The Joy of Fly Fishing in New Brunswick

Our Canada Day may have started as a chain pickerel fishing trip but half way through the day Jamie asked if I’d like to try the Saint John river at Jemseg for some smallmouth bass.

Casey and I were on the Saint John river at the Jemseg bridge a couple of weeks ago and we had a great time.

We launched at the bridge and trolled along the shoreline down to the enterance to Hart Lake for a few pickerel.

Well it didn’t take long for me to respond to Jamie. I love fishing smallmouth bass and it’s one of my favourite fish to go after.

I never get tired of the power these guys have.

Jamie Makes Sure The Canoe is Secure

Jamie and I launched at the same spot Casey and I launched his boat but instead of crossing to the other side we chose to stay on the side we launched.

Great To Have A Trolling Motor

It wasn’t very windy but it doesn’t take much wind to make the waves uncomfortable in a little canoe. There are also some big and fast boats that move up and down the river. They leave quite a dangerous wake if you’re not hitting them straight on.

We wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for the fact that Jamie has a trolling motor. It’s so great to have on those days that go from day break to dark and sure beats using the paddles all day.

Checkout the affordable Bass Pro Shops Prowler T30/30 Trolling Motor and let the fishing wear your arms out, not the paddles.

Jamie headed his trolling motor down river along the bank. We soon came to a big island the protected us from the boat traffic on the main part of the river.

I was trolling with one rod, under my foot and used the other rod to hit the shoreline structure. Love fishing that shoreline structure.

It wasn’t long before Jamie hooked into the first fish. It hit hard like a smallie but was a perch. It was still the first fish and that always feels great.

Jamie Which Is The Lure??

It always amazes me when I catch fish on lures bigger than the fish. Of course when it’s Jamie with the little fish it’s time for me to tease him a bit.

A few minutes later I thought I hooked the bottom of the river but an instant later the water behind Jamie’s head exploded, just where I couldn’t see it.

I didn’t get it landed but it sure felt good and Jamie said it just almost 3 feet out of the water just as it spit my little Rapal countdown at Jamie and took off for Fredericton.

We fished until the trolling motor battery started running dry and then headed back to the car and then on to home.

On the way back to the launch point Jamie hooked a fish. I didn’t want my line to get tangled in his so I started reeling it in quickly.

I thought I hooked the trolling motor but at that same moment the water behind Jamie, again, exploded. This time I saw the smallmouth and it was so close to the canoe Jamie got a good soaking.

I think perhaps that bass was going after Jamies catch but as I cranked my Rapala back to the canoe it saw it and smacked it instead.

What A Great Way To End A Day of Bass Fishing

I wouldn’t want to be out there on a really windy day but I would love to give this spot a try with my float tube on one of those really calm days.

Now I haven’t been a bass fishing beginner for many many years and I have learned a lot of little things over the years that help me to catch more bass, both smallmouth bass and largemouth bass.

First, just incase you’re not aware, but bass are fish and fish are cold blooded which means the colder the water gets the slower the bass’ metabolism.

This means that in the early spring the bass may be slow to respond even though they may be getting hungry early spring they are still rather lethargic and slow to respond.

Where I live in eastern Canada we see the bass starting to move a bit more during May and from there they just get faster and hungrier the more the water warms up, until about mid June when they are ready to go wild.

As the ice starts leaving and back bays and streams are warming up first the bass start moving in to prepare for the spawn.

The Bass Spawn

The bass spawn is a great time to catch some early season bass as they aggressively protect their nests. For this reason it’s also necessary to be wise and take care of any bass you may catch.

Without the protection of the male bass their eggs and off-spring are open to attact by other fish, even other bass. So be sure you return them to the nest area quickly so as not to over stress them, remember they haven’t fed much at all during the winter.

Where I Usually Find Bass

Once the spawn is over the bass will spread out throughout the system meaning you will need to find them.

Finding them isn’t all that tough most of the time as bass have habits you can learn making it easier to locate them and thus catch more bass.

Fishing Bass Off-Shore

If you are fishing off shore you should have a fish finder so you can find place bass frequent like ledges and dropoffs, especially submerged structure like trees and logs.

Just about anything can be structure for bass so look for edges. Weed edges are some of my favourite places to find big hungry bass and they can be totally under the water so if you don’t know they are there you may just be missing out a whole lot of fun bass fishing.

So be sure you have a fish finder and you can be catching fish you didn’t even know were there.

A good choice for fishfinders is Humminbird. I’ve always used Humminbird for my fish finders.

Take a look at the Humminbird 586c HD Sonar Fishfinder

Fishing Bass Close To Shore

Bass are predators and love to use as little energy as possible so they will sit in ambush close to shore but also close to a drop off or structure for hiding in.

Now don’t think the bass needs a big piece of structure because they don’t. They can use a weed and stay in the shadow of that weed to break up their body shape in the water making it harder to see them.

Bass will use a rock sticking out of the bottom of a river, lake or pond as an ambush point.

I’d have to say weeds and lily pads are my favourite bass fishing spots.

If I can position myself so that I can cast along the edge of a weed bed from the side that leads to deeper water I will do it every single time as I have hooked into my biggest bass doing just that. I also love to get the first cast as it’s usually the one that gets the biggest fish, which also ticks off my fishing buddies.

Related articles

• New Horton Lake Fishing June 23, 2011 (thejoyofflyfishing.com)
• Saint John River, Harts Lake And Some Smallmouth Bass And Pickerel Fishing (flyfishinginnewbrunswick.com)