Pre-Season Event Calendar

Well it is one month till the start of fishing season... at least on the calendar.  But don't tell that to Mother Nature.    After coming in from shovelling though 3 foot high drifts to make it back to my chicken coop, I have serious doubts that any water will be ice-free come April 15th!    I am holding out hope that the Kennebacasis river will be breaking up by then and I'll be able to get the kayak out for sturgeon, but I can't really see much else open, at least not without a bit of a heat wave.

In the meantime, there is a ton of great events coming up on the calendar.   I will be at each and every one of these and I hope to see many of you there as well!

Saturday, March 21st - Reel Paddling Film Festival at UNB in Frederiction.    Sponsored by our friends at Ecological Adventures, this event will show many films dedicated to paddling sports from around the world.   There will many great door prizes, including a new kayak, and I'll be on hand to promote and discuss fishing side of the paddling world!

Sunday, March 22nd - Spring meeting of the Saint John River chapter of Muskies Canada.   Starting at 11 AM at the Red Lantern Pub in Frederiction, this is a great place to come and meet most of the best muskie fisherman in New Brunswick, take in a tackle swap, and possibly even win a free 1 year membership to the group!   If you are at all interested in fishing for muskie in New Brunswick, you need to come meet these guys!

Friday March 27 - Sunday March 29th - The HUGE NB Sportsmen Show in Moncton.   This is the event of the year for anyone interested in boating and/or fishing.   Listed as one of the feature presentations of the show, I'll be hosting a booth along with a few other kayak anglers promoting the sport of kayak fishing and also sturgeon fishing.    If you haven't been to this show, you really need to go, as it is a massive show featuring way more than I could possibly describe here!   I'll be booth #544, so please, drop by and say hi!

Saturday, April 11 - Two events on this day!   First, head to Oromocto in the morning for the annual tackle  swap put on by the NB Sportsfishing Association.   I went there last year with Rowan and IPop (local legend) and had a great time meeting anglers, getting a few odds and ends, but mostly watching Rowan finesse a bunch of free lures for himself!   If you are in need of some more gear at a good price get there early.   While I don't have exact details outside of the date just yet, I'm sure those details will come soon, so keep an eye on the forums!


Then in the evening, be back in Saint John for the Fishing for Memories annual Steak & Stein at Buccaneer's Pub in Saint John.   This is a great fundraising event for a fishing tournament that raises money for the great cause of alzheimer's research.   There will be lots of prizes up for auction here, including a half day guided kayak fishing trip with yours truely!    Don Paterson does a great job running this event, so be sure to come out to say hi and support the cause!   Contact Don at (506)468-9098 for details or tickets before they run out!

May 9th - The annual Hammond River Angling Association Fundraising Banquet.    Last year was my first year attending and was blown away!  First off the food was amazing and there was more than enough to ensure no one would walk away hungry!   There were a ton of prizes up for auction, silent auction, games of chances....etc.     I can't wait for this year's event and to see if I may be lucky enough to bring home another nice little prize.  Last year I won a Streamside fly reel which I was able to give to my Dad!

I suspect there will be another tackle swap as well sometime in April or May at the Hammond River Angling Association.    So there are lot of events and activities happening to keep us busy while we wait for open water!