I headed out to Canada to visit the outlaws for a few weeks and due to extended good behaviour managed to organise a fishing trip whilst I was there. I had hoped for trout fishing but the water temperature at this time of year makes them pretty much uncatchable during the hours of daylight but I was advised that Smallmouth Bass fishing was good at this time of year and that that the best way to get after them was on a drift boat which for one person was ultra expensive. So I opted for a half day walk and wade trip which meant that I could possible repeat the trip myself in the future.
Anyways I had tied up a box of streamers and poppers and had packed my latest rod building project and new line and reel for the trip.
I had to get a permit for the fishing which cost me about $25 Canadian which comes to about £15 for a catch and release ticket for all species for the day that gave me access to all the fishing in the province (bear in mind the UK can fit into some of the great lakes!).
I met my guide for the day James at 0600hrs and we jumped in his car along the highway and parked in a dodgy looking layby and geared up. James is possibly the luckiest man alive whilst not guiding he doubles as a camera man and had spent the last two weeks “filming” in New Foundland which meant he filmed when necessary and spent the rest of the time fishing for Atlantic Salmon with dry flies on a 5wt!
Anyways the river is not pretty and was very low due to the weather in the few weeks leading up the day however due to my terrible luck there was a thunderstorm the night before I went out which had A)coloured the river a bit and B)dropped the water temperature. The river was still so low that you could see old spawning redds whilst walking downstream. However James was confident that we could still raise smallmouth on poppers. The tactic is to find the slowest moving deepest bit of water cast preferably upstream to it and as close to any bank side debris as is possible and then strip the fly back in short sharp burst causing the fly to burp and gurgle as it goes. As James was giving a demonstration he was into a nice fish about 15”.
We walked and waded wet wading downstream including over a beavers dam without much luck although I did lose one fish at the dam because I didn’t lift hard enough bass have harder mouths than trout. Eventually I managed to hook up with a little guy hiding beneath a fallen tree stump about 9” at the most.
And a close up just in case he’s too small to see! (Irene: yes that is an Orvis Hydros in gold
)
The next pool down I cast across a very slow moving area and James who was standing downstream saw a flash as I was retrieving I cast again and the fish refused again, so James asked me to flick my line across to him and he would tie on a streamer. He tied on a black cone head zuddler. Basically a cross between a muddler minnow and a zonker. I cast out and bang fish on, only to come off again which was even more annoying when it became apparent that there was no streamer and only a curly pigs tail! Lesson learned stick with never letting anybody tie on a fly for you!
I lost a further four fish on the way back upstream by which time the sun was out and the water had warmed up by 10degrees F.
All in all a good day out and somewhere I would go back to. I did find a guide on your shoulder for six hours a little annoying after a while but at least I know the guys in the tackle shop and they gave me lots of advice on where else to try next time I’m back. It was really nice to fish in that climate and treat to wet wade, just turned my socks down over the top of my wading boots to keep the gravel out.
Cheers
Matt