It seems like something goes off in those little fish brains that makes them all the meaner and I like to be there when it happens as it almost always makes for a wild day of fishing.

When Jamie called Monday evening to see if Tuesday was a good day for me to go fishing I never bothered to check my schedule or I would have seen it was a full moon. I just said what time are you picking me up.

It wasn`t until I was back home with worn our arms and exhausted that I realized it was a full moon and that explained the great day we had.

I have had days like we had Tuesday a number of times before and they are the best memories.

Jamie on the other hand had never experienced a day like we were about to have. And I am sure he will never forget it. Heck we weren’t even packed up to go home yet and he was ready to go again.

It was one of those days that you didn`t even want to take time to stop to eat, drink or even to take a leak.

I ate between casts while my line was in the air and pretty much forgot all about drinking my water, which I paid for the next day as I let myself get a bit dehydrated.

We spent the entire 12 hours in the canoe without one break so when it came time to get out that evening it was a funny site.

Someone should have been there with a video camera when we tried to get out of the canoe. Our knee joints we all but fused by then and it took about 5 minutes to get up and out. It was one of those pains that make you laugh.

I managed to crawl out first as I was the closest to the bank so I got to watch what Jamie had just watched and it was truly funny to watch Jamie trying to get up on his feet. Next time I will think to get out my camera.

Okay, Back to our Day of Pickerel Fishing

We got there early but just like the last few weeks the wind was up earlier than we were which can make fishing the weeds for pickerel a lot tougher.

If I am fishing pickerel in deeper water they don`t seem to be affected by the wind but when we fish the weeds the slightest breeze can shut them down instantly.

Instead of staying there in the wind we usually move to a nice spot I know that is protected from the wind and we fish smallmouth bass there. But this day I suggested we move to a different spot but keep fishing pickerel.

I picked a spot that was out of the wind, usually. When we got there it was still windy, just not as windy.

The spot I suggested was an area that I had fished years ago from my float tube. The fishing we good then but the journey was too long and hard to bother trying again from float tubes.

We were in Jamies canoe so I thought we should give it a try as we would get there in a fraction of the time it took with my float tube.

We fished for a while and had a little action but the wind was still causing enough ripples on the water that the pickerel were keeping pretty quiet.

Then we moved to a more protected spot where the wind was on the opposite side of the trees. The water was like glass and that’s when the pickerel went nuts.

Let The Fun Begin

Once we hit that hot spot I think I spent the rest of the day with a googy look of happiness on my face. Kind like the picture on the right here.

Before we made it to this awesome spot we were getting a few here and there but nothing like we were about to experience.

Jamie knew I was right about the wind and the weeds and how the pickerel would shut down when ever the breeze picked up but he had no idea what we had been missing until we came around a point that was protected from the wind.

Hours And Hours of None Stop Pickerel Action

I was bringing the canoe to the spot where we could see calm water.

The very first cast was made by Jamie and the water exploded as a big ole pickerel grabbed the big pink worm Jamie was using and headed out of the province.

Jamie had struck gold as you can see on the left.

Notice the nice glove Jamie is wearing. A fine gardening glove with rubber palms so holding the pickerel is much safer. He learned from my mistake a couple of weeks before when my fingers slipped into the gill plate.

I was cut up pretty bad but was very fortunate that they weren’t deep enough to stop us from fishing that day. It was just shear luck that I didn’t have to go and get stitches.

Maybe I need to get a glove myself as they tend to be a pretty slippery fish and a fish that doesn’t sit quietly while you remove the hook.

We went from seeing a bit of action in the wind to getting action on almost every cast once we were out of the wind. The fishing went like that for the rest of the day.

We practiced CPR all day long. We would Catch a pickerel, take a Photo and then Release it back so you can come and catch it another day.

Time To Move The Canoe

We stopped as soon as we were out of the wind where the water got calm. Then we caught about 5 or so pickerel. The we picked up anchor and moved all of maybe 20 feet and started again.

The fishing went like that for the rest of the day. And that’s not counting all the chased and the ones that got awayl.

The only thing that stopped us from lasting until dark was me. I caught fish until I could not lift my arm any more. The last fish I caught I had to get Jamie to help me I just could not hold my arm up any more.

I tried to help paddle us back to the car but my arms just couldn’t keep us going straight once we were back out in the wind. But we made it to the car eventually.

We were packing up and getting ready to put the canoe on the car when Jamie said he was ready. I didn’t clue in at first but then he said he was ready to do it all over again.

I am not sure how many fish we caught and released. I like to keep a rough count but not this time we just couldn’t keep up.

All the way home we couldn’t stop talking about the day and what a great time we had. I know both of us were thinking about how soon we could get back there.

We had a few that were the biggest Jamie had caught but I had forgotten my tape measure. The funny thing is that when I got home and was telling my son and wife how great our day was Stephen picked up my scale and asked me what it was. He thought it was a clock or something and then he noticed it had a tape measure built right in.

I have had that scale in my tackle bag for years and never knew it had a built in measuring tape.

As exhausted as I was it still took me hours to get to sleep. I just kept going over the day in my mind. Then I when I did finally get to sleep I am sure I dreamed of another great day on the water.

I guess that’s where the saying ‘How Time Flies When You’re Having Fun ‘ comes from.

Put The Gardening Tools Down

Tuesday would have been another day in the yard making it our own but Jamie called Monday night and asked if I was up for going fishing. I laugh when people ask me that as a question.

It would have to be something I couldn`t get out of one way or another to keep me from going fishing. Ha

We hit the road at 6am aiming for one of our favorite pickerel fishing hot spots with Jamie at the wheel. I was talking his ear off as usual about everything and anything to do with fishing.

I can be just like a little kid at Christmas when I get out fishing.

When Was The Last Time You Were Trout Fishing

The subject came around to the last time each of us fished for trout and that is when I had to stop and think. My heart health had kept me off thye water for 4 years and I hadn`t trout fished for a few years before that. The best I could come up with was about 8 years with no trout fishing.

I think there may have been a few moments of silence while I was silently telling myself for putting other things ahead of trout fishing.

That is just sad and can`t keep happening.

I don`t think my health is back enough for me to walk a river all day with a Fly rod yet but I do have two float tubes that are just itching to get wet. I think I still know of a few ponds and lakes that I have had great fun brook trout fishing.

I can`t keep my arms up for long but I will still bring my Fly rod. How else will I build strength in my arms and shoulders.

I can always switch back and forth as I use my left arm to spin cast and I use my right arm to fly cast. I`ll do just fine.

Sure there are plenty of different options when it comes to fishing. You can go to various locations, fish for various different fish, and there are lots of other variations as well that are available to you. Fishing is one of the best, most widely loved sports in the world, and one that you should definitely try out.

You should especially try out striped bass fishing, which is different from all other types of fishing today. There is a certain thrill that you will get from striped bass fishing that you are not going to get from any other type of fishing that you try.

How To Get Started For Striped Bass Fishing

Now that you know the many reasons why you want to try striped bass fishing, you are going to have to get ready so that you are set to go because you surely want to get out there as soon as you possibly can. So now you want to get all the gear that you are going to need for the trip. Start off with just the basics if you are only a beginner, just what you need to get by.

There are a few reasons as to why you are not going to want to go all out and spend a fortune on your striped bass fishing gear all at once if you are just getting into this sport. Mainly it is because you don’t even know whether you are going to enjoy fly fishing for striped bass and so what would be the point of buying a bunch of gear when you haven’t even tried the sport before?

Instead, what you are going to want to do is wait until you have tried out striped bass fishing for yourself and then be able to decide whether or not it is going to be worth you spending more money on equipment.

Once you have all the gear that you need, you are going to need to decide on a location. This is important because only if you choose the right location are you going to be able to catch fish.

It certainly does not have to be hard to get ready and get out there on the water fishing, but it is a step that you are going to have to take in your life. If you want to experience fishing and never have before, there is no one it is up to you but you.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Striped Bass Fishing Rig: Which is the Best? (webmanmarketing.com)
• Best Places to Shop for Striped Bass Fishing Tackle (webmanmarketing.com)
• Fly Fishing Pickerel In The Weeds (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

Fly Fishing Pickerel In The Weeds

My favorite place to fly fishing for pickerel is the weeds.I like to look for openings in the weed and then I like to cast my fly right into the opening. The anticipation keeps me tense most of the day. So much for fishing being relaxing.

The weeds however present a great opportunity for getting snagged up so I like to use flies that are somewhat weedless. I use a loop of heavy weight mono. I can add it while tying the fly or even after if I am careful. I use it to make a little weed guard so the fly doesn’t get caught up so much on the weeds.

Nothing ruins a great fly cast like landing and hooking a weed immediately but a weed guard helps.

Spring Pickerel Fun

When I do get the chance to fish pickerel in the early spring I like to use streamers and if I have a choice I like to use red and white. It just seems to drive them over the edge. I use the same streamers I use when spring fishing Atlantic salmon.

When a pickerel goes for one of these streamers you know they were interested. But some times they wait until they get right to the boat before they explode and soak you. Too cool.

When they follow the fly to the boat without taking and I know they followed I will use the figure eight just like I would for big northern pike.

Summer And Early Fall Pickerel

Once the weeds are growing in the places I like to fish for pickerel the fun really starts. I like to use my float tube and paddle along the weeds.

I can hardly contain my excitement when I cast a fly right on the edge of the weeds and see a big V coming from different directions. I sometimes find it hard to wait until the pickerel actually gets to the fly and sometimes I yank it right out of their grasp before they can close that big mouth.

I like to tie leeches but I still like to include a bit of red when tying them. When I take the time to make them weedless they perform much better and I tend to get a lot less stressed when the weeds are really think, like they get late summer.

Do Remember That First Aid Kit

The last time I was fishing pickerel, just a couple of weeks ago one tried to eat my hand but only got as far as the first knuckles. Glad it wasn’t a huge pickerel or my day would have been done.

There was blood and it was mine. Before I got the blood wiped off I was wondering if my day of fishing was over in the first 5 minutes of fishing. I survived but a bandaid or three would have been very helpful.

I now have bandaids in my fishing vest at all times.

My fishing buddy Casey, from Hopewell Cape gave me a call yesterday afternoon to see if I wanted to go fishing that evening. I always laugh before answering a question like that because, well, why wouldn’t I want to go fishing.

Casey said he would here to pick me up at 5:30 pm. I said great, hung up the phone and was packed and ready to go in about 15 minutes and that included making a couple of peanut butter and jam sandwiches, my favorite.

I don’t mind fishing bass in the wind. Most of the places I fish for bass are stoney or gravel bottom. The wind seems to turn them on.

Lake Petit on the other hand has a silt bottom and when we got there the waves were high and the water was like chocolate milk, but did we turn around and go home, not a chance.

Heck a day on the water, even if once in a while we get skunked is better than sitting at home wishing we were fishing.

We head up river toward Salibury where there is less silt built up and managed to find a few spots where the wind couldn’t get at us so much but the water was still pretty stirred up.

I watched our lures and noticed the visiblity was almost nil. I had to have my lure right on the surface before I could even see it.

The reason we decided to leave without fishing is because there was no place to get in the river without crossing private property and I won’t do that without permission, so we left.

When we backed out to the road we could see a car slowing down with their blinker on, so we waited for him to see where he parked.

He owned the first cottage so we stopped and asked for permission to continue down the lane and get in the river.

The old guy, about 80 I am sure was impressed that we were going to leave without fishing. He said most people wouldn’t have even thought of asking.

He gave us permission to not only get in the river from there he also gave us permission to park on his property so no one else would think we were crossing their property.

So, we thanked him and headed down to the river with our float tubes.

It took us about 15 or 20 mintues to get to where we would start fishing but later found that when the water was a bit lower we could walk there in less than 5 minutes.

I took my Fly rod with me, along with my spinning gear of course. It’s always a great experience going after Chain pickerel with an artifical fly.

I caught 6 or 8 nice pickerel and a whole lot of little hammer handle sized ones. They all were fun of course.

I came back alone about a week later and headed back to the same spot but this time I was going to follow the water as far back as I could and what a trip that turned into.

The water was still a little high compared to later in the season so I was able to go a long ways back in and probably had my best day of pickerel fishing I have ever had.

I came back a little more than a week later and the water was low enough I couldn’t get back very far at all. I guess it’s a very short time that their is water in those places, but the pickerel know it’s there and hang out all spring.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Memories of My First Trip To Fish Pickerel in New Brunswick (thejoyofflyfishing.com)

It was just after 9 and I was down to just 4 zucchinis left to plant before taking a break. That was when Jenny came out with the phone. It was Jamie asking if I was up for going fishing. Ha, am I up for going fishing, that’s funny.

Jamie said he would be there to pick me up shortly so I planted the last four zuchinni plants in record time, sure hope they survive, and then I was in the house to get ready to go fishing.

On the road to Chipman

I ask Jamie to stop at a bridge on highway 10, just before Chipman. I wanted to show him where I had my first pickerel and float tube fishing experience. It sure looks different without all the weeds choking it.

Even though it looks totally different that the day I first tried my float tube I still took a few pictures of the area. Just imagine it full of weeds with only a few pockets of open water. The put the temperature at about 30 degrees. Now you know what that day was like.

There were four of use with float tubes that day. Roland, Paul, Kerry and myself. The three of them were already familiar with their float tubes and were on the water in just minutes, while I was still trying to figure out how much air to put in the thing.

Now let me clear up a little point. They took off across the water without me but I deserved it. Why? Well I tend to be the first one to the water and almost always the first to catch a fish, so the boys tend to get a little pissed at me now and then.

So this was their opportunity to leave me in their dust and I mean dust. It was a really hot day and as they went through the huge weed patch they caused a small dust storm from all the dust on the weeds.

I finally got my float tube filled, I thought, and headed out. I should mention that back then I was also 60 pounds heavier than I am now.

I was doing fine until I hit that weed patch and then I came to a hault. It took all the strength I had to kick my way through those weeds, but they looked like it was a breeze.

Later I found out that I had not inflated my float tube enough. I had put in so much air that I though the thing would explode but it still wasn’t enough.

I got a major work out that day and the sad part was that we didn’t get as much as a strike there. Didn’t see a fish.

We headed back to our cars but I took a different route to avoid those weeds again.

It worked out good for me because I could fit my float tube in the hatch back on my car and when we arrived at Red Bank it only took me a few more minutes to float tube inflated properly.

Once I had it inflated correctly it cruised across the water and I was hooked on float tube fishing.

On another trip Kerry and I tried the other side of the bridge but again we had no luck at all. Perfect looking water for pickerel and nothing.

We went quite a ways into the background of the image above. Remember there was a lot of weeds, ideal for both bass and pickerel but we didn’t get as much as a strike. We did get one follow but that was it.

Again we packed up and headed to Red Bank where we had great fun as usual. Later in that day we packed up again and moved to another nice little spot for pickerel.

I am not sure if I would use the internet to find a date but a new fishing buddy, oh yeah.

Yesterday a new friend, Casey, who I first met online at the New Brunswick Sportfishing Association Forum took me fishing in Lake Petit.

I had lived on Lake Petit when my son was an infant but never fished there. I always took my boat about an hour to two away to fish. I find that kind of funny but at the time I didn’t realize there were fish in there.

Casey lives in Hopewell Cape about a half hour or so from where I live in here in Moncton.

I first met Casey on the Forum but after a day or two my username was changed from FlyFisherMann to J_Mann by the admin. I guess I didn’t read the rules for usernames. I lost the email telling me what the new username was so it was a while before I returned there.

I never got to know Casey but it’s a small world.

I have this blog and love to share my little fishing trips.

One day I was blogging about a little spot I took my son a few times. The bass weren’t big here but very plentiful, a great place to take kids in the summer.

Well this guy with twin daughters contacted me asking if I would mind telling him where the spot was so he could take his daughters. Well I didn’t mind, they had a great day and now I have a new fishing buddy, Jamie.

Jamie was telling be about a guy named Casey but I didn’t know enough about Casey to be sure it was the same guy, but it was. So, as I said, it’s a small world, isn’t it?

Jamie gave Casey my email address, we sent a couple of emails back and forth which ended in us going fishing in Lake Petti yesterday.

It was a perfect day for fishing too. It wasn’t cold. It wasn’t hot. It was cloudy and there was no wind going on. A perfect day or what?

Well as perfect as the conditions were I think the water may have still been a little cold as our nights seem to go down to almost zero every night this month.

We fished, talked and laughed all day. Well until about 3 anyways. That’s about the time the heavens opened up on us so we called it a day and headed back to the boat launch, a half hour away. I am so glad it wasn’t cold as the rain ran down my back and into my butt crack.

I had a great day and even though we didn’t catch anything I enjoyed my self a whole lot more than I would have doing yard work. And I made a new friend. That’s a great day in my books.

It will be cool the day that the three of us get out for a day of fishing. Three internet fishing buddies.

I am a polite guy and treat people the way I like to be treated. It allows me to sleep better at night and I very seldom piss people off. But not all people are like this, even on the water.

I like to bass fish on Lake George and I usually do from my trusty float tube. So I keep fairly close to shore, just incase something happens to my float tube. I had one spring a leak once and even though I made it to shore with lots of time to spare I was pretty nervous, so I don’t go too far out.

I have a places that are hot spots. They are not close together and I had a much easier time getting from place to place when I had my boat. So I like to be sure to pick my spots so that I don’t have to kick my way around the lake.

At one end of Lake George it’s really rocky, a great place for smallmouth bass. I don’t think I have ever been skunked there.

Jerks on the Water

All people don’t live life like I do and they will come right up and get in your face when your fishing, even if they have a bass boat could take them to any spot in minutes.

Well this moron decide I was having too much fun and came flying across the lake as fast as he could get that boat going and didn’t slow down until he was right on top of me.

Then he started casting exactly where I was fisihg. I can’t believe people like that.

Well he cast a couple of times, right on top of my lure so I pitched my lure right at his head and pulled it back just before it hit him. It dropped in the water right at his boat and BAM. FISH ON.

I caught a smallie that went about 3 pounds right under his big ass boat. I yelled fish on and laughed all the time I was reeling it in.

All though he was trying not to look at me I held that bass up high and yelled at the guy. ‘Would you like to catch one like that?’

He started up his boat and was gone. I wish I had a camera so I could have take a picture of the bass with that jerk in the background.

It’s going to be a hot one today, not much fun to work in the garden on a day like this but I like eating and the work I do today will pay off with some great produce. Okay that didn’t work, I still want to go fishing today.

As I was digging up the first 4 foot square garden plot I found lots of huge earth worms, makes me want to go even more. I think it’s a good thing we don’t have a vehicle right now or I am sure I would be sneaking away from our backyard.

Let me see, when was the last time I fished using worms. Going back, keep going, oh yeah. I think I remember.

It was early season and it was raining hard. Roland, Pauly and I went to Grassy Lake near the top of Fundy Park. I think it may have even been right about this time of year and I am sure it was more than 10 years ago.

I don’t fish using worms unless it’s early season and even then I don’t use much live bait.

We all had cheap little ponchos on. Not sure why, but I think it only started looking like rain after we left home without rain gear. They were cheap and mine ripped quickly leaving me open to the rain and then the cold.

Normally if I am shaking hard enough to affect my vision I would be intellegent enough to go back to the vehicle to dry off a bit, but the fishing was just so good I couldn’t bring myself to walk away, so I just kept fishing, catching and shivering.

You know I don’t remember anything from that day but the fishing. I don’t remember suffering on the way home as a wet noodle, only how much fun we had and all the brook trout we caught and released.

I wonder if we could take our second lot here to install a nice big Koi Garden Pond and stock it with bass instead of goldfish or carp, now that would be kinda hard to explain to Jenny wouldn’t it.

Okay I have stalled long enough. I have to get my butt out to the back yard and finish digging up that second square foot garden.