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Nova Scotia Fly Fishing Logbook 2011
Fishing Season 2011
April 1 - Opening Day... and Snowing
Finally the day has arrived! Took the day off work, picked up jake at 545 am and was at the river as the sun came up. The weather was decent in the morning, even a bit of sunshine poking through the clouds... so I tied on my favorite spring bright fly: "my little brown trout". It paid dividends for me right away, and all day too. I hooked into and landed four 8-10 inch trout right off the bat on the little brown trout fishing the inflow to a large pond. They hammered on the fly, but as is typical of a spring brookie gave into me without too much effort. I was casting and mending out loads of line... probablly some 20 yards or so, and using a very very slow retrieve on a floating line with a ten foot leader. The fish seemed to like this approach. I noticed a few rises on the surface this morning, more action than I have ever seen on the surface on opening day... black stoneflies were out. I was having too much success with my streamer to go to a dry, but i believe they could have been taken.
Jake is a bit of a novice, so he spent a lot of time tangled in trees and retying knots. He started with a gold muddler and was unsuccesful... i gave him a black bead heded version of my little brown trout and he was also rewarded. I must say i am thoroughly impressed with this fly, it just simply performs. Ive used it in so many different stuations and it just comes through for me all the time. Im not 100 percent sure if its just my confidence when i fish it that allows me to keep it in the water longer that makes it so effective or if its the polar bear, yellow, red, orange, squirrel and flash. I just know its an amazing brook trout fly... and I am not moving away from it anytime soon.
We hiked further up the river system where I fished a small run, i had worked the bottom of the run for twenty minutes without any action when all of the sudden a jerky retrieve with my little brown trout lured a large resident brookie out from a brush pile at the river edge. He slashed at the fly and his tail broke water... I landed and released him cleanly, a very healthy 12 inch fish. Worked this run for a another twenty minutes with no success... but I was very happy with what I had encountered there.
Later I tied on a large balck and purple, copper conehead marabou leech. Its a heavy fly and a little more difficult to cast, sinks well and when retrieved with short pulls just has an amazing action. I dragged it through a deep stillwater varying my retrieve speed until I could feel it hit bottom every now and again. The biggest fish of the day nailed this fly a speactacular twelve inch fish. When they hit the leech i find it like a lead weight, the fish hit it deep and stay down... almost like snagging bottom.
Later we hiked even further up the system and fished the inlow to a very large pond, the snow, wind and hail was crazy! I was convinced we would be rewarded for fishing through snow and wind and frozen hands with nice fish... but we didnt get anymore. I tried a variation of an olive bugger i tie, muddlers, leeches, the brown trout, dark montreal, nymphs... and couldnt get a hit. Probably caught a cold though.
Snow, hail, wind, rain, the river, fesh air, good friend, good conversation, 6 gorgeous brookies for me and one for jake... I couldnt ask for a better opening day.
April 4, 2011 - Practicing Casting
Well the sun came out, its early in the season so my mind is constantly on fishing... so i decided to leave work early and hit a local river. Everything seemed just right, all the old guys like to say the fishing is always good before a rain, or after a rain... but ive never found this. Believing them, I had high hopes for this afternoon.
On my way into the river I was stopped by another fisherman and his wife, who it turns out are both rather established Nova Scotia fisher people. They wanted to know what section of the river I'd be fishing... maybe to just follow etiquette... or maybe to ensure they could enjoy their own peace on the river. I chose a spot in the lower stretches, while they fished a pond further up than me.
It was cold. I started with My Little Brown Trout, basically anticipating constant strikes... but I got nothing after 20 minutes. I changed flies lots, muddlers, zonkers, leeches, black stonefly nymphs... everything... but they were smarter than me, at least in this hole. I caught a lot of the bottom, lost some flies, but no trout. I decided to venture further up river and try my luck, and was once again engaged in conversation with the couple I had seen on my way in. They were leaving the river... with no luck with trout... but they seemed happy to have just been out. I know these guys are good fisher people, so i realized it was going to be just one of these days that the trout would probably get the best of me. I must admit though, knowing they are often successful at fishing this particular river, I wanted to catch one when they hadnt! I tried for another two hours all over the river... but I knew I was defeated after the first twenty minutes. Thats when you just enjoy the nature and practice casting. try to get that perfect loop and that perfect roll... try to hit that exact spot with a dark montreal. I think I did improve my casting, by the end of the evening i was roll casting under trees, behind rocks all over the river... and I didnt lose any flies to trees... just rocks!
All in all another successful night on the river...
April 5, 2011 - Fishing and Relationships...
I was thinking. Which is not rare... i think a lot. Maybe too much. But I was thinking about the gentleman and his wife I saw on the river yesterday. There they are fishing together.... its strange. Its strange for a number of reasons, first I havent met too many women that actually enjoy fly fishing... but this woman certainly does. Why do more men than women fish? Is it because of history, our gender roles and the opportunities that we as men have been given while women have not? I cant believe its because women wouldnt enjoy the sport... its something that transcends gender all together, whats not to like about connecting with nature? Fresh air? A trout splashing the surface to take your fly? Is it too cold? Too wet? too much work? I just cant believe that... not based on the rewards ive been given from this thing...
Its also strange because I love fly fishing by myself. I find it a time to get away from it all. Its a time where I can reflect and think freely... without the stresses and pulls and anxiety of the "real world". To always have a partner... well its different from how i do it. I must admit though, its very impressive...
So many people would stop their partners from fishing so much, at least thats what ive seen. They would say they should be spending more time together, maybe on "dates", maybe doing housework, maybe snuggling in front of the tv. Just maybe these two have got it right... and everyone else is wrong...forget all that stuff - people should spend more time fishing.
April Vokey has an interesting site for women fly fishers...
April 6 - The Fish of 1000 Casts
They say that the Atlantic Salmon is the fish of 1000 casts, but today i caught the fish of 1000 casts... and he was a 10 inch brook trout. I worked every inch of the river today with not so much as a bite. After hours of casting I eventually ended my cold streak (numb fingers cold)... by doing nothing. My mind was so far from catching fish that I had cast and let my line just drift for sometime as i day-dreamed and collected my thoughts watching some ducks across the pond. On the slow slow slow retrieve I felt a very light tug, which I assumed was bottom, afterall my fly must have been sitting there. I continued to pick up the slack in my line... and I think the fish at the end was just as surprised as I was that he was hooked, he hardly gave me a battle uitl he was five feet from me. Then the fight was on... but I got him in and released him with no issues. I was using the black leech. Goes to show you how spring fishing can be sometimes... but the more I think about it, this fish fits in with my spring experience... slow, deep and big flies perform best. Got a picture, but didnt have my camera... so its blackberry quality. The fish of 1000 casts...
Well Ive got to say, the fishing has been slow. This may be the hardest ive worked over three days to try to convince the trout my fly is worth their efforts. The water has been up and not come down since we got the rain a couple of days ago. I am betting with a little drop from the peak water levels, we'll return to some good action. In the mean time, I'll enjoy the spring air, the quiet river, practicing casting and trying every new fly in my box... and some old classics too.
Speaking of classic flies, I had gone through everything over hours of fishing today. I burned through my favorites and decidied I might as well try an ol Mickey Fin... and what do you know it brought me a trout on the very first cast. I quickly released this one and got my fly back in the water... and what do you know.... I got another. This got me excited, thinking maybe I was onto something, So i was right back in the water... this time I got bottom. I was letting my fly sink deep, and retrieving slow... and thats just what you get sometimes. Unfortunately the bottom decided to keep my fly. I had more mickey fins in my box, but decided to try something new. I had spent sometime thinking about the mickey fin this winter and decided to make a a fly that had the classic red and yellow trout colors... but had the action of one of my favorite patterns... the leech. I call it the Mickey Leech. Red Marabou tail, Yellow IceDub picked out, oval silver tinsel wrap and a gold bead head for weight. It brought me a first cast trout... a nice one... fresh looking colors, and she gave a nice effort. I left after that, all smiles.
My good friends Greg, Graham , Pete, John and I embarked on a very serious back country trip at Keji over this easter weekend. I just love the keji back country, the forests have big old trees, the rivers and lakes are beautiful and the hiking, canoeing and portaging is very challenging. There is trout back there too...
This year we started at Big Dam, carried to the lake and canoed and carried back to campsite six on Frozen Ocean Lake. It was incredible, we pushed ourselves over the journey, the weather was nice and the water was smooth and calm for the most part for the first day. We managed to spend some time casting into some pools... but didnt catch a thing. I could see the odd trout rising, but to be honest I really didnt work too hard to catch them... we had our hands full with carrying and treking. Was nice to see the trout show themselves though.
We had a great night. We always eat well on these treks... and I must say carrying the food is always worth it! I spent a half hour at dusk casting flies into the lake by myself. I was treated to something I had never seen before, in the middle of the quiet I heard crashing though the woods across the cove in front of me, and all of the sudden a deer came charging into the water about 200 meters ahead of me! It swam right out in front of me... and headed out to a little island in the middle of the lake. Im not sure if it was escaping coyotes or if it had a food source on the little island, or maybe it just liked the view... it was really something! Saw plenty of deer on this trip... they didnt seem worried about us at all.
We were lucky to get any sleep that night. Between the coyotes and Pete's snoring it was loud out there in the wilderness!
The next day was windy, cold and wet. We had a major challenge when we got to lake keji... the waves and wind and ice pellets were something we were totally un prepared for. It was scary. it took us all day to get to our site (#20)... and by that time some of us were cold wet and grumpy. We shook it off... and ate like kings. Chicken fajitas, grilled veggies, hot dogs, chocolate. The tough day was forgotten.
We woke up early and headed to Jakes Landing by noon. Graham in his kayak thought he knew a better way than my compass... so he took longer! It was an amazing trip... the back country at keji really is smething everyone should experience... just be prepared for anything! You can see the whole trip photos and last years too through Greg's site... Halifaxtrails.ca here.
May 3, Crummey Double Digits
I had just an amazing day on the river today. I fished the late afternoon. Since I didnt have a lot of time I headed to a spot on the river that has been the most productive for me this spring. The weather was a nice 12 degrees or so and overcast with a very light south wind... just PERFECT. I spent five minutes up to my waist in the river just watching. The trout were up to their sipping ways again... taking something just subsurface. I didnt see much surface insects... BUT i did see the occasional black quill mayfly. This is a good sign for the next while! I knew from earlier in the spring (see above!) that the crummey fly works on the fish taking nymphs in this pool.... so I tied one on.
This fly was just a monster all day. I never changed it once... it brought me fish after fish. it brough them on the drift, on the retrieve... anyway i could present it I just seemed to have luck. I caught the smallest trout of the year, and the three biggest as well. Just an amazing day. I recommend you try the crummey fly... tie it yourself... there isnt many flies that are easier to tie! Catching double digit trout on your own fly on a quiet and beautiful stretch of river just cannot be topped. Its amazing how my heart still races with every bite I get...
May 6, The Not So Lonely Shad Fisherman
Today I tried something I was unnsucesful at last year. That is trying to catch a shad. The yearly run of this salt water fish into some of the freshwater rivers in nova scotia brings out lots of anglers looking to hook into this energetic and plentiful fish. When I first got to the river, there was about five other fisherman working the stretch I could get to by foot... this is usually a sitiuation where I turn around and go home... but this isnt trout fishing, so I took claim to a little spot and tied on a pink chenille headed fly I had tied to the end of my leader on a sink tip line.
I know the basic technique, that is to cast down and across in standard wetfly manner... then retrieve in large strips with pauses. So I did this. After a half hour I had nothing... while I noticed a guy further up the river was constantly hooking into large fish. I watched him and it seemed we were up to the same thing... so I kept at it. Eventually I felt a huge pull... it shocked me! The fish fought hard and ran downstream ripping my line of the reel... then he broke my line clean off. Wow... did I ever feel like a rookie. It was ok... cause I am a rookie... so i ted on another pink fly and started again. A few casts later I was into another fish... this one a lot smaller... he was easily landed. My first shad! He was just a little guy...as I would find out later. I kept up this approash with not much success for the next hour... so i decided to ask the fisherman hooking all the fish why he was being so much more succesful than me.
Fisherman can be really good guys. This guy gave me a total shad tutorial... reduced my leader length and gave me pointers on where to cast, how long to let the fly sink... and how to retrieve the right way. I was very thankful. We fished next to each other over the next hour... he still hooked way way way more shad than me! He eventually left, off to the next river in search for large stripers on the fly... something I might try one day soon! Another gentlemen entered the river and fished next to me... a friendly guy for sure... and obviously an expert at catching shad. He was into fish right away. So I asked him what he was up to, and the biggest difference I could see is that he was using a full sinkinfg fly line. I was lucky... I actually had a reel equipped with this line in my bag... I use it on lakes. So I geared it up.
The sinking line made a world of difference... after that I was into shad constantly! What a day! The shad were big and fat like footballs my biggest would have been somewhere near 7 pounds... and would fight like nothing I have hooked. Running downstream, one giant even got me into my backing. Just incredible the power these fish have, running and even jumping at times. By the end of the day I had caught more than 20 fish... all on pink or chartreuse flies. These fish are a lot of fun... ive got a lot of respect for the shad after seeing them fight. I'll be back. Thanks again to my new friends I met on the river today...
May 15, Be Careful Out There
Had to get out today. First of all its been a month of rain, rains almost every day and today it had finally let up... also I was feeling a bit down and really wanted to be in the river. I think there was some other people who hadnt got their waders wet in some time either because of all this rain, there was quite a few guys out on the river... which meant I had to hike quite a ways back to get to where I couldnt see a soul.
The water was really high and fast, and there was very little insect activity on the surface. These are the days I know are going to be slow... I think the fish just wait for the level to go down so that meals come a bit easier. I usually go for dark flies deep in this type of situation, and thats what I did today. Black and purple leech drifted slowly down and across with a really slow retrieve. Managed to get one nice one, and a bunch of strikes but no more hook ups. Leeches can be tricky like that, you get lots of strikes on smaller fish because i think they just bite the tail and dont get any hook... while you catch bigger fish because they are capable of taking the whole thing.
I was wet all day. When I first got to the riverside i tried jumping to a little bunch of submerged rocks... and fell backwards and into the water. It was bad... and not that safe. I'll blame it on the high water levels, stupidity and the fact I am old now (i am 31) and just had my first football practice of the season and was REALLY sore. We've all got to be careful out there in the high water... that situation could have been way worse. I am lucky.
Black flies were a bit annoying today.... but it was just great to be back on the trout stream. Lets hope this rain stops soon.... I see thursday is looking good...
May 18, Floatin
With all the rain we've had here, I've got to take avantage of any opportunity I get where the skys let up so I can wet my line without being soaked myself. Today I tried something I have never actually done before... go after stocked rainbows in an urban lake. Ive fished for rainbow trout a ton, but thats in the BC interior where they are legendary. Here in Nova Scotia these fish are stocked in many urban lakes as they are not native to nova scotia. These lakes are fished heavily, so the fish dont get that large, but are abundant... i think. Ive never got a nova scotia rainbow... so i decided to get my float tube out and give it a whirl. I tied on an olive leech on a sinking line, floated around half the lake and didnt get a bite, just lots of weeds. Switched to a black leech with no success either. Finally I got a strike on a gold muddler... this fish pulled VERY hard... i was taken back. The fish was stripping my line off and even leaped into the air, this was just like the rainbows I remembered in british columbia. He ran a few more times and I eventually brought him in... but to my surprise it wasnt a rainbow at all. In fact it was the biggest, fattest brookie I had caught all year... which was really werid because I had no idea there were even brookies in this little lake, he was over 14 inches.... but i didnt get a photo of him cause all I had was my blackberry and it was akward to get out of my pocket with the fishthere. Grrrr. Anyways, trust me... he was a big one!
Float tube fishing is great. You can be stealthy, you feel like your close to the fish and you get excercise... its the next best thing to being in a river. Im going to try this little lake again, i'll be happy with a rainbow or a big brookie... or nothing...
May 20, Leprechaun's, Pots of Gold... and Rainbows
Climbed back into the float tube after work today, it was rainy... but what the heck, this is nova scotia and we cant let that stop us, or we'd never be fishing. So today i tried a REAL urban lake that is stocked with rainbows.... i checked this time. I gotta say I found the pot of gold... it was a blast hunting these rainbows! I spent a couple of hours out there and hooked into five fish and managed to land 3 beauties. I am impressed with the size and health of these fish fresh from the hatchery... they averaged about a pound and a half. These fish like to battle... they gave me the classic rainbow fight... running and jumping up to two feet out of the water in efforts to shake my fly. It was a lot of fun... and for an urban lake i found it to be incredibly peaceful I was the only one out there floating around today. All of these fish were taken on a gold muddler minnow, on a FULL fast sinking line.
Speaking of sinking fly lines, I bought mine in Kamloops British Columbia. Out there fly fishing lakes and stillwaters is very popular... where here people like to hit the rivers. I like a river brook or stream the best too... but lake fishing can be just as great. Floating around and seeing the sun set on a quiet lake can be incredibly rewarding. Hatches are different on the stillwaters too... you can get some amazing mayfly action on lakes here that I have never seen macthed in a river, brook or stream. Its special to see the mayflys still on the water like little sailboats and the splashy take of a large trout on a calm lake. The biggest trout ive seen taken are from the lakes. I dont feel people fly fish lakes enough here. Its pretty obvious when you go to "Fishing Fever" the only real fly fishing shop in the hrm and you cant buy a full sinking fly line! This baffles me! Using a full sink line is the MOST IMPORTANT element to fly fishing lakes. 90 percent of the time the trout are feeding subsurface on baitfish, Nymphs or leeches... and youve GOT TO get your fly down. This is the difference between catching 5 fish in an evening and being cold skunked. Even when there is loads of insect activity on the surface... you can often catch more fish with nymphs on a sinking line. If youre reading this, get your sinking line on cabellas or something... and tell the guys at fishing fever they need to get some in stock! I always carry a full sink line, a floating line and a sink tip. All are good for the right situation... and in my mind necessary!
Anyways... the bow fishing was great! Really glad to be using the float tube more this year.... its allowed me to catch three species of fish in three days (brookie, Bass and Rainbow).
Weekend of May 27 - Getting it Wrong
It was an interesting weekend. I spent some time on the river, spent some time in the tube... and zero fish. Took my good friend Graham in the tube with me as ive got three of them. We fished a little stocked lake, it poured rain in buckets on us, we lost flies, we tangled lines and Graham somehow snapped his rod. I went back the next day determined to get a fish, only to discover that my tube had sprung a leak! Taking this as a possible sign to fish the river I headed out to the eastern shore hoping that maybe I would intercept some early sea run brookies. I tossed all kinds of goods stuff at them... but I dont think they were there or at least not interested. I tried three different rivers... and nothing! Hell bent on not being skunked I took my backup tube and hit the lake again that evening, with no returns. I was frustrated and pouting on my way home that night... then I realized I had it all wrong. For some reason I had forgotten that its not about the catching... its about being out there. How I could be frustrated after spending a fun afternoon with a good buddy, exploring some of the most beautiful rivers I know and spending a peaceful evening in the tube? Its baffling. I needed a break... to recharge... The next time I wet my line I'll be in the BC interior chasing the kamloops rainbow... and not giving a single care if I get skunked or not...
June 2 - 7 - The BC Interior - Dry Magic
As Ive mentioned before on this blog my grandad lives in the BC interior, just outside of Kamloops on a trout lake so productive i am continously amazed. Hes 80 years old now, and he fears the BC government will take away his drivers license in short time... hes so independant and social he cannot possibly imagine being stuck outside the city even if it means giving up his perfect little property on the outside of town for a condo on a golf course. I get it, and am encouraging him to make the move... but I will miss the little place on the lake. Ive made probably my last visit here as hes moving in November, and it has rewarded me so kindly over the years... and and this time it has given me even more than it ever has.
I arrived on thursday afternoon blessed with four extra hours from east coast travelling. Grandad and I stocked up on supplies for the week... the usual porridge, cheeses, a roast and some fresh fruits. I forgot to buy suncreen and my arms paid for it later. The kamloops area is dry, so dry it reminds me of a quasi desert area... but there is elevation... melting snow and groundwater. There is waters with a perfect PH balance for insects, shrimp, leeches... and some of the most fantastic rainbow trout in the world. I had packed very few clothes for this trip, juts barely enough to get me through... two pairs of jeans and a pair of shorts... a couple of t shirts and a bunch of socks and underwear. The rest of my suitcase was occupied by my waders, wading boots, reels, fly lines, leaders, flies... and my float tube. Everything you need for a true experience in the BC interior.
I went out for an hour the first night, tied on a black leech I had tied for this trip on a full sinking line. I cast the fly into the shallows and stripped it back with little 3 inch strips - real slow. I hooked into two silver beautys that night... I was happy to just be out... the fish were a nice bonus for sure. Little did I know what was in store for me over the next couple of days....
Friday and Saturday proved to be some of the best fishing days of my life. It was thrity degrees and sunny and the fish just couldnt get enough of my leeches. I caught 16 fish on friday all ranging between 0.5 and 2.25 lbs. They were hungry, they were lively and they were all to happy to be set free. They hit my flies all day, it was one of those days your so thankful for having experienced. The sun was amazing and i welcomed the heat since weve had nothing but rain nova scotia for a long long time... but I suffered a nasty burn. From then on I was painting my arms with Gradad's SPF 60 (white paint). Saturday Morning I broke my rod tip... casting off the dock and getting careless trying to unhook my fly from a tree. Grandad and I went in that morning and I bought a fairly inexpensive, but all i need replacement. We also hit up the kamloops fly shop where I got some tips on flies and asked about chrinomid fishing as I heard it was good, I purchased some ruby eyed leeches and midge patterns, tehy just looked right to me... and the owner of the sop agreed. When we got back, the young guy of 14 from next door, Aaron, who I have enjoyed fishing with over the years (hes very skilled...) was there waiting to hit the waters. As I got ready I watched him land a nice rainbow right of the dock... for some reason this kid just has a way. I floated out in my kick boat while he chugged away in his pontoon boat and the fishing was out of this world. We landed fish after fish on almost every cast with leeches... gorgeous colorful rainbows. I lost count. It was amazing is the only way I can put it.
The next day (sunday) was slower in comparison. I landed ten trout in total... but it felt slow! Its a testament to how good the fishing is when a double digit day is slow. The fish I had caught were so hard and full its no wonder they werent hitting like the day before. I had noticed a massive chirnomid hatch on the lake the night before, and as I am told fish will absolutely gorge themselves on the emerging puppa in these cases... i dont think they could handle much food at all... but a trout will ALWAYS have a hard time resisting a properly presented leech. I spotted two leeches in the lake that looked like horrible food to me... but i could see how a trout would find them irresistable in terms of their size and ease of catching.
On Monday I ventured into some real famous kamloops trout territory. A lake I had got some info from at the kamloops fly shop . The guy there told me it was possible to find seven pound rainbows and brookies as well in there! I was excited to catch a BC brookie in these lakes... the health of these lakes has got me imagining what could be! When I got to the lake it was small... a pond by nova scotia standards! People were fishing it... and the chrinomids were popping off in clouds. I used the floating line technique for chrinomids... but not hits all day! After asking around i gathered there was a huge hatch the night before as well.... so i figure the fish were full. Oh well... it was an adventure.
Monday night i decided to try Grandads lake again... after getting skunked all day. It was a magical night, dead calm, sun was setting beautifully and the loons were hollering... i couldnt ask for a more perfect night in the tube, but it got better...
I tied on my ruby eyed leech, and I was having moderate success. I caught a few when the other two boats floating around got none. Then i hooked another three... and an older gentleman came by and asked what I was up to. I gave him a fly and discussed my slow retrieval technique. He was a nice guy and very thankful. It was close to 9 pm by then and I decided to give the lake another pass into deeper waters. The loons were yelling at me... when I felt a tug on my line like none I have ever felt, line ripped off my reel and my heart pounded out of my chest! Then I saw him... he jumped clean out of the water... he was a fish the likes of which i had never had the privellege of being connected to... and likely never will again. He leaped and ran countless times, dragging me around the lake, fighting like ive never ever experienced. Every time he leaped I was shocked at his size... i was doubtful i could bring him to hand... but i did. The gentleman who I had given the fly to floated into to watch the battle, he even took some pictures for me when I landed thr brute and applauded me for letting him back into the water to fight again. In all he was more than 20 inches... i know because my float tube has a measuring bar on it that only measures 20 inches. He was likely more than four pounds of beautful and powerful rainbow trout. I will be thankful to him for as long as I live... that was a night i will never forget. Ive got four more full days here... and anything else that happens is a pure bonus to me.
June 7-11 - Ruby Eyed Leeches and The Dragon Slayer
Ok... so i now its been ages since I updated. I have been so busy with a new job since I got back from BC i have had no free time to fish or update this site. I'm sorry.... i know youre all very dissapointed, so i'll do the catching up here now. Ive taken down some pics from the previous post because ive included them in a video ive made that is embeddded below.
So the second half of my trip was equally as goos as the first. I spent the next four days fishing every single day and never having less than double digits on any given day. The weather was bright and clear most of the time... with the scattering of the odd thunder storm that sent me scurrying to the shoreline every now and again. During my morning walks with grandad I noticed a large number of dragon flies and damsels coming off most mornings... this gave me the idea that a large dragon nymph cast into the shoreline could probably produce fish, and I wasnt wrong! I use either tan or olive dragon nymph patterns depending on the lake bottom. I find the BC lakes, like the one I was fishing here usually have a green marl bottom... so I use an olive nymph. In nova scotia where we have rocky bottoms... i tend to use a tan colored dragon nymphs. I find the most effective patterns are tied from spun and clipped deer hair shaped cigar style in two distinct sections with pheasant tail legs, you can color the deer hair with permanent marker. I fish this pattern right on the bottom, nice and slow in little jerks. this fly and method brought me lots of beauties... and I was catching fish even when others werent. I stuck with that fly and the "Ruby Eyed Leech" most of the time (there is a pic of this leech in the vdeo). This leech was UNBELIEVABLY good... it caught me another four pound fish and was a consitent fish producer and a large fish producer at that. On my last day the fishing had slowed down for some reason in the afternoon, but I had noticed on the walk that morning that there was the odd mayfly taking flight, so i figured there was a hatch warming u for that evening. Before an eveing hatch mayfly nymphs often become active subsurface... this makes them more easily available to feeding and cruising trout... and often they'll key on them. On this day I switched to a little hres ear nymph and fished it along the bottom. This strategy paid off! I landed a good six fish in my last hour on the water... and everyone else was skunked! Im starting to learn to listen to the clues...
The total trip was amazing. The scenery, the fishing, the quiet and the time with family. If youre looking for an amazing trout fishing adventure i highly recommend the BC interior. Pack your float tube, ruby eyed leeches, dragon nymphs, shrimp patterns, chironmids and gear in your suitcase! Camp out at a place like this in june.... and you'll be in for one of the cheapest and best fly fishing experiences of your life! Contact me for the inside scoop...
June 12 - The Tent Dwellers
I finished this book today on the plane... i read it every night before bed while I was away. It was such a great read, and the fact I have been on the waters it describes makes it that much more special. Nice to know that even in the good old days people were thinking about how beautiful, special and fragile the trout waters of nova scotia are. Thanks Pat for pointing me to this...
July 2 - Yellow Tape Flies
The Eastern Shore is special to me. I grew up there. I went to an amazing trout river today and hiked and fished a good 5 km stretch of it from morning to night. I was hoping to intercept some sea runs... but they werent showing. Weather was hot and sunny... finally!
On my way in from dartmouth I stopped in at "Bills Fllys" in Sheet Harbour. I talked to him for a half hour about the goings on in the local rivers and what flies seemed to be producing. I bought some orange bugs, a muddler (i hate tying muddlers!), a cosseboom and a purple drummer. I recommend you go to Bills Flys, hes a good guy and ties excellent flies... there is no better people to learn from than those that know the area!
I had been fishing for an hour without a strike. I was pretty sure that was just going to be the day I was going to have... except the oddest thing was happening. I use a little braided loop at the end of my fly line. I like it cause it slides through the guides easy and makes changing leaders really simple... and I just despise a nail knot! The braided loop has a little yellow sleeve that you pull over the fly line to secure things. I could swear fish were rising to the yellow sleeve! At first i thought it couldnt be... but i kept noticing rises at the sleeve. I though surely a trout wouldnt rise to the little yellow piece of tape, but after the tenth rise i couldnt deny it. The yellow piece of tape was beating my orange bug 10-0. That was a little annoying! Anyways, i figured the fish were keying on omething yellow... so i tried the cosseboom with the yellow hackle.... and i had a fish on my first two casts! Caught five fish that day... all on the yellow hackled cosseboom. If you think you know trout, i can guarantee you dont!
July 9 - Family Time
Tonight I took my brothers out and taught them some basic fly fishing. They've never fly fished before... so i figured it was about time. When you take rookies out you should consider a couple of things about where you choose to fish:
1) Minimize tangles - trees, rocks, bushes, shrubs or other peoples hats are all things rookies find themselves in all the time. The rookie will spend more time frustrated and untangling themselves than enjoying the sport. A wide river or lake is a good starting point.
2) Try to maximize the chances of success. For me the catching part is a nice bonus to the fishing... being out there is what its all about. Rookies probably havent got this yet, though you can teach them. Finding an easy spot you know holds fish helps get people hooked.
Ive got three float tubes. Perfect for myself and my two brothers. The weather is getting warmer so the bass lakes are heating up in action quite a bit. We went to one thats a 5 minute drive from my house... it holds trout, bass, pickeral, white and yellow perch. I hooked all of them but the trout... and i am pretty sure a pickeral sliced my leader with its teeth once. The trout were scarce... and im not surprised.
I landed about 20, lots of white perch and bass. they were great fun on my five weight, i was using a full sinking line and a ruby eyed leech for every fish. The perch would go deep and run like crazy, the bass would jump and leap and send my reel zinging. Alex caught 3 on the ruby eyed leech and an olive bead headed flashy bugger I tie. Daniel caught none! Te great thing was he still thought it was a great trip. the two of them both thought i was up to somnething... because for the first hour I had a fish on just about every cast! I dont know why... but experience kind of does count. I think its about being effective is all.
Enjoy the video. Mostly me poking fun at the youngest brother!
Tying Season 2011
February 20 - Tying and Tying
From January onwards I do a lot of tying, its just a way to get me through these months before fishing season without going absolutely crazy. I like to tie flies I am going to fish, so in the winter I am always tying flies I like to use in the early spring. I like to stick to the lakes and ponds in the early season, so i like to fill my fly box with loads of leeches, buggers, muddlers... and of course my little brown trout! Here is my tying efforts over the last two weeks...
Rabbit Season 2011
February 5 - First Rabbits
Went out to a spot near where i grew up today with my new Ruger 10/.22 semi-automatic. Within 2 mins of walking into the woods I had my first rabbit ever! It like he was a gift for me, he came right out in front of me at 30 yards, and just sat on the edge of a hill. I finished him with one perfect shot! Took him right home to my mom's place, where the neighbor taught me how to skin and clean him properly. I went back out that afternoon and spent a few hours pushing through the spruce trying to move rabbits, i came across another one and watched him run away from me. I evenutally tracked him down and had my second rabbit ever! Cant wait for mom's rabbit pie... and I am gonna tie a few flies from the fur as well.
April 1 - Opening Day... and Snowing
Finally the day has arrived! Took the day off work, picked up jake at 545 am and was at the river as the sun came up. The weather was decent in the morning, even a bit of sunshine poking through the clouds... so I tied on my favorite spring bright fly: "my little brown trout". It paid dividends for me right away, and all day too. I hooked into and landed four 8-10 inch trout right off the bat on the little brown trout fishing the inflow to a large pond. They hammered on the fly, but as is typical of a spring brookie gave into me without too much effort. I was casting and mending out loads of line... probablly some 20 yards or so, and using a very very slow retrieve on a floating line with a ten foot leader. The fish seemed to like this approach. I noticed a few rises on the surface this morning, more action than I have ever seen on the surface on opening day... black stoneflies were out. I was having too much success with my streamer to go to a dry, but i believe they could have been taken.
Jake is a bit of a novice, so he spent a lot of time tangled in trees and retying knots. He started with a gold muddler and was unsuccesful... i gave him a black bead heded version of my little brown trout and he was also rewarded. I must say i am thoroughly impressed with this fly, it just simply performs. Ive used it in so many different stuations and it just comes through for me all the time. Im not 100 percent sure if its just my confidence when i fish it that allows me to keep it in the water longer that makes it so effective or if its the polar bear, yellow, red, orange, squirrel and flash. I just know its an amazing brook trout fly... and I am not moving away from it anytime soon.
We hiked further up the river system where I fished a small run, i had worked the bottom of the run for twenty minutes without any action when all of the sudden a jerky retrieve with my little brown trout lured a large resident brookie out from a brush pile at the river edge. He slashed at the fly and his tail broke water... I landed and released him cleanly, a very healthy 12 inch fish. Worked this run for a another twenty minutes with no success... but I was very happy with what I had encountered there.
Later I tied on a large balck and purple, copper conehead marabou leech. Its a heavy fly and a little more difficult to cast, sinks well and when retrieved with short pulls just has an amazing action. I dragged it through a deep stillwater varying my retrieve speed until I could feel it hit bottom every now and again. The biggest fish of the day nailed this fly a speactacular twelve inch fish. When they hit the leech i find it like a lead weight, the fish hit it deep and stay down... almost like snagging bottom.
Later we hiked even further up the system and fished the inlow to a very large pond, the snow, wind and hail was crazy! I was convinced we would be rewarded for fishing through snow and wind and frozen hands with nice fish... but we didnt get anymore. I tried a variation of an olive bugger i tie, muddlers, leeches, the brown trout, dark montreal, nymphs... and couldnt get a hit. Probably caught a cold though.
Snow, hail, wind, rain, the river, fesh air, good friend, good conversation, 6 gorgeous brookies for me and one for jake... I couldnt ask for a better opening day.
April 4, 2011 - Practicing Casting
Well the sun came out, its early in the season so my mind is constantly on fishing... so i decided to leave work early and hit a local river. Everything seemed just right, all the old guys like to say the fishing is always good before a rain, or after a rain... but ive never found this. Believing them, I had high hopes for this afternoon.
On my way into the river I was stopped by another fisherman and his wife, who it turns out are both rather established Nova Scotia fisher people. They wanted to know what section of the river I'd be fishing... maybe to just follow etiquette... or maybe to ensure they could enjoy their own peace on the river. I chose a spot in the lower stretches, while they fished a pond further up than me.
It was cold. I started with My Little Brown Trout, basically anticipating constant strikes... but I got nothing after 20 minutes. I changed flies lots, muddlers, zonkers, leeches, black stonefly nymphs... everything... but they were smarter than me, at least in this hole. I caught a lot of the bottom, lost some flies, but no trout. I decided to venture further up river and try my luck, and was once again engaged in conversation with the couple I had seen on my way in. They were leaving the river... with no luck with trout... but they seemed happy to have just been out. I know these guys are good fisher people, so i realized it was going to be just one of these days that the trout would probably get the best of me. I must admit though, knowing they are often successful at fishing this particular river, I wanted to catch one when they hadnt! I tried for another two hours all over the river... but I knew I was defeated after the first twenty minutes. Thats when you just enjoy the nature and practice casting. try to get that perfect loop and that perfect roll... try to hit that exact spot with a dark montreal. I think I did improve my casting, by the end of the evening i was roll casting under trees, behind rocks all over the river... and I didnt lose any flies to trees... just rocks!
All in all another successful night on the river...
April 5, 2011 - Fishing and Relationships...
I was thinking. Which is not rare... i think a lot. Maybe too much. But I was thinking about the gentleman and his wife I saw on the river yesterday. There they are fishing together.... its strange. Its strange for a number of reasons, first I havent met too many women that actually enjoy fly fishing... but this woman certainly does. Why do more men than women fish? Is it because of history, our gender roles and the opportunities that we as men have been given while women have not? I cant believe its because women wouldnt enjoy the sport... its something that transcends gender all together, whats not to like about connecting with nature? Fresh air? A trout splashing the surface to take your fly? Is it too cold? Too wet? too much work? I just cant believe that... not based on the rewards ive been given from this thing...
Its also strange because I love fly fishing by myself. I find it a time to get away from it all. Its a time where I can reflect and think freely... without the stresses and pulls and anxiety of the "real world". To always have a partner... well its different from how i do it. I must admit though, its very impressive...
So many people would stop their partners from fishing so much, at least thats what ive seen. They would say they should be spending more time together, maybe on "dates", maybe doing housework, maybe snuggling in front of the tv. Just maybe these two have got it right... and everyone else is wrong...forget all that stuff - people should spend more time fishing.
April Vokey has an interesting site for women fly fishers...
April 6 - The Fish of 1000 Casts
They say that the Atlantic Salmon is the fish of 1000 casts, but today i caught the fish of 1000 casts... and he was a 10 inch brook trout. I worked every inch of the river today with not so much as a bite. After hours of casting I eventually ended my cold streak (numb fingers cold)... by doing nothing. My mind was so far from catching fish that I had cast and let my line just drift for sometime as i day-dreamed and collected my thoughts watching some ducks across the pond. On the slow slow slow retrieve I felt a very light tug, which I assumed was bottom, afterall my fly must have been sitting there. I continued to pick up the slack in my line... and I think the fish at the end was just as surprised as I was that he was hooked, he hardly gave me a battle uitl he was five feet from me. Then the fight was on... but I got him in and released him with no issues. I was using the black leech. Goes to show you how spring fishing can be sometimes... but the more I think about it, this fish fits in with my spring experience... slow, deep and big flies perform best. Got a picture, but didnt have my camera... so its blackberry quality. The fish of 1000 casts...
April 7- Oh Mickey You're so Fine...
Well Ive got to say, the fishing has been slow. This may be the hardest ive worked over three days to try to convince the trout my fly is worth their efforts. The water has been up and not come down since we got the rain a couple of days ago. I am betting with a little drop from the peak water levels, we'll return to some good action. In the mean time, I'll enjoy the spring air, the quiet river, practicing casting and trying every new fly in my box... and some old classics too.
Speaking of classic flies, I had gone through everything over hours of fishing today. I burned through my favorites and decidied I might as well try an ol Mickey Fin... and what do you know it brought me a trout on the very first cast. I quickly released this one and got my fly back in the water... and what do you know.... I got another. This got me excited, thinking maybe I was onto something, So i was right back in the water... this time I got bottom. I was letting my fly sink deep, and retrieving slow... and thats just what you get sometimes. Unfortunately the bottom decided to keep my fly. I had more mickey fins in my box, but decided to try something new. I had spent sometime thinking about the mickey fin this winter and decided to make a a fly that had the classic red and yellow trout colors... but had the action of one of my favorite patterns... the leech. I call it the Mickey Leech. Red Marabou tail, Yellow IceDub picked out, oval silver tinsel wrap and a gold bead head for weight. It brought me a first cast trout... a nice one... fresh looking colors, and she gave a nice effort. I left after that, all smiles.
April 8 - Missed Opportunities
Spent another solid day on the river. The water hadnt dropped much, so i knew I was in for another slow day on the trout front. Sun was shining bright, it was a crisp five degrees and I was the only one there for most of the day... so i cant ask for more. I had worked my way from the bottom of the river system upwards with no action and trying everything I had (once again!) . I eventually got to the same pond I had fished the day before with success. I wade very far out, as far as I can so I can cast well over the drop off of the pond inflow. Ive had some luck like this fishing leeches deep and slow. I wanted to try a black and purple leech pattern I had tied with a black spey hackle collar. The life like action and movement of this fly is just awesome... so i figured I might have some luck. I didnt for the first twenty minutes, until I noticed some feeding fish just sipping something from the surface film behind me. I watched for a minute or so, I believe there was at least 10 feeding trout in that spot... and I figured they were taking a black stone fly nymph just below the surface, as there was some adults coming off the water. At this point I had a decision to make... do I simply cast my big black and purple leech in there and see what happens? Or do I tie on a little black nymph pattern and sneak up on the trout? I was too excited... so I tossed my leech in. It worked. I caught the nicest fish I had caught this year... hammered it right away. I got him to hand and let him go... then I was right back to the same spot with my leech. Nothing... many casts later and still nothing. I think I spooked them out of there. So waited and fished the other side of the river for twenty minutes or so... and they were back. So i tried again... and they were gone. If I had my time back I would have snuck in there with the black nymph and cast it gently from up stream. I think I couldve had the trout I had today... as well as many more. Lesson learned... take the clues the fish are giving you!
April 13 - One Last Cast
Enjoyed another great day on the river. This may have been the warmest afternoon of the spring, i believe +11 degrees Celsius or so, and the water was certainly warmer than the last few times I was out. The level seemed to have dropped a little, but there is water from a recent rain in the puddles... so i expect it wont come down much. A sure sign of warmer days ahead was that I was constantly getting hooked up on weeds... everything just seemed a little greener around the river today. Some black stones were out, as well as the occasional caddis fly (i think...)... so I decided to tie on a nymph and be stealthy. Tossed my little nymph from upstream hoping to convince a trout to try it, but none did. After 30 minutes I switched over to a olive leech pattern I had tied with krystal Flash Chenille... I hooked a beauty with my second cast. It was incredible, the trout must have been following my fly until I almost had it full yretrieved, because he took it right as I was about to pull it out of the water. Spent another 30 minutes casting with no luck, so i decided to head back downstream. Tried a few spots on the way back, again with nothing. So I was almost back to the car when I decided I would give it one last cast... a spot where I had never caught a trout. So I ripped my line across the river and gave it an upstream mend, wanting the drift to last for awhile... to just enjpy the last few minutes before heading out. At the end of my drift I was ready to pack it in... stripping my line in... until I got a strike when the fly was 10 feet from me! Another beauty... This one darker in color. My numbers have been a bit down, but the size of the fish I am catching is better than ever. I dont know why, maybe its because I am using leeches a lot more this spring? With trout fishing... its always maybes...
April 14 - Fish Of The Month
I have decided to open up my site a bit to everyone and give everyone a chance to show off your caught and released fish that you catch on fly gear. Please send photos of your caught and released fish to chris@novascotiaflyfisher.com, all fish must be ALIVE and released and caught using fly gear! If I select your photo for fish of the month... I'll send you five FREE flies... thats shipping included. Good Luck! Fish of the Month.
April 15 - Wish List
Just sayin. Wish List.
April 15 - Crummey Fly
So today I took the clues the fish were giving me. I was at the same pond I had fished previously where I caught a large trout on a leech... but felt I had missed some because they were feeding on nymphs. I saw the same thing today , fish sipping on something just subsurface, and put on a fly I have used in simlar situations. I believe it represents a lot of nymph species well and is nice cause it sits in the surface film. Caught two little guys today when I saw this behavior where the rest of the day had been unproductive using muddlers, streamers and leeches. This fly is a variant of one taught to me by my Newfoundland buddy, Doug Crummey. I like to pull my rod tip up high and pull it through the surface film right after it hits the water... its very effective... and easy to tie. Peacock herl body, ringneck pheasant tail for tail and back, brown hacke palmered.
The Crummey Fly:
April 22-24, Kedgeemakoogee
Spent another solid day on the river. The water hadnt dropped much, so i knew I was in for another slow day on the trout front. Sun was shining bright, it was a crisp five degrees and I was the only one there for most of the day... so i cant ask for more. I had worked my way from the bottom of the river system upwards with no action and trying everything I had (once again!) . I eventually got to the same pond I had fished the day before with success. I wade very far out, as far as I can so I can cast well over the drop off of the pond inflow. Ive had some luck like this fishing leeches deep and slow. I wanted to try a black and purple leech pattern I had tied with a black spey hackle collar. The life like action and movement of this fly is just awesome... so i figured I might have some luck. I didnt for the first twenty minutes, until I noticed some feeding fish just sipping something from the surface film behind me. I watched for a minute or so, I believe there was at least 10 feeding trout in that spot... and I figured they were taking a black stone fly nymph just below the surface, as there was some adults coming off the water. At this point I had a decision to make... do I simply cast my big black and purple leech in there and see what happens? Or do I tie on a little black nymph pattern and sneak up on the trout? I was too excited... so I tossed my leech in. It worked. I caught the nicest fish I had caught this year... hammered it right away. I got him to hand and let him go... then I was right back to the same spot with my leech. Nothing... many casts later and still nothing. I think I spooked them out of there. So waited and fished the other side of the river for twenty minutes or so... and they were back. So i tried again... and they were gone. If I had my time back I would have snuck in there with the black nymph and cast it gently from up stream. I think I couldve had the trout I had today... as well as many more. Lesson learned... take the clues the fish are giving you!
April 13 - One Last Cast
Enjoyed another great day on the river. This may have been the warmest afternoon of the spring, i believe +11 degrees Celsius or so, and the water was certainly warmer than the last few times I was out. The level seemed to have dropped a little, but there is water from a recent rain in the puddles... so i expect it wont come down much. A sure sign of warmer days ahead was that I was constantly getting hooked up on weeds... everything just seemed a little greener around the river today. Some black stones were out, as well as the occasional caddis fly (i think...)... so I decided to tie on a nymph and be stealthy. Tossed my little nymph from upstream hoping to convince a trout to try it, but none did. After 30 minutes I switched over to a olive leech pattern I had tied with krystal Flash Chenille... I hooked a beauty with my second cast. It was incredible, the trout must have been following my fly until I almost had it full yretrieved, because he took it right as I was about to pull it out of the water. Spent another 30 minutes casting with no luck, so i decided to head back downstream. Tried a few spots on the way back, again with nothing. So I was almost back to the car when I decided I would give it one last cast... a spot where I had never caught a trout. So I ripped my line across the river and gave it an upstream mend, wanting the drift to last for awhile... to just enjpy the last few minutes before heading out. At the end of my drift I was ready to pack it in... stripping my line in... until I got a strike when the fly was 10 feet from me! Another beauty... This one darker in color. My numbers have been a bit down, but the size of the fish I am catching is better than ever. I dont know why, maybe its because I am using leeches a lot more this spring? With trout fishing... its always maybes...
April 14 - Fish Of The Month
I have decided to open up my site a bit to everyone and give everyone a chance to show off your caught and released fish that you catch on fly gear. Please send photos of your caught and released fish to chris@novascotiaflyfisher.com, all fish must be ALIVE and released and caught using fly gear! If I select your photo for fish of the month... I'll send you five FREE flies... thats shipping included. Good Luck! Fish of the Month.
April 15 - Wish List
Just sayin. Wish List.
April 15 - Crummey Fly
So today I took the clues the fish were giving me. I was at the same pond I had fished previously where I caught a large trout on a leech... but felt I had missed some because they were feeding on nymphs. I saw the same thing today , fish sipping on something just subsurface, and put on a fly I have used in simlar situations. I believe it represents a lot of nymph species well and is nice cause it sits in the surface film. Caught two little guys today when I saw this behavior where the rest of the day had been unproductive using muddlers, streamers and leeches. This fly is a variant of one taught to me by my Newfoundland buddy, Doug Crummey. I like to pull my rod tip up high and pull it through the surface film right after it hits the water... its very effective... and easy to tie. Peacock herl body, ringneck pheasant tail for tail and back, brown hacke palmered.
The Crummey Fly:
My good friends Greg, Graham , Pete, John and I embarked on a very serious back country trip at Keji over this easter weekend. I just love the keji back country, the forests have big old trees, the rivers and lakes are beautiful and the hiking, canoeing and portaging is very challenging. There is trout back there too...
This year we started at Big Dam, carried to the lake and canoed and carried back to campsite six on Frozen Ocean Lake. It was incredible, we pushed ourselves over the journey, the weather was nice and the water was smooth and calm for the most part for the first day. We managed to spend some time casting into some pools... but didnt catch a thing. I could see the odd trout rising, but to be honest I really didnt work too hard to catch them... we had our hands full with carrying and treking. Was nice to see the trout show themselves though.
We had a great night. We always eat well on these treks... and I must say carrying the food is always worth it! I spent a half hour at dusk casting flies into the lake by myself. I was treated to something I had never seen before, in the middle of the quiet I heard crashing though the woods across the cove in front of me, and all of the sudden a deer came charging into the water about 200 meters ahead of me! It swam right out in front of me... and headed out to a little island in the middle of the lake. Im not sure if it was escaping coyotes or if it had a food source on the little island, or maybe it just liked the view... it was really something! Saw plenty of deer on this trip... they didnt seem worried about us at all.
We were lucky to get any sleep that night. Between the coyotes and Pete's snoring it was loud out there in the wilderness!
The next day was windy, cold and wet. We had a major challenge when we got to lake keji... the waves and wind and ice pellets were something we were totally un prepared for. It was scary. it took us all day to get to our site (#20)... and by that time some of us were cold wet and grumpy. We shook it off... and ate like kings. Chicken fajitas, grilled veggies, hot dogs, chocolate. The tough day was forgotten.
We woke up early and headed to Jakes Landing by noon. Graham in his kayak thought he knew a better way than my compass... so he took longer! It was an amazing trip... the back country at keji really is smething everyone should experience... just be prepared for anything! You can see the whole trip photos and last years too through Greg's site... Halifaxtrails.ca here.
May 3, Crummey Double Digits
I had just an amazing day on the river today. I fished the late afternoon. Since I didnt have a lot of time I headed to a spot on the river that has been the most productive for me this spring. The weather was a nice 12 degrees or so and overcast with a very light south wind... just PERFECT. I spent five minutes up to my waist in the river just watching. The trout were up to their sipping ways again... taking something just subsurface. I didnt see much surface insects... BUT i did see the occasional black quill mayfly. This is a good sign for the next while! I knew from earlier in the spring (see above!) that the crummey fly works on the fish taking nymphs in this pool.... so I tied one on.
This fly was just a monster all day. I never changed it once... it brought me fish after fish. it brough them on the drift, on the retrieve... anyway i could present it I just seemed to have luck. I caught the smallest trout of the year, and the three biggest as well. Just an amazing day. I recommend you try the crummey fly... tie it yourself... there isnt many flies that are easier to tie! Catching double digit trout on your own fly on a quiet and beautiful stretch of river just cannot be topped. Its amazing how my heart still races with every bite I get...
May 6, The Not So Lonely Shad Fisherman
Today I tried something I was unnsucesful at last year. That is trying to catch a shad. The yearly run of this salt water fish into some of the freshwater rivers in nova scotia brings out lots of anglers looking to hook into this energetic and plentiful fish. When I first got to the river, there was about five other fisherman working the stretch I could get to by foot... this is usually a sitiuation where I turn around and go home... but this isnt trout fishing, so I took claim to a little spot and tied on a pink chenille headed fly I had tied to the end of my leader on a sink tip line.
I know the basic technique, that is to cast down and across in standard wetfly manner... then retrieve in large strips with pauses. So I did this. After a half hour I had nothing... while I noticed a guy further up the river was constantly hooking into large fish. I watched him and it seemed we were up to the same thing... so I kept at it. Eventually I felt a huge pull... it shocked me! The fish fought hard and ran downstream ripping my line of the reel... then he broke my line clean off. Wow... did I ever feel like a rookie. It was ok... cause I am a rookie... so i ted on another pink fly and started again. A few casts later I was into another fish... this one a lot smaller... he was easily landed. My first shad! He was just a little guy...as I would find out later. I kept up this approash with not much success for the next hour... so i decided to ask the fisherman hooking all the fish why he was being so much more succesful than me.
Fisherman can be really good guys. This guy gave me a total shad tutorial... reduced my leader length and gave me pointers on where to cast, how long to let the fly sink... and how to retrieve the right way. I was very thankful. We fished next to each other over the next hour... he still hooked way way way more shad than me! He eventually left, off to the next river in search for large stripers on the fly... something I might try one day soon! Another gentlemen entered the river and fished next to me... a friendly guy for sure... and obviously an expert at catching shad. He was into fish right away. So I asked him what he was up to, and the biggest difference I could see is that he was using a full sinkinfg fly line. I was lucky... I actually had a reel equipped with this line in my bag... I use it on lakes. So I geared it up.
The sinking line made a world of difference... after that I was into shad constantly! What a day! The shad were big and fat like footballs my biggest would have been somewhere near 7 pounds... and would fight like nothing I have hooked. Running downstream, one giant even got me into my backing. Just incredible the power these fish have, running and even jumping at times. By the end of the day I had caught more than 20 fish... all on pink or chartreuse flies. These fish are a lot of fun... ive got a lot of respect for the shad after seeing them fight. I'll be back. Thanks again to my new friends I met on the river today...
May 15, Be Careful Out There
Had to get out today. First of all its been a month of rain, rains almost every day and today it had finally let up... also I was feeling a bit down and really wanted to be in the river. I think there was some other people who hadnt got their waders wet in some time either because of all this rain, there was quite a few guys out on the river... which meant I had to hike quite a ways back to get to where I couldnt see a soul.
The water was really high and fast, and there was very little insect activity on the surface. These are the days I know are going to be slow... I think the fish just wait for the level to go down so that meals come a bit easier. I usually go for dark flies deep in this type of situation, and thats what I did today. Black and purple leech drifted slowly down and across with a really slow retrieve. Managed to get one nice one, and a bunch of strikes but no more hook ups. Leeches can be tricky like that, you get lots of strikes on smaller fish because i think they just bite the tail and dont get any hook... while you catch bigger fish because they are capable of taking the whole thing.
I was wet all day. When I first got to the riverside i tried jumping to a little bunch of submerged rocks... and fell backwards and into the water. It was bad... and not that safe. I'll blame it on the high water levels, stupidity and the fact I am old now (i am 31) and just had my first football practice of the season and was REALLY sore. We've all got to be careful out there in the high water... that situation could have been way worse. I am lucky.
Black flies were a bit annoying today.... but it was just great to be back on the trout stream. Lets hope this rain stops soon.... I see thursday is looking good...
May 18, Floatin
With all the rain we've had here, I've got to take avantage of any opportunity I get where the skys let up so I can wet my line without being soaked myself. Today I tried something I have never actually done before... go after stocked rainbows in an urban lake. Ive fished for rainbow trout a ton, but thats in the BC interior where they are legendary. Here in Nova Scotia these fish are stocked in many urban lakes as they are not native to nova scotia. These lakes are fished heavily, so the fish dont get that large, but are abundant... i think. Ive never got a nova scotia rainbow... so i decided to get my float tube out and give it a whirl. I tied on an olive leech on a sinking line, floated around half the lake and didnt get a bite, just lots of weeds. Switched to a black leech with no success either. Finally I got a strike on a gold muddler... this fish pulled VERY hard... i was taken back. The fish was stripping my line off and even leaped into the air, this was just like the rainbows I remembered in british columbia. He ran a few more times and I eventually brought him in... but to my surprise it wasnt a rainbow at all. In fact it was the biggest, fattest brookie I had caught all year... which was really werid because I had no idea there were even brookies in this little lake, he was over 14 inches.... but i didnt get a photo of him cause all I had was my blackberry and it was akward to get out of my pocket with the fishthere. Grrrr. Anyways, trust me... he was a big one!
Float tube fishing is great. You can be stealthy, you feel like your close to the fish and you get excercise... its the next best thing to being in a river. Im going to try this little lake again, i'll be happy with a rainbow or a big brookie... or nothing...
May 19, Bassy
My mistake, the lake I was fishing on the 18th... does NOT have rainbows. Its only stocked with brookies... so thats why i managed to catch a speckled, and now bows. I floated out there again today... had a couple of hook ups on a gold muddler but they escaped. Managed to land one lonely little bass on a "little brown trout". He was fun to catch... but its too bad people have felt the need to dump these fish into native brook trout waters. They are here to stay, but we've got to protect the native trout waters we DO have left.
My mistake, the lake I was fishing on the 18th... does NOT have rainbows. Its only stocked with brookies... so thats why i managed to catch a speckled, and now bows. I floated out there again today... had a couple of hook ups on a gold muddler but they escaped. Managed to land one lonely little bass on a "little brown trout". He was fun to catch... but its too bad people have felt the need to dump these fish into native brook trout waters. They are here to stay, but we've got to protect the native trout waters we DO have left.
May 20, Leprechaun's, Pots of Gold... and Rainbows
Climbed back into the float tube after work today, it was rainy... but what the heck, this is nova scotia and we cant let that stop us, or we'd never be fishing. So today i tried a REAL urban lake that is stocked with rainbows.... i checked this time. I gotta say I found the pot of gold... it was a blast hunting these rainbows! I spent a couple of hours out there and hooked into five fish and managed to land 3 beauties. I am impressed with the size and health of these fish fresh from the hatchery... they averaged about a pound and a half. These fish like to battle... they gave me the classic rainbow fight... running and jumping up to two feet out of the water in efforts to shake my fly. It was a lot of fun... and for an urban lake i found it to be incredibly peaceful I was the only one out there floating around today. All of these fish were taken on a gold muddler minnow, on a FULL fast sinking line.
Speaking of sinking fly lines, I bought mine in Kamloops British Columbia. Out there fly fishing lakes and stillwaters is very popular... where here people like to hit the rivers. I like a river brook or stream the best too... but lake fishing can be just as great. Floating around and seeing the sun set on a quiet lake can be incredibly rewarding. Hatches are different on the stillwaters too... you can get some amazing mayfly action on lakes here that I have never seen macthed in a river, brook or stream. Its special to see the mayflys still on the water like little sailboats and the splashy take of a large trout on a calm lake. The biggest trout ive seen taken are from the lakes. I dont feel people fly fish lakes enough here. Its pretty obvious when you go to "Fishing Fever" the only real fly fishing shop in the hrm and you cant buy a full sinking fly line! This baffles me! Using a full sink line is the MOST IMPORTANT element to fly fishing lakes. 90 percent of the time the trout are feeding subsurface on baitfish, Nymphs or leeches... and youve GOT TO get your fly down. This is the difference between catching 5 fish in an evening and being cold skunked. Even when there is loads of insect activity on the surface... you can often catch more fish with nymphs on a sinking line. If youre reading this, get your sinking line on cabellas or something... and tell the guys at fishing fever they need to get some in stock! I always carry a full sink line, a floating line and a sink tip. All are good for the right situation... and in my mind necessary!
Anyways... the bow fishing was great! Really glad to be using the float tube more this year.... its allowed me to catch three species of fish in three days (brookie, Bass and Rainbow).
Weekend of May 27 - Getting it Wrong
It was an interesting weekend. I spent some time on the river, spent some time in the tube... and zero fish. Took my good friend Graham in the tube with me as ive got three of them. We fished a little stocked lake, it poured rain in buckets on us, we lost flies, we tangled lines and Graham somehow snapped his rod. I went back the next day determined to get a fish, only to discover that my tube had sprung a leak! Taking this as a possible sign to fish the river I headed out to the eastern shore hoping that maybe I would intercept some early sea run brookies. I tossed all kinds of goods stuff at them... but I dont think they were there or at least not interested. I tried three different rivers... and nothing! Hell bent on not being skunked I took my backup tube and hit the lake again that evening, with no returns. I was frustrated and pouting on my way home that night... then I realized I had it all wrong. For some reason I had forgotten that its not about the catching... its about being out there. How I could be frustrated after spending a fun afternoon with a good buddy, exploring some of the most beautiful rivers I know and spending a peaceful evening in the tube? Its baffling. I needed a break... to recharge... The next time I wet my line I'll be in the BC interior chasing the kamloops rainbow... and not giving a single care if I get skunked or not...
June 2 - 7 - The BC Interior - Dry Magic
As Ive mentioned before on this blog my grandad lives in the BC interior, just outside of Kamloops on a trout lake so productive i am continously amazed. Hes 80 years old now, and he fears the BC government will take away his drivers license in short time... hes so independant and social he cannot possibly imagine being stuck outside the city even if it means giving up his perfect little property on the outside of town for a condo on a golf course. I get it, and am encouraging him to make the move... but I will miss the little place on the lake. Ive made probably my last visit here as hes moving in November, and it has rewarded me so kindly over the years... and and this time it has given me even more than it ever has.
I arrived on thursday afternoon blessed with four extra hours from east coast travelling. Grandad and I stocked up on supplies for the week... the usual porridge, cheeses, a roast and some fresh fruits. I forgot to buy suncreen and my arms paid for it later. The kamloops area is dry, so dry it reminds me of a quasi desert area... but there is elevation... melting snow and groundwater. There is waters with a perfect PH balance for insects, shrimp, leeches... and some of the most fantastic rainbow trout in the world. I had packed very few clothes for this trip, juts barely enough to get me through... two pairs of jeans and a pair of shorts... a couple of t shirts and a bunch of socks and underwear. The rest of my suitcase was occupied by my waders, wading boots, reels, fly lines, leaders, flies... and my float tube. Everything you need for a true experience in the BC interior.
I went out for an hour the first night, tied on a black leech I had tied for this trip on a full sinking line. I cast the fly into the shallows and stripped it back with little 3 inch strips - real slow. I hooked into two silver beautys that night... I was happy to just be out... the fish were a nice bonus for sure. Little did I know what was in store for me over the next couple of days....
Friday and Saturday proved to be some of the best fishing days of my life. It was thrity degrees and sunny and the fish just couldnt get enough of my leeches. I caught 16 fish on friday all ranging between 0.5 and 2.25 lbs. They were hungry, they were lively and they were all to happy to be set free. They hit my flies all day, it was one of those days your so thankful for having experienced. The sun was amazing and i welcomed the heat since weve had nothing but rain nova scotia for a long long time... but I suffered a nasty burn. From then on I was painting my arms with Gradad's SPF 60 (white paint). Saturday Morning I broke my rod tip... casting off the dock and getting careless trying to unhook my fly from a tree. Grandad and I went in that morning and I bought a fairly inexpensive, but all i need replacement. We also hit up the kamloops fly shop where I got some tips on flies and asked about chrinomid fishing as I heard it was good, I purchased some ruby eyed leeches and midge patterns, tehy just looked right to me... and the owner of the sop agreed. When we got back, the young guy of 14 from next door, Aaron, who I have enjoyed fishing with over the years (hes very skilled...) was there waiting to hit the waters. As I got ready I watched him land a nice rainbow right of the dock... for some reason this kid just has a way. I floated out in my kick boat while he chugged away in his pontoon boat and the fishing was out of this world. We landed fish after fish on almost every cast with leeches... gorgeous colorful rainbows. I lost count. It was amazing is the only way I can put it.
The next day (sunday) was slower in comparison. I landed ten trout in total... but it felt slow! Its a testament to how good the fishing is when a double digit day is slow. The fish I had caught were so hard and full its no wonder they werent hitting like the day before. I had noticed a massive chirnomid hatch on the lake the night before, and as I am told fish will absolutely gorge themselves on the emerging puppa in these cases... i dont think they could handle much food at all... but a trout will ALWAYS have a hard time resisting a properly presented leech. I spotted two leeches in the lake that looked like horrible food to me... but i could see how a trout would find them irresistable in terms of their size and ease of catching.
On Monday I ventured into some real famous kamloops trout territory. A lake I had got some info from at the kamloops fly shop . The guy there told me it was possible to find seven pound rainbows and brookies as well in there! I was excited to catch a BC brookie in these lakes... the health of these lakes has got me imagining what could be! When I got to the lake it was small... a pond by nova scotia standards! People were fishing it... and the chrinomids were popping off in clouds. I used the floating line technique for chrinomids... but not hits all day! After asking around i gathered there was a huge hatch the night before as well.... so i figure the fish were full. Oh well... it was an adventure.
Monday night i decided to try Grandads lake again... after getting skunked all day. It was a magical night, dead calm, sun was setting beautifully and the loons were hollering... i couldnt ask for a more perfect night in the tube, but it got better...
I tied on my ruby eyed leech, and I was having moderate success. I caught a few when the other two boats floating around got none. Then i hooked another three... and an older gentleman came by and asked what I was up to. I gave him a fly and discussed my slow retrieval technique. He was a nice guy and very thankful. It was close to 9 pm by then and I decided to give the lake another pass into deeper waters. The loons were yelling at me... when I felt a tug on my line like none I have ever felt, line ripped off my reel and my heart pounded out of my chest! Then I saw him... he jumped clean out of the water... he was a fish the likes of which i had never had the privellege of being connected to... and likely never will again. He leaped and ran countless times, dragging me around the lake, fighting like ive never ever experienced. Every time he leaped I was shocked at his size... i was doubtful i could bring him to hand... but i did. The gentleman who I had given the fly to floated into to watch the battle, he even took some pictures for me when I landed thr brute and applauded me for letting him back into the water to fight again. In all he was more than 20 inches... i know because my float tube has a measuring bar on it that only measures 20 inches. He was likely more than four pounds of beautful and powerful rainbow trout. I will be thankful to him for as long as I live... that was a night i will never forget. Ive got four more full days here... and anything else that happens is a pure bonus to me.
June 7-11 - Ruby Eyed Leeches and The Dragon Slayer
Ok... so i now its been ages since I updated. I have been so busy with a new job since I got back from BC i have had no free time to fish or update this site. I'm sorry.... i know youre all very dissapointed, so i'll do the catching up here now. Ive taken down some pics from the previous post because ive included them in a video ive made that is embeddded below.
So the second half of my trip was equally as goos as the first. I spent the next four days fishing every single day and never having less than double digits on any given day. The weather was bright and clear most of the time... with the scattering of the odd thunder storm that sent me scurrying to the shoreline every now and again. During my morning walks with grandad I noticed a large number of dragon flies and damsels coming off most mornings... this gave me the idea that a large dragon nymph cast into the shoreline could probably produce fish, and I wasnt wrong! I use either tan or olive dragon nymph patterns depending on the lake bottom. I find the BC lakes, like the one I was fishing here usually have a green marl bottom... so I use an olive nymph. In nova scotia where we have rocky bottoms... i tend to use a tan colored dragon nymphs. I find the most effective patterns are tied from spun and clipped deer hair shaped cigar style in two distinct sections with pheasant tail legs, you can color the deer hair with permanent marker. I fish this pattern right on the bottom, nice and slow in little jerks. this fly and method brought me lots of beauties... and I was catching fish even when others werent. I stuck with that fly and the "Ruby Eyed Leech" most of the time (there is a pic of this leech in the vdeo). This leech was UNBELIEVABLY good... it caught me another four pound fish and was a consitent fish producer and a large fish producer at that. On my last day the fishing had slowed down for some reason in the afternoon, but I had noticed on the walk that morning that there was the odd mayfly taking flight, so i figured there was a hatch warming u for that evening. Before an eveing hatch mayfly nymphs often become active subsurface... this makes them more easily available to feeding and cruising trout... and often they'll key on them. On this day I switched to a little hres ear nymph and fished it along the bottom. This strategy paid off! I landed a good six fish in my last hour on the water... and everyone else was skunked! Im starting to learn to listen to the clues...
The total trip was amazing. The scenery, the fishing, the quiet and the time with family. If youre looking for an amazing trout fishing adventure i highly recommend the BC interior. Pack your float tube, ruby eyed leeches, dragon nymphs, shrimp patterns, chironmids and gear in your suitcase! Camp out at a place like this in june.... and you'll be in for one of the cheapest and best fly fishing experiences of your life! Contact me for the inside scoop...
June 12 - The Tent Dwellers
I finished this book today on the plane... i read it every night before bed while I was away. It was such a great read, and the fact I have been on the waters it describes makes it that much more special. Nice to know that even in the good old days people were thinking about how beautiful, special and fragile the trout waters of nova scotia are. Thanks Pat for pointing me to this...
July 2 - Yellow Tape Flies
The Eastern Shore is special to me. I grew up there. I went to an amazing trout river today and hiked and fished a good 5 km stretch of it from morning to night. I was hoping to intercept some sea runs... but they werent showing. Weather was hot and sunny... finally!
On my way in from dartmouth I stopped in at "Bills Fllys" in Sheet Harbour. I talked to him for a half hour about the goings on in the local rivers and what flies seemed to be producing. I bought some orange bugs, a muddler (i hate tying muddlers!), a cosseboom and a purple drummer. I recommend you go to Bills Flys, hes a good guy and ties excellent flies... there is no better people to learn from than those that know the area!
I had been fishing for an hour without a strike. I was pretty sure that was just going to be the day I was going to have... except the oddest thing was happening. I use a little braided loop at the end of my fly line. I like it cause it slides through the guides easy and makes changing leaders really simple... and I just despise a nail knot! The braided loop has a little yellow sleeve that you pull over the fly line to secure things. I could swear fish were rising to the yellow sleeve! At first i thought it couldnt be... but i kept noticing rises at the sleeve. I though surely a trout wouldnt rise to the little yellow piece of tape, but after the tenth rise i couldnt deny it. The yellow piece of tape was beating my orange bug 10-0. That was a little annoying! Anyways, i figured the fish were keying on omething yellow... so i tried the cosseboom with the yellow hackle.... and i had a fish on my first two casts! Caught five fish that day... all on the yellow hackled cosseboom. If you think you know trout, i can guarantee you dont!
July 9 - Family Time
Tonight I took my brothers out and taught them some basic fly fishing. They've never fly fished before... so i figured it was about time. When you take rookies out you should consider a couple of things about where you choose to fish:
1) Minimize tangles - trees, rocks, bushes, shrubs or other peoples hats are all things rookies find themselves in all the time. The rookie will spend more time frustrated and untangling themselves than enjoying the sport. A wide river or lake is a good starting point.
2) Try to maximize the chances of success. For me the catching part is a nice bonus to the fishing... being out there is what its all about. Rookies probably havent got this yet, though you can teach them. Finding an easy spot you know holds fish helps get people hooked.
Ive got three float tubes. Perfect for myself and my two brothers. The weather is getting warmer so the bass lakes are heating up in action quite a bit. We went to one thats a 5 minute drive from my house... it holds trout, bass, pickeral, white and yellow perch. I hooked all of them but the trout... and i am pretty sure a pickeral sliced my leader with its teeth once. The trout were scarce... and im not surprised.
I landed about 20, lots of white perch and bass. they were great fun on my five weight, i was using a full sinking line and a ruby eyed leech for every fish. The perch would go deep and run like crazy, the bass would jump and leap and send my reel zinging. Alex caught 3 on the ruby eyed leech and an olive bead headed flashy bugger I tie. Daniel caught none! Te great thing was he still thought it was a great trip. the two of them both thought i was up to somnething... because for the first hour I had a fish on just about every cast! I dont know why... but experience kind of does count. I think its about being effective is all.
Enjoy the video. Mostly me poking fun at the youngest brother!
Tying Season 2011
February 20 - Tying and Tying
From January onwards I do a lot of tying, its just a way to get me through these months before fishing season without going absolutely crazy. I like to tie flies I am going to fish, so in the winter I am always tying flies I like to use in the early spring. I like to stick to the lakes and ponds in the early season, so i like to fill my fly box with loads of leeches, buggers, muddlers... and of course my little brown trout! Here is my tying efforts over the last two weeks...
March 3 - Early Season Trout Flies
Tied up about ten Dark Montreal's last night, mostly on size 8, but a couple on streamer hooks too. So far I have been focusing on all my early season trout flies, as all i can think about is April 1. I get asked a lot what are the best early season trout flies for nova scotia? So I thought i could just discuss here. First of all, a lot of rivers and streams just dont produce early season. I guess a lot of trout move in as the water gets warmer and more oxygen is a requirement... but I am no fish biologist. I tend to stick to lakes or ponds in river systems and the inlfows to these systems in the early season. I like to fish wets, streamers and leech type patterns early in the season... but I use these flies all year round too. I just use them MORE in the early season and stay away from dries. I will tie on a nypmh too like a zug bug or a big dragon. My top early season nova scotia trout flies... in this order are:
1) My Little Brown Trout
2) Muddler
3) Leech Pattern - (I like black/red/purple buggers and marabou leeches, olive is good too)
4) Dark Montreal
5) Zug Bug
5) Dragon Nymph
March 7 - River Magic Fly Tying Championship
The "River Magic Fly Tying Championship" is open for 2011. I just reviewed the details and you have to tie one of a Mickey Finn, a Dark Montreal, or Blue Charm. As well you have to submit a "tie breaker" fly of your choice. I have never tied flies for looks, only to catch fish... so this will be a first for me and i dont expect to win anything! I do think I'll make a submission every year though for fun. I think i'll go with the Dark Montreal, but I'm not sure about the tie break yet...
check it out: River Magic Fly Tying Championship
I might even go down and submit this in person as I have never been to this shop but have heard great things about it.
March 9 - Fishing in Nova Soctia 2010
Saw this video today posted by Bill Curry, this is what its all about...
Tied up about ten Dark Montreal's last night, mostly on size 8, but a couple on streamer hooks too. So far I have been focusing on all my early season trout flies, as all i can think about is April 1. I get asked a lot what are the best early season trout flies for nova scotia? So I thought i could just discuss here. First of all, a lot of rivers and streams just dont produce early season. I guess a lot of trout move in as the water gets warmer and more oxygen is a requirement... but I am no fish biologist. I tend to stick to lakes or ponds in river systems and the inlfows to these systems in the early season. I like to fish wets, streamers and leech type patterns early in the season... but I use these flies all year round too. I just use them MORE in the early season and stay away from dries. I will tie on a nypmh too like a zug bug or a big dragon. My top early season nova scotia trout flies... in this order are:
1) My Little Brown Trout
2) Muddler
3) Leech Pattern - (I like black/red/purple buggers and marabou leeches, olive is good too)
4) Dark Montreal
5) Zug Bug
5) Dragon Nymph
March 7 - River Magic Fly Tying Championship
The "River Magic Fly Tying Championship" is open for 2011. I just reviewed the details and you have to tie one of a Mickey Finn, a Dark Montreal, or Blue Charm. As well you have to submit a "tie breaker" fly of your choice. I have never tied flies for looks, only to catch fish... so this will be a first for me and i dont expect to win anything! I do think I'll make a submission every year though for fun. I think i'll go with the Dark Montreal, but I'm not sure about the tie break yet...
check it out: River Magic Fly Tying Championship
I might even go down and submit this in person as I have never been to this shop but have heard great things about it.
March 9 - Fishing in Nova Soctia 2010
Saw this video today posted by Bill Curry, this is what its all about...
Rabbit Season 2011
February 5 - First Rabbits
Went out to a spot near where i grew up today with my new Ruger 10/.22 semi-automatic. Within 2 mins of walking into the woods I had my first rabbit ever! It like he was a gift for me, he came right out in front of me at 30 yards, and just sat on the edge of a hill. I finished him with one perfect shot! Took him right home to my mom's place, where the neighbor taught me how to skin and clean him properly. I went back out that afternoon and spent a few hours pushing through the spruce trying to move rabbits, i came across another one and watched him run away from me. I evenutally tracked him down and had my second rabbit ever! Cant wait for mom's rabbit pie... and I am gonna tie a few flies from the fur as well.