There’s very little in fly fishing that will get me as excited as a large hatch of stoneflies. A female stonefly bouncing along the surface of the water and laying eggs will provoke absolutely savage strikes from hungry trout. Trout will recklessly slash at the surface to grab these large insects before they can escape. This is … Read more
The gaspereau (or alewife as they are known elsewhere) run has been going on for a few weeks now. The run happens every spring when the gaspereau come up river to breed. The gaspereau have a reputation among local fishermen for creating poor fishing conditions for brook trout. I’m inclined to agree, as for the … Read more
This past weekend I got some decent footage of a nice sized brook trout (The one pictured above) taking a size 10 Goddard Caddis I was skating. While I catch less trout skating a dry fly than on a dead drift, the trout I do catch tend to be larger, more aggressive, and fight harder than … Read more
I typically spin cast for mackerel, but there are actually many wharves around here where the mackerel come in range of a fly rod. Unfortunately there are only a few locations with room enough to cast a fly comfortably. When fishing these spots, it’s a blast to target mackerel on a fly, and this is my … Read more
The black Mohair leech is my go to streamer pattern for sea run brook trout and Steelhead. It’s a well known pattern, with many tying tutorials around the web. Pictured above is my variation on the mohair leech. I make a few additions in the tying process that really help improve durability as I feel that when … Read more
Looking for some new striped bass flies to fill your fly box? Many striped bass anglers have clousers, deceivers, flatwings, Tarbory snake flies, or some variation of these flies in their fly box. I’ve put together a collection of some striped bass patterns that will hopefully vary from the usual suggestions. Hopefully you discover a new pattern … Read more
I remember as a kid seeing hundreds of flying ants at certain times in the summer. My grandmother called them pismires, which I thought was hilarious as a little kid (piss-mires). Fast forward twenty years and I suddenly find myself thinking about these pismires again, this time as a potential forage food for trout. There … Read more
Shrimp are great because pretty much every fish that swims wants to eat them. This makes shrimp flies a good choice for multi species angling in salt water. There are also some types of fish that have a strong preference for shrimp, In Atlantic Canada these include sea run trout (either steelhead or brookies) and winter flounder, … Read more
Fly anglers are well aware of the importance of dragonfly and damselfly nymphs, but often neglect the airborne adults version of these insects. The adult forms of damsel and dragonflies are strong fliers, and are rarely available to trout or bass since they don’t fall in the water all that often. That being said, they … Read more
Popper flies are one of the most fun ways of catching fish. Panfish, bass, trout and an amazing variety of saltwater species will all take a popper fly in the right conditions. Poppers can range from very tiny bluegill poppers, to very large poppers for targeting striped bass, tarpon, and even sharks. I’ve gathered a collection of some … Read more