Exploring the Maritimes - Day 2

May 21^st – Change of Plans

The original plan for Day 2 was to travel south into NS and down to Kejimkujik National Seashore. However, upon checking the weather and realizing that it was one of our last days with clear weather, we decided that it would be a good time to go check out Cape Breton and its incredible views. The drive around the cape was longer than expected and took a majority of the day to complete. I did a little bit of micro-fishing but we mainly focused on being tourists and taking advantage of the views and good weather. Cape Breton is incredible! The road hugs the outer edge of the island and winds its way up and down steep hills that plunge down into the Atlantic. The different viewpoints were almost all worth stopping for and offered vantage points over a deep turquoise ocean. The contrast of the turquoise with the rich green of the rolling hills creates a beautiful setting that definitely makes this one of the most picturesque areas in Canada. We enjoyed having lunch at Lakies Head and watching the waves crash onto smooth granite as the lobster boats drove by in the distance.

This day also marked the first time Alex and I had the opportunity to hear Acadian French; we were confused when we heard what sounded like an Anglophone trying to host a French radio station. Alex described the accent as “a weird mix of Quebec and France French spoken through the voice of a Canadian English person.”

We ended the day by gunning it all the way to Carter’s Beach at the other end of the province, where we made our camp for the night.

Exploring the Maritimes - Day 1

May 20^th – Lifers Already!

5:00 AM wake-up and we were on the road to begin the first leg of our journey across the continent. We had just about a week to explore the three closer Maritime Provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The drive over to NB was about 8 hours long so we appreciated being able to switch drivers.

First stop of the journey was to a set of rapids on the Oromocto River to see if we could get into some Alewife and maybe Blueback Herring. Upon arriving, we spied a few families fishing in the fast water using dipnets, a very good sign! We hurried to the river and it didn’t take us long to realize that it was teeming with fish! It proved difficult to get them to take a hook but eventually we both succeeded in landing some, our first lifers of the trip.

Next, we drove down some back-roads to get to a small creek that I had heard was supposed to have a good population of Slimy Sculpin. Most micros don’t interest Alex very much so she stayed in the car while I made the quick trek through some thick woods. The water was incredibly clear and I quickly found some sculpin laying right on the current seam. A short bit of fishing with a small worm and another lifer was mine! Driving out of this area was not as easy as catching the fish though. The route Google Maps suggested took us down what was little more than a trail, with large rocks, small stream crossings, and ruts. I wasn’t too happy to give the Matrix a beating this early in the trip.

After successfully navigating the “road”, we made our way to Hopewell Rocks to see the famous flowerpot formations. The natural sculptures were cool, but the Stickleback and Topminnows in the surrounding marshes were even cooler! One of my big goals was to catch the remaining 4 species of Stickleback in eastern Canada that I had yet to encounter. I’m happy to say that the Hopewell Rocks tidal marshes provided me with some beautiful male Threespine Stickleback, as well as a Mummichog (little did I know Mummichog would be found everywhere).

After a long day, we drove to our home for the night: a nice campground called The Shire. It’s a free area to spend a few nights and is run by an older gentleman by the name of Don. He only asks that you walk across the road to greet him and sign-in before spending the night. Apparently, he’s been doing this for a good 20 years; I was amazed by his generosity. The area had a sort of hippie-era feel with lawn sculptures, VW buses, and a communal eating area. To my delight, it was also home to some Ninespine Stickleback which I found in the marshy area behind the campsite J

Fishing Virginia, DC, & New Jersey - Day 4

August 25^th – New Jersey & Neverending Traffic

After the late night, we slept in a little bit and rose at 8:00AM. Then we drove out to the coast to a spot near Tom’s River where I wanted to try dipnetting for a whole panoply of saltwater species. Unfortunately, it seemed like none of them were to be found. All I caught were some Mummichog and this Inland Silverside.

Leaving Tom’s River, we continued our route north along the coast to an inlet at Point Pleasant. The amount of people going to the beach that day was insane, we were starting to regret sleeping in. I fished from the rocks for a while but the action wasn’t very hot. I was looking for Searobin but all I caught was a Cunner in the rocks.

After a while longer of casting I felt a tap out in the middle of the inlet and reeled in my first Summer Flounder! They have such beautiful patterns.

After about 2hrs of fishing, we gave up our parking spot and continued on our way to the Shark River Inlet. The tide had slowed down by this point and it seemed like no fish were being caught during the time I was there.

Final destination on the coast was Sandy Hook. We paid the $15 fee to access the park, it’s well worth it when you don’t have to pay for parking and also helps to avoid the crazy crowds at the public beaches. Upon entering the park, I noticed some shallow tidal pools that seemed fishy so I crossed the highway to go check them out. They were full of a ridiculous amount of Mummichog, I netted one Striped Killifish but knew I would never be able to get one on H&L because of all the ‘chogs.

We drove all the way up the point and were surprised to see some abandoned building and some old missiles/cannons. Apparently Sandy Hook has been used for military reasons, wish I had taken pictures of it. We stopped at the “fishing beach” where we would be spending the day before making the long drive home. I waited for hours with my bait in the surf but didn’t catch anything. I saw one person catch a Searobin… very jealous lol.

That unsuccessful attempt at Sandy Hook was the end of a very successful trip down into the US; I caught 10 lifers on hook and line in 4 short days. Final total is: Satinfin Shiner, Pirate-Perch, White Catfish, Longear Sunfish, Blue Catfish, Mud Sunfish, Banded Sunfish, Bluespotted Sunfish, Blackbanded Sunfish, Summer Flounder. Big shoutout to everyone who helped me plan this trip, I could never have caught all of these fish without help.

The drive home was brutal, NYC traffic killed us and we only rolled in at 4AM.

Fishing Virginia, DC, & New Jersey - Day 3

August 24^th – Sunfish Slamming

I woke up early to have some time to fish in the nearby pond which was supposed to have Redear Sunfish. It took me a while before I found any fish at all, but when I did they all turned out to be Bluegill. I kept one for bait but otherwise failed the Redear mission.

We drove back into DC where we were going to try a little more Snakehed fishing. It was high on both our lists so we wanted to make at least a small effort even if our chances were slim. Unfortunately, the spot we had planned to fish had a construction yard blocking the access. So we gave up and went to a Blue Catfish spot.

We cast out two lines each baited with the cut Bluegill I caught that morning. It didn’t take long before we had our first run… man these fish hit hard. Unfortunately the fish dropped the bait but almost instantly the second rod went off! I set the hook and knew I was into something sizeable. In the excitement of fighting the fish, the first rod started being dragged into the water again, Alex set the hook but unfortunately ended up snagged. I finally landed the fish and was super happy to lift up my lifer Blue Catfish! It also had a pretty cool whisker mutation, kind of like split hairs.

The bites went on like this for a while until the tide slowed down. The action was insane but our hookup ratio was terrible, I was unused to cutbait so think I had cut it too thick and it was stopping the hook from catching on anything. It probably took 10+ missed runs before Alex landed one of her own as well.

Satisfied with our afternoon of catfishing, we made our way up to Philly. Guess what, traffic was terrible here too, the drive took over 4hrs. Alex wanted to visit a harbour park but it was impossible to find parking cheapr than $17US :o No way were we about to pay that, so I dropped her off and did a quick check-up on my car while I waited. We also had the mandatory Philly cheesesteak, they’re pretty good.

Leaving Philly presented us with surprisingly little traffic, so we made good time as we headed to the New Jersey Pine Barrens for some very special species. It was dark by the time we arrived, and I wasn’t sure how that would affect my targets. As it turns out, it couldn’t have turned out better. The Mud Sunfish I wanted were crazy aggressive and it didn’t take long to land my first one!

Next up were the 3 “micro-sunfish” of the Enneacanthus genus. I was seeing small Sunfish all around but it took a little time before I was able to differentiate the species with my headlamp. I located a number of Banded Sunfish and lifted up my first one in no time!

The Bluespots took a little more time to find. Probably about 20 minutes later I gave up and tried going for what I figured was another Banded Sunfish. To my surprise, the fish I lifted up was my Bluespotted Sunfish! Only the Blackbanded left now…

This last one proved difficult. I figured they would be easily recognizable in the water but I was unable to locate any save a very small individual that I knew was too tiny even for the smallest of tanago hooks. I was somewhere around the spot where I had caught where I caught the Bluespotted when I saw the desired stripey fellow. I tried convincing him to take a small chunk of worm for about 10 minutes before I realized his mouth was just too small to take the already miniscule bait. So I cut it in half, the smallest bait I’ve ever used… after a little bit of tempting the fish, it nibbled the bait and I lifted out the Blackbanded Sunfish! I couldn’t believe my luck at having completed the slam in one outing, and at night!

After that fish it was getting close to 1AM so was definitely time to find a WMA and get to sleep for the big day ahead of us.

Fishing Virginia, DC, & New Jersey - Day 2

August 23^rd – Washington DC

Today was an exciting day, we would be visiting the city and there wre quite a few lifers available to me in the area. We started by attempting to get to the Longear spot again, traffic screwed us once more L So we changed plans and headed straight downtown. Alex and I parted ways after having lunch at the seafood market, she went to visit museums while I fished. I started by casting around for a Northern Snakehead but didn’t get a single hit.

Giving up on the Snakehead, I cast out a worm rig and a cutbait rig for White Catfish, Blue Catfish, and whatever else would hit. It didn’t take long before I had my first bites on the worm rig, but every fish I pulled up were either Bluegill or White Perch. I kept some of the gills for bait. Finally, I felt a hit from something slightly larger and reeled in an American Eel; a species I had caught earlier in the spring but it was still cool to see another one.

Shortly after, I got another good bite. I reeled in what I thought would be another Eel, but was pleased to find a Catfish on the end of my line. My much-desired White Catifsh! Apparently they are becoming rare in the area so I was super happy to have landed one J

Eventually, Alex came back from the museum and then later Patrick Kerwin came to join us after work. Pat is an experienced multi-species angler from the DC area, we met online through mutual friends. He told me that it was unlikely but still possible that I could catch a Longear Sunfish at the spot and was kind enough to lend me his Sunfish pole so that I could try for them. I pulled up Bluegill after Bluegill but then suddenly Pat exclaimed “that’s it” as I lifted up another Sunfish. I looked up dumbly wondering what was what and it took me a moment before I realized I was holding my lifer Longear in my hands XD

After catching the Longear, I “lent” Pat’s pole to Alex so she could also try for some sunnies. She also caught countless Bluegill but also managed her lifer White Perch. Pat also caught a Blue Catfish on one of the Bluegill she caught.

After dark, we drove out of the city and straight into, you guessed it, more traffic! We made our way to a WMA about 2hrs away and went straight to bed.

Fishing Virginia, DC, & New Jersey - Day 1

August 22^nd – The Traffic Begins

My girlfriend, Alex, and I had decided to travel down to Virginia for a short 4-day trip as a way to cap off the summer and celebrate finishing our summer jobs. There were many species on my wish list in the area and Alex wanted to cross Delaware off her list as well as go to the beach. Day 1 was basically a driving day, Google Maps told us 11hrs to our furthest point. I had planned to stop at a Longear Sunfish spot that Pat had given me on the way but the insane traffic around DC prevented us from making it there in time. Instead, we stopped at a creek where he said there should be Swallowtail Shiners, Satinfin Shiners, and River Chub present. Unfortunately, when we got to the creek I saw that it was high and muddy: unfishable.

And so we continued on our way down past the city and to an area in the Mattaponi River drainage. We arrived well after dark but I was desperate to add something to my lifelist so I got out my tenkara gear and walked down to the creek. At first I saw some shiners that looked like they had glowing fins in my headlamp; I needed one! It didn’t take long before I had landed my H&L Satinfin Shiner lifer.

Afterwards I continued walking upstream and noticed some fish moving around in a puddle that had formed just to the side of the creek itself and I went to investigate. To my delight, they were Pirate-Perch! I was very lucky to have found them in an area with no cover where they could hide themselves, a so-called “Pirate-Perch Puddle”.  It took a little convincing but I succeeded in getting one to take the tanago hook. As far as I know, I am one of 2 people to successfully land one of these.

The final fish I would catch with my micro gear that night was a Pickerel, I thought it was a Grass Pickerel so was very excited. Little did I know it would turn out to simply be a juvenile Chain Pickerel (thanks guys).

I also managed a few species with my dipnet that night: Banded Sunfish, Comely Shiner, Shield Darter, Flier, Swallowtail Shiner, and Eastern Mosquitofish. By the time I returned to the car to go to sleep, it was well after midnight.

Spring 2018 Recap

Well, I was fishing so much that I have fallen behind in recounting the events of spring 2018. That being said, I’ll do my best to highlight my favourite experiences of the season. Perhaps the most notable “event” was my participation in a national fishing competition with my good friend Tim Wisdom. Together, we competed against 98 others anglers all across the country in the CFN (Canadian Fishing Network) online fishing competition to see who could catch the largest specimens of as many different species as possible. More on that later…

Overall, my spring consisted of a lot more bottom fishing compared to other years, allowing me to really dial into some new species. I managed to catch 41 different types of “standard” sized fish, at least a quarter of them being lifers! One of my favourite set of experiences was shore fishing at the local hot spot where I met fellow lifelister Alexis. Together, we upgraded PB’s and caught a good number of new species :) He caught his Silver Redhorse and Brown Bullhead, and he put me onto a sick jumbo Perch bite! I caught my PB Brown Bullhead, as well as some much-wanted lifers. Those being an American Eel and a Freshwater Drum!! The 2 of them completed my goal of catching one species from all of the 25 families of fish present in Quebec.

One of the bigger trips in May was the adventure to the Niagara peninsula of Ontario. On the way, my girlfriend and I stopped and spent a day targeting Steelhead around Port Hope. We were both successful in our quests and I even managed to break the 30” mark! We caught fish on spinning tackle as well as on the fly. We then reached our destination in the Niagara area, where I spent a long afternoon and evening targeting whatever would bite. Despite not catching many lifers, I was impressed by the sheer diversity of the waters. Will definitely be heading back for a couple more missing species!

Big Steelhead

Speaking of my girlfriend, Alex, she also managed to catch a few lifers throughout all of these escapades. I cannot remember all of them, but she definitely got her Rainbow Trout, a Greater Redhorse, Fallfish and completed her prehistoric trio! She had the Sturgeon, and caught both Gar and Bowfin in short succession. Much dedication was needed for the gar, seeing as I called her at midnight to tell her I had found on a hot bite. To my (and her?) surprise, she drove right over and fished for the better part of 2 hours until successfully landing one.

Lifer Bowfin

Nighttime Gar

Another great day on the water was the adventure to the Richelieu River with Carl. The goal was to target panfish in some of the canals and marinas. I was secretly hoping to add a Rudd to my lifelist, an invasive species from Europe. The day blew expectations and we hooked into nice-sized Crappie, Bluegill, and even my Rudd! Carl also caught a Pumpkinseed x Bluegill hybrid, a fish that I am still jealous of to this day.

Lifer Rudd!

Sunfish Hybrid

A final adventure worth recounting is actually one of failure. Tracking down and successfully catching a wild Red Trout or landlocked Arctic Char has been my top goal for 3 seasons now. And so, after hundreds of hours of research, I set out early one morning in May to the lake I had carefully selected. I had a small kayak in tow and made the 3-hour hike into the woods. To my devastation, after complete exhaustion, I finally reached the lake to find it frozen :( I spent a moment staring at the frozen surface and then prepared for the long hike back. Luckily, I passed a local on the way back who confirmed that the fish I sought lived in the lake. The hard part was now over, I had found them! Ultimately, this was a failure but I will 100% be back next year to redeem myself.

To end on a good note, let’s talk about the CFN competition I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Competition was fierce among anglers targeting roughfish all around the country. I had expected most to focus on the popular species like Walleye, but was pleasantly surprised to find anglers excited at the prospect of targeting Suckers, Redhorse, Bullhead, etc. Many teams managed to catch over 20 species of fish longer than the 8” minimum. The competition lasted a whole 6 weeks. We were behind after the first week but caught up and then held first place until the very end. With 35 species, we beat the record for the highest score ever achieved in the competition and took home gold! It certainly felt like quite an achievement after covering thousands of kilometers and spending hundreds of hours on the water in a relatively short period of time. My thanks go out to all of the other competitors who kept us on our toes throughout the event :)