Sport Fishing on the Fly – Chain Pickerel in New Brunswick

Saturday, August 30th, 2008 at 8:25 am

Image via Wikipedia Not too many things are more exciting than fly fishing for chain pickerel in New Brunswick. Chain pickerel are very similar to pike and very aggressive. I don’t even like cleaning my hands in the water after releasing them as they have even returned to take the fly immediately after release or perhaps a finger or two.

Sport fishing on the fly is definitely in my blood but normally I would be fishing trout, salmon or bass on the fly so the first time I used my fly rod on those toothy critters I had a most exillerating experience and returned for more time after time.

I am sure I could tie on a banana peel and they would take it, they are so aggressive. I have tried so many flies and they all seem to work great but if you want to get your arms pulled off all day long just make sure your fly has a red butt. The chain pickerel can’t resist red. I am pretty sure to them it’s a sign of a wounded meal.

I fish from my float tube most of the time and when you are flyfishing for pickerel it makes it even more exciting as the pickerel, just like pike, love to follow a fly or bait all the way back to the boat, or in my case the float tube and then, just as you are about to take the fly or bait out of the water they strike covering you will water and scaring the crap out of you. It’s so great. You just have to give it a try.

I found that if I used Spider wire or any good braided line you don’t really need a metal leader for these aggressive and razor sharp toothy monsters of the shallows. I have been fly fishing for pickerel for a lot of years and since I started using a braided line as my leader I have never had a pickerel cut my line and escape.