I have been watching their TV show for some time and always learn something. I especially like the time spent at the fly tying bench. I get to see how to tie the flies that are new to me and then I get to try them here in New Brunswick. I get a fair bit of fishing on TV but when I heard that Sport Fishing on the Fly had moved to WFN I contacted my satilite TV dealer and had them add WFN to my account. Now I can record more shows than ever. Thanks WFN and thanks Bell Express. The SFOTF hosts, Don Freschi and Grant Fines do an awesome job. They know what they are doing and unlike so many other fishing shows they keep fairly sane during the taping which I appreciate. I have a couple of float tubes and love taking friends fishing. It’s nice to get out fishing but I really do enjoy it so much more when the day on the water is shared. How much fun is it to yell fish on when you are all by your self? It’s also nice to have a friend who can take good pictures. My hands shake too much, ever since I was a young boy, so I really suck at picture taking. I bought a viedo camera this years and a tripod. I am hoping to finally be able to take great pictures and share them with my readers.
Sport Fishing on the Fly is one of my favorite fly fishing show to watch. I enjoy sportfishing on the fly myself and get out on the water every chance I get.
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. 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.
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.
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.
Heading Out For A Day of Fly Fishing in New Brunswick My goal for the day was to fish my butt off and her’s was to make sure I came home alive. Both our goals were met and mine were exceeded making me a very happy fly fisher. First Some Pickerel And Bass The first part of the day was spent fishing chain pickerel and bass but half way through the afternoon I started itching to fish for Atlantic salmon. Half way through the day I was already bored with fishing for pickerel and bass although it was a blast and my arms and back were feeling the burn. I wanted to move on and maybe give Atlantic Salmon a try before heading home. I also thought an hours drive would give my arm and back muscles a bit of a break as I haven’t worked this hard since my heart attack. The Caines River I suggested we take a few back roads and in less than an hour we could be at the Caines river fly fishing for Atlantic salmon. Jenny smiled a weary smile, as she was pretty exhausted just following me around and agreed. We got out my map book and started planning the route we would take to get us there. First we made a couple of peanut butter and jam sandwiches to fill our bellies while we were driving. I love peanut butter and jam, Mmmmm We have had a lot of rain over the past two months with lots of flooding but I didn’t realize just how high the water was until I got right to the river. Normally I can walk across the river but this day I had to look twice to be sure I was even at the right spot. I was actually fishing for Atlantic Salmon but as they don’t eat once they hit the rivers to spawn in New Brunswick the brook trout don’t mind jumping in and taking the flies. So, even though I didn’t catch or even see an Atlantic salmon I had a great time catching brook trout and they make such a good meal, almost better than peanut butter and jam. All in all my first day out fly fishing in New Brunswick after 5 long years stuck at home was the best and I have to thank my wife Jenny for all her support.
My wife Jenny and I headed out early Sunday morning for my first day of fly fishing in 5 years. There is no way she was going to let me head off into God knows where alone after taking so long to get my health back.
Image via WikipediaI have more than a few places I fish for trout and salmon where it becomes very limiting to get a good cast.
The trees, high grassy banks or even rock cliffs can make it tough to get the cast you need and you really don’t want to be flailing the water trying to get your fly out there.
When I am fishing these tight spots I like to practice my roll cast to avoid the things around me that like to grab my flies as much as the trout or salmon do.
Roll casting works for me and it will work for you also.
I start by taking any slack out of my line. Then, bringing my fly-line up to about 12 o’clock, maybe a bit further back, forming a loop in my line. Next, with one quick forward motion I throw the lope in my line across the water in the direction I want my fly to land.
Some of the places I fish are just too deep or too fast to wade so I have to stay on the bank making it next to impossible to use your Fly rod. Knowing how to use a roll cast will let you fish areas most fly fishers just walk past because they can’t get a cast out to the fish.
Smallmouth Bass are one of my favorite species for sport fishing on the fly in New Brunswick. I have caught them up to 4 pounds but only a couple of times. I usually max out in the two, two and a half pound area but I don’t mind because they all think their 4 pounds.
Smallies a blast whether your using a baitcaster, spinning rod or Fly rod. My personal preference has to be using my Fly rod for smallies. I do keep my spinning rod available for those days that the wind is taking the fun out of fly fishing.
I have mentioned a little hot spot for smallmouth bass that I go to when it’s too windy and it also makes a great place to learn how to fly fish as there are plenty of spots one can cast from without hooking up in a tree or a bush.
I have a little spot I go to when it just too windy elsewhere so I get to use my Fly rod here most days. I try to keep my favorite spots a bit hush hush and in the past 20 years or so I have only told two people where this spot actually is. One of those people is my son and I am sure he won’t tell any one.
The smallmouth bass in this spot only seem to grow to about 14 inches but what a day of fun you can have with light action gear.
Another reason I love this place so much is that it’s only about an hour from home and I am within about 15 minutes of trout fishing and pickerel fishing and even Atlantic salmon fishing. Can’t beat that with a stick.
These waters don’t require you to fish using a fly rod like a few other places I fish so those that are just learning can go back and forth between a spinning rod and the fly rod.
Come and go fishing with me, as long as you don’t mind wearing a blindfold while getting there. 
One of my favorite fly fishing TV programs is Sport Fishing on the Fly. I see from their website they are starting a new season which is great because I get bored with re-runs.
I read a post earlier today on the FlyFishing Fanatic’s website about using throat pumps on fish and then later in the day I was watching SFOTF and as Brian Chan, the king of Chironomid fishing, was using a throat pump on trout. It made think that perhaps I should have my own post on throat pumps.
I have seen people murder the poor fish as they cram the pump in their mouth and down their throat right into their stomach. A few tips can avoid this.
I have watched Brian Chan use a throat pump dozens of times and it’s an important skill that every fly fisher should learn to do correctly. I have learned from watching SFOTF is why and how to use a throat pump on a fish. I know how to do it correctly now thanks to Brian Chan, the king of Chironomid fishing.
Why use a throat pump in the first place?
You can scan the water and turn over rocks to see what is available to the fish at any given time but it doesn’t mean that’s what the fish are feeding on. This is where a good throat pump will come in handy but it has to be done correctly or you will cause harm or even death to the fish.
How to use a throat pump on fish.
Take a minute and think about someone sticking a throat pump down your throat. What precautions would you want them to take?
Before the main points start I feel that I should mention, because so many forget, wet your hands before you touch your fish.
1. Don’t use a throat pump if your fish is smaller than 12-14 inches or 30-35cm. Always keep the safety of the fish in mind.
2. Make sure that your pump isn’t damage and that it has no burrs that could harm the fish.
3. Put your pump in the water and so it’s wet.
4. Squeeze the pump and hold it. Then gently slide the pump into the throat, not the stomach, of your fish. Be careful not to enter the stomach.
5. Once in the throat you can slowly release the pressure on the pump bulb and then you can remove the pump with the same care you used putting the pump in.
At this point you are done with your helpful fish so give it a little kiss and a thank you and release the fish.
Having a glass container to put the contents in will allow you to see them a lot better than just putting them in your hand. For this reason I carry a little vial with a cap on it.
Now you can see what your fish has been seeing and eating.
Time to change up that fly I guess.
If you are looking for great prices on flies and don’t have the time to tie your own look at our fly fishing supply site.
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.
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.
