Steve Dobson's Fisherman's Blog

Nova Scotia Salmon Fishing Regulations for 2011

2011-06-04T19:31:00.000+04:00

The Nova Scotia Salmon Angling Regulations for 2011

Steve on the West River

Click this link for a printable version of this year's salmon fishing regulations.

The 2011-2012 Newfoundland Angler's Guide

2011-06-04T19:08:00.003+04:00

FISHERIES AND OCEANS CANADA NOTICE TO ANGLERS

DFO Advises Anglers of a Correction To The 2011-2012 Angler's Guide

Warren with Labrador salmon caught on the Jack Whacker

Anglers are advised of an error in the 2011-2012 Angler's Guide. On page 4, titled Retention Limits, the section for Unclassified Rivers (Zone 1 & 2) references Green tag #4 for Large Salmon. This line should be deleted, as retention of large salmon (greater than 63 centimetres)is no longer permitted in the recreational salmon fishery.

A corrected version on the 2011-2012 Newfoundland Angler's Guide is available on-line at: http://www.nfl.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/

For all Angling Regulations pertaining to NL click here

Thanks to Larry Shortt for this update via the Flies and Lies mailing list.

Cheaters Sometimes Prosper

2011-03-04T03:49:00.000+04:00

I was messing around on the internet the other day and read a story about a guy caught cheating during a major bass fishing tournament. He had stuffed lead weights into his fish before the weigh-in.

It wasn’t just sticking a chunk of lead down the fish’s throat; he had a well thought out system with a treble hook tied to a short leader and then the sinker so that the lead wouldn’t go down the bass’ throat far enough to be detected just by feeling the fish’s belly.

He was caught when all of the fish which had died during that day’s fishing were filleted so that the meat would not go to waste. During the cleaning of the fish, the lead weights were discovered.

A little detective work soon narrowed down the suspects and at the weigh-in on the next day of the tournament his catch was scrutinized. All of his fish were discovered to have the added weights.

Because the prize value of the tournament included cash as well as a $50,000.00 boat, the cheater found he was not only facing the shame of exposure but also criminal prosecution.

Now here is the thing, this guy was a top bass pro with life time tournament winnings of somewhere around $300,000.00.

He had a well thought out system for adding the lead weights to his fish. A system that meant he had to rig up his hooks and leaders and weights with full knowledge and premeditation.

It wasn’t whim or a moment of careless desperation. How many times did he cheat? Once, twice, every time? No one knows but him and he isn’t saying.

If you do a Google search for “cheating + fishing + tournaments” you will find out that there are lots more examples; some funny, some stupid and some just disgusting. It makes for an interesting read.

It has been written that the quest for money is the root of all evil. It must be true if fishermen, otherwise the most trustworthy of liars, can be corrupted into being simply real liars by the prizes and cash of a big fishing tournament.

The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!

2011-02-28T22:38:00.000+04:00

I received an interesting email from Larry Shortt the other day. It seems that a new fashion trend is threatening the available supply of the long narrow feathers on the neck or saddle of roosters and other birds known as hackle. These feathers are highly valued by fly tiers and now apparently by beauty salon owners too.
The fad is feather extensions in the hair. The Hannah Montana set is crazy about it.

FineFeatherheads: Spring 2011 from Dakota Hills on Vimeo.

The situation is simply that the growers of high quality hackle have found a new market and are cashing in as hard and fast as they can. The down side for us in the fly fishing community is that the law of supply and demand is driving the price up. I’m guessing few tackle shops are able to risk stocking expensive necks that may not move as fly tiers experience the sticker shock.

To the hair dressing trade, seven hackle feathers in a bundle cost $15 wholesale! And to get that price you must buy multiple bundles. $15 for seven feathers! No wonder the growers are ignoring the tackle shops and fly tying community. We expect to buy a whole neck for around $50 give or take.

If there is an upside to this I guess it is that the feathers come from a farmed bird, bred and raised for its plumage rather than from a wild creature. History tells many ugly stories of creatures driven to extinction by the whims of fashion.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. My guess is that a ton of little bundles of super high quality hackle will be available from the Dollar Store in about six months as this fad runs its course. The speculators will go broke and need to liquidate the Metz Grade A necks they’ve been hoarding.

For an interesting perspective on these sorts of price bubbles check out this article from Bloomberg Businessweek on the tulip bulb craze that happened in Holland back in the 1630’s. “When the Tulip Bubble Burst”.

How To Get Rid of Fruit Flies

2011-01-10T19:45:00.005+04:00

Fruit Fly

This is the time of year when for some reason Fruit Flies become a real nuisance, I was thinking about how to get rid of them and came up with a simple but amazingly effective trap. It uses a recycled beverage container and four pebbles or something similar to lift it a quarter inch or so off of the counter. For bait, a little bit of red wine or cider vinegar works well.

Here is what you need: An empty, plastic water bottle, juice or soda container with a bottom that has a raised center.

Fruit Fly Trap bottom

Drill a small, 1/8” hole in center of this raised bottom. I used a 3/32” drill to start a pilot hole and then widened it to 1/8”.

Use hot glue to add something to the bottom corners to raise the trap a little bit so that the flies will be able to crawl or fly up into the center hole.

Fruit Fly Trap raised

Put a small amount of red wine, cider vinegar or similar aromatic liquid in the container so that it is just below the hole in the raised center of the bottom and your trap is set.

Fruit Fly Trap set

To release your captured flies, just step out side and take off the top. They will happily fly away unharmed. For the more blood thirsty, just do nothing. They will soon land in the liquid and be unable to escape.

Fruit Fly Trap working

In principal the trap works exactly the same way as an East Coast lobster trap, just turned on its end. The creatures are funneled through a small opening into a larger space and can’t find the way back out.

I can’t get over how well this rig works. It took about two days to completely clear our kitchen of those pesky little flies. I’ve kept it set and sitting on the windowsill above the sink to pick off any newcomers looking for a place to settle.

A fundraiser for your Brownie or Cub pack?:

fruit fly trap in place

Because this idea works so well and is easy to make using recycled materials that would otherwise be thrown into a landfill, it might make a great project for kids looking for a fund raising idea.

These traps could be decorated or customized to be either pretty or even more inconspicuous.

To illustrate this article I’ve used a large juice container just to make everything clear. The trap doesn’t have to be that big. It can be any size.

The key is the indentation at the bottom of most plastic containers. A flat bottom won’t work!

Check your recyclables bin, I’m sure you’ll find the perfect thing just waiting to be re-used.

Service held in memory of Kent's giant carp

2010-08-25T19:05:00.001+04:00

Well, this is a great story from the UK. It reveals a bit about the character of out friends across the sea as well being a tremendous testament to catch and release fishing.
This story comes from the BBC

The carp was thought to be up to 45-years-old and weighed 67lb 14oz

Here is the story:
=======
A special service has been held in Kent after the death of a giant fish.

"Two Tone", a mirror carp thought to be one of the UK's biggest freshwater fish, died earlier this month.
A plaque has been laid at Conningbrook Lake where he lived and Two Tone will be stuffed and donated to the Natural History Museum.

Lee Jackson, one of the few people who managed to catch him, said anglers would be lost without him. It is thought that Two Tone died of old age.

Mr Jackson said: "The fishing on that lake is incredibly hard. It took a certain dedication to stick with it.
"Some of the guys have fished it for years and certainly didn't manage to catch Two Tone.
"Those are the guys who you've got to feel sorry for. They must be walking around like lost sheep."

Mr Jackson caught Two Tone after eight years of trying.
Two Tone, who weighed 67lb 14oz, was found floating on the surface of the lake in Ashford.
The fish, which gained its name because of its skin colour, was thought to be between 40 and 45-years-old.

Anglers said it was only caught once or twice a year and no more than 50 times in its lifetime.

=======
Where else but in the UK?

How To Get Started Float Tube Fly Fishing

2010-08-04T20:44:00.001+04:00

This is a re-post of an earlier article that got mangled during the blog migration. I have reinserted the pictures.

From the time that the brooks start to get too warm for trout fishing until the fall salmon season opens, one of my favourite things to do is go “tubing”.

The float tube and the fly rod go together like a salmon camp and bull shi…oops, a salmon camp and tall tales.

Why do it:

Tubing is easy to do. It is a wonderfully relaxing and positively deadly method for stalking fish on calm water.

For urban fishing where toting a boat or canoe is problematic it just cannot be beat. The same is true for back-country lakes and still waters.

What is it?

Float Tubing, Belly Boating or just plain” tubing” is a way to fish lakes and ponds with minimal and easily portable equipment. The tube is either a ring shaped or “u” shaped air-bladder covered with a rugged cloth shell. A seat is stretched across the middle and numerous convenient pockets and D-rings are incorporated into this cover. The fisherman attaches a pair of swim fins to his feet and sits in the tube. By means of a gentle flutter kick the angler can easily move his floating Lay-Z Boy anywhere on the water.

What You Need: A tube, an air pump to inflate it, and flippers to propel it.

There are a few types of float tubes - circular, the newer “u” shaped boat and the pontoon style that are more like a hybrid ultralight boat tube.

My first tube was the circular model. I enjoy everything about it except that it is clumsy to get into and out of when launching and landing.
For tubing, I use a pair of cheap, boot-foot waders. Flippers fit better over the boots than over wading shoes.

Here is a tip: I like to use scuba flippers instead of the strap on fins often sold with the tubes. They fit better, attach more securely and have a lot more power for the same amount of work.

I have a small, hand powered air pump that fits into the back-rest pocket of the tube. For backwoods hike in spots I carry the tube deflated and about five minutes of pumping will get the tube ready for the water. I also have a pump that plugs into the lighter of my vehicle and will use that when launching in a city lake from a parking lot. I leave the hand pump in the tube and feel very comfortable that in a pinch; a bit of duct tape and few strokes of the pump will get me home.
Casting and Fishing Strategies:

Casting from a tube will feel a bit odd the first few times you try it. The big difference is that you are closer to the surface of the water and need to keep your back cast higher than normal. To offset this, the tube is pretty stealthy so you can fish much shorter casts until you get the hang of the high back cast.

A good way to catch fish and get a feeling of security in the tube is also a great bass fishing tactic for tubing. Kick out about fifteen or twenty feet from shore and cast back toward land. Target the fly a few inches from dry land and retrieve it toward the deeper water. You can work your way around the whole lake without ever straying into very deep water.

The “fish from shallow to deep” tactic works well for trout and pickerel too.

Another dandy tubing trick to keep in mind:

When bass fishing in a warm lake if you start to feel noticeable cooler water around your legs, stop immediately and back up a few feet; you have just found a spring. Often a spring entering in the midst of a warmer lake will be a honey hole for late season trout. They will often stack up in the cooler, oxygen-rich water.

If you are tubing in cooler water and start to feel warm water around your legs just give your buddy a dirty look and get out of there.

Accessories:

I am assuming that as a fly fisherman, you already have all you need for fishing but for tube specific stuff, a small net bag and a light cord stuck in one of the tube pockets might come in handy on windy days. You can fill the net bag with rocks from the shore to make an anchor. You can also, if the wind is right, tie off to the end of a branch or clump of weed to hold your place.

If you keep a few fish a landing net is essential for the tube fisherman. For a catch and release belly boater a pair of forceps on a zinger will work from the tube just as well.

Safety:

A roll of duct tape is handy and easily carried along as is a short, high volume hand pump. The truth is; the biggest threat to the tube is a stray fly hook. The chances are that even a hard striking hook will not likely pierce the heavy cloth cover and the air bladder. But even if it does, the resulting leak will be so small and slow that you can comfortably head back to your landing spot as soon as you notice the tube is getting softer. Worst case; pull into the nearest dry land, cover the leak with a bit of duct tape, give the tube a few strokes of the pump and head back towards your landing spot.

I once noticed my tube getting soft when I was a long way from my car. I immediately started fishing my way back but as luck would have it, I got into a fabulous fish and then another. I ended up about an hour later still comfortably fishing from a tube which was now only about half-inflated.

The worst that happened was that as I settled lower in the water, occasionally a squirt of cold water would get down the back of my waders when I leaned to set the hook on a bass rising to my bug.

Even were the tube to deflate completely there is second bladder in the backrest that will easily support an angler and all his gear for the kick to shore.

A float-tuber should keep a whistle or other noise making device attached by a lanyard to him, not the tube. Just in case you do need to call for help from a less than obvious place or to alert an inattentive boater to your presence.

Some tube users wear a PFD or other flotation for extra security.

To sum up, you must feel secure in a tube to be able to enjoy the experience. Whatever safety device you can think of, whether it is a life jacket or a flare gun, if you feel better having it then it is needed. However, the best safety device I can think of is “common sense”.

Repairs:

Tubes are easy to repair should you get a small leak in the air bladder. Leaks around the valves are more difficult and you should likely just buy a replacement bladder. They are readily available and often less than half the price of a new Float Tube.

To repair a pinhole in your tube, remove the inner bladder from the cloth cover. Partially inflate it and rub a little soapy water over the bladder until you see bubbles starting to form in the soapy water from the air escaping through the hole in the bladder. Use a sharpie to draw a circle around the leak. Deflate the tube and dry the area around the leak.

If your tube came with a patch kit use the patch and special glue supplied.

Here is a tip: use a little piece of fine sand-paper and lightly roughen the surface around the leak. Also, lightly roughen the patch material before gluing.

If your tube did not come with a patch kit, do all of the same steps as above but use Contact Cement and a small piece of wader material or rubber for a patch. Put contact cement on both the surface being patched and the patch itself. Let the glue set on both for about ten minutes then press the patch into place. Put a small weight on the patch overnight and it should be as good as new.

Here is a tip: If the bladder has extra material extending past the seams. Clip a small bit of this extra material to use as the patch. Do not forget to roughen both the patch and the tube surface very lightly before gluing.

Usually it is easier to avoid leaks.

First, never over inflate the tube. When the outer covering comes tight and the tube is firm, that is enough. More air after that point is just stressing the air bladder and not making you float better or for longer.

Questions:

If you have any questions –drop me a note or leave a comment here. I will be happy to share what I have learned about this great way to fish.

More Blog Migration Issues

2010-06-18T18:26:00.000+04:00

Sorry about the problem with pictures missing in old posts. I just discovered that when I migrated to a blogspot.com blog from my old location the pictures were not migrated to a new server along with the posts.

The old server crapped out and now all that you see in old posts is a red square with an X instead of a happy fishing shot. I'm slowly going back and re-uploading pictures but it will take some time.
What a pain!

Fixing a Broken Fly Rod Tip Top

2010-06-06T22:53:00.000+04:00

Fixing a rod tip can be straight forward.
You will need:

replacement or the original tip top
heat set glue
fine sandpaper
heat source such as a lighter or match

First make sure that the new tip top fits the remaining blank. Measure how far down the blank the new tip top comes and mark it just above where it emerges with a china marker or a bit of masking tape. Use the fine grit sandpaper to score and roughen the surface of the blank that will fit inside the new tip top and above the poinit where it emerges.

Use a Bic lighter or a match to heat the special rod builder's glue stick and apply it to the roughed up portion of the blank. Slide the new tip top on before the glue sets. Make sure it is perfectly aligned with the other line guides. Be quick.

If the glue sets before it is perfectly lined up, just heat the tip top and twist the tip to where it should be. You should use a pair of small needlenose pliers for this. You can remove any excess glue by picking it off with your fingernail.

That is all there is to it. The repair is made and the rod is usable again. Knowing that rod builders use heat set glue to hold on the tips makes it pretty easy to do field repairs to rods that suffer an accident. My five weight broke just at the end of the tip top so I couldn't get the little piece out to make the repair in the woods and had to order a new top guide.

A bit of a pain but I got it from Cabela's within a week. The new bits arrived on Thursday and I had the rod repaired and was fishing that evening with it. The shipping cost me nearly as much as the part so I got a few extra.

To restore the rod to "as new" a bit of thread wrap and a finish of high build epoxy are usually added but they are not really necessary. I'll use this rod as is until the end of the season then decide over the winter whether it needs a bit of trim.

The repair has not changed the action or sensitivity of the rod at all, luckily. But then, I only lost about a 1/4 of an inch of the blank.

Broken Rod Tip While Trout Fishing

2010-05-16T18:53:00.000+04:00

I was fishing last weekend in the backwoods of the Tobiatic and Medway country on land owned by the Bowater Mersey Paper Company. The weather was lousy but the howling wind did keep the black flies away. There were lots of trout around and they were fussy enough to make the fishing quite challenging.

I was using a five weight rod and somewhere between stopping for a sandwich and starting fishing again I managed to break the tip. Not quite sure how it happened but now I have to fix it.

The good news is that the repair won't effect the action of the rod. I base that judgement on the fact that I fished the rest of the day with the broken rod and had only slight problems with the line wrapping around the stub of the blank between the last guide and the missing tip-top.

It still cast well and could handle a feisty Speckled Trout.

Usually you can fix a broken tip right in the woods. The glue that rod builders use to secure the tip-top is a heat set glue so you just need a Bic lighter to heat the tip, pull out the old piece of the blank and slide the tip onto the remaining unbroken section. That will get you through the day until you can do a more permanent job.

This one broke flush with the base of the tip-top so I couldn't get the piece out to slide it on in a new position. I've ordered a new tip-top from Cabela's which puts my favourite rod out of commission until the new part comes.

Shad fishing has continued to be great. This is the best year in a long time for me with loads of fish each time out. Because my good rod is busted I've borrowed a rod from my daughter.

It's a 5 weight I built for her this spring.

The other day I found myself landing a whack of fish using a fly I designed and tied and a rod I built. Have to admit to feeling a bit of self satisfaction. There really is a lot more to fishing than the fish.

Fishing With Friends, a great local fishing show is now On Demand!

2010-05-15T20:22:00.000+04:00

Here is some good news for fans of EastLink TV and its great local fishing show, "Fishing With Friends".

If you are a customer of EastLink's cable television services you may have noticed a significant upgrade to EastLink TV recently. You can now watch EastLink TV's local television shows, including "Fishing With Friends", On Demand. Better yet, it is free.

Here is the cool thing, all of the programming that appears On Demand will be available nation wide. In Atlantic Canada and Ontario the On Demand menu will read, "EastLink TV". In the West it will say, "Community TV".

When you click on that you will have the choice of Alberta, Atlantic, British Columbia and Ontario. Click on Atlantic and then select "Fishing With Friends".

I promise you will enjoy the sights and local colour of my slice of paradise. The show is mostly about fishing here in Nova Scotia with side trips to nearby provinces for a lodge visit or two.

The producer/host is a fellow named Steve Clapperton, a real character with an obvious passion for fishing and the natural wonders of Nova Scotia's outdoors.

With co-producer and videographer, Danny Harvie, these two guys have created a truly enjoyable program for everyone who loves to fish from the novice to the grizzled old veteran.

While you are looking, also check out "Welcome to my Kitchen", the most appetizing cooking show I've ever seen. Makes my stomach growl just thinking about it.

The service is just being launched so it may take a month or two until it is fully populated with programming content so keep your eye on it and enjoy "Fishing With Friends".

An Interesting Tactic for Fussy Shad

2010-05-08T22:56:00.000+04:00

Well I hit the jackpot the other day while Shad fishing. I lost count of the fish landed and any guess would sound too much like BS so I won't even try. The secret to success was a new technique I have been trying.

The river is loaded with fish but hook-ups are sporadic right now as the fish are preoccupied with the whole finding a partner and showing off thing. I was getting the odd one by changing flies frequently and fishing the standard down stream cast and strip method. That wasn't too bad but I was fishing over dozens of fish with such small success. There had to be something wrong with this particular presentation.

So, knowing that shad will often take a fly rising from the bottom I lengthened my leader to about 8 feet and started fishing a short cast in the high stick, nymphing style I would use if I was fishing for trout in this pocket water and concentrating on letting the fly bob up in a Leisenring Lift at the end of a short drift.

Bingo, a fish on the first cast. The rest of the evening went like that. Fish were hitting like crazy with some colour preference for orange just as the sun started to set. It is a great way to fish through the dense schools with out worrying about foul hooking.

We all know that what worked once won't always work again when it comes to fooling fish. To see if it was a fluke or not I took my daughter with me to the same pool yesterday after work and taught her the technique. She was into a fish on her second cast. We had a ball for the next couple of hours with several double headers and one or the other of us almost constantly into a fish.

If you are ever in a situation where the fish are bouncing off your boots but not taking your fly try this old trout fishing trick. It may just change your luck.

Shad on the Fly 2010

2010-05-04T04:20:00.002+04:00

Wow, check out this picture. Sure glad I took a minute to tie up some pink and gold flies.

My friend Aaron and I hit the Nine Mile after work the other day and had the whole place to ourselves.

We looked over a few of the higher pools but decided to walk the mile or so to the spot where I had been fishing with some success the last few times I'd been out.

It turned out to be a good decision.

The technique in these long deep pools without too much current is to cast across and down stream about 45 degrees. Let the fly sink and the line straighten out. Then, let the fly dangle on the straight line for a few seconds before starting a medium fast stripping retrieve.

Sometimes the fish will take on the swing, sometimes on the dangle but most often they will take on the first strip or two. They will of course surprise you often enough to make the above not really very good advice.

Here is the good advice: Be ready for a take any time your fly is in the water.

You gotta' love shad fishing on the fly!

Shad Fishing

2010-04-28T02:12:00.000+04:00

You know, Shad fishing is funny business. Sunday I stood within sight of a guy who was hooking fish every ten minutes for at least an hour. Know how many I hooked? Zero, Nada, Nothing, None.

We both seemed to be doing the same thing as to technique, casting across and down, letting the fly swing until it straightened out and then retrieving with short strips every five seconds or so.

The day before I had done the same thing in the same place with good results but on this day I was having no luck.

The one big difference was that I had been using pink flies the day before. He was using one today but
I had lost my last pink to a log just before leaving the night before.

The funny thing is that as I was gathering my gear to go out again Sunday morning I thought about tying up a few pink and golds but decided that I'd rather be fishing than fly tying.

Well, that is what I ended up doing- a lot of fishing and not much catching. I'm not certain that was the problem but I've seen enough days when certain colours were all the fish would touch that I've been tying up a handful of pink and golds this evening just in case.

Here is what they look like. You can add a bit of lead wire for high water conditions but usually the bead eyes are sufficient. When they work they can't be beat. When they don't...well, you know.

The Shad Are In- Shad Run 2010 is Underway

2010-04-25T02:37:00.002+04:00

Went out to check on the Shubenacadie River and the Nine Mile today. Figured I'd get some trout fishing in on the Nine Mile which I did, lots of trout around. As I got farther downstream towards the Shubenacadie I started seeing the tell-tale swirls of Shad moving in the river. I fished hard for an hour then decided to walk down to the junction with the big river. That is where I hit the fish.

I met this fellow, Greg Lovely, and we fished across the brook from each other for an hour or two. He is a good fisherman and tells a good story too.

Between us we touched about twenty Shad this afternoon. Landed a few, lost a few and had lots of action and even a few double headers.

As I type this my arm is still a little sore from what my buddy Brad calls "Arm aching action". Get out there boys the fish are starting to move up the rivers.

Shad Flies and Some Experiments

2010-04-19T03:01:00.002+04:00

I have been thinking about flies for Shad fishing in the last few days. The main flies I have been using for the last couple of years have been an ultra simple thing with heavy lead eyes in a bunch of different colours. Quick and easy to tie it sinks like a stone and catches a few fish. The problem is that it isn't really a great fly.

When fish are the least bit selective, I'm just out there practising my casting.

So here is what I've been doing. I've been thinking back to the basic flies and colours I've used over the years and am tying a few variations of each style to see how much difference the separate pieces make. The idea is to still have a simple quick to tie fly but one that actually works a bit better than what I've settled on over the last few seasons.

Here is an example of a simple red and white fly version of a shad dart. Some with buck tail, some with crystal flash, some with lead wire, some with bead eyes, and so on. All variations of the same fly.

I'm still going to keep it simple, using a basic pattern with different colours, weights and tails. I've got another week or two before the run hits to get a bunch tied but it should be an interesting season.

Ocean Trout Farms - Rainbow Trout Escape

2010-04-14T00:57:00.000+04:00

Well it has happened again. Another 2,000 Rainbow Trout have escaped from Ocean Trout Farms, a sea based aquaculture operation located in Queens County, Nova Scotia.

The operators of the fish farm think hungry seals may have caused the problem that allowed the fish to escape.

The last time Ocean Trout Farms was mentioned here was in 2007 when 500,000 Rainbow Trout escaped during Hurricane Noel.

Those trout showed up in rivers along the coast from the Mersey and Medway all the way to the Sackville River here in the HRM.

The fear is of course that the fish may carry diseases and parasites from living in farm conditions that could get into the wild populations of Atlantic Salmon and Speckled Trout here.

There is also concern that non-native Rainbow Trout could colonize some of the local rivers and lakes putting the native species under critical pressure.

This escape happened earlier this month but I heard nothing about it until I happened to see a small article in today's newspaper. I wonder what obligation this company is under to report escapes, mortalities, disease outbreaks or parasitic infestations? Having said that, I am not sure what value that information would have after the fact anyway.

First Trout of 2010

2010-04-12T05:31:00.000+04:00

Spent sometime fishing today with my buddy Brad. We started in Musquodoboit and worked our way around to the Ninemile River. Stopped and looked at the Shubenacadie to see if any Shad were moving yet.
Still too early for Shad it seems but we did find a few trout. There was a hatch of Black Stoneflies going on and off all day but very little sign of trout feeding on the surface.
I had some luck with a Hare's Ear nymph and a Dark Brown Stonefly Nymph. Brad did alright but wouldn't tell me what he was using.

Nova Scotia Shad Run 2010

2010-04-09T04:38:00.001+04:00

With everyone's favourite Nova Scotia Fishing dot com website shut down for a little while how about putting updates here in the comments section for those other Shad fishing fanatics out there. With the price of gas, it is expensive to run up to the Valley or out to Shubenacadie on a hope.

If you have any information on when the Valley runs are starting or the Shubenacadie run, let us know please.

Building a Fly Rod - Part 7 Finishing the Rod

2010-04-08T03:26:00.000+04:00

Once all of the wrapping is complete it is time to string the rod and make sure everything is right before epoxying the wraps.

By pulling the rod gently into an arc you can confirm that the guides are exactly where they should be. Make sure that there are no flat spots in the line as it follows the rod's shape. Nothing is permanently fixed yet so the guides can still be moved or removed and re-wrapped if necessary. This is the time to pay attention to the details.

After I was finished with the fussy parts all that still needed doing was to sign the rod with length, line weight and of course the name of the new rod's owner.

To finish the rod the wraps are saturated with epoxy and turned very slowly until the epoxy cures into an even, permanent bond. I should note here that you can use a colour preservative solution on the thread wraps to keep the original colour intact after applying the epoxy. You can use no colour preservative and let the thread become translucent which is what some of the high end manufacturers do or you can use an NCP thread which holds its colour when saturated. It is all a matter of choice although some folks argue that a saturated thread with no colour preservative is stronger.

I used NCP thread to preserve the colour scheme and pop the whole thing into a double rod dryer so that I can do both sections of the rod at once.

A rod dryer uses ultra low RPM motors to rotate the rod while the epoxy sets creating a smooth, uniform finish. This could be done by hand but it is such an important part of rod building that it should not be left to chance. The rod dryer is the only specialized tool I bought ready made. They are very easy to build if you are so inclined. Drop me a note and I'll send you pictures of how one goes together.

So now the rod is finished and the new owner is delighted with it. I had only cast it in my yard to test it since I wanted to deliver it before fishing season opened.

I borrowed it last Saturday to try it on some open water and caught a couple of fish. I should have named the rod "Lucky".

Building a Fly Rod - Part 6 Wrapping the Guides

2010-04-08T03:16:00.000+04:00

The blank is marked at each guide location. Now the interesting part of the build begins.

I start by placing the stripping guide and fixing it into place with a little bit of masking tape. Just to make sure that everything will line up I mount a reel to the blank and sight along it to the stripping guide. When it is exactly where it should be the reel is removed and the wrapping begins.

My set-up for this is a homemade set of rod stands and a couple of thread tensioners mounted on a piece of wood. It is a little bit crude compared to some rigs but it works fine.

Power winders are available and while they are pretty slick I really enjoy the hand winding process.

To start a wrap I cross the first two thread wraps and pushing them tightly together with my thumbnail, keep turning the blank until the tension of the wraps evens out and the thread turns are laying neatly side by side.

Tension is important , too tight and you'll create a dead spot where the blank is compressed and liable to damage in the future. Too loose and the wraps are messy and won't lay right. It is another one of those things that is done by feel. When it is right, it feels right and looks right.

If the feet of the guides have been filed to a nice taper the winding thread will just follow up and over to cover the guide foot. About ten rotations from the end of the wrapping, a loop of thread is laid on the blank and the wrapping continued over it. To finish, clip your thread free from the spool, slip the tag-end through the loop and pull it under the wraps. Clip it off where it emerges and use a quick flash of flame from a lighter to remove any fuzz.

Sometimes you will want to leave the tag end long until you are ready to apply the finish epoxy. The reason is that each guide needs to be straight in line from the reel seat to the tip top. With all of the winding and handling they can creep out of line. They can be nudged back into place and the wrap tightened using the tag you've left.

I clip them. It makes a neater looking job while building and the worst that can happen is that an occasional wrap will loosen up and need to be redone.

Once the basic wrap is complete it is nice to add a little bit of contrasting trim. This is started and stopped exactly like the main wrap. the trim is for vanity. It looks nice but doesn't really do anything except please the builder and hopefully the eventual owner of the rod.

First Fish of the New Season

2010-04-04T01:13:00.000+04:00

We interrupt the story of building a rod with a little note about the new fishing season starting here in Nova Scotia. I ran up to a nearby spot to try for a few trout. No trout but a couple of Smallmouth Bass, one nice one.

Always good to start the season off with a few fish coming to the fly.

Next chapter coming soon in the Fly Rod Build -Wrapping the Guides.

Building a Fly Rod - Part 5 Guide Placement

2010-04-02T18:35:00.002+04:00

You might have noticed from the pictures that when it was time to start fitting the pieces I transferred the marks showing me the guide side of the blank from masking tape to the blank itself. The best way to mark directly on a blank is to use a China Marker. That is a waxy pencil for marking on glass, metal or fishing rod blanks. The best part is that you can rub the marks off with a finger or cloth as you need to.

This blank has recommended guide placements at 4, 9, 15, 22, 30, 39, 49, 60 and 71 inches from the tip.

Having measured for the guide placement and carefully marked the blank it is set aside. I will prepare the guides for wrapping by carefully filing the guide feet so that the thread, while wrapping, will easily fall into place and flow easily up and over the guide feet without any bulges or over wraps.

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When the guides are all ready to go after that long and fussy job I will measure the rod blank one more time just to double check that all of the markings placed earlier are accurate.

Guide placement can be checked once the guides are in place, wrapped but not epoxy finished. At that point the rod can be strung and pulled into an arc. Any flat spots or misaligned guides are pretty obvious and can often be nudged into place without a complete re-wrapping.

Now that it is time to wrap the first guide this rod is starting to come to life.

Building a Fly Rod - Part 4 Preparing the Cork Handle

2010-03-27T19:39:00.001+04:00

I am using a pre-made handle. This is a half-well handle and very comfortable for light rods.

Handles are made by forming a blank of glued cork rings. The rings are stacked to the length desired, clamped until the glue has cured and then the cork blank is turned in a lathe. It is not so much cut as sanded into shape. That is messy, fussy work and without a lathe I'm not quite sure how one would manage to make one.

The handle I have has to be fitted to the rod blank and the up-locking part of the reel seat needs to be counter sunk into it. This is for looks as well as a good firm mounting of the reel.

To fit the handle it is slid over the rod blank from the top and down toward the butt until it binds. A few strokes of a rat tail file and repeat the fitting. This is called reaming the handle and continues until the cork handle will slide into place but no farther.

Again the blank is marked so that you can rough up just the parts that won't be seen. Then it is ready for gluing.

A good handle fits so that it won't squeeze all of the glue out when it is slid into place but can't slide farther down the blank than it should. Tricky but all it takes is patience. Doing the fitting by hand is much more likely to end well than using power tools like a Dremel or rigging something up with a drill.

This is what it looks like fitted to the blank with the reel seat mounted.

Building a Fly Rod - Part 3 Attaching the Reel Seat to the Blank

2010-03-27T19:11:00.002+04:00

Now that the reel seat is glued up and cured it is time to prepare the blank. A blank will usually be much smaller than the hole drilled through the reel seat so you need to fill that gap to keep the reel seat centered on the blank while the epoxy cures.

Step one is to carefully mark the blank so that you know how much of it will be covered by the reel seat. Using a fine sandpaper the part of the blank that will be hidden is roughed up so that the glue will have good contact with the surface.

After wiping the blank clean of skin oils and dust a couple of mandrels are formed using masking tape. These are just to keep the blank centred in the reel seat and are not an important structural component. It is the epoxy glue that will do the work.

It is wise to do one more dry assembly before mixing the epoxy just to make sure everything is going to end up where you expect it to and its ready for the glue.

Remember if the reel seat has a cut out for the reel foot it must be lined up with the spline markings along which you will be wrapping the guides.

Building a Fly Rod - Part 2 Assembling the Reel Seat

2010-03-20T18:44:00.001+04:00

With the splining of the rod done and the blank well marked it is time to assemble the reel seat.
The seat I am using on this rod came in five pieces, six if you count the tightening nut.

Make sure you completely understand how it goes together before getting out the epoxy. Practise a few times and make note of the order in which the pieces need to be put in place. Also make special note of what goes on from the front and what goes on from the back. You only get one shot at this.

When you are ready prepare the wood insert by lightly sanding only the parts that will be glued. Don't get careless- sand only the parts that will be hidden by hardware. Using a bit of emery paper or fine sandpaper also rough up the metal parts that will be in contact with the epoxy. Remember - only the parts that are hidden should be scuffed up.

Mixing the epoxy for finally gluing the reel seat together is another of those simple things that must be done perfectly to ensure success.

Epoxy is a co-polymer, which just means made of two chemicals. The two parts are called the hardener and the resin. In consumer applications these two parts are mixed together in equal proportions.

In practise I use a piece of tinfoil wrapped around a bit of cardboard as a mixing surface. Plastic coffee stir-sticks work well as a mixing tool and also double as great applicators for epoxy.

You can use syringes to ensure accurate measurement of the amounts to mix or you can pour out a drop of each chemical to about the size of a quarter. Both will work but accuracy is always better if you have the option.
Mix the components together gently for about two minutes. When the mixture is of a smooth even colour it is ready for use. A little goes a long way so be conservative when you apply it. It creates a very strong bond and the waterproof varieties are excellent for all rod building applications.

Epoxy is very difficult to clean up after it has cured. Be cautious about touching anything if you might have epoxy on your hands from the mixing or application process. I keep a few rags handy and wipe my hands carefully after every process from mixing to gluing.

Here is a good tip - plain white vinegar works well to clean up epoxy while you are working with it, even if the epoxy is starting to set and gets a bit sticky, vinegar will work.

Acetone is another thing that works very well but be careful about using it around the wooden part of your reel seat as it will ruin the finish. Acetone fumes are very unpleasant so be careful.

The best way to keep the wood looking great is to not get any epoxy where you don't want it.

Oh yeah, stick to the formula - 1:1 hardener to resin. More hardener won't make the epoxy harder. It will make it sticky and never able to set up or cure. Then you will have a real mess that is almost impossible to clean up and end up throwing away a $50.00 reel seat.

All that being said, my reel seat went together well and next time its Part 3-Attaching the Reel Seat to the Blank.

Building a Fly Rod - Part 1 Getting Started

2010-03-14T18:52:00.000+04:00

Building a Fly Rod is a great project to get one through the last few gasps of winter. I decided to put together a rod custom made for the conditions encountered here in Nova Scotia while chasing Trout and Smallmouth Bass. A good rod should also be able to handle the odd Shad fishing trip or even a salmon if one should be so lucky.

For day in, day out fishing around here I think an 8'6" - 5 wt. with a nice quick action is just about the perfect tool for the job.

After weeks of pouring over catalogues and websites I've gathered the parts and am ready for the build.

The first step in actually building a rod from scratch is to look over your blanks, the rod without anything added, and determine where the spine or spline of the graphite shaft is. As blanks have become better this step is often neglected as being "old school" and no longer necessary but it is a simple thing to do. It won't cause any harm and may just identify that sweet spot that makes your rod better than an identical one that has not been tuned or dialed in.

To my mind splining the rod is the most important part of the process. It tells you which way the rod wants to bend and as importantly which direction it will resist bending. That information determines the placement of the rod seat if it has a mitered recess for the reel foot. It determines on which side of the blank rod your line guides will be placed and ultimately, the feel of the whole rod.

You determine the spline or spine by holding the blank in a slightly curved position, the butt end on a smooth, flat surface. One hand holds the blank bent while the other gently rolls it across the the flat surface. As it rotates you will feel a definite jump as it settles into it's preferred curve.

Truthfully, it is a bit of a cross between using a dowsing rod and a Ouija Board as far as the sensation of splining a blank goes. Some people get it easily, others not so much.

Having determined the spline I marked the inside of the arc for the guide side. Some people choose to mount their guides on the opposite side if they want a softer loading but stiffer playing action. Some people say it doesn't matter. I suspect that if the subtlety of the difference eludes the end user anyway then it really doesn't matter.

Marking the blank originally I just wrap a bit of masking tape around the blank in three or four places and using a pencil make a guide mark. That is the blue tape on the blank you see in the pictures. When it comes time to fit components I use a China Marker to draw directly on the blank and remove the tape. That is because the tolerances of sliding on the reel seat and fitting the cork handle are too tight to allow for wraps of tape.

Next time-Building a Fly Rod- Part 2 Assembling the Reel Seat

First Post at New Domain

2010-03-13T22:50:00.000+04:00

Well, looks like the migration may have worked. I've posted this picture of our Springer when he was a puppy. Gosh that was only 3 months ago. He is already about 40 pounds and was neutered this past Monday. Poor guy, I still can't look him in the eye. It will however make his life much easier and ours too.

As I mentioned the 5wt rod is finished and I had it out in the yard this morning to look it over in the sunlight. Not too bad if I do say so myself but like most things there are some bits I will do differently next time. I can't wait to get started on another.

This blog has moved

2010-03-13T21:19:00.001+04:00

This blog is now located at http://stevedobsonsfishermansblog.blogspot.com/.
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Blogger FTP Migration Issue

2010-03-13T20:38:00.004+04:00

I have finished the rod I started building the other day and have taken lots of photos of the process. I will do some posts over the next little while on how-to build a rod but first I have to deal with this Blogger FTP migration issue. Steve Dobson's Fisherman's Blog is published via FTP and Blogger soon will no longer support FTP publication.

The existing pages and new posts will need to migrate to either a new custom domain or to a blogger.com address. The old urls will be redirected to the new Blogspot location. With luck this will be seamless to readers.

I will start the migration today but who knows, this may be the last post on this blog? If I get lost in cyber-space please send a search a party. If it all works, look for a post on getting started building a 5wt fly rod.

Building a Fishing Rod

2010-03-07T18:48:00.006+04:00

A hand built rod by Steve Dobson

There is something about building a fishing rod. There is a sense of rightness about it as if I've grown into it.

As if this is a logical progression from tying a string to a stick as a child and trying to catch perch.

I think about that progression as I prepare my work area and start to unpack the parcel containing all of the bits and pieces that will become a five weight, graphite fly rod.

Handling the blanks I remember my first trout from the Meadow Pond and recall a trip with Dad and my brothers in the old green boat, all of us armed with worm and bobber.

I remember vividly, a porpoising rise to my first crudely tied fly by a Rainbow Trout. He leaped clear of the crystalline headwaters of Mission Creek up on Big White Mountain.

That brings to mind my first somersaulting grilse careening down a pool on Grandy's Brook and the sullen sulk of a twenty pound Atlantic Salmon not so long ago here in Nova Scotia.

All of those memories and the new adventures waiting imbue these bits of wood and steel and graphite with all of the potential to realize a fisherman's fondest dreams.

Over the next few weeks I'll show you the steps in building a fishing rod and let you know how I am progressing.

The Lost Salmon Rod

2010-02-27T21:36:00.006+04:00

Warren told me a good story the other night. He and his fishing partner were out on the Medway River early in the season. The water was high and very dark. As they lined the boat up with landmarks on the shore to pinpoint their position, Warren got ready to drop the anchor.

Now most boats rigged for salmon fishing on the Medway have a special rig attached to the bow that the anchor rope is passed through and by lifting the rope you can lower the anchor, or raise it, or just adjust it a little.

When the anchor is out of the water it hangs off the bow or can be lifted into the boat.

As long as there is a forward pull on the rope, the line is held fast which makes handling the anchor a one hand job if you need to adjust position to chase a fish or get a better angle for a cast.

That doesn't matter much because this boat didn't have one. The anchor was just tied-off to a thwart with the line in loose coils on the deck under their feet. Once the boat was positioned exactly where they wanted it in the pool Warren heaved the anchor overboard. The anchor line whipped away following the weight into the depths. One of the coils came tight around the tip of one of their salmon rods, flipping it over the gunwale and dragging it deep into the river.

What a commotion as the boys first stared in disbelief at this catastrophe then frantically pulled the anchor back aboard hoping beyond hope that the rod was some how still attached. It wasn't.

The Medway River in the full flow of early summer can be awesome. The water almost black and running free from dams or other human interference has incredible power. It can pull the bow of an anchored boat under if you get your anchor fouled when retrieving it. But that is another of Warren's stories for another time.

The current had moved the boys a fair ways downstream from where the rod went over by the time they got their thoughts organized. Edging the boat back forward, making careful sightings and note of the landmarks, they anchored again at what they figured was the place of the disaster.

Peering over the side into the black and roiling water it seemed hopeless, the rod was lost. The other fellow in the boat who happened to be the owner of the rod, tore a strip of cloth from his brightly coloured shirt and wrapping it around a wrench or some other sinkable from the boat, dropped it over the side. The fluttering strip of cloth faded from sight long before hitting the bottom and there it stayed.

As fierce as the Medway River can be in full spate, come the hot days of summer the river settles more placidly into its banks becoming a beautiful, tea coloured stream. The current flows in a dignified, slow procession carrying tiny islands of foam kicked up from the progression of small falls, Bangs Falls, Bear Falls and so on down to Port Medway and ultimately the sea.

It was August when the boys thought to head out on the river to search for the lost rod. They were optimistic but not hopeful. In short order they were lining the boat up with the aid of meticulously recorded landmarks and carefully this time, dropping the anchor at what they thought was the spot.

They leaned out over the sides of the boat scanning the tannin coloured water. The bottom was clearly visible. There, a couple of feet away was the calmly waving strip of torn shirt. About three feet downstream from it was the lost rod.

And so the salmon season on the Medway ended with a few new stories and a valuable lesson or two. I wonder if the boys caught any fish that year? I must ask Warren next time I see him.

Never Too Old to Learn

2010-02-24T02:31:00.011+04:00

See the fish?

I was thinking today about one of my favourite fishing spots up in the Musquodoboit River valley. Brad McCaughan and I used to fish there often, always with good results. If memory serves it was the place where Brad became a committed fly fisherman after we fished it side by side, he with a spinning outfit and me with a fly rod.

Anyway, I started out thinking about an old timer who used to stop by and see me when I worked in Liverpool many years ago. Once a week we would have a good bull session.

One day he told me about fishing the Meadow Pond brook back in the late 50's or 60's. He described how the brook had undercut banks that sort of floated when you walked on them. Most people would walk down stream fishing short casts with worm and spinner. It used to be a pleasant place to fish although only a very small handful of fellows ever caught more than one or two small trout for a hard day's fishing.

The handful of guys who did catch fish there did extremely well, catching lots of fish and more than a few big ones. The difference between " most people" and those fellows was knowledge not luck.

The thing was that every time a fisherman would take a step downstream on those floating banks the trout would be spooked and flee downstream. This would in turn frighten the fish the angler was casting to and so it would go as the fisherman worked his way along. To catch one while fishing like that would truly be lucky. For us kids, who normally travelled in noisy packs, it was down right miraculous to get one of those lovely speckled trout up on the bank .

The secret to fishing the boggy, Meadow Pond brook was to start at the other end, the down stream end, and fish upstream with just a worm or a worm and one split shot. You had to go along stealthily, casting upstream and letting your bait drift as naturally as possible through every bit of cover and especially letting it sweep in under the banks.

You might still have spooked a fish or two but it didn't seem to put the fish down upstream of you.
By applying this little bit of hard earned wisdom a brook, that most people thought of as pretty but not very fishy, revealed itself to be a haven for big, wily, speckled trout.

So to get back to the original thread of this story, there I was remembering this little brook I'd known since my childhood, its secrets only revealed in the light of adult knowledge, when it struck me: I know another brook that is almost its twin, my little spot up in the Muskie!

Now here is the darnedest thing, even though I have enjoyed this place for years, have had some great days there and more than my share of trophy trout from its waters, I have been fishing it wrong!

I had forgotten the lessons of Meadow Pond brook and its floating banks. I can only guess that I'd gotten away with it in this spot because there is a lot of room to cast so I could fish it fine and far off.

Come spring I will return there and fish it again, this time with some sophistication as befits a grown man.
I guess I just never really outgrew the little boy who couldn't wait to get a line in the water.

Heck, I still usually run those last few steps to the fishing hole even though I know better. No Sir, this spring will be different. I can't wait to see what that brook really holds.

A Good MicMac Steak and Great Fishing Stories

2010-02-21T20:20:00.007+04:00

My brother Warren and my nephew Drew stopped in for a visit the other day. Best of all they took me out for a great steak and beer at the MicMac Tavern. In my opinion, Nova Scotia's tavern food is one of the most underrated schools of world cuisine. It is simple, delicious, filling and totally unpretentious. Besides, if you don't like it you can just have some more beer until you do.

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It was great to sit back and spin some yarns about places we have fished, often together, sometimes apart. The Pinware, Grandy's River, Garia River, the Old Fort, the Gander, the Humber, the list goes on and on.

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Each with its fame, its stories, its legends,and best of all, its memories.

These pictures are of a trip to the Pinware in Labrador back in 1995 I think.

Why I Don't Like Ice Fishing

2010-02-18T04:27:00.007+04:00

When I lived in British Columbia my enjoyment of fishing blossomed. I had always liked fishing but when I discovered a book by R. Haig-Brown and through it Fly fishing my enjoyment turned to a passion It is hard to explain how something so fundamentally simple can be so engrossing. It is just difficult enough to be a challenge yet straight forward enough to reward any effort.

The advantage to making this discovery while living in B.C. was that it seemed that every brook and puddle was full of fish. One didn't need to be an expert to connect with a trout or two, even from the first.

Seasons were long and the weather tolerable throughout the year so fishing could be a year round avocation. I was living on Richter Street in Kelowna at the time.

One crisp, January day my fishing buddy and I set out to try our hand at ice fishing. I stood in the yard beside my car and absorbed the pure, crisp morning. The sun was rising, bathing everything in a reddish glow. There was just the hint of a fruity, grape scent from the winery barely penetrating my awareness as I tried to blow a smoke ring with the puffs of vapour my breathing created with each exhalation.

The promise of the morning, as I crunched through the the snow the last few feet to my car, washed over me like the sun finally topping the roofs of the neighbouring houses.

We were headed for Bear Lake, a beautiful alpine pothole nestled in the hills above the west side of the Okanagan Valley. I knew this lake to be loaded with small Rainbow Trout. The trout in this region are a unique strain known as Kamloops Trout. Feisty and aggressive, they can grow to tremendous size but my experience on this lake was that the trout were small but plentiful.

It was a perfect place for a fledgling fly fisherman so doubtless a great spot for some January ice fishing.
We used a hatchet to cut a hole in the ice. Take my word for it when I tell you, that is the worst way to do it. About six inches down, the water started welling up into the hole and the next few minutes were a cold, soaking, splashing, mess.

Each stroke of the axe sent ice water flying but didn't make much progress toward opening a fishable hole.
Eventually we got an unsymmetrical gouge hacked through the ice. Of course we were so wet and cold by then that we took another hour to gather some wood, build a fire and warm up enough to be interested in fishing again.

In the meantime the hole had frozen again but that was quickly dealt with and we soon had lines dangling.
One eye for the rod tips, one eye for smoking boot tips, we waited, huddled just a little too close to the fire to avoid being scorched. Man it was cold.

For bait we were using the West Coast traditional ice fishing bait -Niblets Brand canned corn. I don't know why, but it works. One kernel on a tiny hook and a small handful thrown into the hole is the standard recipe. Within a few minutes we had our first fish.

The rod tip started shaking and I snatched it up off the ice. There was a substantial weight on the other end which I just derricked straight up and out of the hole. Within seconds and with no ceremony at all there lay flopping on the ice the biggest trout I had ever caught.

I didn't even know that there were fish of this size in this lake. Just then my partner's rod started thumping and he repeated the snatch and derrick to leave another trout laying at our feet. This one was if anything a little bigger than the first. And so it went until we each had three magnificent Kamloops Rainbows and decided to call it a day. It was barely ten o'clock in the morning.

I should have been happy but the truth is I was flummoxed. Having spent hours carefully crafting flies to match the fauna of this particular lake, having spent days reading the water and sweat practising with wispy leaders to put the perfect cast in front of a cruising fish, I had never managed to land anything even close to these trout, these trout taken almost off-handed on a kernel of Niblets corn.

I guess that it didn't feel sporting or even gentlemanly. The poor buggers were probably so cold that they were willing to do anything to get a little closer to the fire we had going up on the ice.
The day was pleasant and the company superb. The fishing though, well I guess it was too good. I was faintly ashamed of myself and resolved that if I couldn't entice fish like these fair and square with a well planned and well placed fly I would leave them unmolested henceforth.

And so it is that I don't ice fish. I do however tie a great imitation of a Niblets corn kernel in a number twelve and am presently working on a little fly pattern I call the Kraft Mini-marshmallow.

Belated New Year's Wishes and Future Plans

2010-01-30T20:49:00.006+04:00

So a man comes in the door, returning from his Cardio Rehab class. His wife smiles and says,"The kids are both out Honey. Let's run upstairs and make love."
The man just shrugs his shoulders and says,"It's got to be one or the other...take your pick."

Ha, that joke was a big hit at Cardio Rehab last year. It doesn't seem so funny now that I'm feeling better. People are amazingly resilient.
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Last year this time I was just emerging from heart surgery and was so feeble and weak that I couldn't really do anything. A five minute walk was a work-out! Now I do a 5 km walk most days. By this time next year, if all continues to go well, it should be as though this heart business had never happened.

I'm trying to think of a trip or project that I can embark upon to celebrate. In effect to re-stake my claim on life if that's not too dramatic.

Off and on I've thought about how close I can get to the Hudson Bay by car. I'm thinking about a drive and camp expedition up through Nova Scotia into New Brunswick and Quebec. I figure I can get at least to James Bay, the little dangley bit on the map just below Hudson Bay.

Using the Quebec route I would pass through some of the most spectacular wilderness and pristine fishing this country still has to offer. There is a river in Northern Quebec that claims so many world records for Speckled Trout that it is a legend in itself. That is just one of the literally hundreds of brooks and rivers I would pass along the way, each with its own story, each with its own legend.

The main equipment would be a tent, fly rod, gold pan and camera. The rest is just details. The plan is to drive until I see a spot I'd like to fish or explore, heading roughly North, leap-frogging from spot to undiscovered spot. The destination is not the point, it is about the journey.

The "to do" list would read something like: get some money together, find someone who would like to go with me, get the RAV4 tuned up and ready, start collecting maps and information.

I'm not sure that this trip is do'able this year. My fall back is either Cape Breton or the Gaspe in Quebec. The logistics are not very complex but finances are always a concern. Time is really the most limited resource when dreaming of an expedition.

Anyway, I'll mull it all over and come up with something to satisfy this urge to celebrate my second chance. Maybe I'll surprise myself.

Belated wishes for a great New Year to one and all.

Not really a Fishing Joke

2010-01-17T21:21:00.003+04:00

Here is joke I got from a fellow at work. It is not really a fishing joke but kinda' funny:

Curtis & Leroy saw an ad in the Kentville Advertiser Newspaper in Kentville, N.S. and bought a mule for $100.

The farmer agreed to deliver the mule the next day.

The next morning the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry, fellers, I have some bad news,
the mule died last night."

Curtis &Leroy replied, "Well, then just give us our money back."

The farmer said, "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

They said, "OK then, just bring us the dead mule."

The farmer asked, "What in the world ya'll gonna do with a dead mule?"

Curtis said, "We gonna raffle him off."

The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead mule!"

Leroy said, "We shore can! Heck, we don't hafta tell nobody he's dead!"

A couple of weeks later, the farmer ran into Curtis & Leroy at the Co-Op grocery store and asked:

"What'd you fellers ever do with that dead mule?"

They said,"We raffled him off like we said we wuz gonna do."

Leroy said,"Shucks, we sold 500 tickets fer two dollars apiece and made a
profit of $898."

The farmer said,"My Lord, didn't anyone complain?"

Curtis said, "Well, the feller who won got upset; So we gave him his two dollars back.

Hats off to Brad McCaughan

2009-12-15T04:24:00.004+04:00

Congratulations to my buddy Brad on the publication of his first (of many) book. Brad did the photography for Sydney Crosby's "My Day With the Cup". Sydney is the youngest captain in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup.

Brad is a great photographer who has recorded Sydney's career from his minor hockey days in Cole Harbour to his triumphant return with the cup. Great work Brad.

Sackville Rivers Association, Fisheries and Aquaculture Staff Stock 2,000 Speckled Trout

2009-12-15T04:02:00.008+04:00

"Members of the Sackville Rivers Association helped Fisheries and Aquaculture staff stock 2,000 speckled trout in five locations of the Sackville River watershed on Thursday, Dec. 10.
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Volunteer Shaunna MacKinnon, right, and assistant co-ordinator Colin O'Neil, both of the Sackville Rivers Association, release speckled trout in the Sackville River.

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http://gov.ns.ca/news/Photos/2009/Dec/pc102136.jpg

A close-up shot of volunteer Shaunna MacKinnon and assistant co-ordinator Colin O'Neil,of the Sackville Rivers Association, releasing speckled trout in the Sackville River."

http://gov.ns.ca/news/Photos/2009/Dec/pc102124.jpg
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Trout Stocking Effort in Response to Little Sackville River Oil Spill

2009-12-14T00:17:00.004+04:00

"- December 10 th 2009 - Trout Stocking Effort in Response to Little Sackville River Oil Spill

On December 10 th the Sackville Rivers Association will be assisting the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture McGowan Lake Fish Hatchery workers with a trout stocking effort, in response to the November 7th oil spill on the Little Sackville River.

On November 7th an estimated 200 - 300 litres of furnace oil leaked into the Little Sackville River as a result of a severed oil tank line at a nearby business. The oil has impacted fish habitat within the Little Sackville River.

Roughly 2000 Speckled trout fall parr will be released at four sites within the Little Sackville River and Main Sackville River, to compensate for damage to fish habitat within the watercourse.

The Sackville Rivers Association would like to thank MLAs Dave Wilson (Sackville-Cobequid) and Mat Whynott (Upper Sackville-Hammonds Plains) for initiating this stocking effort.

Anyone interested in attending this stocking event are asked to meet at the Sackville Heights Community Centre, 45 Connolly Road on Thursday December 10 th at 1 pm.

For further information regarding these stocking efforts please contact:

Stephen Caines

Coordinator

Sackville Rivers Association

office: 865-9238

cell: 476-1001

email: sackvillerivers@ns.sympatico.ca

Walter N. Regan

cell: 476-6276"

Springer Spaniel Puppy

2009-12-13T23:38:00.006+04:00

We have welcomed another puppy into our home. Meet Schalke, a field bred, Springer Spaniel. He is a sweet tempered little guy and seems to be pretty smart. He is also as clumsy as a ballerina in clown shoes.

One puppy is fun. Two puppies is like turning your house over to a gang of drunken yobs after a home-game.

The process of house breaking is well under way both literally and figuratively. The little Maltese is nimble and quick while the Springer is a big, lumbering dinosaur by comparison. It is hard not to laugh out loud at the sight of my daughter holding two leashes and trying to coax them in to peeing outdoors when all the pups want to do is chase each other in circles.

Lots of cuddles, lots of puddles and lots of laughter at the Dobson household for the next few months. Or to put it more simply, "the circus is in town!"

Sad News for the Little Sackville River

2009-11-11T21:12:00.004+04:00

Funny weather this time of year. On October 31st I was fishing in the sun and by Nov 6th we had our first snow.
Today, Nov 11th, I was wearing a light jacket to walk to the Remembrance Day ceremonies at the little park down the street.
It is sunny and warm with no trace of snow.

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Towering over the waterfront for the last few days is this deep sea oil rig waiting to be towed out around Sable Island or across to the North Sea I suppose. It is an impressive sight and unbelievably huge.

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Here is a shot of the waterfront to show what a nice day it was for a walk.

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Here is some sad news. After years of effort and countless volunteer hours the work of the Sackville Rivers Association may have been undone by vandals.

Someone cut the feed line from an outdoor, furnace-oil tank and the oil drained out of the tank into the ground, through a storm drain to the Little Sackville River.

This is when the salmon are in the river to spawn ! Some will likely turn away from entering the river, others may have already built their redds and nests but the furnace-oil must be deadly for any eggs already laid. Who knows what damage has really been done?

Here is the press release:

Sackville Rivers Association Press Release
Media Advisory - For Immediate Release:
Oil Spill on the Little Sackville River
November 9, 2009
The Sackville Rivers Association (SRA) would like to highlight the
environmental damage that may have happened due to the oil spill into
the Little Sackville River.
Our organization has for over twenty years done our best to protect the
Little Sackville River and improve the Atlantic salmon and Brook trout
habitat in the watershed. It is important to understand that the impact
of this oil can have far reaching affects.
"This couldn't have happened at a worse time. It is this time of year
that Atlantic salmon spawn, and this spill may have a major impact on
the population. Many of the adult Atlantic salmon have come back to the
river and their eggs especially will be extremely sensitive to this oil.
This has been a rough year for Atlantic salmon populations around the
province, and the Sackville River no longer has a dedicated stocking
program, so this may really hurt the sustainability of our Atlantic
salmon and Brook trout runs. Our Atlantic salmon population is the main
run in Halifax Harbour"
Walter N. Regan
President SRA
This oil may have far reaching affects on the river. In addition to
stressing Atlantic salmon and Brook trout populations there are many
other concerns: pressuring other fish species, including the American
eel a species of special concern, killing aquatic plants and insects as
well as other river animals including ducks, frogs and turtles. The oil
may also soak into the river soil remaining as a problem long after the
initial spill.
The SRA hopes that we will be able to work with the community to manage
this terrible accident and help ensure it does not happen again.
For additional information, or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Sackville Rivers Association
45 Connolly Road, Room 206 P-902-865-9238
Sackville, N.S. C-902-476-6276
B4E 2Z6 F-902-864-3564
email: sackvillerivers@ns.sympatic.ca

Nova Scotia Fall Salmon Season Ends

2009-11-09T01:53:00.003+04:00

The fall salmon season is over.

It ended on Halloween day. All told the season was great, lots of big fish hooked in the rivers draining into the Northumberland Strait and Gulf of St. Lawrence.
My season was not great in terms of fish landed but was superb in terms of feeling great and being able to spend a couple of days bumming around the river. Water temperature was 4 degrees.

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Last year this time I was wondering if I would ever again enjoy the pleasures of a frosty October morning on the water.

Next year I will spread my days over several weeks in October rather than putting all my hopes into the last week of October. It is salmon fishing after all and we all know that the fish were filling the river the week before we were there.

Here are a few photos of my trip last week with Aaron and another day I slipped off alone.

No fish, but a great couple of days nonetheless.
Who said something like, most of us fish our whole lives without ever realizing it is not the fish we are pursuing?

Nova Scotia Fall Salmon

2009-10-18T18:40:00.003+04:00

Well, I'm finally feeling well enough again to go after some of those Nova Scotia Fall Salmon.

I stopped by the Fishin' Fever shop to pick up a salmon licence and Mr. Short confessed to having had some considerable luck connecting with fish in the last week or two. He also was good enough to pick out a handful of flies for me to try.

Wahoo! Can't wait. Hope I can get a few vacation days in the next two weeks.

If you are wondering why I am so excited about our fall salmon fishing I'll post a few pictures from seasons past. Above is my Dad with a beauty

Brad with a nice one.

Me with my best ever.

That is why we love the fall here in Nova Scotia.

Fall Salmon and New Puppies

2009-10-06T03:18:00.003+04:00

Get a load of this. We've added a new puppy to the family and another is on the way in mid-December. This little guy is Shorty, a Maltese puppy we have had for three days. I'm going to add a new cliche to my lexicon, "as cute as a new puppy" 'cause cute barely starts to describe this thing.

Later in December we are getting a Field Spaniel too. I am really looking foreword to that. Field Spaniels are my perfect definition of what a dog should be. I'll keep you posted.
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The fall rains have started. The weather forecast is calling for rain every day this week. That means the rivers will be filling and the salmon will be running.

It's big flies, big fish and all of the glory of fall foliage on a smallish river. It's the best time of the year.

Now then, when it comes to some happy, positive thoughts for your day, what can beat new puppies and fall salmon?

Effects of Culverts on Fish Passage

2009-09-26T20:26:00.004+04:00

If you looked at the press release below you will see that the grant is to study the effects of culverts on fish passage in the St Marys river system.

Turns out that this a problem in many, maybe even most river systems - around here anyway.

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According to Pierre Martel, Resource Management and Public Safety Specialist with Kejimkujik National Park, there are 165 culverts in the park.

Only 36 of those are on fish bearing streams.

But get this, recently park staff discovered that of these thirty-six culverts, only fourteen were working as planned, allowing water and fish to pass without interference.
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Fourteen of them were blocked to some degree and eight of them were completely impassable for fish.

This is in a National Park where people care and will work to repair the problem.

What the heck is happening elsewhere?

The St. Mary’s River Association (SMRA) Got a $7,500 Shot in the Arm!

2009-09-22T18:52:00.004+04:00

"The St. Mary’s River Association (SMRA) in Sherbrooke, NS got a $7,500 shot in the arm recently from the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation (ASCF). The Association is using the funds to identify culverts that interrupt spawning migration and develop a restoration plan for remediation of the river.

Stephen Chase, left, Executive Director of the ASCF, visited the project recently and presented a commemorative cheque to Megan Myer, center, and Dr. Sean Mitchell, right, of the SMRA."

This press release went on to explain:

Poorly placed or non-maintained culverts can interrupt wild Atlantic salmon spawning migrations, restrict access to ideal habitat and food sources, and increase the chance of predation. Previous work in other parts of Nova Scotia indicate that 50-60% of existing culverts are barriers to fish migration.

The St. Mary’s River Association is using its ASCF funding to assess this problem by: evaluating and quantifying culverts as barriers to passage for upstream migratory Atlantic salmon in tributaries of the St. Mary’s River; evaluating and quantifying culverts as barriers to passage for upstream migratory Atlantic salmon in tributaries of the river; evaluating the extent and quality of habitat lost due to impassable culverts; prioritizing culverts for restoration; and developing a restoration plan for culvert remediation.

Contact: Sean C. Mitchell, PhD, Executive Director

Phone: 902-522-2099

E-mail: smitchel@stfx.ca

Fly Line Weight Question From the Mail Bag

2009-09-13T18:41:00.005+04:00

Here is an email exchange I thought might make for an interesting discussion. What do you think? Am I full of it or making sense?

Hi Steve;

...Fenwick sent me a beautiful, brand-new AFTM 7-weight rod. I tried it with an 8-weight line and it threw it out beautifully. In your opinion, does it hurt a rod to use a line one number heavier than the specified weight recommended by the manufacturer?... Cheers, Dan

Hello Dan;

My opinion for what it is worth on line weights:

The normal conditions we face here in N.S. with its almost constant wind, defy the guidelines established by another region's conventional wisdom or even the physics of average conditions calculated by rod manufacturers.

If one uses the low end of the recommended line weight for a rod, one has to overpower the cast with a haul or two which takes away all delicacy of presentation and also promotes fatigue. That certainly re-enforces a tendency towards a sloppiness of fly presentation.

The result is on an average Nova Scotian day one could expect to miss a lot of chances due to poor line control as the wind blows the cast and bags the line, as well as squandered opportunities because of simply bad presentation - totally missing the target or crashing the fly on top of it .

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In a more moderate climate where wind is less of a factor I believe the lighter the line weight, that will still load the rod, the better the finesse side of the game can be practised and enjoyed.

For here, my inclination is to go a weight heavier than recommended to load the rod on shorter casts. That will give the power needed, the finesse comes in calculating the line of attack so that the wind will assist in straightening the leader and aiming the cast.

I suspect that the reason most fish here are caught on wet flies as opposed to dries is not because most of their diet comes in the form of nymphs and other sub-aqueous creatures but rather that the days when a dry fly can be presented with the accuracy and subtlety required for success are so rare as to be remarkable.

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Unfortunately on perfect dry fly days, when they do come, most of us are rigged so heavily because of our constant battle with the wind that we can't really take complete advantage of the unusual conditions.

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Traditions such as "an upstream dry fly being the only really sporting way to take a fish" could never have evolved here because of our climate and topography.

Other traditions and tactics, that most of us in the fly fishing community cherish as gospel, are equally inappropriate for this area but that's a rant for another day.

Despite what I said above there is really nothing like a good fish on the lightest possible tackle.

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See ya'
Steve

Fiirst Time Float Tubing for Bass

2009-09-09T03:50:00.003+04:00

Had a good day on the water this weekend. My daughter Nancy had been wanting to try float tubing for Smallmouth Bass for the longest time and this Saturday we finally got around to it.

What a hoot! I had forgotten what it is like for someone to try a float tube for the first time.

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Everything from knowing that it is easier to walk backwards in flippers to how to actually get into the thing, it all has to be learned. And then comes the magic moment when their feet leave the bottom and they are free.
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There are the first tentative kicks with the flippers just to see if you really do stay upright and then the big grin. 'Hey this really works and is it ever fun"

Well, it was great fun. I caught a handful of small ones. Nancy caught her share of little ones and one big one. Big enough to give her bragging rights anyway.

If you haven't done it in a while, take your kids fishing. I know that Nancy isn't exactly a kid anymore, to the rest of the world anyway, but I swear in that place, on that day and for those few hours, we were both much, much younger.

Where did the Name "Nova Scotia" come from?

2009-08-30T21:28:00.004+04:00

One of the Google searches that brings people to this site is the question,"Where did the name Nova Scotia come from". I am not sure why the search leads them here but I figured I'd answer the question so it wouldn't be a wasted trip.

The Origin of the name of Nova Scotia is that in 1621 King James the First of England, who also happened to be King James the Sixth of Scotland, claimed this land as part of the kingdom of Scotland. Nova Scotia is the Latin translation of New Scotland.

Nova Scotians are also known as Bluenosers. The famous schooner Bluenose, that you can see on the Canadian dime was built here in Lunenburg and was the fastest schooner of her time.

No one really knows why we are called Bluenosers. I've heard that it was because the weather is so damp and cold that your nose turns blue here. Some say it was because of that damp and cold that the sailors would constantly rub their runny noses with their mittened hands and the dye would come off on their noses.

We were the first overseas colony to receive a flag. It is the flag of Scotland with the colours reversed. We also have a very nice plaid tartan and a provincial bird. Our provincial bird is the Osprey, a real beauty and well known to all fishermen.

So there you go, nova Scotia in a nutshell.

I have not been able to post images lately so have not been updating this blog as often as I might. Hopefully Blogger or I will get it figured out soon.

Even When the Fishing is Great, There is Always “One Little Thing”

2009-08-15T20:52:00.002+04:00

"An old fisherman was walking beside his favourite stream. The sun was
setting and he just had time to try one more cast through the run
called Jim’s Legs. It was a fast piece of water with a smooth boulder
dividing the current into two distinct and slightly curved paths that
met up again after a short distance. The run was named after his
life-long friend and fishing partner Jim, who had recently passed on.

It wasn’t named after him because Jim had figured out the complex
presentation required for the conflicting currents, or that he caught
the first salmon there; nope, it was because Jim was as bowlegged as a
cowboy even though he had spent his whole life here on the East coast.

Well, the Old Fellow thought,” This one’s for you Jim” and flicked his
Brown Bug above and to the right of the smooth boulder. He was
concentrating on the bug and preparing to flick the critical upstream
mend that would slow the fly down as it passed the usual lie when he
heard a whispery voice.

“Nice cast.”
The Old Fellow started and turned to the shadowy figure beside him.
“Jim” he said “is that you?”
“It’s me” said Jim. “I’ve just come to say hello and thank you for
thinking of me. By the way, the fishing in Heaven is fantastic. Every
evening there is a fly tying class and the next morning that is the
fly the fish will be rising to. It is all good except for one little
thing.”
“It sounds fantastic Jim” said the Old Fellow, “What’s the one little thing?”
“Well”, said Jim “Next Tuesday night you are giving a class on tying
your famous Brown Bug.”"

From the Mail Bag its Crappie, Largemouth Bass, and Dobson Arizona

2009-08-02T23:14:00.005+04:00

Here is a note I received recently from a reader. He has some interesting things to say about my name. Wonder if I'm related to the Arizona Dobsons?

"Hello,

I am in town working for TeleTech for about a month and a half. I was looking for a place to do some fishing for either Trout, Bass, or Salmon that was close to Amherst. I don’t want to go that far, but I want some good fishing. I am used to fishing for Trout or Bass, but never Salmon. I am an avid fisherman back home in Arizona.

I grew up in an area named “Dobson Ranch” and I went to “Dobson High School” The Dobson’s owned a lot of property in Mesa, AZ. USA.

Anyways, I just want somewhere to relax on the weekends that is close to Amherst, any suggestions?

Thank you!

Enjoy the Largemouth Bass and the Crappie Picture, From Roosevelt Lake in AZ.

Respectfully,"

etc.

Luckily, he is in a great fishing area so it was easy to offer some suggestions for spots to try.

The Origins of Smallmouth Bass in Nova Scotia

2009-07-30T20:07:00.003+04:00

"Where did the Smallmouth Bass in Nova Scotia come from ?", is one of the more common questions I get asked via email from this site.

I didn't know the answer until my brother, Warren, told me some of the history recently. Here is the story.

Before the 1870's Nova Scotia was renowned for its Trout and Salmon but the only bass were Striped Bass, which ran annually along the coast.

Smallmouth Bass were introduced into a private pond in Maine somewhere around 1870.

Whether by flood or finding other escape routes through brooks or streams, the Smallmouth Bass in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia today are thought to be descendants of that original planting.

They made their own way into New Brunswick but our Bass were officially planted in 1942 in Bunker Lake, Yarmouth County.

There were other government sponsored stocking efforts in the mid 60's in King's County and again in the 70's in Digby County but I suspect that by far most of the spread of Smallmouth Bass in Nova Scotia was done by private citizens trying to stock their favourite ponds and lakes with something fish'able as Trout became more and more difficult to find due to the ravages of acid rain in the 70's.

Whatever the case, we got 'em now and I spend a lot of time during the dog-days of summer flicking bugs and poppers at them. They are a game fighter and can be as easy to catch as Perch or as fussy and sullen as any Trout that swims.

I can't say I don't long for the old days of pristine Trout waters but Heck, I've always figured if a fish, no matter what kind, is willing to take a fly - I'll oblige by throwing one at it.

Advanced Float Tubing Techniques: Don’t Try This at Home!

2009-07-18T21:32:00.008+04:00

One of the issues when fishing from a belly boat or float tube is simply getting into and out of it.

Just putting on the flippers when wearing waders can be a performance worthy of the Cirque du Soleil.

Then there is that whole backwards, duck-walk to get into deep enough water to float your tube. It is a pain, but worth it once you are floating along like the King of Podunk in your La-Z-Boy Recliner picking off fish no one else can reach.

It really is idyllic floating along, enjoying the day and the fishing; well, that is until you have to pee.

That means kicking to a secluded spot with an easy place to land.

Sometimes you need to compromise; secluded but not so easy to land or, easy to land but not so secluded. It is a tough choice, made tougher the
longer you wait to make the decision.

I thought I had it licked a while ago while floating one of the nearby urban lakes. I had a big bottle of Gatorade with me and figured once the juice was finished I could use the bottle to pee in if needed. That way I could be not only discrete but avoid a possibly hazardous landing too.
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Sure enough, not long after having this brilliant idea I had the opportunity to try it out.
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So there I was floating in deep water, just behind a little island with both arms jammed down my waders as I tried to make the arrangements for the necessary deed.
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It was a bit of a shaky start but soon everything was going according plan.

I drifted there with that goofy look babies get sometimes when wearing their diapers, congratulating myself on the plan coming together, then it struck me; I had also enjoyed a Tim's double double earlier in the day, on the way to the lake.
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Maybe a Gatorade would fit back in the bottle coming out. Please, just trust me when I tell you that a Gatorade and a Tim Horton's, double double coffee sure as heck won't.
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I use float tubes that are a bit easier to get in and out of now a'days and once the waders were swabbed out with Javex , well, you know...

Win a Dream Trip Fishing Video Contest

2009-07-18T20:34:00.006+04:00

This came in the mailbag the other day. It is a chance to win a dream trip. Start sorting trough those videos boys!

Hi,

We are contacting you to see if your would consider posting something about the Waterfall Resort's fishing video contest.

Waterfall Resort, Alaska's premier fishing resort and home of the $100,000 Fishing Tournament has announced a YouTube Fishing Video Contest.

The Grand Prize is a 3-Night, 4-Day all inclusive fishing trip to the Legendary Waterfall Resort in Alaska.

The resort is world famous for large salmon and halibut fishing. For contest rules please visit: http://waterfallresort.com/video-contest

The deadline for submitting videos is July 31st. Here's a quick video about the contest too: Click here for video .

Come on, pull out your favorite fishing video and you may just win a great prize!

Best of Luck.

Water Fall Resort

The New Float Tube

2009-07-09T03:23:00.004+04:00

Got to try out the new float tube Tuesday evening, Brad “Fish Hawk” and I hit one of our favourite secret spots for some pretty good fishing. There were lots of Smallmouth Bass, a couple of Speckled Trout and even a few Yellow Perch.

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The new float tube worked great. It is bigger and more comfortable than other tubes I have used. The small flippers I was using were a little under-powered for pushing it around the lake in the wind but are so comfortable and light that I’ll have to really think about whether or not to use my scuba fins next time. I’ll probably stick with the small flippers. Heck, it’s not as if I’m in a hurry.

Tactics for the evening were pretty simple. I started with a Wooly Bugger and Brad started with a leech pattern of some sort. I picked off three Bass from under the shore vegetation as we were kicking out. As we moved away from our launch site Brad started connecting with fish. He had changed up to a streamer with a bit of green he called a Baby Bass.

I soon switched over to a streamer, using one with a bit of yellow to represent the perch so plentiful in this lake. Fishing streamers around structure and through the open spots in the Lily Pad beds was absolutely deadly.
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All told, it was a great outing. I lost count of how many Bass we brought to hand. The Trout were a pleasant surprise and even the Perch were bigger than average.

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The weather continues crappy. Last night was cold and drizzly. Today continued cold but the sun showed his face toward the end of the day.

Smallmouth Bass are an interesting fish. Here is a shot from last night of a tiny Bass that hit a streamer nearly his own size. What was he thinking? Probably the same thing I do when picking up a great big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

A New Float Tube

2009-07-04T20:57:00.005+04:00

Well, I have not been doing much fishing. A combination of laziness and crappy weather has kept me off the water for the last couple of weeks. It is raining again today with the prediction of a thunder storm later on. It has been the wettest June I can remember.

Of course anyone who knows me will tell you that my memory is not the greatest. For example; I remember catching a 17 inch trout in Long Lake one time while fishing with my Dad and brother Dave.

No one else seems to remember that but, that time when we were twelve that I lost the worms just as the fishing was getting great, well, everyone seems to remember but me.

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My buddy Brad can remember every detail of every trip we have ever taken. Me, I just remember a montage of salmon takes and leaping trout. Usually the events of the trips get jumbled together into one long and pleasant reverie rather than a linear account of particulars. Of course there are certain things I remember vividly, such as rowing the length of Grand Lake once because someone figured we had enough gas to make the trip. We didn’t as it turned out.

Anyway, memories of fishing trips are suspect as anyone who has ever listened to a fishing story will tell you. For today I’ll keep one eye on the weather and the other on my book as I look for a chance to get out and try for some bass in the new float tube I picked up second-hand last evening.

It is a Tout Unlimited, Kennebec model. Looks like it will be very comfortable. With an extra float tube, I can invite someone else to come along on a tubing trip, instead of always having to go alone.

Beautiful Young Foxes

2009-06-27T18:46:00.003+04:00

I hope to get out for a little fishing later today but thought I’d share these pictures with you first.

These are young foxes living in the South Shore area of Nova Scotia. My daughter, Nancy and her Uncle Ron saw them two nights ago and sent these photos.

The title of this post should bring in some hits from Google don’t you think ?

Whale Watching

2009-06-22T02:05:00.005+04:00

I’ve been away for a few days doing some work travel.
Here are some pictures from a whale watching excursion that was part of the trip.

I saw a few whales but I didn’t get any good pictures of them. All told I saw seals, porpoises, a bald eagle and of course the whales.

The circular cages are part of a salmon farm just up the coast from Digby.

Was hoping to get out trout fishing this weekend but the weather has been foul. The forecast is calling for rain from Saturday until next Thursday.

Trip With Brother Warren

2009-06-13T18:21:00.003+04:00

I had a nice trip out with my brother Warren the other night.
The river we visited was shockingly low and the whole bottom was covered in a brown algae. Warren called it “Rock Snot”.

I had been there about a week and a half ago and the water was at the perfect level, Shad and Trout were everywhere. We had to follow the brook down to where it hits the big river to find any fish. I caught a small Bass and Warren hooked a few Shad.

Not legendary fishing by any stretch but fun to get out and it doesn’t hurt for the big brother to win one every now and then.

Certainly cuts down on the “noogies”.

Six Nova Scotia Projects Receive Funding

2009-06-13T18:05:00.003+04:00

-----press release----

Six Nova Scotia projects receive funding from Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation

June 1, 2009, Fredericton, NB – Groups working to conserve wild Atlantic salmon stocks in Nova Scotia (NS) will receive a total of $52,800 in funding from the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation (ASCF) this year. The Foundation announced its 2009 grant recipients today. Six Nova Scotia projects were among the 20 to be funded, which also included four in New Brunswick, four in Quebec, three in Prince Edward Island and three in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The total value of grants awarded by the Foundation for 2009 is $219,850.

“This is just our second round of awards,” said ASCF Chair, the Honourable Rémi Bujold, when the successful applications were announced, “but the Foundation is already gaining recognition as the funding agent for wild Atlantic salmon conservation in Canada. Our plan is to be a reliable and long-term supporter of salmon conservation by community partners.”

Some 46 applications were submitted by conservation, environmental, sports angling and Aboriginal groups in Atlantic Canada and Québec to fund work to be done during the 2009 season. “This shows that there is widespread and active interest in, and commitment to, conservation of wild Atlantic salmon,” said Hon. Bujold.

Nova Scotia applications were assessed and selected by the Foundation’s Nova Scotia advisory committee and its Central Advisory Committee. The $52,800 awarded in Nova Scotia includes:

$15,000 for the Nova Scotia Salmon Association to mount a demonstration project in Beaver Bank aimed at restoring the West River, which has been extensively damaged by acid rain;

$9,000 to the LaHave River Salmon Association in Bridgewater to improve and maintain the water quality of the LaHave River watershed through water quality monitoring and a public education program;

$9,000 to the Sackville Rivers Association for a comprehensive watershed study to establish priorities for Atlantic Salmon habitat restoration and improvement in the watershed;

$7,500 for the St. Mary’s River Association (Sherbrooke) to identify culverts that interrupt spawning migration and develop a restoration plan for culvert remediation;

$6,300 to Antigonish’s Habitat Unlimited to continue its work on fish habitat restoration in Wright’s River;

$6,000 to the Mabou & District Community Development Association for its Shea’s Brook restoration project to create a more complex habitat suitable for salmon spawning, development, and migration.

“The salmon fishery is essential not only to the province’s ecology, but also to its economy, First Nations and to the growing eco-tourism industry,” Scott Cook, chair of the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation’s Nova Scotia Advisory Committee, said when the funding was announced. “These projects will contribute significantly to the reestablishment and conservation of this valuable resource in Nova Scotia.”

Work on the spring 2009 projects will begin as soon as environmental conditions allow.

The Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation is a volunteer, non-profit, charitable organization established with the goal of helping to achieve healthy and sustainable wild Atlantic salmon stocks in Atlantic Canada and Québec. Funded with an endowment from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Foundation has created a trust fund to promote and strengthen partnerships among groups working to conserve wild Atlantic salmon. Conservation projects and program administration are financed from interest earned by the trust fund.

For more information on the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation please visit the website at http://www.salmonconservation.ca/.

"Never Seen Anything Quite so Bizarre or Incredible"

2009-06-06T18:39:00.005+04:00

Not much fishing to report from me this past week so I thought I would share this gem from the Business Times of Australia.

International Business Times

By Ivan Adnan06 June 2009 @ 02:26 pm AEST
KAUAI - A man in Hawaii has caught what is possibly the luckiest catch of any era a fish that has coughed up a gold watch.

Curt Carish was at a picnic with others in the vicinity of Port Allen Beach on the island of Kauai when the group of friends spied a fish clumsily swimming close to the shore, The Garden Island website reports.

Encouraged by his friends Mr. Carish jumped into the water and clubbed the 10-inch fish unconscious, with a bamboo stick.

Mr. Carish mentioned he had noticed the fish's stomach appeared abnormally large but did not give it any thought after tossing it into an esky. (An “esky” is a cooler)

A friend later opened the cooler, to make the discovery of a gold watch next to the fish's mouth.

"The funniest thing is that the watch was on time and still ticking," Mr. Carish was quoted by the website as saying.

Mr. Carish believes that in the 30 years he had been living in Hawaii he had never seen anything quite so bizarre or incredible.

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He has obviously never been fishing with Brad "Fish Hawk" McC.

For Immediate Release

2009-06-02T02:11:00.002+04:00

Three Generations Protect Land, Family Heritage

Sunday morning, an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the St. Mary’s River Association Interpretive Centre in Sherbrooke for a community celebration.

Sherbrooke is home to Sherbrooke Village, a long celebrated historic and tourist attraction. However, a lesser known fact about this community—and the reason for this week’s celebration—is that, at its heart, is a thriving movement to protect not only Nova Scotia’s history, but its future too.

A champion of this movement comes in the form of 14 year old Reid Anderson, who, at the age of 11, voiced his desire to see the land protected for the benefit of the wildlife that call the area home. Reid, along with his father Jamie, and his grandfather Murray—whose ancestors have lived in Sherbrooke since the 1800s—have succeeded in protecting this portion of their family land, in perpetuity, in partnership with the Nova Scotia Nature Trust.

The formal announcement of the river’s newest conservation site was made on Sunday. The land will been named the C.W. Anderson Conservation Lands—in honour of Murray’s grandfather who was a mill owner, shipbuilder and general store proprietor in Sherbrooke in the early 1900s.

This 110-acre property supports a bald eagle feeding site and over 1,000 metres of shoreline on the Main Branch of the St. Mary’s River. According to Dennis Garratt, the Nature Trust’s Conservation Manager, “this site is a wonderful contribution to conservation on the river. Its varied forest habitats and undisturbed shoreline will help keep the river shaded and healthy for Nova Scotia’s imperilled Atlantic salmon.”

The property was acquired with support of the Nova Scotia Crown Share Land Legacy Trust, and generous sponsorship provided by EnCana, the David and Faye Sobey Foundation, and ExxonMobil Canada.

There is an old proverb which states “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, but rather, borrow it from our children.” In permanently protecting this land, the Anderson family has recognized the ultimate truth of this idea and has both preserved an important connection to their family history, and ensured that Reid and those who come after him will always have a connection to this treasured place.

This property is the fourth site protected through the Nature Trust’s St. Mary’s River Conservation Legacy Campaign, which has protected over 400 acres of land along the River to date. The Nature Trust is Nova Scotia’s leading private land conservation group, with over 4,300 acres protected on private lands across the province.

The St. Mary’s River

The St. Mary’s River is one of the most scenic rivers in the province, and has long been popular among salmon-fishermen, even attracting baseball great Babe Ruth to fish its waters.

Aside from its recreational and scenic value, it is also highly significant ecologically, supporting four “ecological gems”:

Important habitat for wood turtles, a national species-at-risk;
Habitat for Atlantic salmon, a species that is declining throughout its range;
Some of the last remnants of old-growth hemlock forest in the province;
Some of the most extensive and intact remnants of Acadian floodplain forest in the province. These forest provide a variety of important ecological functions, while providing habitat for rare floodplain plants.

The St. Mary’s River Conservation Legacy Campaign

Begun in 2006, the St. Mary’s River Conservation Legacy campaign is focused on protecting the most outstanding natural areas on the river, through private land conservation, landowner outreach, and community education.

Since 2006, over 150 landowners of priority properties have been personally contacted to share information about options for land conservation and shoreline stewardship. The Nature Trust has also launched a successful community outreach initiative, including a variety of activities, from guided nature walks, to public presentations and community celebrations.

The first major land conservation success of the campaign was the donation of two ecologically significant properties on the river by the late Sandy Cameron, his wife, Shirley, and their family.

The success of the project continued last year, with the Nature Trust protecting the stunning Hemlock Falls Nature Reserve in partnership with the province of Nova Scotia.

The vision for the campaign is to work with landowners to protect, as “forever wild” conservation lands, some of the most outstanding natural areas on the river. Voluntary stewardship of shoreline properties is important in connecting the permanently protected areas, creating a network of protected lands along the river.

Intact natural habitats on the shore are essential to the long-term health of the river and to the survival of the species that depend on the river for their survival, including wood turtles and Atlantic salmon.

Great Shad fishing and Good Trout Fishing: Spring in Nova Scotia

2009-05-24T18:57:00.004+04:00

Shad fishing has been spotty to say the least. I have been out a few times this past week and success has varied from nothing, to “too many to tell because it will sound like BS”.

I have also had some luck with trout. I picked up three yesterday and a handful of shad. The smaller male shad are well up the river and some spawning activity is going on.

The males are smaller than the females by almost half but are tremendous fun. This one jumped twice and had me into my backing on the first run.

The preferred colour seems to vary with each group of fish. What has been working for me is to change up frequently.

It seems I’ll get one or two hook-ups with one colour then nothing until I try something else, then one or two more and so on. I think every fly in my box has been wet this year.

Green, green and white and solid red seem to be favoured by a small margin.

The technique that has been working is to fish the cast about 45 degrees across and down stream. Let the fly dead drift until it straightens out below you and then give it a slow, jerky, retrieve with lots of pauses to let the fly dangle.

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Hits seem to come anywhere in the cast, so be ready.

The Nature Trust will announce the protection of a new conservation site on the St. Mary’s River

2009-05-22T19:23:00.003+04:00

MEDIA ADVISORY
The Nova Scotia Nature Trust and the St. Mary’s River Association are pleased to invite you to join us in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia for a celebration of past, present and future.

The Nature Trust will announce the protection of a new conservation site on the St. Mary’s River and honour the local family which has made its protection possible.

Following the announcement, there will be photo and interview opportunities—with Nature Trust Vice President, Corey Miller, Nature Trust staff and the land donors—as well as nature walks to showcase the beauty of the river, and a barbecue lunch in partnership with the St. Mary’s River Assocation.

Photos and ‘b-roll’ of the river are available to media on request.

Where: St. Mary’s River Association Interpretive Centre8404 Highway #7, Sherbrooke, NS.

When: May 31st, 2009, 10:00 a.m. Contact: Lauren Allen Conservation Coordinator, Nature Trust 902-406-3320

lauren@nsnt.ca . Lauren Allen St. Mary's River Project Coordinator Nova Scotia Nature Trust Box 2202, Halifax, NSB3J 3C4
www.nsnt.ca

FISHERIES/AQUACULTURE--Sportfishing Fund Announces 2009 Projects

2009-05-22T19:00:00.004+04:00

FISHERIES/AQUACULTURE--Sportfishing Fund Announces 2009 Projects --Press Release

Community groups across the province will soon be starting projects to improve fish habitat in their local river systems, thanks to supportfrom the Nova Scotia Sportfish Habitat Fund.

Repairing stream channels, planting trees to stabilize banks, and restoring historic trout and salmon migration routes are all parts of projects supported by Adopt-a-Stream, a program of the Nova Scotia Salmon Association.

A list of volunteer groups and projects was released today, May 12, at the site of a completed project on the Sackville River.

The upper reaches of the Little Sackville River is targeted for trout habitat restoration, with funding received from the Nova Scotia Sportfish Habitat Fund. The Sackville Rivers Association, an Adopt-a-Stream partner, will help restore the aquatic habitat with several completed and proposed projects including clearing blockages and installing about 30 digger-logs to re-establish the stream's natural meander and increase pool sites.

"These projects directly improve fish habitat, and improve sportfish opportunities for anglers," said Murray Hill, director of inland fisheries, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. "The many volunteer groups across the province who have waterway projects should be proud of their work."

Over the next year, 18 community groups will receive money from the 2009Nova Scotia Sportfish Habitat Fund. The fund was established in 2005 to provide financial support to volunteers working on the protection of fish habitat and the improvement of public access to sportfishing.

A committee, made up of anglers throughout the province, chooses projects from a list of applications.

A $5.44 fee added to general and salmon fishing licences provides the income for the fund.

Community groups are required to match Sportfish Habitat funding through their own cash and in-kind contribution to the projects.

Information on angling is available on the Fisheries and Aquaculture website at www.gov.ns.ca/fish/sportfishing .

This year's total projects equals $238,078 from the Nova Scotia Sportfish Habitat Fund.

Below is a list of Adopt-a-stream projects approved for 2009 and two additional projects carried over from the previous year:

Annapolis County:-- Annapolis watershed: $15,000 to Clean Annapolis River Project--

Cornwallis (Golflink brook): $4,900 to Friends of the Cornwallis River Society

Antigonish County:-- South River tributaries: $4,000 carried over from 2008 to the Antigonish Town and County Anglers Association--

West and Rights rivers: $19,800 to Habitat Unlimited

Cape Breton Regional Municipality:-- Mira/Salmon river (Stewart brook): $6,000 to ACAP

Victoria County:-- Cheticamp watershed (Aucoin, Fiset, and Farm brooks): $15,900 to Cheticamp River Salmon Association

Inverness County:-- Mabou/Mull, Broad Cove, More Brooks: $20,000 to Mabou and District Community Development Association--

Northeast Margaree (Big Brook): $16,800 to Margaree Salmon Association--

River Denys: $4,000 to Stewards of the River Denys Watershed Association

Colchester County:-- Stewiacke (Little river): $19,000 to Cobequid Salmon Association--

Waugh's and French rivers and tributaries: $18,000 to North Colchester River Restoration Project

Cumberland County:-- River Philip: $25,000 to Cumberland County River Enhancement Association

Digby County:-- Bear River (Franklyn Brook): $12,000 to Bear River First Nation

Guysborough County:-- St. Mary's: $9,700 to St. Mary's River Association

Halifax Regional Municipality:-- Cow Bay River watershed (Ellenvale Run): $9,700 to Clean Nova Scotia--

Little Sackville River: $10,000 carried over from 2008 fund to the Sackville Rivers Association

Lunenburg County:-- LaHave River - $12,000 to LaHave River Salmon Association--

Mushamush Rriver - $15,000 to Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation

Pictou County:-- West River (Pictou) and Pine Tree Brook (Merigomish Bay): $15,000 to Pictou County Rivers Association

Queens County:-- Medway River: $400 to Medway River Salmon Association

Shad Flies

2009-05-17T19:32:00.004+04:00

Here is a peek at what I am carrying in my Shad fly box this year.

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My first shad of the year I caught on this green one. I got it from Larry at Fishin’ Fever the other day. I like to go in and see what the latest patterns are and then, once I know what is working, I’ll tie a handful of variations. The truth is; if you are not hanging a few on the bottom, you are not fishing in the right zone. So, it is a costly business if you don’t tie your own.

Here is my go to fly for when nothing else seems to be working. It is a Crazy Charlie; I think that is what it’s called. Most Bonefish patterns will work amazingly well for Shad. It is probably the hook facing up design that allows one to fish it with better technique as much as any other design element.

These are the flies that were most successful over the last few years. Like most anadromous fish, each generation of returns seems to have a definite colour preference when it comes to taking flies. Variations of green and white seem to be most successful but one year red was by far the most preferred with orange a close second.

My first cast of the season I will always go with a white body, green head or a totally green. If that doesn’t seem to be working I’ll keep changing, working through from red to orange and then pink, pure white and so on.

The main secret to catching fish seems to be going fishing. Everything else is subject to change.

Shad Fishing on the Nine Mile

2009-05-17T01:06:00.004+04:00

Just when I figured I was going to have to travel back in time and fight some big fat Scottish guy to get my “fishing mojo” back, I finally got into some fish.

Today dawned with a grey and overcast sky, perfect for shad fishing. I knew they were there because Brad “Fish Hawk” McCaughan and I had been out earlier in the week. We saw lots of fish but didn’t connect.

Today I managed to get six Shad, all of them big. There were more there to be caught but I was content and headed for home.

For a change everyone hooked was brought to hand. Usually I loose one or two for everyone landed, especially these big six pounders. What a battle they put up. It really is as Brad says, “Arm aching action”. Maybe it was because I was fishing faster water than I normally fish but all of the takes were perfect and I was able to play the fish confidently.

Oh yeah, for those of you locally, green seems to be the preferred fly colour, today anyway.

The Shad are Running and Mayflies are Hatching

2009-05-13T01:24:00.004+04:00

I finally made it fishing. On Saturday I headed out to check out the little lake my daughter and I found last week. It was pretty rough going walking the bank and extremely treacherous wading so I only managed about an hour of fishing and saw no sign of a fish. I’ll go back with the float tube when things warm up a bit and give it a thorough going over.

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It was a cold and blustery day with no fish to show for it but it was still a triumph for me. Only a few short months ago I was being admitted to the hospital for heart surgery and remember wondering if I’d ever be able to walk the woods or fish again.
Before getting too braggy, I have to admit I fished an hour and needed a two hour nap afterwards.
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Hey, I’m calling it a win.

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The next day was Sunday and feeling pretty good, I headed out to Elmsdale to see if the shad were in yet. The answer is; they definitely are starting to run. I was rigged for trout fishing and didn’t get close to them but just knowing they are there has me pumped. I’ll go back this weekend with a full sinking line and some shad flies.

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There were a few trout rising here and there to a sporadic hatch of Hendrickson Mayflies. These are a biggish fly; light, opaque, brown or grey with a bit of yellow on the underside of the abdomen. I have never seen them on this particular water before but the trout were not shy about smacking them. I’ll make sure to always have a few in my spring fly box from now on.

That is always the conflict on the Nine Mile or the Shubie; do you rig light for trout or heavy for shad. You can’t really fish them both at once. At least, I have not figured out how to yet.

I walked a good portion of the bank and saw a few shad being caught on darts by the spin fishermen. Didn’t see many fly fishers and no hook-ups on the fly.

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Yahoo, the lying season is upon us.

Old Hardy Reels, Shad Run 2009 and a Video

2009-05-06T02:31:00.003+04:00

I picked up my reels from Eric’s yesterday. He cleaned and greased them, replaced the springs and dogs so that they work as smoothly as new again. These old Hardy St John reels are the best salmon kit I have ever used. I can’t wait to get them lined and ready for fishing. I wonder what the new ones are like. Do they compare?

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The news is that the first shad have started running in the Shubie. There have been a few trout being caught in the last week and some bass too from what I’ve been hearing and reading in the forums. With luck, weather and health, I should have some fishing news to report in the next few days

I saw this video today on one of my buddy Tim’s football forums. I found it so funny that I thought I’d post here to see if the humour translates. My site stats show that in this past month there have been visitors from 63 countries stopping by to read this blog. Leave a note and let me know if you find this funny too.
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Forest Fire Threatens City

2009-05-02T19:35:00.004+04:00

What a week it has been.
I have mentioned here before that our city is blessed with some of the best urban fishing you can imagine, within minutes of the downtown core. Well, a large bush fire started behind the city in an area known as McIntosh Run.
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-view from Dartmouth-Community Herald Photos
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Two brothers described their narrow escape from the fire as, "one minute we were fishing, the next we saw a wall of flames." They literally had to run for their lives and narrowly escaped the inferno. Fire officials said the fire was moving at 36 meters a minute. Those boys were lucky to survive.
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The fire was a roaring wall of flames, burning woods and homes as it tore towards Halifax Harbour. It started Thursday afternoon and burned all night before the firefighters could contain it. The weather helped a lot when it started to rain Friday morning but what an amazing effort on the part of the pros and volunteers to fight this fire into submission.
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All told, 800 to 1000 hectares of woodland burned, 1,200 people had to be evacuated from the fire’s path, and 8 homes were destroyed.

It could have been caused by anything from a lightning strike to a careless campfire left by fishermen or hikers.

The authorities will doubtless figure it out before too long but be careful out there.

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For more pictures of the blaze visit Community Herald Photos.

Eric's Reel Shop

2009-04-26T19:25:00.008+04:00

Well not much to report on the fishing front. Yesterday was a great day, the first real spring weather we have had. I had to go do some blood tests and errands so by the time I was able to go fishing, I was pooped.

One of the errands was pretty interesting though.

I took two Hardy reels to be serviced at a place called Eric’s Reel Shop.

It is a home based business in a building behind a fellow’s house out in Eastern Passage. Eric himself is an interesting and pleasant man. The shop is crammed to the rafters with old lanterns, fishing rods, reels, boxes of parts, old fishing lures, flies and just about anything an outdoorsman would have had in his kit throughout the last century.

What a great spot to spend a few minutes in conversation. It is what the boys on “Top Gear” would call a blokey sort of place.

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I look forward to having the reels in working condition. I am going to beg, borrow or re-build a nice, vintage cane rod to match up with the old St John model.

It is a good project to keep my head in the game while I struggle through the last few steps of cardio-rehab.

Slow Start to the Season

2009-04-19T18:46:00.002+04:00

Went for a scouting drive yesterday, it was beautiful and sunny but still cold. I did find a new little lake just a few minutes from home. It is tucked up behind an industrial park on the edge of the city. You walk down a path and suddenly the scrubby brush opens up into a lovely little pond. It is only a couple of acres but surrounded by a grove of Birch, Maple, Alders, Labrador Tea and High Hack Bushes– hard walking but perfect for the Float Tube.

There are two brooks entering and the outlet, although I couldn’t spot it, looks to be on the opposite end from the brooks judging- from the vegetation anyway. There was no sign of surface activity and hardly any bugs at all, just a few microscopic midges swirling in a sheltered, sunny spot.

Reports on the forums are that a few guys are catching a few trout but the majority of fishermen are just enjoying a day out.

Here is a picture from an old folder of a shad photos, you’ll notice I have not thought up the Dobson Clip yet so that puts it at around four years ago. I like spring trout fishing but can not wait for those big Shad to start running.

Fishing the way it is supposed to be?

2009-04-10T18:35:00.005+04:00

It has always been my preference to go afoot when fishing; no boat just boots, fly rod and vest. Pure and simple fishing, the way it is supposed to be.

Well, that is my impression of my fishing style. As I organize my equipment for the upcoming season, the reality turns out to be slightly different.

Now it is boots, fly rod, vest and collapsible wading staff. Well, it is actually breathable waders with felt soled wading boots and of course a spare spool with an alternate line in one vest pocket, a digital camera in the other, polarized sunglasses, more boxes of flies than actually fit comfortably in my remaining pockets, too many gadgets to count pinned on my vest, several maps, three year old salmon tags and a mass of what once might have been a chocolate bar in the vest’s back pouch, too many tippet spools in crazy weights, several store bought leaders- well past their best before date, a rusty cigar cutter, emergency matches, a whistle and so on...

It is all apparently necessary because the only thing I actually removed from the vest was the old salmon tags.

In a pinch, the chocolate bar may still be edible.

Shad Run 2009 - Not Long Now !

2009-04-07T02:50:00.004+04:00

There are few things as exciting in the realm of fly fishing than taking improbably large fish, no matter what the species, from small waters.

It is the ability of the fly fisherman to fish the small tributaries of a main river that opens the door to a unique fishing experience.
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Where spinning gear and heavy darts would foul on every cast, fly gear can often be used with a minimum of difficulty.

The first Shad I ever caught was on the Annapolis River, not a spot particularly famous as a shad river. I had stopped to look at a dam where the river meets the salt water.

In the depths I could see a handful of biggish fish fanning against the current and then suddenly swirling around each other and darting off, only to reappear in the same spot within a few minutes.

I had no idea what they were but I had some saltwater fishing gear in the car, specifically a spinning rod rigged up for Pollack fishing with a yellow Mr. Twister as the lure. That is a round lead jig to which a plastic tail is added. It is a great lure for Pollack and Mackerel too, although it was probably originally designed for Bass fishing.

I crouched over the spot where the fish were milling around and lowered the lure down in front of a fish. He didn’t react at all until I let the lure sink to rest on the bottom and then raised it with a little dancing motion. Bang! He nailed it and I was into a spectacular battle before I had time to absorb what had just happened. After about ten minutes I managed to land my first shad.

When I got home and mentioned my adventure to some friends they were unimpressed. Shad just didn’t seem to rate.

It was a pretty good lesson in what will elicit a strike from a shad though. When presenting a fly to a Shad I always try to get the fly a bit lower then the fish and expect a strike as it rises.
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Because fly fishing for shad is still in its infancy in Eastern Canada it is still possible to find new, un-fished and un-crowded water.

Almost every Eastern Salmon River has historically also had a run of shad, some better known than others.

Although Shad, as open water spawners, do not need to run far up rivers and tributaries to find perfect gravel beds, they do disperse throughout the system.

If there are a lot of fish showing in the main river it is usually productive to check the tributaries too. Not just to find fish but to find those spots where a fly fisherman has the room to practice his art.

It won’t be long now until the Shad Run 2009 begins. I can’t wait.

April First is Opening Day

2009-04-01T02:29:00.004+04:00

We got hit with a nasty snow storm last night and today it was terrible all day. It is clearing off now and looks good to be fit tomorrow.

Well, fit for anything but fishing. I have to work so won’t have to decide whether to try for a few trout or not until supper time.

Here are the sport fishing regulations for Nova Scotia for 2009.

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I’ll put up a link to the salmon regulations a bit closer to the start of the season.

Spring is Springing

2009-03-28T18:29:00.005+05:00

Fishing season is only a few days away and the lake I overlook from my window is still frozen solid.

I knew the sun had some warmth because my furry thermometer was showing warm enough to nap.

Here are some scenes from March 29th in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
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Lake Micmac

back yard

front yard

And this from Barb at work:

FISHERIES/AQUACULTURE--New Sportfishing Licences System for People With
Disabilities
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Sportfishing anglers with disabilities will have a new process for
getting a licence when the season opens in Nova Scotia on April 1.

"Sportfishing is an outdoor activity that can be enjoyed by people of
any age or ability," said Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ron
Chisholm. "We are pleased to offer free sportfishing licences to people
with disabilities."

Free general fishing licences are available for Nova Scotians with
disabilities who meet the criteria. Under the new system, an accessible
parking identification permit issued by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles
will qualify as proof of disability, or anglers can have their
application for a fishing licence confirmed by a doctor.

Application forms are available at Access Nova Scotia and the Department
of Natural Resources. Anglers who qualify for this type of fishing
licence can pick one up at their local Department of Natural Resources
office.

Information on angling and the 2009 sportfishing regulations is
available at www.gov.ns.ca/fish/sportfishing .

The Annual Seal Hunt begins in Canada

2009-03-25T22:49:00.005+05:00

So the annual seal hunt started on March 23rd this year up in Quebec. The Newfoundland and Labrador season won’t begin until later, sometime in April. Interestingly, the seals are close this year, only three to five kilometers off shore in the Magdalene Islands area, so the hunters can walk to the hunting grounds. Presumably that means that so can the protesters.

What a controversial situation this has become.
I know a guide who works the Newfoundland salmon camps in the summer, construction in the winter and the seal hunt in the spring. To him the seal hunt is a critical part of his economic survival; literally, the difference between a bare cupboard and groceries.
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It is cruel, cold and dangerous work that no one would ever do except of necessity. The ice is a fearsomely dangerous place this time of year. The protesters are generally not as well prepared or as savvy about the dangers as the hunters. I sure hope no one is hurt.

I have often wondered if the money raised to support the annual anti-seal hunt protest was instead divided up among the hunters, so that they did not have to go out on the ice each spring, if maybe the whole thing would not just end quietly and fade into history as yet another artifact of our savage past.

Poachers

2009-03-21T19:49:00.005+05:00

There is a breed of men who thrive on the excitement of the dark side of things.
Maybe it is the feeling of superiority over those who tread the straight and narrow. Maybe it is the challenge of outsmarting those who enforce the law. I’m not sure why, but there is always someone trying to beat the system, usually at our expense.

Here is a case in point from last season in Newfoundland. I should mention that I’ve driven by this spot many times; always wishing I could stop to wet a fly.

SPAWN reports that hundreds of fish were being taken from the tail race below the power dam at Deer Lake and the poaching was occurring quite blatantly.

In one email they received, a concerned angler revealed:

"He played the fish as good as any seasoned fisherman would and then cleaned the fish on the beach. The other fisherman there (around 5 in total) continued to fish.

To my dismay, however, a car pulls up within 5 minutes and out comes a person with a plastic bag. She proceeds down the beach and the gentleman hands her the fish without tagging it. She took the fish to her car and then drove away.To me it was very disheartening to see this not once, but happen 2 times within a 2 hour span. Another fisherman hooked and landed a fish and surely enough the same car with the same person came for it."

Apparently the tail race had become known as "The Fish Market", at least until thirteen officers took part in an operation which will see individuals face a total of 30 charges.

So once again the good guys win a battle but the war will continue.

I must admit that I have heard some ripping good stories from fellows who have been known to take a chance or two. They feel that the law is plastic rather than rigid and will often bend it a little.

An interesting one tells of a time when they were fishing on a stretch of the Little Sou’ West Miramichi in New Brunswick. Seeing no fish, they began to suspect someone had strung a net downstream. They don’t say how they knew the likely spot but soon confirmed that indeed a net was blocking the river - right where they figured it would be.

Being enterprising fellows they drove up the road and bought from a nearby farmer as much hay as they could cram into their pick-up truck. When it was dark, they parked the truck on the first bridge upstream and proceeded to dump the hay into the river.

The hay drifted downstream becoming lodged in the net. The hay of course became heavier the more sodden it got and finally tearing the net from its moorings, swept the whole mess away down stream.

As it travelled, it cleared any other nets as well and the boys report that the pool was full of salmon by the next morning.

Here is a picture from the William Bullock & Co. Hardware Catalogue circa 1850. It is reflective of the way poachers were dealt with in the past.

Note that this is the humane model. The mind boggles at the thought of the inhumane one.

Ice Fishing

2009-03-15T00:19:00.002+05:00

Stopped the car to watch a fellow ice fishing on one of the city lakes today. He was sitting on a bucket working one rod. It is a cold day and he sure didn’t look too comfortable. Can’t say I saw him catch any fish either but, it is a bright, sunny day and it was probably great just to be outside.

Now I have never been a big fan of ice fishing. When I lived in Kelowna, out in British Columbia I used to go the odd time. What ruined it for me was pulling those big rainbows up through the hole and thinking about what fun they would be on a fly rod come spring.

I just could never reconcile catching a two pound plus, wild, mountain rainbow on a piece of Green Giant corn through the ice - when I couldn’t catch one on a Doc Spratley in open water.

I do remember telling the proprietor of a deli where we loaded up with snacks and pepperoni once, that the pepperoni was our secret killer trout bait. He couldn’t keep it in stock for weeks after because he, of course, told every fisherman in town the secret.

I would sure love to get back to some of those mountain lakes with my fly rod now that I have a few more seasons under my belt.

The Legendary Pinware River in Labrador

2009-03-12T00:05:00.003+05:00

Random Phrump over at Random Casts has just written a great story about a trip we took ten years or more ago to the legendary Pinware River in Labrador .

It is amazing to read about an adventure I remember fondly, but as seen through the eyes of someone else.

The only real difference between his version and mine is that I remember a lot more laughing than offers of help on my part, at least the first time he fell down anyway. Oh yeah, I was a lot more heroic and better looking too.

It’s a ripping yarn and well worth a read.

Places like the Pinware breed memories the way a Nova Scotia swamp breeds Black Flies. But, I always figured that the quality of fishing trip has more to do with your selection of companions then your choice of flies, or rods for that matter.

The Famous Portland Hitch

2009-03-06T01:14:00.006+05:00

The first time I ever saw the Portland Hitch, or even heard of it, was in the early 1990’s while fishing the House Pool on Grandy’s Brook with Henry Hare.

A bright flash in the tea brown water under my fly meant that a salmon had moved for my Blue Charm.

“E’s coming” said Henry, “Give ‘im the ‘itch.”
“What?”
“The ‘itch Bye! ‘Ere gimme your fly.”

And with that he hauled my line in hand over hand while I kept my fingers locked on a pinch of line to keep the measure of the cast.
Within seconds he had looped two half-hitches of my leader around the fly, just behind the eye.

I flicked out the measured cast and watched as the fly hit the water. The current snatched at the Blue Charm raising it to the surface like a water skier. It swung in a perfect, slack-free arc waking a “V” shaped commotion across the pool.

As it neared the spot where the salmon had rolled, the fly just disappeared. A throbbing weight on my line gave a better explanation than my disbelieving eyes and I soon had my first fish on the Hitch.

Called variously the Hitch, the Riffle Hitch, the Riffling Hitch and most famously the Portland Hitch, it is all the same thing.

The idea is to get the fly to riffle or wake across the surface of the water.

The conventional way to apply it is to hold your fly, which is tied on in the usual manner, so that the eye points downstream. Two half hitches of your leader are tied around the fly just where the head and the body meet. When it is riffling you want the head of the fly to point in the direction it is travelling.

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It can be done with the fly pointing the other way but that would seem backward to me, despite the early descriptions of the method in fly fishing literature.

Present the fly as you would a wet-fly. When it is working, the results are amazing. A strike can come anywhere in the swing. I’ve seen fish tear across a pool to intercept a Hitched fly.

They say the method originated with Newfoundland guides who would pick up the worn out, gut-eyed flies discarded by the sports rather than see them go to waste.

Here is an interesting variation I use during the summer when the water is starting to get low and the fish are a bit stale.

I rig a sinking-tip line with a short leader and hitched fly. This sub-surface presentation can really spark things up if the fish have been sulking in the pool for a while.

It is counter-intuitive I know, but it is an interesting technique and always worth a try if all else fails.

Rotating a Salmon Pool

2009-02-28T22:39:00.003+05:00

I was having a chat the other day with a new fly fisher. During the course of the conversation I mentioned a salmon river I fished where pools were not rotated as was the custom because there were so many fish that the need for conventional etiquette was just not a factor.

He had no idea what I was talking about.

For the benefit of those of you new to the game of salmon fishing here is an explanation of how and why we rotate the pool.

Covering a Salmon Pool

First let’s review how to cover a salmon pool. Assume we are fishing conventional wet flies.

Salmon will lie throughout a pool at different locations and depths, if you know where they are: fish through the area as usual. If you do not know where the fish might be: start at the top of the pool with a short cast, across and down. Lengthen by a foot or two and make the same cast. This is repeated until you have cast as long a line as you are comfortable with.

Then, take a couple of steps down stream and start again with a short line working it out a few feet at a time. In this way you can progress through the length of the pool with reasonable confidence that you have shown your fly to any fish in range.

When fishing alone you can take your time and as my Father would say,” paint the pool” with your fly. But, when a pool is being fished by others too, you should “rotate the pool” so that everyone has an equal chance to fish.

Sharing a salmon pool
When sharing a new pool it is wise to observe the other fellows for a few minutes. What you want to know is, where does the pool start and where does it end? Take note of where the anglers enter the stream, where they make their first cast and how far down stream they fish before leaving the river and walking back to try again.

On most rivers with popular and well known pools there are usually a few fellows idling around, waiting their turn and shooting the breeze.
It is normally a collegial bunch with lots of information on how good the fishing was last week, when you were not there.

Don’t be afraid to ask a few questions about customs on the river and at this particular pool. It is better to listen to the chat and figure out, from the clues dropped in conversation or by observation, what tactics and flies are catching fish. Information earned by ten thousand casts is rarely tossed out to a stranger, no matter how annoying or prying their questions may be.

When your turn comes, walk to the bottom of the pool without disturbing other anglers. Enter the river at the appropriate spot with as little disruption as possible and start your cast. You should have watched long enough to see how quickly the average fellow is fishing. That is, whether they are painting the pool or just fishing to a seam or current.

The Rule

Either way the conventional rule is to enter the pool at its upstream limit, take one or two casts then a step down stream. You progress through the pool with this step, cast, step, cast pattern until you reach the end then walk back to await another pass.

It sounds a bit regimented but it is loads of fun. You are covering the pool, meeting other folks with your same interests, hearing some outrageous lies, lots of jokes and usually some very good tips and observations about salmon fishing, the weather and life in general.

I like to work the water above or below a pool a little farther than the usual exit point. It is often productive and one can take their time.

Keep in Mind

Some things to keep in mind when fishing a rotation:
Always respect the other anglers.
If someone has raised a fish be patient while he works over it.
If someone has hooked a fish, reel in so that there is no chance of your lines becoming entangled.
Always offer to assist another angler in the landing of his fish or snapping a photo before the release.
Be generous with flies and advice to new comers but only if asked. Most of all - be courteous.

Float Tube Repair and Maintenance

2009-02-18T22:02:00.005+05:00

Well I am starting to feel a little better after the surgery. Having started a rehabilitation program also sparks me up a bit. I’ll be finished the exercise and education part just about the time May Flies are starting to show in our local lakes. This got me to thinking about float tubing and how much fun it is. Man, I just can’t wait.

Preparing for your first float of the year:

Lay the tube out and remove everything from the various pockets. Do an inventory. These are some things you should always carry with you:

A fire source
Some duct tape
20 feet of soft rope
A mesh bag
A noise maker or whistle
A small hand or foot powered air pump

Some rope is handy for many things such as tying off to a bush or by putting a few rocks in the mesh bag you have an anchor should you need one.

Work all of the zippers a few times and clean them with a lint free cloth and a little Armor-All. Silicon fly-line cleaner works great for this too.

Repair any loose threads or rips in the nylon shell. I use a big darning needle and leader material for this. When finished, a quick touch of the loose ends with a lighter or match will lock all of the knots in place.

Check for leaks:
Remove the air bladder and partially inflate it. Make a solution from dish soap and water then paint the whole inflated inner bladder with it. Any leaks will show as bubbles form from the escaping air. Make a circle around the leak with a Sharpie or other water resistant marker. Pay special attention to seams and air valves.

With luck there will be no leaks but if there is, here is what works for me.

Repairing pin holes in vinyl or PVC:

Deflate the tube and locate the marked leak.
Clip a bit of the excess bladder material from the side seams where it overlaps.
Using a bit of fine sand paper, lightly rough up a one inch circle around the leak. Put a light coat of contact cement on this area. Rough up the patch material and coat it with contact cement as well. Let the cement set for ten minutes or so on each piece and then firmly press the patch over the leak. To hold the patch in place while the glue sets
A bit of waxed paper laid over the patch will let you put a weight on it such as a book or two with out the weight getting stuck to the patch.
Let the patch set up over night.

For a tear:
You can try the same method as above but most replacement air bladders will only cost in the area of $40.00 or so and is probably the best way to go.

A leaking seam:
Here is a spot to start looking for a replacement tube air bladder:

For a good old-fashioned rubber tire inner tube just use a bicycle tire repair kit to repair any leaks. In my experience the rubber tubes are almost indestructible under normal fishing. The PVC and Vinyl bladders are a bit more delicate but lighter and easier to inflate and deflate.

A few more things:
Be sure to shake all of the dirt and debris out of the tube shell to avoid future punctures or abrasions.

When you put the bladder back in the shell, be very meticulous about making sure the inflation valves line up perfectly with the openings for them in the tube shell.

Remember not to over inflate your tube when setting out, or under-inflate it for that matter. Check your owner’s manual to see what is optimal.

Drop me a line or leave a comment if you have any questions about tubing. It is a fun way to enjoy warm weather fly rodding. If you have never tried it, you are in for some excitement when you do.

Another Salmon Guide Story from Newfoundland

2009-02-11T19:38:00.002+05:00

Seems there was a sport, who was a little bit more than difficult to work with. No matter what the guide suggested this city businessman knew better (well, thought he did) and didn’t hesitate to say so.

By the last day of the trip everyone in the salmon camp had filled their tags, saving just one so that they could continue to fish catch and release, everyone that is except our know-it-all friend.

He had not so much as raised a fish.

As the dawn broke over the river the guides drew straws to see who would be his guide for the last and likely fishless day of a fishless trip.

Miracles do happen on Newfoundland salmon rivers as proven by the fact that our sport managed to hook-up despite ignoring a weeks worth of the good advice offered by his guide.

The fight was on and the dime-bright grilse cart wheeled across the pool in the early morning light. All hands stopped to watch as the drama played out.

The guide tried to offer counsel on playing the fish and generally to assist the sport to land his prize.

All of his efforts fell upon deaf ears. The sport simply started to reel in his line until while everyone watched in amazement the last few inches of leader were pulled through his rod tip. The grilse spun and thrashed until the top half of his rod broke and the current swept the whole sorry mess down stream, reel screaming and fish still thrashing.

The guide made a desperate grab at tailing the fish as it went by leaving him with one hip boot full of the icy river water and the other sagging down below his knee, slowly filling to match.

By now, everyone watching is in stitches except for the guide, who is furious at the sport and the sport himself who is simply oblivious.

“What do I do now?” screamed the sport, a death grip on his rod, reel still spitting line.

The guide looked him up and down and said, “ You haven’t done anything I’ve said yet but try this: Reel him up again just as tight as you can, then run out to the end of the rod and stab the fooker to death”

He sloshed back to shore and grabbing a landing net managed to scoop the grilse the next time the sport dragged it within reach.

All agreed it was a great day on the river.

Fishermen are Stand-up Guys

2009-02-02T22:30:00.003+05:00

While recovering from surgery I have been watching a lot of television…I mean a lot!

One of the things I can’t help but notice is that the commercials shown on fishing shows have to do with fishing gear; ATV’s, rods, new lures, boots. It is all stuff like that.

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Golf shows on the other hand mostly have advertisements for things like Viagra, men’s hair dye, hair plugs and Metamucil fibre supplements.

Now, I’m not drawing any conclusions here about the reliability of a fisherman’s tackle over a golfer’s shaft but ya’ gotta’ wonder what’s up (or not, as the case may be) with that?

The best comment I’ve heard recently about golf is that it keeps a lot of folks busy who would otherwise be out cluttering up the trout streams.

2008 Ended Rough

2009-01-30T19:21:00.003+05:00

So, I didn’t get to enjoy the Holidays after all and ended up in Hospital on December the 22nd having Heart Surgery.

I am only just starting to come back into myself after weeks of pain and pain-killers.

Believe it or not, my chest is held together with steel wire for now.

Actually, I am a bit nervous that they may have just gone with Duct Tape, what with the economy and all, so I am being a bit more careful than usual.

Truth is, I am feeling a little bit better every day - so with luck I’ll be good as new by April 01: Opening Day of Trout Season.

Gone Fishing. See you in January.

2008-12-20T20:29:00.002+05:00

Wishing you all; Tight Lines in 2009!

Hand Tied Leaders Simplified

2008-12-13T21:45:00.005+05:00

About Hand Tied Leaders

Over the years I have been less and less satisfied with off-the-shelf tapered leaders. It is at the point where I almost never use them. Sure, they are usually great fresh from the package but invariably after a few fly changes and tippet additions, the wonderfully elegant cast of a new leader starts to degenerate into the normal, slightly messy, “getting the job done but it sure ain’t pretty” cast that is the staple of my salmon fishing.

The importance of a well designed leader to the dynamics of your cast and resulting fly presentation cannot be overstated. It is easy and convenient to buy a tapered leader of the desired length and weight for general fishing which is what most of us do. A few fly fishermen tie their own tapered leaders. And, it is not just about the pleasure of making your own, practicing a bit of old lore or even the practical application of hard earned knowledge. The truth is that you can dramatically affect the mechanics of your presentation and maximize your results by matching your leader to your rig, your desired presentation, your fly size and even whether it is windy or not.

What Exactly a Leader Does?
A leader transfers the energy of the cast. A tapered leader will continue rolling over as the fly line straightens out on the forward cast. In a perfect world the last bit of energy is used up as the leader straightens out and the fly will then drop to the water gently at the end of a perfectly straight fly line, leader, and tippet.

One thing that stops many of us from making our own is that we are a bit vague about what exactly a leader does besides putting a bit of distance between the fly and the very visible fly line. Another hurdle is that most leader formulas are complex, running to the “take 60% of the remaining 30%” variety.

A Simple Leader Formula
Here is a way to build leaders for salmon fishing to match the rod, reel, fly-line combination you are using rather than a general or all-purpose formula. Once you get the hang of it you can adjust things to suit the conditions where you are fishing.

The first time you make one, take the rod and line combo you are making the leader for and lay it on a table in front of you. Select the leader material for the butt section by matching as closely as you can the stiffness (most important) and (less important) the diameter of the end of the fly line you are attaching it to.

Step One
Using a Nail Knot attach the leader butt to the fly line. This section should be half the length of the rod or to the ferrule of a two piece.

Tie the knot and then spool the material to length rather than cutting it first.

This heavy section attaching to the fly line is called the Butt.

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Step Two
At this point attach a piece of leader material about two pounds lighter than that used for the butt. This section should be half as long as your rod or the length of the top section of a two-piece.

Note: In some short cast, fast water, salmon fishing it is customary to just use a straight run of monofilament and not even bother with a tapered leader. If that is the case, it is still not a bad idea to step down at least once from the heavy 10 or 12 pound leader attached directly to the fly line to the 8 or 6 pound test you will be using. Do this at the point indicated above.

Use a blood knot for this attachment when tying the leader sitting comfortably at your workbench.

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A Simple Knot
Hip-deep in a raging river or perched on a river-side rock; try this knot I figured out, while oddly enough, standing hip deep in a raging Newfoundland river and reluctant to risk life and limb by wading ashore just to add tippet material.

Loop the butt section around the piece to be added,

Tie a six-wrap cinch knot (four-wrap if heavier than 10 pounds) in this section - tighten slightly

Tie a six-wrap cinch knot in the piece you are adding so that the two knots are like links in a chain

Moisten and tighten firmly then clip the tags. The result is a strong, tidy connection that looks like a blood knot but is simple to tie.

Back to Building a Leader:Step Three
The third piece should be attached as above, and is 2 pounds lighter than the piece it attaches to. It should be the same length as the distance from the back of the reel post to the first guide on the rod. If this piece is too heavy for the flies you will be using add tippet material in the appropriate size.

Step Four-The Tippet
Tippet length should be from the stripping or first guide to the guide above the ferrule on a two piece or the next guide above the stripping guide on a three piece. If the third piece is the weight you want to fish with extend it to the same length as you would if adding the tippet.

Finished
When finished, the leader should be long enough that with a couple of inches of fly line run out through the top guide, the leader will run the length of the rod around the back of the reel post to allow you to hook your fly in either the stripping guide or the guide above it - a convenient way to rig when walking from pool to pool.

What I do
The most common weights I use are 12 pound, attached to the fly-line, a ten pound middle section and an eight pound third section with no tippet for salmon. For grilse it is the same but with a six pound tippet added to the shortened third section. For trout fishing the lighter fly line allows for a 10 pound to 8 pound to 6 pound taper with a 4 pound tippet. If you practice the simple knot described earlier you can easily tinker with the lengths of various sections while afield to make it easier to drive a big bomber into the wind or delicately present the tiniest of dry flies.

A Funny Thing about Fishing Hand Tied Leaders.

On my last trip to Newfoundland, Ian Gall who is a Master Guide, fine fly fisherman and superb raconteur gave me a hand-tied leader.

It tapered in nine feet through a beautiful series of blood knots from around 12 pound test to about 4 pound test. An additional 3 feet of tippet made for a 12 foot leader that cast so amazingly that the dry fly I was using would make one perfect circular ripple when it landed.

The first time I used it was on an evening’s still-water fishing. Trout were rising all around me but ignored everything I tried, both wet and dry.

I thought about that leader tucked in my vest pocket and figured that maybe crashing the fly into the rings of a rise was not subtle enough.

Trout this size didn’t get that way by being stupid. I finally bit the bullet and spent some precious evening fishing time tying on the new leader and tippet.

I was struck again by the craftsmanship of the fine, symmetrical blood knots so evenly spaced.

Tying on a #12 elk hair caddis and stripping about twenty feet of fly line I waited for a fish to show within reach, the line coiled in my hand and the fly flicking out in a slow false cast.

I could feel the difference in control and the slightly changed timing but the adjustment was automatic when a slow roll revealed a fish in range.

The caddis looped out and straightened about a foot above the rise form.

The green bodied fly landed within the rings, barely a ripple betraying its artificial origin.

The fly had hardly settled when the water erupted as a big Brook Trout swung around and Pow! He nailed one of the knots in my leader.

A Visit to the Henry’s Fork and the Snake River

2008-12-06T23:04:00.005+05:00

Well I guess one has really arrived as a blogger when people start sending stuff to review.

Yesterday in the mail I received a DVD from a company called DryFly Media. The concept is simple and simply enjoyable. They send a videographer to some of the most famous and beautiful fly fishing rivers in the USA and record nothing but the river as a fisherman would see it if he were scouting for rising fish or just pausing on the bank to enjoy the view.

The sound track is the gurgles and wild sound of the environment. The video they sent me for review runs about 80 minutes. It is an absolute pleasure.

I watched it the first time with an eagle-eye for risers and now just let it play in the background for the sights and sounds of the fishiest places I’ve ever seen.

In this case it is the Henry’s Fork and the Snake River. Also available in the series are The Gallatin River in southwest Montana, The Madison, the Yellowstone and the Missouri.

I encourage you to visit the website as well as checking out their blog.

Oh yeah, if you like the idea and are thinking of buying one or two drop me a note before you order. They have offered a discount for readers of this blog.

Steve Dobson’s Fisherman’s Blog Wins an Award

2008-12-01T22:38:00.003+05:00

Here is something that has been on my to do list for quite a while and like all such things it has been waiting so long now that it is almost easier to let it slide than to act upon it. Nonetheless, I am a fisherman and will take the opportunity to brag since given the chance.

This blog was given an award a while ago by “Picture This”, a blog featuring the most amazingly beautiful photography. It is authored by the same fellow who writes about fishing in Fiji at “Xstreem Fishing Fiji”.
I just wanted to publicly say thanks for the award and the compliment of receiving it.

The author of these sites goes by the nom de plume Fish Whisperer.
Here is what has to say about himself:

“I am an avid angler. I would fish every day if I could, and I am lucky to have a partner who loves fishing also; although she usually catches bigger fish than me. I fish mainly tropical saltwater but when in Australia I fish fresh water as well. I am also a photographer.
I have been living in Fiji for over 9 years. During this time I have had to give up shooting film as the humidity and temperature do not agree with negatives and prints.

Since leaving film I have rediscovered my photography through the digital revolution. I now use a Canon 5D with a 24-105mm lens for all of my work. I take pictures of what moves me. I focus on images that I find unique in shape, pattern, color and texture. I look for faces that tell a story. I do not use long lenses for the sole reason it makes me have to engage my subject. Whether it is a person with whom I will have to communicate to get a good shot or an object that forces me to physically move towards it and out of my own comfort zone. I feel that this give my images a more real feel to them. I am constantly learning and exploring with my photography.”

Now that the snow is here along with the grey days of winter, a visit to Fiji via the web is even more enjoyable.

You can check out his writing and fantastic photography at:
Picture This and Xstreem Fishing Fiji

More Fish Farm Escapes

2008-11-30T02:00:00.003+05:00

Well I was reading The Sun, a UK paper the other day and saw this story by J. Pyatt.

By coincidence I also recently watched the movie, “The Great Escape”, which might be why this story and the photos caught my eye.

Supposedly the brown trout leaped from a breeding pond into the pipe carrying fresh water from a stream about thirty feet away. Those tunnels can sure come in handy.

You can read the whole story here at the Sun.

Photos by Dennis Bright, at Alresford, Hants.

I would be interested in whether you think there is a bit of Photo Shopping going on here.

The Most Visited Fly Fishing Sites

2008-11-28T18:59:00.004+05:00

Thought you might find this interesting. It is a list of top fly fishing websites this week, based on the number of visitors in the last five days.

It is not very scientific because it is only from one source but it is neat to see what people are interested in.

1
The Fly Fishing Shop strictly for the Fly Fishing Enthusiast.

2
Outdoor Adventures Network! (OAN!) full of fly fishing related news, fly fishing forums, articles, information, tips

3
Outdoor Central.com News Network Covering Hunting and Outdoors recreation since 1997

4
The Classic Fly rod Forum Classic Bamboo and Wooden Rods

5
OzarkAnglers.Com Fishing information for most of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas including fishing reports, maps, guides, fly recipes and articles.

6
Front Range Anglers - Boulder, Colorado Fly fishing gear and equipment.Online information center and fly tying resource.

7
Fishingnet Fishing in Perthshire Scotland for salmon and trout

8
N. PLATTE RIVER FLY SHOP Full service fly shop providing fly fishing gear, equipment and tackle on the North Platte River in Casper, Wyoming - online fly fishing store.

9
Fly Fishing Destinations, Guides & Tackle Over 4,400 fly fishing destinations and trips. Over 6,000 brand name tackle products.

10
Viciopesca.Net Página sobre pesca en España, con todas las especies, lugares de pesca, fotos, etc. -translation=Page on fishing in Spain, with all species, fishing sites, photos, etc.

11
USAOnTheFly.com The United States Fly Fishing Directory

12
FlyAngler.ca Canadian Fly Fishing - All in one place

13
Fishing Cairns Complete anglers guide to fishing the Great Barrier Reef & Cape York regions of North Queensland Australia. From billfish to barra, fly, lure, sport & game fishing - day and extended charters.

14
Kiene's Fly Shop one of the largest & oldest fly shops in the US located in Sacramento, CA.

15
Charlie's Fly Box The Best Online Fly Tying Tutorials on the Web!, also a full retail fly shop.

16
WVAngler.com Fly fishing the great state of WV and beyond your Elk River home.

17
Choice Accessories, Wildlife Ringtones Fly Fishing, Fishing Decals, Jewelry, Bass Jewelry, Trout Jewelry, Crappie Jewelry, Largemouth, Smallmouth, Fishing Rear , Salmon flies, Fishing Prints, Animal Ringtones, Wildlife Ringtones

18
Ultimate Fly Tying 1000's of fly patterns, state/local fly fishing sites, fly tying materials

19
All About Fly Fishing Fly fishing articles, resources, fly patterns, and information for the novice and expert alike.

20
Virtual Flybox A Flytyer's paradise featuring over 1000 unique fly patterns from around the world! Online resource for the Fly fisher or Flytyer.

21
pêche de la truite.Trout fishing From France. Pêche de la truite, les techniques, noeuds, boutique mouches, Cul de canard et Viflex. Trout fishing techniques, flies, bait, lures, knots, tips.