The Joy of Fishing in New Brunswick

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.

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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

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Well I’d say Casey is looking pretty pleased with himself after landing this huge 45”. 38 1/2 lbs striped bass on Sunday September 10, 2011. I would love to have been there with my video camera.

Congrats to Casey

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Casey and I had given the Oromocto river a try about a month ago and had no luck in the river. Nothing we happening after fishing for hours so we turned back to the main river. The summer has been a strange one as far as fishing goes.

But I received an email from Casey yesterday saying he had gone fishing with a fishing buddy, back to the Oromocto river and had a pretty good day.

Here’s his email:

—–

Fished the Oromocto river on Sunday with a buddy in his boat.

He caught 17 bass and lost 4 or 5 big ones that broke his line or got off tail walking. Several were in the 17 ” range and hardly any under 12′.

I caught 18 fish, 6 or 7 bass,  15″ was the biggest. Caught several pickeral, a few chubby chubs and a couple of perch.

Was using white spinnerbait and that yellow mepps spinner.

It was a great day compared to the week before when I got skunked.

The other 2 guys fishing with us had 40 some fish, not sure of types, but lots of big bass. They went a bit further up river than we did. All fish were caught casting to shore under trees and along weed lines.

———-

Glad Casey had a better trip than his last one. It always sucks to get skunked.

I like casting to the shoreline cover. Used to use a lot of jigs fishing the structure. I also have those days I get caught up a lot but you can get some of the biggest bass out of those spots.

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It’s most annoying when you have a fish finder that gets a bit of water in it. It doesn’t take much to fog up a display screen, not to mention other damage that could result from having water on the inside of your fish finder. I’m sure you’ve had a watch that water got into and remember how annoying it was when it fogged up.

As soon as the sun gets things warming up and hits your fish finder it will start to fog up the display screen. I was on a fly-in fishing trip to northern Quebec, out in the middle of no-where for a week when it fell in the water just as I was connecting it to the boat. Very frustrating, I grabbed it in less than a second. I don’t think it even fully submerged but it still took in some water making it almost useless for our fishing trip.

After the first two days I felt like tossing the friggin’ thing back into the water and leaving it there for the fish. Plus we were fishing lake trout and it’s not usually sight fishing. You need a fish finder for those trips.

Well that was about 20 some years ago and fish finders have come a long ways. I still check to see if a fish finder I’m checking out says it’s water proof. That’s the first thing I look for now, no more spoiled trips that cost a lot of money.

At the moment I don’t have a boat of my own but there may be one in our near future, as soon as my wife decides to retire so we can start traveling. There are a few brands I like in fish finders but today I’m looking at Garmin fish finders, water proof ones of course.

I’m looking through Amazon for a Garmin fish finder because they often have some great deals on fish finders and other fishing related things.

The Garmin Fish Finder 400C 4-Inch Waterproof Fish-finder and Dual Frequency Transducer

My first fish finder was difficult to read but still allowed me to find so many more fish and places they hang out. Before that it was more a visual thing and I spent most of my time either fishing structure off the bank or trolling until I found structure. Usually meaning I would hang up on bottom. Today fish finders have come along way and show so much more detail.

The Garmin Fishfinder 400C is both affordable and has value for your investment like the great detail you get about the environment just below your feet.

Another feature I look for when checking out fish finders is how the fish display on the screen. How deep are they and what size are they? That the detail I’m looking for when looking at fish on the display.

The detail in the structure below my boat is important too. Are they weeds, fish, rocks what the heck is it down there? No problem for the Garmin fish finder.

When we are out fishing it can be important to know the water temperature like the Garmin 400C Fish Finder does to locate feeding fish. Knowing the depth and water temp can mean the difference between catching and just fishing.

Having a good fish finder like the Garmin fish finders helps you locate those active fish.

What a huge difference having a fish finder that has a colour display over those I’ve had in the past. So much more detailed information available on the display.

When we go out fishing for the day it’s for the day and evening, usually. We start while it’s still barely light and until it’s just about dark. That’s when the fish finder turns into a backlit display showing you what’s under your boat.

Getting back home is important to us as we love our families and fishing so we want to return home safe and ready for another day on the water.

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