a walleye and a pickerel.

Today I fish pickerel any chance I can. My personal best continues to grow from that first 10″ chain pickerel to 25 inches.

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I’ve caught a variety of fish in my time but have to say that I have had the most fun over the years brook trout fishing. The brook trout, also known as speckle trout, have been entertaining me for more than 40 years.  So I would say I’m quite fortunate to have so many brooks, stream and beaver ponds close to where I live in New Brunswick Canada.

Brook trout are located pretty much anywhere the water is clear, cold and running which covers almost all the waters where I live. I don’t think there are many places here in Canada we don’t have brook trout. Of course Brookies don’t stop at the U.S. border as they all have dual citizenships.

The rainbow, brown and lake trout are great fun as well but where I live it’s only at certain times and places these species are available however the brookie is available from opening day right through closing day of fishing season.

Trout Fishing Tip #1

Trout Fishing Using Live Worms

From opening day during trout season you can catch brook trout on worms day after day. It’s a food source that’s not natural to the trout but they sure love em. They like them so much it surprises me that there are any trout left.

I like to rig things easy and fast so depending on where I am fishing I will use a worm, a hook and a little sinker to keep it closer to the bottom. How simple is that.

When I take kids fishing for trout, and the water is deep enough, like when we fish the local trout ponds I bring along bobbers so that we can set them for the depth we want to fish. It helps to keep the kids from snagging the bottom so much and they don’t need to pay so much attention to the fishing.

It’s important to show kids a good time when fishing or they may not have fun and never get hooked on the sport, so take those bobbers along.

Trout Fishing Tip #2

Trout Fishing Using Artificial Baits

I like using live worms when fishing brook trout but I also keep some artificial worms for those times I didn’t get live worms or run out of them which happens a lot. One product I like is from Berkley.

Berkley Gulp Alive Maggots $ 5.99

NEW Berkley® Gulp!® Alive!™ is the next generation in Gulp!® technology. Now your favorite baits come floating in the “Magic Gravy” in a sealable jar, enabling you to recharge your baits by putting them back into the jar for the next use. The new Gulp!® Alive!™ baits absorb 20% more Gulp!® scent and attractant which, you guessed it, makes them at least 20% MORE EFFECTIVE than the 1st generation baits. They also have a 34% better swimming action than original Gulp!®. WOW! More attractant, better action, BETTER RESULTS than ever before! At Berkley®, our passion is that you CATCH MORE FISH! Get yourself some Gulp!® Alive!™ and go have some major fun! Click to Buy

I like to fish trout using artificial baits as well. On those days they seem a little shy to strike I might tip them with a worm or some other product I purchase like: Berkley Trout Bait.

Berkley Power Bait Trout Bait Twist $ 3.59

Bright, attractive colors swirled together with a sprinkling of dazzling silver fleck — resembling the scales of bait fish that trout love.

Environmentally friendly biodegradable composition. Click to Buy

Mepps and Red Devil lures are two other lures that I always keep in my tackle box. I also keep them in multiple sizes as that can make quite a difference day to day and depending on the water I fish.

Acme Wob-L-Rite $ 3.29
A time-tested favorite of fish and fishermen alike. Wob-L-Rites cast far and true, run deep, and have a darting, side-to-side action that resembles a baitfish in frantic flight. Especially effective for casting on windy days, fishing in swift water, or when you want to go deep where the big ones wait.

SIZE	DESCRIPTION	TYPE OF FISH
1/4 oz.	2-6 lb. test – medium-light spinning, spincasting & trolling	Ideal for pickerel, trout, smallmouth & largemouth bass.
1/2 oz.	8-12 lb. test – medium spinning, spincasting, baitcasting & trolling	Ideal for steelhead, salmon, trout & bass.

Click to Buy

Trout Fishing Tip #3

Trout Fishing on The Fly

I love fly fishing for trout. It’s one of my favourite methods for fishing trout, well really any fish, is using my fly rod and artificial flies. Some of these flies are so tiny that I am amazed every single time I hook into a brook trout with them. Others are bigger and some are ones I actually use for fly fishing Atlantic salmon, Smallmouth bass and Chain pickerel.

Some of the places I take my fly rod look like I’d never be able to use it so, unless it’s fly fishing water only I tend to take my spinning rod as well, for those sections of the river that are too crowded with Alders and other trees.

Brook Trout Flies I Use

I like tying my own trout flies for those days on the water and I never go with anything complicated so even if you never tied an artificial fly you would be able to put one of these together.

Most often, almost 100% of the time I use dry flies. It’s just so much fun watching them take it from the surface of the water, but every once in a while I will use a wet fly, a streamer or even a nymph to get below the surface if they aren’t taking anything from the surface.

My personal favourite dry flies for trout, wet and streamer trout flies:

Dry Flies – Hair Wing Dry Flies – size 8-18

• Gray Wulff
• White Wulff
• Irrisistible

Dry Flies – Fan Wing – size 10-20

• Adams
• Royal Coachman Fanwing
• Dark Hendrickson

Other Trout Dry Flies I Use

• Misquito size 10-20
• Brown Bivisible sizes 10-20
• Brown Hackle Peacock sizes 12-20

Wet Flies

• Black and Grizzly Weighted Wooly Worm – size 2-10
• Coachman Lead Wing Wet Fly sizes 12 -18
• March Brown English Wet Fly sizes 10-14

Streamers For Brook Trout

• Mickey Finn – size – 6-10
• White Maribou Streamer sizes 10-14
• Black Woolly Bugger – size – 6-10

Tying Trout Flies

I have never bought many flies because I like to tie my own flies for trout fishing. I have purchased specific flies so that I could see exactly how to tie them. Fly tying is a great hobby and when it comes to catching fish I get much more enjoyment knowing I tied the flies I am catching fish with.

Fish With Our Children’s Future in Mind

Brook trout fishing, whether on your spinning rod or fly rod is a great hobby but always think conservation for our children and their children. Practice CPR – Catch, Photograph and Release.

Note there is nothing wrong with eating a few trout. I love to keep a few for dinner in the early spring when the water is still ice cold here. They taste great but for the rest of the year I always release them unless I hurt them during the fight and know they won’t survive.

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When I’m fishing for smallmouth bass or chain pickerel in open water and along weed beds that drop off into deeper water I like to use crankbaits. I especially love to toss my crainbait into opening in the weeds as I am usually rewarded with a huge explosive strike in those hot spots.

I will cast to the shallows close to weeds and bring it back to the deeper water. And if the water drops off quickly I will pull it right along the edge of the weeds for really explosive strikes.

It wasn’t until I moved to New Brunswick that I experienced smallmouth bass fishing and later chain pickerel fishing. Before that it was strickly trout and salmon.

That’s when I started buying a few crank-baits, spinner-baits and plastic worms.

Fishing Crankbaits

My fishing buddy Roland and I were in my boat on Lake George just past Fredericton, it was really windy, so the top water baits weren’t doing much so I switched to one of my brand new crankbait.

Fishing A Brown Shrimp Crankbait

I remember it was brown with some darker brown stripes going down the sides. It cast a country mile and would float until I started cranking on it. Then it would dive anywhere from 3-7 feet depending on how hard I cranked it.

On my first cast the crank-bait was smacked hard and then again on my second and then it seemed like I couldn’t use it without getting strikes.

Guess how many of those I purchased?? Just one because I bought a variety of lures that day and just one of each. Roland didn’t buy one of this particular crankbait and I didn’t have one to loan him.

I kicked his bass fishing butt royally that day.

The crankbait quickly became one of my confidence baits and still is today. I went and bought another two, one for the tackle box and one I just in case Roland didn’t get a chance to buy one.

I used that crankbait until all the finish was worn off, leaving it a matte silver colour and it was still caught bass, which I found strange because I had a silver one that didn’t catch anything much at all.

Then one day I made a very long cast, probably the longest cast I ever made. It went straight across the water and into the trees on the bank somewhere. Never did find it. Guess I didn’t tie that knot as well as I thought.

That crankbait had hooked hundreds and hundreds of bass and pickerel and lasted for a few years before I lost it.

The second crankbait lasted for many years as well until one day Casey and I were bass fishing Lake Petit and on the very last cast of the day I lost it, the same way I lost the first one. The line snapped and it went so far I couldn’t find it. Bummer

A couple of years after I started bass fishing we gave chain pickerel a go and I used the same crankbait in open water along weed banks and found that they love that crankbait as much as the smallies do.

Check out the Rapala Crankbaits on FishUSA.com

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Look at Jamie’s face in the image on the left. Doesn’t he look a bit shocked to you? You will see the reason in the picture below.

I have been fishing pickerel here in New Brunswick for about 30 years now and yeah my arms are sore. Seriously though, my first experience pickerel fishing was in Cassidy Lake near Norton with my fishing buddy Roland.

His first day out and he caught a record 26″ pickerel and kicked my 24 incher out of the lead. That’s another story about an unexpected catch.

Jamie found me through my web site back in the spring 2008. He asked if I would give up any good bass fishing locations he could take his kids to. That started a relationship that has been growing ever since.

Catch of The Year 2009

It was dark when we left home and it was foggy. A very thick fog, the kind of fog that makes things look mystical. I was looking forward to stopping at the Cannan river to snap a couple of pictures. However, when we got as far as the river the fog had lifted and was completely clear.

Chipman was like a ghost town, nothing was stirring at all. We passed through Chipman and headed to our first fishing spot for the day.

We launched Jamie’s canoe from Redbank as it gave us a great starting point for hitting the coves along the Salmon river. Sure helps having a trolling motor, especially on those windy days.

We usually catch plenty of pickerel and even some perch at this spot, however on this day we paddle over to the culverts as there is usually at least one fat pickerel lying in wait.

Jamie made the first cast, only because my back was to the spot, lucky for him. The pink plastic worm Jamie had on hadn’t even hit the water when it disappeared in an explosion of water.

Jamie had hooked into a huge smallmouth bass, in a spot I have only ever caught pickerel. We were both shocked, surprised and laughing like fools. He fought it for a little bit and then landed it. He had a new record. Show off.

The first cast of the day and Jamie kicked my butt.

Jamie is so excited he wants to scream, I know it.

I’m still jealous and probably will be until I manage to catch a big bass for myself in this spot.

You will discover plenty of destinations with fantastic fishing in Canada. My special Canadian preference is for fun fishing New Brunswick. NB has a exclusive spot in my heart because that was the place I experienced the beauty of fly fishing.

BTW: For many people it really is the fly rod or nothing however for me personally while I love fly fishing , I really like making use of my baitcaster as well as spinning gear for big bass and pickerel.

Atlantic salmon Angling in New Brunswick

New Brunswick is known world-wide for salmon fishing on the fly. It is also also the main reason I made the decision to stay in New Brunswick for the previous thirty years.

Trout Fishing in New Brunswick

Brook trout fishing was initially a genuine interest for those first 5 years right after I moved to New Brunswick. I found part time work at first so I stored my rods, reels and fishing equipment in the car. I could finish work and in just fifteen minutes I could be angling for brookies. Brook Trout brooks are around every turn all over New Brunswick.

I’ve encountered times when I’ve netted my limit of brookies without moving ten feet from the spot I got in.

Of course I’ve encountered a lot of times in the exact places in which I just hooked 1 or 2.

Chain Pickerel Fishing in New Brunswick

I have to mention pickerel has become my goal for the past couple of years. Pickerel are a whole lot of fun to fish, especially while wading.

The Chain pickerel, acting so much like the Pike, are a wild, toothy and powerful fish, truly able to give you a thrill. Be sure you have a sturdy rod and heavy line or somethings gonna get broken.

Fishing Smallmouth Bass in New Brunswick

Smallmouth bass are generally explosive and will have you on your toes for that next attack. And once they do it’s game on.

The powerful bass can move at lightning speed. Then of course they will try to wrap your line in and around every obstacles so it’s most effective to use a medium to heavy action rod and some heavier braided line to hold up against all the punishment it is going to get.

Note: I carry pretty much the same baits for Bass and Pickerel, it has has helped me save a great deal of dough.

Sturgeon & Musky Fishing in New Brunswick

I have never experienced the pleasure or thrills of angling for muskie or sturgeon to this point although I will have the opportunity at some point.

The reason I have not fished these two monsters is their strength. I haven’t got the tackle or fishing gear that will withstand their assault.

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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.