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| New Brunswick Striper from a Kayak | |
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Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Striper Fishing while targetting Sturgeon in New Brunswick
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Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
How to find Big Pike in the Spring
you are lucky enough to fish on a lake with 40" pike then I will share with you the ideal areas to look for when reading a map to locate the sweet Spring spots for Big Pike. When I refer to pike in this article I am reffering to the ones that are large. Your fish of a lifetime fish. If you are lucky enough to have all the right resources including Depth Charts, Fish Finder and a means of getting to the spots then you are ready to plan your spring pike attack. Where you catch pike in the summertime is NOT where you are gonna find them in the Spring. Pike are particular about where they hang out. They have comfort zones and are kinda spoiled when it comes to where they going to sit on their lazy boys.
First thing you need to understand is that they are going to frequent the warmest waters in the spring. Waters that may only be 2 degrees warmer than other areas will have active fish. Areas that are seperated from the other waters are often good. Something blocking an entrance to the bay can kinda keep warm water temps rather than having them blow out on an offshore wind. Also areas of marsh with a specific kind of substrate. North of the Limestone bed lakes you will see this. The substrate that is ideal for spring pike is what I call brownwater. Its muck substrate is dark tea colored and holds warm temps like a bathtub.
Here are a few pictures of areas that are prime for pike. You need to use all tools out there to plan your trips. Kayak fishing takes work to be productive. you cant just pick up and whip over to the next spot so eliminate dead water. Notice the pics show areas that are less likely to shift water temps due to the intricate design of the area. More stability for temps. Also pockets in the marsh hold rainwater that act as an insulator. This is ideal. Also look at the entrance way to this section. If it is blocked either by the bottom coming shallow or by physical structure like rocks this also can be a special feature to keep the temps in.
Sometimes what you need to do when looking for the best water is to rule out what is considered the worst water. Clear steadily shallow bays with hard bottom and large open areas :) Thats the worst. These areas have very little that a big pike is going to want in the spring. No spawning structure, temps are changing whenever the wind blows-so no stability and forage fish may be present but expending energy after spawn takes some easy meals and a bit of build up before the feed starts up and movement takes place.
Once you have keyed in to the prime areas that hold the big pike your whole summer can be planned based on this. Your staging areas are then plotted out from that starting point. Unless you are in reservoirs you are not likely to find huge movement to summering areas with the big pike. So next you are in transition and you look for mouths to the bays and close structure(points, drop offs coming from the prime area) and then you are after that your after the weedbeds, then fall feed areas. But those are articles in themselves.
Spring pike fishing is something that takes alot of attention to detail. Watch for followers, short strikes and movement away from your yak. Sometimes you will stumble upon a lazy boy spot within your area and the female laying there isnt hungry. But if you come back and you work the area knowing it was in that section before, you may cause a strike and get your biggy. I realize alot of you live in a metropolis and your not likely in an area that holds these big girls. But if you can understand the species you can understand them in your area. And when you go on a vacation or fishing trip if you can understand the pike timeline and movement patterns you can put yourself in better waters after not fishing it all season. Using the timeline and understanding this movement is crucial to productivity. Anways. hope it helps some of you with your homework this winter :) oh. we should talk about wind sometime :p
First thing you need to understand is that they are going to frequent the warmest waters in the spring. Waters that may only be 2 degrees warmer than other areas will have active fish. Areas that are seperated from the other waters are often good. Something blocking an entrance to the bay can kinda keep warm water temps rather than having them blow out on an offshore wind. Also areas of marsh with a specific kind of substrate. North of the Limestone bed lakes you will see this. The substrate that is ideal for spring pike is what I call brownwater. Its muck substrate is dark tea colored and holds warm temps like a bathtub.
Here are a few pictures of areas that are prime for pike. You need to use all tools out there to plan your trips. Kayak fishing takes work to be productive. you cant just pick up and whip over to the next spot so eliminate dead water. Notice the pics show areas that are less likely to shift water temps due to the intricate design of the area. More stability for temps. Also pockets in the marsh hold rainwater that act as an insulator. This is ideal. Also look at the entrance way to this section. If it is blocked either by the bottom coming shallow or by physical structure like rocks this also can be a special feature to keep the temps in.
Once you have keyed in to the prime areas that hold the big pike your whole summer can be planned based on this. Your staging areas are then plotted out from that starting point. Unless you are in reservoirs you are not likely to find huge movement to summering areas with the big pike. So next you are in transition and you look for mouths to the bays and close structure(points, drop offs coming from the prime area) and then you are after that your after the weedbeds, then fall feed areas. But those are articles in themselves.
Spring pike fishing is something that takes alot of attention to detail. Watch for followers, short strikes and movement away from your yak. Sometimes you will stumble upon a lazy boy spot within your area and the female laying there isnt hungry. But if you come back and you work the area knowing it was in that section before, you may cause a strike and get your biggy. I realize alot of you live in a metropolis and your not likely in an area that holds these big girls. But if you can understand the species you can understand them in your area. And when you go on a vacation or fishing trip if you can understand the pike timeline and movement patterns you can put yourself in better waters after not fishing it all season. Using the timeline and understanding this movement is crucial to productivity. Anways. hope it helps some of you with your homework this winter :) oh. we should talk about wind sometime :p
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Fishing with Jim, Ken and Will
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A Mans Last Fish
I have met some great people over my years of guiding. Some stand out more than others as being story worthy. I believe it was my 2nd season in Northern Saskatchewan that I met a man named Al T Sr. Al was an 85 year old gentleman that came off as a strong, take no BS kind of man. He seemed to have an edge on near all sarcasm and so much so that time in between was nil. Having said that he was full of a remarkable spirit. I took him and his son Jr. out for 4 days in the hunt for Monster Pike. He would rise early and each morning as I walked down from my cabin to the coffee maker he was seen pacing the property apparently exercising and wide awake. The T’s had fished all over the World from the time Jr. was very young. They had caught Nile Perch, Tarpon, Marlin, Muskie and many more great sportsfish. But the T’s had always wanted a giant pike and having Al Sr. getting on in years Jr. had come to fish with me for possibly his dad’s last chance at this dream.
Al Sr. would get on these topics like how he had been security for Panama Canal, or other wild stories of cartels and jungle living. He would talk for hours of these amazing events in his life. These stories were this man’s legacy. I mean I’m sure he had lots of money as he was paying a premium to fish but these stories were the truest form of what he represented. Between these stories Al Sr. would pass me his rod so I could throw the lures out for him. I guess a 21 year old could toss it a bit further was his mentality. My goal was to get this 87 year old man what he was after. I took them all over my best spots. Jr. pulled a few fish reaching the mark of master angler but not what they were after. They were after a 45”+ fish.
We pulled into a bay that I regularly saw giant fish digesting in the warm sun. I would normally enter the bay slowly with the motor up and a paddle to catch the big females off guard and maybe aggressive enough to hit a well placed bait. Picture crystal clear water, wearing polarized glasses and looking for logs on the bottom of 3-5 foot of water. It was exciting.
I tied up a #5 Chartreuse Mepp’s spinner for Al Sr. and got into a position to cast the length of the spot. 5 turns of the reel and Al Sr. was into a fish. I couldn’t tell how big because he had played with my drag a bit and the line was just streaming out. I realized that the drag was in fact tightened rather than loosened and then I looked out to see a massive fish slowly rise up from the sand bottom. Sub-surface it looked big and when its back came out of the water it was even bigger. Jr. coached his dad for awhile in order to get it to my cradle. There were times when Al Sr. had been pulled so hard, so fast that his knees buckled against the side rail of the Alumarine we were in. I had to actually grab his life jacket to keep him up once or twice. The fish made three impressive runs streaming the drag of the Shimano Calais. Finally it gave in. As soon as the cradle snapped all of our adrenaline had peeked. Al T. Jr. looked at me with a face that I will always remember. One eye had salty liquid in it and his face was in a state of shock. His son Jr. was completely stoked with his father.
I kept quiet and let the two of them share this time while I revived the fish. I watched them both pass each other these vibes that I could feel in the back of the boat. It was absolutely amazing to witness this father and son bond. After a few pictures I slowly pulled out of the bay as neither angler could fish. They were way to excited. Al T. Sr. was so excited that he was blabbering and not making much sense. In fact he made mention to the fish he had just caught as another species. Haha. I remember thinking quickly that I was scared he was going to stroke out on me. A complete turn around from the man that I had been with those four days. He said to me after 30 mins of pure excitement that that was the best fishing experience of his life.
Over the years I have always remembered Al T. Sr. as a man whose life was filled with amazing stories and events that shaped him into something great. He didn’t live a traditional life as most do in our society. He lived a full life. And in the end of his life’s chronicles he met me for a fish.
Al Sr. would get on these topics like how he had been security for Panama Canal, or other wild stories of cartels and jungle living. He would talk for hours of these amazing events in his life. These stories were this man’s legacy. I mean I’m sure he had lots of money as he was paying a premium to fish but these stories were the truest form of what he represented. Between these stories Al Sr. would pass me his rod so I could throw the lures out for him. I guess a 21 year old could toss it a bit further was his mentality. My goal was to get this 87 year old man what he was after. I took them all over my best spots. Jr. pulled a few fish reaching the mark of master angler but not what they were after. They were after a 45”+ fish.
We pulled into a bay that I regularly saw giant fish digesting in the warm sun. I would normally enter the bay slowly with the motor up and a paddle to catch the big females off guard and maybe aggressive enough to hit a well placed bait. Picture crystal clear water, wearing polarized glasses and looking for logs on the bottom of 3-5 foot of water. It was exciting.
I tied up a #5 Chartreuse Mepp’s spinner for Al Sr. and got into a position to cast the length of the spot. 5 turns of the reel and Al Sr. was into a fish. I couldn’t tell how big because he had played with my drag a bit and the line was just streaming out. I realized that the drag was in fact tightened rather than loosened and then I looked out to see a massive fish slowly rise up from the sand bottom. Sub-surface it looked big and when its back came out of the water it was even bigger. Jr. coached his dad for awhile in order to get it to my cradle. There were times when Al Sr. had been pulled so hard, so fast that his knees buckled against the side rail of the Alumarine we were in. I had to actually grab his life jacket to keep him up once or twice. The fish made three impressive runs streaming the drag of the Shimano Calais. Finally it gave in. As soon as the cradle snapped all of our adrenaline had peeked. Al T. Jr. looked at me with a face that I will always remember. One eye had salty liquid in it and his face was in a state of shock. His son Jr. was completely stoked with his father.
I kept quiet and let the two of them share this time while I revived the fish. I watched them both pass each other these vibes that I could feel in the back of the boat. It was absolutely amazing to witness this father and son bond. After a few pictures I slowly pulled out of the bay as neither angler could fish. They were way to excited. Al T. Sr. was so excited that he was blabbering and not making much sense. In fact he made mention to the fish he had just caught as another species. Haha. I remember thinking quickly that I was scared he was going to stroke out on me. A complete turn around from the man that I had been with those four days. He said to me after 30 mins of pure excitement that that was the best fishing experience of his life.
Over the years I have always remembered Al T. Sr. as a man whose life was filled with amazing stories and events that shaped him into something great. He didn’t live a traditional life as most do in our society. He lived a full life. And in the end of his life’s chronicles he met me for a fish.
Friday, August 27, 2010
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