#FrederictonHasA(Fishing)Scene

This article originally appeared as the Faces Outdoors column in the May 2012 issue of Faces Fredericton, a local lifestyle & entertainment magazine that features those who partake in the city’s nightlife, dining, shopping and entertainment events in and about Fredericton.

Saint John River smallmouth, caught in Fredericton

Click to visit Faces Fredericton

Something that seems to regularly surprise people I speak with about fly fishing is when I tell them where my favourite spot in New Brunswick to chase fish is: Fredericton

The reactions are varied, ranging from mild shock (“Fredericton?!?”) to receiving a look one might get if they had just sprouted a second head from their neck. Once I explain myself, however, they’re usually asking me to take them fishing.

Sadly, it seems some people here in Fredericton view the Saint John River only as an obstacle to get across during rush hour, but unbeknownst to many residents of our fair city, the waters of the Saint John River hold big fish. Trophy fish, such as four-pound smallmouth bass, muskie over a meter long, and the powerful striped bass, some weighing over forty pounds.

Of these three piscatorial local residents, my favourite is the smallmouth. While the number of people chasing ‘smallies’ or ‘bronzebacks’ on a fly rod here might be on the small side; throughout North America, smallmouth fly fishing fans number in the tens of thousands. Kirk Deeter, an editor at Field & Stream magazine, called them “the ultimate fly rod fish” in an online article in June, 2011.

Smallmouth had big fans way back in the day, too: “Inch for inch, pound for pound, (they are) the gamest fish that swims,” wrote Dr. James Henshaw. Back in the day in this case means 1881, that is.

I can say not much has changed in how much fun can be had chasing smallies on the fly rod. And I must not be alone, for even super-high-end rod manufacturer Sage makes a $550 rod for them...and it’s on its second, updated version!

Smallmouth bass are native to the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River and the upper Mississippi River, but due to stocking programs in the late 1800s, they are found in all ten provinces and every state except Alaska & Florida in the USA.

New Brunswick was first stocked with smallmouth in about 1870, and they have since thrived here. In fact, prolific smallmouth angler, guide and author Tim Holschlag consistently puts the Saint John River in his list of top 100 smallmouth locations in North America, and we’re regularly featured in Outdoor Canada’s annual list of top fishing spots in Canada.

If you’re a new to fly fishing, or attempting to help someone get started in fly fishing, smallmouth bass are the answer, for two main reasons:
1. they are (usually) very willing to eat.
2. they fight like green demons once they’re hooked, with multiple jumps and rod-bending runs for cover.

Besides, if you only have 4 hours to fish after dinner, do you really want to spend two of those hours driving to & from Boiestown or Doaktown?

Save the gas money & give fly fishing for smallmouth in Fredericton a chance; once you’re hooked up with a couple pounds of bronze fury, you won’t regret it.

Birth of a Tournament Angler

Moments before the starting horn.
Downtown Fredericton in background

This past Saturday I participated in my second-ever bass tournament.

In last year's tournament I mostly used spinning gear until we caught our limit. I had fun, and I managed to catch my first bass on the fly late into the day.

Fast forward 13 months: a lot has changed since that first smallie on the fly, with the one of the biggest changes being smallmouth usurping trout as my favourite local fly rod species.

I had been pretty excited about the tournament for the past few months. But it had nothing to do with money, nor did I expect to win it; if anything, I just wanted to prove an angler could compete in a tournament using fly gear (without embarrassing himself, of course).

The event was being held by the Fredericton Anglers Club, a local group that holds five for-fun tournaments per year. 'For-fun' means exactly that: it costs $10 per person for an annual membership, and $10 per boat for each of the tournament.

The lead-up to tournament day wasn't without hiccups, however: my truck had fallen ill and was unable to tow my boat to get a spring tune-up. And my partner Pat had his boat trailer's axle snap while towing the boat a few days prior to the tournament.

Then there was the weather. A cold front was scheduled to move through, with wind gusts shooting up to 45km/h throughout the day. Not necessarily the best conditions to be flinging a fly line back & forth.

But Pat's trailer axle was fixed in time, and I rigged up a spinning rod as a worse-case solution to deal with high wind speeds. We were good to go.

The morning of, I woke up a few minutes before the alarm on my phone went off. It's funny how anticipation causes that to happen as often as it does. After getting the dog fed & out for a quick stroll, I grabbed my pre-rigged rods and backpack and was off.

When I pulled into Carleton Park, I was a little surprised at the number of boats, either in the water already or lined up for the launch.

The boats (and sometimes, matching trucks) always amaze me, especially when you compare them to the love-hate relationship I have with the Magnificent Basstard. I have less than $5000 tied up in the aluminum bastard, including purchase price, registration, accessories and boater safety course. Some of these guys have 8-10 times that amount tied up into their boats & gear...that blows my mind!

Looking around the parking lot and boat launch, I started to hope I could meet the goal of not embarrassing myself. It's about setting the bar high, folks...

Pat & I decided to have a more relaxed start to our competition: we weren't even in the water for the starting horn. We could barely hear ourselves think with the roar of some of the boats taking off; some guys were not letting the price of gas get in the way of a quick launch.

Meanwhile, back on terra firma, coffee was sipped while we loaded our gear on his boat. Ten minutes after the starting horn howled, we shoved off at a leisurely pace, bound for fishing fun & glory.

It was a good day.

And at no point did I feel embarrassed. By any stretch of the word.

I look forward to the next tournament.

Stats for the Day:

• Winners' total length: 90.5"
• Winning lunker: 19"
• Total prize: $170
• Our boat total: 67"
• Biggest of the boat: 16.5" (shown at left)

Flies:

• Top fly: #4 Clouser, all-white (3 bass, including one 15" scrapper)
• Lunker fly: Barr's Meat Whistle (16.5" bass)

Rods: 

• Redington Predator 7'10", 6wt, with Redington Rise 5/6 reel & Rio Smallmouth line.
• Cabela's CGR 7'6", 7/8wt, with Hardy Ultralite 7000DD reel & Sage Performance Bluegill line

FFF - Federation of Fantastic Fridays

A distinct lack of interwebz in my new apartment has hindered any & all attempts at posting since last week's Friday Post of Randomness.

Add in moving, fishing, unpacking, etc., and all of a sudden, sitting down for an hour results more in symptoms of narcolepsy than words on paper...or screen.

So this routine should seem a little familiar: go grab a coffee, sit back and relax. It is Friday, after all; it's not like you're actually working.

FredRock 2012 Lineup

My good friends at BabZees Entertainment have announced the lineup for FredRock 2012, being held again in August at the Loyalist Rugby Club. I don't need to say how awesome it is that we're into year four of FredRock, with all but the first festival held at the rugby club.

The lineup for this year's show, being held over two nights, features a lot of talent, with a few of my favourites in there.

Matthew Good headlines Friday night, and Steve Earle...yes, that Steve Earle...headline Saturday night.

Supporting acts include frequent 411#3 embedded youtube talent Matt Mays & el Torpedo, as well as The Trews, AWOLnation, The Sheepdogs, Walk Off The Earth, Elliott Brood and Poor Young Things.

I think this is one helluva lineup for FredRock this year. Congrats to the guys at BabZees for pulling together such an event for the city of Fredericton (and at the Loyalist Rugby Club, too).

Musical Interlude

Here are a couple tunes from two of the acts on the FredRock 2012 lineup.

One of the Coolest Things Ever!

A few weeks ago I wrote about Robert Cunningham's book, Chasing Records; I had downloaded it to keep me warm & fishy while working in Nunavut.

A few days after I posted it, the man himself emailed me to thank me for reading and reviewing the book. Since I'm not bold enough to assume Mr. Cunningham is a regular reader, that's pretty cool in itself.

What's really cool is what showed up in my mailbox this week: a signed hardcopy of his book.

I appreciated just receiving an email from him. I really appreciated this.

Thank you, Mr. Cunningham.

(Note: I still remain envious of his boat & seaplane. I told him so in my email response. He still sent me the book. Honesty, people. Honesty. It pays off.)

The Birth of a Tournament Angler...

...takes place tomorrow morning. Though it almost wasn't going to happen; as I mentioned last week, my truck is awaiting new parts which prevents the towing of the Magnificent Basstard.

No worries, as my tournament partner Pat (he of the City Limits Muskie last year) also has a boat...which suffered from a broken trailer axle a few days ago. Fortunately he has it fixed up & running, so we should be good to go for tomorrow!

The rod quiver tomorrow includes:

• Cabela's CGR 7'6" 7/8wt, matched with Hardy Ultralite reel and Sage's Performance Bluegille Taper fly line;
• Redington's Predator 7'10" 6wt, matched with Redington's Rise reel & Rio's Smallmouth Taper fly line;
• Quantum's most inexpensive spinning rod & reel in existence, in case it gets dirty, stinking windy out.

The Long Stick Renegade, as Cameron over at The Fiberglass Manifesto tweeted to me a few days back. I like the sound of that. Stay tuned for a post-tournament report, and perhaps I will live-tweet the tournament action (@mattrevors).

Upcoming Stuff

• The cool folks over at Redington have sent me a pair of their Sonic-Pro Wading Pants to use & abuse. I had them on yesterday for the first time, and will be taking them to Alaska to test out.
• I'm heading to Alaska! For three weeks! But it's for work, and it's on this coming Tuesday, which is way to soon, considering I only got back from the Arctic last Tuesday.
• Word on the street is I'll have some grayling and possibly pike & salmon available in Alaska. I'm still in the decision stage of what gear to bring, but it looks like it's been narrowed down to my 5wt, 7wt and possibly my 10wt.
• The cool folks over at Rio have sent me one of their specialty pike taper fly lines for the 10wt rod to  demo (hopefully) on our local muskie population. Seeing that there are pike in Alaska, and I do have a score to settle (and asterisk to remove) with pike, I'm leaning towards the 10wt setup coming on the trip....just in case...
• Fly tying has taken a backseat due to the move & such, but I'm hoping to get back on my tarpon, smallie & muskie tying kick real soon.
• I'm currently reading Captain John Kumiski's Redfish on the Fly: A Comprehensive Guide. Read into that statement as much as you like, knowing what you know about my impulsive travel habits. And expect a book review at some point.

More Music...

...from FredRock 2012 performer Matt Mays & el Torpedo.

That's all for now

Have a great weekend, everyone; may all your fish be epic in fun...not size.

The Aluminum Bastard

"Boats are holes in the water, into which one pours money." - Anon.

The Magnificent Basstard

Within a few days, I'll be moving into the space where boat ownership is actually fun.

The day I decided to buy it was pretty fun. And the day I brought it home to reside in the driveway was fun, too. Even the 2 hours I took it out for a spin with my buddy Andrew (the previous owner) on a cold-as-f**k day in November was alright as well.

For the most part, it's been an expensive pain in my asshole.

Boat covers, miscellaneous safety accessories, online boater safety courses, tools, registration transfers, trailer tires, towing packages & trailer hitches & wiring, spring tune-ups, so on & so forth.

And then there's bailing gallons of rainwater off the damn cover that I'm too lazy to tie down properly.

What started as a simple text message conversation back in early October has turned into a seventeen-foot, money-sucking aluminum bastard in my yard.

And I love it!

I want to get it into the water. I want to catch fish with it. I want it to stop sucking money from my pockets every time I look at it.

Two outta three ain't bad...

My roommate is tougher than you

loyalistrugby.com

A bold statement in the title, yes, but I can say it confidently with regards to probably the majority of people reading this (no offence intended).

He's been playing at a high-level of rugby for 16 years. Sixteen years. He shows no sign of slowing down, and he remains one of the best in the province, no matter what position he's been slotted into.

After a heartbreaking loss in the Maritime Championship in 2010, he proceeded to acquire commercial-grade gym equipment for the basement to "take things up a notch" for the 2011 season.

I should note the 2011 season took place at age 35 for him.

This past offseason, he took up a challenge that is 180° from bone-crushing tackles on (& occasionally from) his opponents on the rugby field: adventure racing.

Starting line, Race The Planet Jordan 2012
(click the image to go to the race's homepage)

He's currently in the Jordanian Desert, just finished day one of a 250km self-supported race.

After this, he switches gears to prep for the 2012 rugby season.

He does all this while working 50 hours per week as an engineer for a local firm (and managing my affairs while I'm off galavanting around the planet in search of fish and/or paycheques).

So yeah.

My roommate is tougher than you.

And I wish him & his teammates the best of luck in this challenge.


(Edit: I should note he's tougher than me, too...)

You can follow Team Fredericton Loyalists' progress by clicking the image below.

Faces Fredericton April Issue is now live!

My friends at Faces Fredericton just released Issue #2. 

Click the image below to view a digital version of the magazine.

First casts: My CCI rig

Time/Date: 1705 AST, 04-Mar-12
Location: Fredericton, NB

I finally nutted-up to get out to cast my new 7wt setup I'll be using to practice for, and eventually take, the Certified Casting Instructor's examination (see related post Back To School here).

As a bonafide procrastinator, I have a litany of excuses to why it took almost six weeks for me to get out to cast this thing: -24°C temperatures, snowstorms, pinched nerve in my neck, three weeks away working in Mexico, etc, etc, etc.

But, with the mercury finally heading a little north of freezing (by three degrees), I headed out with rod & reel, tape measure and hi-vis pink rope earlier this afternoon.

My "lab materials" are the Loop XACT 790-4 and the Hardy Ultralite 7000DD, paired with AirFlo's Ridgeline Impact Taper (WF7F).

With a medium-fast action, Loop has made a (seemingly) nice, smooth-casting and lightweight rod. Unfortunately on the crusty snow, I didn't get too much in the way of surface tension when I started my cast, but it has a nice feel when the line loaded the rod on the backcast.

I really enjoy the feel of the cork-mix handle in my hand; until I can get on the water to give it a full test, the handle & the weight (103 grams) are my favourite aspects of this rod.

Only downside of the rod I've noticed so far is the small diameter stripping guide, but it didn't seem too problematic the few times I bombed out 70'-80' casts.

The Hardy Ultralite 7000DD balances out the Loop rod nicely. There's a reason why the Ultralite series took home the "Best of Show" award for freshwater reels at last season's International Fly Tackle Dealer expo; it's a high-performance reel at a very reasonable price. Bonus points for looking friggin' awesome, too.

I will be getting a spare spool for this reel and putting Sage's 230-grain bluegill taper on it for my 7.5', 7/8wt CGR fibreglass rod for the bass tournaments this summer. I just like this reel. A lot!

Unfortunately for me (and all of us east of the Rockies in Canada), snow-fish are not a prevalent species so I was unable to test the drag while fighting a fish...yet. Give me time, damn it.

From what I could tell, the AirFlo line seemed to cast and shoot line nicely as well, but it's one of those things that I'm unable to give more than a cursory "seems alright to me" review until I get it on the water. Since I bought two of these lines, one to practice with & one to take the exam with, I'm really hoping they end up being as kick-ass as other people have told me. Time will tell.

As things stand, I like the entire rig; rod, reel & line...so far. I'll definitely be writing a part II of this review once the snow & ice melt and I get on the water.

42 days until season opener. Can't wait.

********
I purchased all of these items at Fredericton Outfitters & Anglers with my own (slightly) hard-earned cash; I have not been given these products or any financial reward to review them. I have principles, not prices.

That being said, any tackle companies that would like to give me financial rewards and gear to test & beat the living shit out of, get in touch. I fish whenever & wherever I possibly can for any and all species of fish available to be caught, I travel to all kinds of environments, and I'm a soon-to-be tournament angler on the New Brunswick amateur bass circuit...using fly gear.

Swag Giveaway - Fredericton Outfitters

My local fly shop, Fredericton Outfitters & Anglers, is giving away some swag via their new Facebook page.

The prize is a black G. Loomis moisture-wicking hoodie and an autographed copy of Paul C. Marriner's Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies.

All you need to do to enter is do two simple steps:

1. Go to the FOA Facebook page (facebook.com/frederictonoutfitters) and 'like' it

2. Share the post of the above photo to your Facebook wall (click here to go to the photo in Facebook)

Everyone who does this by March 15th will be entered to win the prize pack. We'll draw a name & ship it to the winner on the 16th! The contest is open to everyone (except us staff & pro-staff)

Enjoy some music.

The (Self-Proclaimed) Cuppow Kingpin of Fredericton

Time/Date: 2010 AST, 01-March-12
Location: Fredericton, NB

I returned from my three week project in Mexico last night. It was -14°C when I landed; giving a solid 56°C temperature difference from my last full day on the project site. It was harsh.

Something to warm me up was waiting for me at home though: an order of Cuppows!

What are Cuppows?

Well, watch this video:

CUPPOW! from Paper Fortress on Vimeo.

Cuppows are one of those items that say, "Wow, cool idea. I want one."

For me, I took it one step further. I went to their site to order one and ran into the minor issue of PayPal not allowing non-US orders. Being slightly stubborn, I moved to the next level: I became a Cuppow distributor.

That's right. I am now the Cuppow Kingpin of Fredericton.

If you live in Fredericton and want a Cuppow, I'm the only game in town
(unless you want to pay about $6 US in shipping).

If you want a Cuppow, fire me an email at angling<dot>ronin<at>gmail<dot>com.

• If you live in Fredericton, I can drop it off to you. 
• If you live in Canada, we can do the PayPal thing and I can ship to you.
• If you live in the US of A, you're better off buying direct from the fine folks at Cuppow, as it'll be cheaper for you.

FAQs

1. How much?
$10. Ten smackers. 1 Sir John A. MacDonald.
(Fredericton folks: If you need a mason jar, add another buck)

2. What size of mason jar does the lid require?
Wide-mouth. As in, Wide-Mouth Mason, without the music. You can find wide-mouth jars at Home Hardware on Main Street in Fredericton in 250mL, 500mL and 1L sizes. I have the 500mL in my truck if you're getting one from me.

3. What can I drink using the Cuppow?
I recommend fine coffee, the 'shine, or strong drinks made of rum or the rye-whisky.

4. What if I don't drink fine coffee, the 'shine, or strong drinks made of rum or rye-whisky?
Then you probably still drink from what I call Nature's Cuppow, or, as biologists call it, your mother's teet. You can get a real Cuppow when you grow up a bit.

5. Is there that BPA-shit in the lid?
No. Cuppows are BPA-shit-free.

WF-9F fly line cozy!

6. Isn't it hot on your hand?
Yes, it is. But you can get creative and make or find a little cozy to protect your delicate little hands. My roommate, rugby superstar Chris Aaen, taped cardboard to the outside of his. Myself, being more creative and more awesome (though not as much as a rugby superstar), made a cozy out of an used fly line I had laying around (see photo on right). Other examples of Cuppow cozies can be viewed on the Cuppow blog, such as these ones here.

7. What do you charge for delivery within Fredericton?
Nothing. Zilch. It's Included. Though if you wanted to meet me downtown or at Fredericton Outfitters, that'd be awesome.

8. What about shipping charges within Canada?
I'll figure that out when it happens. It shouldn't be much, as the Cuppows are pretty friggin' lightweight, but who knows what those zany CanadaPost people are like on any given day.

9. Did you say rugby superstar Chris Aaen uses a Cuppow?!?!?!
Yup, that's right. He knows what's up.

10. What else should I know about these?
They're made in the USA by some creative dudes. They don't ever want to have them mass-produced in a Chinese sweatshop to cater to the Sprawl-Mart crowd.

11. What are you getting out of it?
A free Cuppow, essentially. I won't be getting financially rich by hawking Cuppows, but it's already letting me meet new folks. Meeting new folks is cool. And these new folks might someday want fly fishing/casting lessons...or a guided fly fishing trip...or a dozen locally-tied flies for saltwater or smallmouth bass fishing. See what I'm gettin' at?

12. You think you're something awesome, don't you?
Just buy a Cuppow. No comment. No more questions. This interview's over!

********
So yeah...I know you want a Cuppow, so fire me an email (angling<dot>ronin<at>gmail<dot>com) or hit me up on the Twitter.

(Another) All-Encompassing Blog Post

Time/Date: 1515 AST, 11-Aug-11
Location: Fredericton

This one's gonna cover a lot of bases, so let's get started.

First up, a recap of the mini-odyssey.

Wednesday/Thursday: drove into the New Brunswick wilds, 50 km down dirt logging roads to catch monster trout & salmon.

We caught neither. A few salmon parr and a few trout, the largest for me being 11". Biggest trout of the trip was about 17". Lots of fishing, lots of rain.

Humble abode of night #1

What my buddy Steve refers to as his bear burrito

The five-star kitchen area

Makeshift storage locker

Thursday evening I spent at my folks' place, where I ate. And ate. And ate some more. Herb & garlic cheese rolls, heated with butter. Pasta. Cookies. Cake. Brilliance.

While there, I started some heavy-duty research into my next leg of the mini-odyssey: I flipped a coin. Heads: Gaspe, Quebec for Atlantic salmon; Tails: Fundy short of Nova Scotia for stripers. Oh, the joys of having a full quiver of 5wt, 6wt, 8wt & 10wt rods traveling with you.

Tails it was, so off to Nova Scotia for some striped bass dreams (delusions). With a loaf of fresh banana bread & a bag of chocolate chip cookies, courtesy of Mom.

I fished the incoming/outgoing tide on Friday night. I fished the incoming/outgoing tide Saturday morning. Same for Saturday evening. And on Sunday morning. And again on Sunday evening.

Finally, while on my last legs on Sunday night, in piss-pouring rain, with a Clouser that was also on its last legs, it happened. I hooked and landed my first striped bass on the fly rod.

It was 14" long.

I awoke to strong winds and a torrential downpour at 5AM Monday (I actually woke up because if it). My tent was half-floating, and run-off was visibly flowing by the door of the tent. I planned to fish, but decided enough was enough. I hit the road home.

All total, I camped out 4 of 5 nights, bought only one "meal" at a restaurant (egg mcmuffins on Monday morning on the drive), drove over 1300km and fished over 40 hours for a bunch of fish where the two biggest totaled twenty-five inches.

I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

Camp Striper, right on the seashore

8- & 10-weights, locked & loaded

Sunset at Camp Striper

Dawn Patrol

Due to the early departure from Camp Striper, I planned on scouting a rumored smallie hotspot on the drive home; however, a few flashes of lightning as I approached the turn off for it scuttled that plan pretty quick. I'm not sure if carbon fiber rods conduct electricity or not, but I didn't really feel like finding out. So no fishing on Monday.

Tuesday I was back at it, with a few 10-14" smallies caught, but H-core fishing was being interrupted by numerous kayakers and unleashed dogs & kids (yes, unleashed kids) going through the spot I was fishing. It became quite apparent that "urban angling" is a relatively unheard of phenomenon here.

(Side note: a kid throwing a rock into where you're fishing is kinda cute & funny the first, and maybe the second, time it happens. When it happens 5-6 times in a summer, I'm tempted to launch a 1/0 Clouser in the direction of the parents. Just sayin'.)

Wednesday was wet & miserable. I drove some coffee & donuts out to the shale gas protesters blockading the road (this blocking the seismic trucks from their exploration targets) and ended up donating a tarp to the cause to help keep them out of the rain. That deed done, I went fishing.

I decided to try out a new spot, Just upriver of one of my usual haunts for smallmouth. I looked at about five square feet of a foamy back-eddy, and thought to myself, "There has to be a bass in there."

All I gotta say, karma can really rock sometime. There was a bass in there. A big-ass bass.

So now I'm done fishing for another three weeks. Packing fishing gear away and packing work gear into my duffel bag.

*********
This weekend is FredRock. If you're in the area, I can't stress how much fun it's gonna be, so go check it out. Click here for more info.

I'm terribly sorry to be missing it (again) this year, but c'est la vie. Small-term sacrifices for long-term gains.

Here's a tune from Sam Roberts Band, the headlining act. I find it semi-appropriate as a post-mini-odyssey tune.

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City Limits Smallie, S01E02

Time/Date: 1815 AST, 26-Jul-11
Location: Back home in ol' Freddy Beach

Dear Redington, Rio Products, and Chris Buckingham,

A quick note to say your fly rod, fly line, and bead-head wooly bugger all work splendidly. Much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Mat

********
Below are 3 of the 8 smallies caught & released in probably the most epic 75 minutes of fishing I've ever experienced. I probably had close to two dozen takes. Gettin' all book-smart on bass fishin' paid off. Now just to improve my hook-sets :-/

ALSO: these were all caught within a 3 minute drive of the fly shop, in (what I proclaim to be) the best angling city EVER!!

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