My love of fishing began just about 50 years ago when I moved from Toronto to a foster home in the country. It was a 100 acre beef farm with a river running through the back end. I spent a lot of hours fishing for catfish. It was were I went get rid of stress.

Those memories of fishing are as fresh in my mind today as they were 50 years ago. Take a kid fishing and change a life.

I couldn’t wait to get out of that foster home and eventually moved to New Brunswick Canada where I still had blood relatives.

It was New Brunswick where I learned how to use a fly rod for the first time and spent the next 5 years finding and fly fishing every trout streams, brook and beaver pond I could find. I also spent a lot of time fly fishing for Atlantic salmon but that’s for another post.

Trout Fishing Tip #1 – Patience Wins The Day

As many years as I have been fishing I still get more excited the closer I get to a fishing spot.

I used to be the first to the water and usually the first to catch a fish but I wonder just how many bigger, wiser fish I spooked being in such a hurry.

I remember watching brother-in-law Joe, the guy who taught me to use a fly rod. He was slow and pokey but it turns out that he was more methodical about fly fishing and would always catch the bigger fish. it took me a few years to calm down enough to pay attention to him.

Joe would get all geared up, then he would creep down to the edge of the water, find a comfy rock and have a coffee while watching what was going on in and around the water.

Trout Fishing Tip #2 – Being Stealthy Wins The Day, Again

I learned a bit of patience from Joe but I learned to be a stealthy fly fishing from a college professor who was an avid fly fisher.

My professor asked me if I wanted to go fly fishing after supper as he knew I carried my fishing gear everywhere I went.

Well he took me to a spot I have fished many times and caught some nice fat 12 and 13 inch brookies. Nothing any bigger than that there, I thought.

Well I was about to find out there were much bigger brookies in that brook.

We didn’t take the same path I usually took to fish this spot. He took me up river a bit where we crossed to the other side and came back down to where I usually start fishing.

Before getting to the brook he started to crouch and almost crawled to a tree right on the river bank. From behind the tree he pointed out a little riffle of water going under an overhanging tree on the other bank.

He made one false cast to get the line out and then changed his direction and landed a small dry fly at the beginning of the riffle and let it drift under the tree. A huge splash and he had on a brook trout that could eat the trout I usually catch there.

I was blown away when he netted the first 18 inch brook trout I had ever seen.

He said to give that spot a break for a few minutes and we moved to the next spot where he did the same thing. Kinda crawled to a spot he could get a good cast with his fly, without being seen by any fish. Heck I used to just walk up and start casting.

This time he hooked into a 16 inch brookie.

The next spot it was my turn. I did all the stealth and tried to keep low in the tall grass. I had a bit of trouble making a cast in that position and my fly slapped the water. Big mistake when you’re fly fishing spooky fish like brook trout.

I did hook a 13 inch brook trout. Guess he wasn’t as smart as those bigger brookies who took off when I smacked the water.

Trout Fishing Tip #3 – Learn To Read The Water

Back to brother-in-law Joe who taught me to fly fish with a bit of patience. Well Joe also taught me about reading my surroundings. Something I have taught many people over the years.

He’d sit there sipping his coffee and reading the river for potential fish locations were we could take a fish.

Once he had them pointed out we would watch those spots. It was amazing to me when we would see a brookie take something from the surface, exactly where he showed me.

The more I observed the better I got at observing which showed in the numbers of fish I was catching on the fly. I actually got to the point where people I took fishing were impressed with my talents, talents I had to learn from others.

Related articles

• Atlantic Salmon Fishing New Brunswick (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

Thanks to Casey I was not only able to fish a number of new waters here in New Brunswick Canada in 2011 but I also got to fish later than I have ever fished here, in more than 30 years.

A Clear Bright But Chilly Morning on the Oromocto River New Brunswick

We saw a lot of fog on the water we passed on the way to Oromocto from Moncton and Hopewell Cape. The Saint John river was mostly hidden by the fog but the Oromocto didn’t have any fog, just a little mist about an inch or two above the water.

Blessed With A Great Day Weather Wise

We were fortunate to have a really nice day. It was a little nippy when we launched at 7am. I believe it was just 4 degrees but no wind, well until Casey opened up the motor and headed up river.

Sure glad I packed gloves, a toque and several layers of clothing with me so I was comfortable all day long. I was also glad I was sitting with my back to the bow of the boat when he took off as the breeze created was just a tad chilly on the face.

I think when Jamie and I were fish the Oromocto river on October 22 we took 3 roundabouts to get to the launch. Not sure how Casey got us to the same launch point with just one roundabout.

Okay Jamie what’s with the making us go around in circles so much.

The water was down even more than when Jamie and I were there last. and a few of the spots we were catching bass we actually dried up.

I Managed To Catch The First Pickerel

I have to say that I love it when I catch the first fish although it would be a nice gesture to let someone else get the first fish considering they had the boat and did all the driving. Thanks Casey.

I decided to start the day with a Red Devil as it had done me well on my last trip out. The last day out they were swallowing that thing, not just smacking at it.

Early on I turned a couple of what I thought were smallmouth bass but I’m never really sure until I see more of there body. They didn’t take, only looking I guess. Maybe I should have been retrieving a bit slower as the water temp was only 38C.

After a bit I caught the first pickerel of the day. This year the fishing was so hot and it was always a good feeling to get that first one so as not to be skunked, which we narrowly avoided with just 2 fish each for the entire day.

My first pickerel was about 20 inches but when Casey asked if I wanted a pictures I said no and released it, thinking we were going to get a whole lot more of them.

Casey wasn’t far behind. Soon after he landed his first pickerel of the day which was just a bit smaller than mine. How generous of him.

We didn’t have any further luck in the Oromocto but when we reached French lake we stopped in hooked our two biggest fish of the day. Mine was a 23 inch monster while Casey’s was just 22 inches, one inch shy of a monster.

All too soon it was time to go home so we headed back towards Oromocto and another year of fishing for myself has ended. I have lots of great memories and pictures to last the next six months while I get ready for next year. Thanks to both Casey and Jamie for getting me there.

Related articles

• Fished The Oromocto River Again October 22nd (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• First Time Fishing Oromocto, New Brunswick (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• Fishing Oromocto, New Brunswick For The First Time (flyfishinginnewbrunswick.com)
• Casey Had Better Luck Fishing The Oromocto River (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

Jamie Does His Happy Dance

Can you tell by the image on the left that Jamie was having fun. I think he’s doing his happy dance. Heck I didn’t even know he could dance.

I was doing the happy dance in my head so as not to expend too much energy. I needed it for the rest of the day.

I will have to send this image to my sister in Newfoundland as Jamie, with his tougue covered ball cap, gum rubbers, rain gear and life vest on remind me a lot of her husband.

Picked The Oromocto Over The Saint John River

Fishing the Saint John river in a little canoe can be a bit nerve racking when a boat flies by at high speed or the wind picks up a bit too much making high waves. For that reason we decided the Oromocto river would be better.

Plus the Oromocto isn’t as wide and has a nice wall of trees on both sides to help with any wind that might come up.

It was nice to see the sun but then I was blind when I looked in that direction, which was the direction I was sitting, of course. So glad I didn’t have a hang over.

My glasses don’t get very dark so I just couldn’t look in that direction, so I was kinda glad when the clouds moved in front of the sun again.

The Sun Rise Lights The Forest

I am sure you’ll agree that the sun made the trees look awesome.

Let The Action Begin

Jamie didn’t wait for me to catch the first fish like he normally does. About 20 minutes after we started he switched from a firetiger pattern lure to a 5” green senko worm, wacky rigged.

A couple of casts to the structure along the shore and he had his first fish on, a couple minutes later he landed it. Of course I did a great job with Jamie’s rubber net.

A great start to the day and I guess it was okay, after all it was Jamie’s car and canoe and trolling motor and he was the one driving.

“Now you have the first, biggest and most fish, so far”

Not long after, maybe 10 minutes, I had my first strike and landed a somewhat smaller smallmouth using a #3 Silver & White Mepps with a skirt of white feathers.

I tried to show the Mepps in the image on the left but I think I hid it more than showed it.

Compared to a lot of our fishing season this was a great start to our day.

Actually it was a perfect in my books. NOT cold, NOT windy and the fish were active, who could ask for more.

The two best lures of the day for me were the Silver & White Mepps, and the Red Devils.

Just Trolling Along, La La Laaa

Jamie came prepared to fish all day from the canoe so he brought his trolling motor along. I would rather expend my energy fishing over paddling anyways. You can see the bracket that fastens the trolling motor to the canoe, so glad he has that.

If we were paddling we would never had made it so far up the Oromocto river and I would have been worn out long before the end of the day.

Jamie picked the right time to turn around and head back to the launch point. The trolling motor battery ran for almost 12 hours but about 15 minutes before we were back we could notice we were slowing down.

Jamie grabbed the paddle and helped the trolling motor along. About the distance I can throw a stone the battery died for the day.

If Jamie didn’t bring so much food and tackle I am sure the battery would have lasted all the way back. But then again he could have left me home to save energy. I better be quiet. Ha Ha

Jamie, How Are You Able To Fit In The Canoe?

Didn’t Produce A Single Strike Trolling

The majority of our fishing was casting into the trees, literally. However we did a fair amount of trolling throughout the day but never had a single strike trolling, not even a perch.

Strange that we would catch so many fish in the structure but not a single strike trolling.

Our Biggest Bass of The Day

Jamie started the day with the biggest, the first and the most but it didn’t take me long to catch up.

My biggest fattest smallmouth bass of the day, on the left, was all of 18 inches in length.

He jumped a number of times and each time I was sure I was going to lose it.

When the jumping failed to release the smallie Jamie did his best using the net but it still remained hooked. The hook did however fall out in Jamie’s rubber net.

Jamie’s biggest bass of the day was 16 inches and fought like it was at least 19”.

I went through a section of the river where I was catching pickerel after pickerel and one fat perch. The perch was a fat little guy and the pickerel were a respectable size. I have to thank Jamie for that though as he was catching all the little guys to keep them out of my way.

The biggest of the bass for the day did not come from the trees. Instead they came from the little inlets along the river, even if the inlet only went ten feet into the bank. I love casting to to those spots as I have caught my biggest bass and pickerel on those spots.

Near Sighted Pickerel

I was just about to close the post for today but then I remembered this one pickerel.

I was reeling in the Silver Mepps I was using and had it to a point I could see it near the surface. I could see a pickerel following it so I sped up the retrieve a little which of course caused the pickerel to speed up. But it sped so fast it over took the lure and swam right over top of it with it’s back out of the water. Maybe you had to be there but I thought it was the funniest thing.

Related articles

• Casey Had Better Luck Fishing The Oromocto River (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• First Time Fishing Oromocto, New Brunswick (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• Smallmouth Bass on the Saint John River, New Brunswick (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

The Atlantic salmon is so much fun to watch jumping clear of the water. And of course fly fishing for the Atlantic salmon can be an adventure of a life time. I have been enjoying our New Brunswick rivers for about 3 decades now and I haven’t even scratched the surface of all the available salmon waters here.

This Video Shows Atlantic Salmon Jumping Up Rapids

One of the most famous Atlantic salmon rivers in New Brunswick is the Restigouche river. My wife Jenny is from Campbellton New Brunswick, right on the Restigouche river so when we would visit her parents I would usually drop Jenny off at the house and I would head up to Tide Head until it was completely dark, fishing trout and Atlantic salmon.

Atlantic Salmon Fishing The Restigouche River, New Brunswick

My first experience with salmon fishing on the Restigouche was at Tide Head New Brunswick, back 30 years ago. I was actually fishing brook trout at the brook the flows into the main river. It’s so much fun with light line and a tiny trout flies.

It was actually dark but of course I had to make just one more cast and that’s when I hooked into my first Restigouche salmon, I think. Well, like I said it was dark and I either hooked into the biggest trout I’ve ever had on the end of a line or it was a big ole Atlantic salmon. I guess by the way I’m writing this you can already tell I didn’t get to see it, but I did get to hear it clear the water a few times and smack down on the surface.

It sure sounded and felt big but we will never know but at that moment it didn’t really matter because I would have released it. I love allowing the bigger fish to return to breed more bigger fish. I was still shaking from the excitement once I returned to Jenny’s parents home for a late evening dinner of lobster.

Jenny’s dad, Arnold Jardine or Saddie as most knew him, had a big ole salmon ready for the next day’s dinner though. I miss going up to Campbellton since Dot and Saddie passed on.

Before closing here is a video from the Fishin’ Musician and TourismNB, enjoy.

Fishing season is quickly drawing to a close here in New Brunswick so Jamie and I had to get to Chipman for at least one more day of pickerel fishing, and catching, we were hoping.

I’ve had a lot of fun fishing this year and Casey has taken me to 3 or 4 new locations I am looking forward to fishing again next year but have to say it’s been the worst year for actually catching fish I have seen in my 50 years of fishing.

Chipman Weather Looks Good

Jamie checked the weather for Chipman throughout the week and said Saturday was going to be a bit rainy with a little wind which was better than Sunday’s forecast, so Saturday it was.

Jamie was at my door about 5am excited as usually. I had been outside waiting for about a half hour like a little kid waiting to go to Florida or something. Funny how fishing can turn us into crazy kids.

At Chipman And It’s Still Dark. Where’s The River??

Usually when we leave in the dark it tends to get light by the time we arrive but not this day. It was at least a half hour before it was light enough to see that the water had dropped at least a couple of feet. Getting more excited.

What a beautiful morning, I didn’t even need a coat or sweater until it started raining a bit later. Even then it didn’t rain hard and my sweater was enough to keep dry.

Even once it was light it wasn’t bright as the cloud layer was pretty thick. Looked like it was going to dump on us soon. But there was no wind and the water was like a mirror. Just the way I like it for fishing the weed edges.

No Luck At Our First Spot

There are a couple of spots I like to try first at this area but we didn’t get any attention from Mr. Pickerel. Not a good sign to start with, after the year we have had.

Then we moved to the opposite shore that runs between the cove and the river where immediately we had some action.

All of a sudden we heard a gun shot and then another and then it sounded like machine guns going off. Duck hunters just down the river from us. I told Jamie he was funny but should probably take off the duck suit.

The Fish Whisperer

We caught a couple of perch through the day that were real fighters.  Although the little guy on the left was kind a small.

It always amazes me when the lures are much bigger than the fish and yet they still hit it and yes that’s me kissing my perch before releasing him.

Fishing For Flying Pickerel

Saturday was one of those days were the pickerel were literally flying out of the water and travelling through the air before smacking down on our baits.

It reminded me of Atlantic salmon fishing when they clear the water to smack your fly.

There were plenty of boat, err canoe side explosions from pickerel waiting until the last possible second to strike the bait. I even brought a few along side Jamie just to watch him squirm when he got soaked. Sorry about that, NOT!!

We caught pickerel all day, even when it did start raining pretty hard and even when the wind eventually picked up making it a bit tougher keeping the canoe on track.

My best two pickerel for the day were 22” and 23 1/2” but had lots that were 20”. I did catch two rather small pickerel. One was so small that I would have to call it a pencil fish and the other was more like a hammer handle but still feisty.

Excuse the goofy look on my face in the picture above but that’s my ‘So Happy I Caught A Fish’ face. Also notice that red senko hanging from its face. Gotta love those worms.

Most of the day I was not fishing a red senko worm, instead I was fishing with a variety of baits but mostly a black and purple 5” senko, as it was a fairly dark day.

Jamie caught this lovely and big pickerel. I netted it and handed him the net with his big pickerel in it and the hook just falls out of it’s mouth, barely hooked.

Then just as Jamie went to grab it for a photo it did one flip and slid right back into the water. If it was bigger than mine we will never know.

You can be sure the next one he caught didn’t get away so easily.

Jamie Wasn’t Letting This One Slip Away

All in all we had the perfect day, even if it did rain a bit. However, late afternoon the wind and rain both picked up and made it quite miserable on the water. We had caught plenty of pickerel and had the best day of the year so we didn’t mind so much packing up and heading back home.

Jamie’s Been Abusing Froggies, Again

I mentioned in a previous post how Jamie bought this great looking frog and then just gave it to the first pickerel that came along.

Well he bought another froggy to replace the first but this time he thought it would be safer to maybe fasten it to the bottom of his boot.

As we were packing up the gear to head back home I looked down and though the frog was just lying on the ground but when he picked up his foot it went with him. Had to use the pliers to get it out of his boot. The frog was fine and he didn’t even bend the hooks.

I still think he should have given me the frogs for safe keeping.

It was a good thing we got off the water because as hard as it was raining and blowing when we decided to leave it just got worse and worse.

Related articles

• Jamie And I Had Our Best Day of Pickerel Fishing (flyfishinginnewbrunswick.com)
• Pickerel Fishing Salmon River From Grand Lake To Past Chipman (flyfishinginnewbrunswick.com)
• Pickerel Fishing French Lake Fun (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

Casey took me to yet another area I have driven past for 30 some years without fishing. Probably because I would never find my way back home by myself.

What a great year for fishing new locations. Thanks Casey.

Our last day of fishing took us to Colwells Wharf, Washamadoak lake and Otnabog lake, although once we were on the water I was completely lost.

The drive there was a bit wet as it rained from the time we left until we arrived and then the rain stopped leaving us with a perfect day for fishing.

Finding It Hard To Focus

Once the leaves begin changing colour in the fall, as they are doing right now, I get a little distracted from fishing. I just keep taking pictures to show Jenny when I get home. No wonder my neck hurts by the time we head back home.

We managed to catch some fish which is always nice on a day of fishing. Still not like we have in years past. I think there’s just too many places for the bass and pickerel to spread out making them a little tougher to catch.

One minute we’re fishing a channel and the next we are in the middle of a farmers field that’s been flooded with 3 feet of water.

Casey Makes It Look Easy

It didn’t take Casey long to get started. I think it was about 10 or 15 minutes from the launch and Casey had his first smallmouth bass on. Not a bad way to start the day with a fat little 13 inche smallie.

It looked like we just might have a day without the fear of getting skunked, at long last.

In the picture to the left Casey is politely asking his bass to tell all his friends we practice catch and release fishing. Then back in the water with him.

It wasn’t too long after than and Casey had another fish. This time it was a pickerel who thought he was a lot bigger than he turned out to be.

Then it was my turn but I didnt’ get a bass or a pickerel. But it was the first perch of the day. I also got the second perch of the day before catching anything else. I caught them on my little Rapala Countdown, perch pattern. Those little cannibals.

The fishing didn’t get to heavy but it was better than a few other days we were out fishing this year. The high water and dark stained colour hasn’t helped much.

We had a lot of action at Coles Island for a bit and then wind picked up and they shut down. It really was great to see the action pickup like that. I will definitely have get back to these spots Casey took me to, next year.

What beautiful pickerel water. I am sure there were thousands of pickerel in that area but the day light was running out and we had a long boat ride back to where we launched so we had to call it a day.

Huge Pickerel Opened Its Mouth Right Under My Bait

A bit earlier in the day I had an experience with a pickerel I have never had in all the years of fishing. And of course with the rod in my hands I didn’t have my camera ready.

It’s great fun bringing pickerel back to the boat and having them explode on baits. I’ve had a lot of soakings from my canoe and float tubes doing this but this pickerel was a bit different and may have happened a lot, I have just never seen it happen.

To start with the water clarity was just a few inches so I couldn’t even see my bait coming back to the boat unless it was at the top of the water.

We were in deeper water here, mabe 10 feet deep or so.

I was watching my baits pretty close so as not to pop one out of the water and smack Casey in the head.

On this one retrieve I had the lure come to just below the surface when I saw this huge mouth open up right under the bait. However at the same exact time I saw that huge mouth the pickerel saw me and was gone. Didn’t even touch the bait but it was still so cool to see.

I even tried to find an example of what I saw using Google images but couldn’t find one.

The Scenery Was Breath Taking

The deciduous trees around the shoreline were already changing colour and looked great, like I mentioned at the start so I thought I would add a couple of extra images of the scenery.

The trees around the water line were all changing to gorgeous colours yet the trees behind them, being protected, were still healthy greens.

We saw a couple of lighthouses, not sure if they are active but they looked pretty cool. The two below were directly across the lake from each other.

While Casey and I were heading toward Coles Island to a pickerel hotspot we saw a float plane and of course I wanted to get a picture.

As we got close I could see a couple of people around the plane, so I was kind of hoping it would be taking off.

Well, they weren’t taking off and had only just landed. Reminded me of a fly in fishing trip I was on a few years ago.

Another day of fun on the water ended all too soon but Casey took us out of there following the water. What a beautiful place to have a home, cottage or camp, heck even a tent would be special in this area.

I love fishing new places but I am terrible at doing it on my own because I tend to return to places I have fished before and had good luck. So it’s great that I am blessed with fishing buddies, like Casey and Jamie who like checking out new places and don’t mind taking me along.

The other day Casey had to go to Rothsay, New Brunswick to meet up with a guy interested in a boat motor Casey was selling. Casey thought it would be a great opportunity to try a new place and wondered if I was interested.

We were there early enough that we got to checkout a few places for fishing supplies where I bought a couple of new perch pattern lures. We finished shopping for the day and headed to Costco in Rothsay where Casey was to meet the buyer.

There was a lot of fog but even so we were able to see Costco perched up on the hill. We met up with the guy and even stayed and chatted with him for a while so as not to appear rude. However I am sure he knew we were going fishing as Casey had the boat and trailor on the back of his van, so the guy said he should let us get to it and we said our goodbyes adn hit the road.

We were on the water and ready to head out for a day of fishing Meenan Cove, before 11am I believe.

Casey's Ready To Go, Don't Leave Without Me!!

The fog had lifted so that it was well above our heads but was still so thick it almost made it appear like it was dusk, yet it wasn’t even noon yet. There was no one else on the water that we could see. Lots of boat but they were all secured and empty.

I was blown away by the shore line and how huge the cliffs were. I think I was spending more time taking pictures than actually fishing. I would have to say that Meenan Cove is the most beautiful place I have ever fished.

Here is a shot that reminded me of some Asian images I have seen of mountains and hills in the distance.

Meenans Cove Scenery

We didn’t catch a lot of fish even though we saw a lot on the fishfinder. They just didn’t seem interested in what we were offering them. I went with the expectations of a wild day of fishing as it usually is in the late summer, early fall. We have been to enough places this year and had good days and not so good days, in the same places.

For that reason I won’t cross this place off my list. The potential is definitely there and we saw so much great water and weed areas. Definitely have to return and give it another try.

My wife, Jenny, is not a fisher, although when we first met she gave it her best shot, she just doesn’t have the fishing gene I guess. Anyways when I got home and showed her all the pictures I took at Meenans Cove she wanted to go there, just for the scenery.

A Foggy Day of Fishing At Meenans Cove Today

Related articles

• Saint John River Bass Fishing At Jemseg (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• Casey Had Better Luck Fishing The Oromocto River (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• Pickerel Fishing Salmon River From Grand Lake To Past Chipman (flyfishinginnewbrunswick.com)