September is typically known as the first month in which sturgeon fishing gets started while October is generally viewed as hot, however this year it seems that good sturgeon fishing has been delayed. For weeks now I've expected to experience and hear tales of people having great times catching lots of big dinos out on the Kennebecasis but with a few exceptions, it hasn't been happening.
Local kayak angler Chris Hardt with a big one!
Not until this weekend that is! The unseasonably high water levels has finally started to drop off and with that the numbers of sturgeon in the traditional area of 'sturgeon alley' finally seem to be picking up. Not just in number but also in size!
On Saturday I took a couple of guys out to fish sturgeon, and met a few other local kayak anglers who had already arrived. Add in a few guys in a scanoe and a few more other boats and there was as much traffic around the mouth of the Hammond as I had seen all Fall! While I can't speak for the boats or the scanoe, most of us in kayak did quite well through the day landing somewhere around 20 sturgeon with about half of them being in the 40 inch range or higher!
47 inches, second biggest on the day for me!
With the Fall colors on the trees being as bright as they likely will get, the sun beating down and a few eagles flying overhead, you really couldn't have asked for a better day on the water than Saturday. Enjoy the pictures I have here and hopefully next weekend I'll have another album full of great pictures like this for you to enjoy!
Enjoy this slideshow of pictures. If the slideshow doesn't work because you don't have Flash on your phone then click here to check them out!
As anyone who may follow the blog or knows me is already aware, I've enjoyed submitting a few articles here and there to a couple of publications this past year. Today, the October issue of The Fisherman's Journal was released and I'm very excited to say it features a three page article along with pictures and a mention on the cover!
Head over to The Fisherman's Journal and give it a read! I hope you like it!
Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in Canada and a good friend of mine, Ricky went out to fish for some sturgeon with his wife Emily and two kids. Well Emily showed Ricky how it was done landing this huge 52 inch shortnose sturgeon! At 52 inches, it is the biggest sturgeon I'm aware of that was caught this year, and it is back in the water today for you to chase!
These past few days I have had a wonderful time hosting a great group of fellow Newfoundlanders as they came here to the Kennebecasis River to shoot film for an episode of the television show Newfoundland Sportsman. Host Dwight Blackwood, guest Jim Mansfield, and cameraman Peter Barfoot got the experience some tremendous October weather and catch a lot of fish over our two days out on the water!
A huge thank you to Pure Fishing for their support with fantastic Fenwick, Abu Garcia and Spiderwire gear, as well as Maritime Worm for all the bait used on this trip. Thank you as well to Stormr who provided my outwear for use in the night and during the colder parts of the morning. I am going to be well equipped to handle any wet/cold weather this Fall!
The guys arrived Sunday and came over to my place so that we could get introductions out of the way and have time to chat. I prepared a feed of smoked shortnose sturgeon from my one keeper this past Spring. The guys loved the dish, making quick work of it as we discussed the plans for the next two days.
Monday morning we met friend Rob Dekany who had agreed to help out for a few days by providing his boat and any assistance needed at Meenan's Cove beach. We loaded up not only all of us and our gear but also my Old Town Predator 13 kayak on his boat and made our way out to sturgeon alley though some very thick fog.
Once we arrived we unloaded the kayak, rigged up the rods and baited our hooks. In short order, the anchors were down and we were fishing. Then withing the first 10 minutes Jim had the first sturgeon of the day hooked! This we certianly a great sign of things to come as we landed somewhere in the range of 17 to 20 sturgeon on the day!
Once lunch time hit, we went back to Rob's place which is right on the Hammond River for a bite to eat and then back to the river for a few more hours. Then we headed back to Meenan's Cove, went for a bite to eat and met up again at Rob's place to head out to try our luck for some night time striped bass fishing. This time I left the kayak at home!
Unfortunately, after the massive rainstorm we endured last week the water in the Kennebacasis was still quite high and dirty. That meant difficult striper fishing conditions and the guys weren't able to experience their first ever striper. Oh well, that just means we have something for them to try next year if they want to come back! Luckily the next day a baby striper was caught during our sturgeon fishing, so they did get to see one up close!
Once we finally wrapped up our second day, we had caught close to 30 sturgeon overall, with a few cracking the three foot mark. It was a very successfull trip and I can't wait to see the episode they are able to put together from the footage we gathered. Here is a little video I put together from my GoPros.
Back in July I had the opportunity to attend ICAST as a promotional representative for Old Town and Ocean Kayak. While there I had the opportunity to see booths and products from hundreds of companies servicing all aspects of the fishing industry. One of the most impressive lines of products I had the opportunity to see was from Stormr. Stormr produces a line of neoprene outerwear unlike any you have seen before.
Like other neoprene products you be familiar with, you get the expected windproof and waterproof benefits in addition to significant warmth. However Stormr offer much higher maneuverability and comfort than other neoprene products as they use a unique thin, soft and flexible shell that you can't find elsewhere.
You really have to see these products to really appreaciate the quality. Once I viewed them on the showroom floor at ICast I had to talk with the sales reps about what I could do to work with them to promote the products here in Eastern Canada.
Take a look at the Stormr website and learn about the great features that are built into their products including high stretch, water repellent, positive bouyancy neoprene and the light weight, breathable vapour tech shell.
Today I recieved a shipment of Stormr products to wear to help promote the brand with in our area. For all my Fall/Winter kayak fishing needs I have everything I will need to keep my dry and warm, even on rough Atlantic Canadian weather days.
The Stormr Stryker Bibs, jacket and gloves all look amazing and are remarkably lighter than what you may expect. Wearing these great products, I can say they are amazingly comfortable and easy to move around in. Unlike other neoprene products, they do not feel like they weigh me down or restrict my movements at all. The gloves are going to be ideal for paddling and reaching into icy water to pull out the dozens of sturgeon that will be caught over the next few months! Finally the beanie neoprene hat will be fantastic for keeping my head and ears warm on those cold November nights!
Keep watch over the next few months as I end up the year fishing several times a week wearing these clothes. You'll see a lot of pictures posted where they are keeping me warm, dry and comfortable!
Stormr is carried by Cabela's, BassPro and online though Amazon. Hopefully with BassPro opening this coming Wednesday, you'll be able to find this great gear at a Grand Opening special price!
