Rowan's Sturgeon!

I took Rowan out this morning to see if he could get his first sturgeon into the kayak.   Earlier this year Rowan hooked one and got it to the surface but I lost it as the hook fell out right next to our kayak.   So this time we wanted to amend that!

Several times through the morning Rowan would exclaim, "I got one!" but there was nothing there.   He likely did feel bites but wasn't hooking up.    About an hour into the trip, and after I had already caught 4 myself, Rowan yelled "I got one!  I really, really, really do this time!   It's heavy!".     Sure enough, he finally hooked into a sturgeon all on his own and was in the process of reeling it in!

I made sure to tell him to hold on tight to the rod, as I didn't want to see it go over the side, and set the camera to record.   Then I reached back, just to keep a few fingers on his rod to prevent an accident, and let him do all the work.   Rowan had been practicing the lift-and-reel routine at home, and knew exactly what he needed to do.

Congrats little buddy on getting your first sturgeon into the kayak!

Some nice feedback!

Below is an e-mail I received recently from a fellow that was part of a group of 5 whom I took out sturgeon fishing a few weeks ago.   It's great to get such nice comments back and really keeps my drive up for continuing with the guided fishing experiment I started this year!

If you know someone who would enjoy coming out to fish for sturgeon in the Spring or Fall, or taking in one of several other adventures through the summer think about giving a guided kayak fishing gift certificate this Christmas!  

Halloween morning, 2015, found my canoe buddies and me in full-on costume, ready to encounter some prehistoric creatures. We were on the shore of the Kennebecasis River, bundled for the cold, and ready to experience sturgeon fishing for the first time. 

Joe met us on arrival, with kayaks lined along the shore, and gear and hooks ready for action. From the first moment, we were impressed with Joe’s dedication to providing an outstanding fishing experience. Boats and gear were top notch, including the GoPro cameras thoughtfully mounted to record our adventure. He had even thrown on some calm and sunny weather for the day. 

In no time, we were all bobbing over the fishing spot, within sight of the put-in. It was mere minutes before yours truly hooked the first sturgeon of the day, and from there on, it was a steady chorus of “I’ve got one!” from the party. While nobody landed a fish to rival his own height or weight, we were thrilled with the fish we did bring in (all released, of course, to fight another day). 

Joe was constantly available to lend a hand with gear, suggest a better spot to drop a line, photograph a lucky angler and share some fascinating information about the river and the fish we were enjoying.  Our location was ideal, with bald eagles wheeling and crying along the clifftop above the solid blanket of brown oaks: the last color of the season. The sun sparkled off the wide, calm river, and we all ran the risk of mild sunburn, despite November being visible around the next bend. When it was time to head back to shore, nobody was in a hurry, and there was much talk of a return visit. This was certainly a memorable experience—one that can’t be easily replicated. Thanks, Joe!

Being a Kayak Fishing Guide

Kayak Angler magazine, the worlds #1 magazine for those in our sport has published another one of my articles online!    This time I talk about some of the lessons I've learned in putting myself out there as a kayak fishing guide.  

In a nutshell, there is far more work and planning required, and way less money that you might think, but the experience is priceless!  Give it a read and see what you think here!

Oh, and if you are looking for a Christmas gift idea, a subscription to Kayak Angler is a great choice for any friends or family you may have in the sport!

Non-stop Sturgeon Fishing Blitz

Whew, that was a long weekend!    I don't know about you, but I'll be heading to bed extra early tonight!  Since Saturday I had the pleasure of taking out a group of 5 anglers for a half day of sturgeon fishing, followed by more full days with another group of 5 who drove down all the way from Ontario to experience kayak fishing in our own Sturgeon Alley.  

On Saturday a group of five friends came down from the Fredericton area for a half day of fishing and got to exprience some fantastic weather and excellent fishing.    Between all of us somewhere around 20 sturgeon were caught with just one in the group not landing a sturgeon.   Here is a slideshow of the pictures I captured from from this trip.   If you can't get the slide show, you can click here to view them.

After this trip was Halloween night, which in itself is always an adventure when you have a 5 and an 8 year old!    This year they dressed up as Sonic the Hedgehog and Link, both from video games.   My wife Anna made the costumes again this year as she does ever Halloween.

On Sunday I met some very dedicated anglers who have a goal of catching as many species as they can.    A 9 inch Tommy Cod is as specials to these folk as a 48 inch shortnose sturgeon!    George, the eldest of the group in his 70's has over 750 species to his name, which is amazing.    Out on the Kennebacasis River on Sunday George managed to land an American Eel, Tommy Cod and multiple sturgeon in the Old Town Predator MX kayak giving him three new species to his life list! 

Everyone in our group caught at least 3 sturgeon on Sunday despite the cold and wet conditions.   Ken, in the Tetra 10 kayak let the way with 6 sturgeon and the largest on the day measuring in at around 45 inches.

Sunday brought a mixed bag of weather with sun, clouds, calm, wind in one direction, wind in another direction...etc.   While we didn't get wet as we did on Saturday, the fishing wasn't all that great.   Between myself and Mike we landed 8 or 9, but none of the others caught anything other than Tommy cod.


Here is a slideshow of the pictures I captured over the two days.   Again, for those unable to view the slideshow, here is a link to the pictures.