SAINT JOHN, NEW BRUNSWICK
The city
of Saint John is defined by the Saint John River and the world’s
highest tides. The river slices through the centre of the city
and, twice a day, the tides drive great volumes of water into
Grand and Kennebecasis Bays. While there’s a considerable
variety of angling in the rivers upstream, the primary bragging-sized
target of close-to-home anglers is striped bass. Other than
a few native fish, the excellent 2006 catch was made up of migrants,
most likely from New England.
Saint John also offers angling opportunities in its local lakes
and ponds, where there’s the chance to tackle brown and
brook trout or landlocked Atlantic salmon. And while the fishing
can sometimes be tough, the chance to fish for salmonids so
close to a city centre, in surroundings reminiscent of the northern
woods, should be reward enough.
 |
| Tackle
the tide: The Reversing Falls area promises great
action |
| FISHING
FACT |
|
For many years, Saint John’s Reversing Falls
area was home to the world-record striped bass (68
pounds); 50-plus-pounders are still being caught,
with at least one landed last year. |
| ANGLER
ATTRACTION |
| Don
Gallagher at North American Bass Tackle Plus is
the area’s best source for information about
striper fishing. Contact: (506) 847-1287. |
|
63 Loch Lomond
Brown trout and landlocked Atlantic salmon yield begrudgingly
to trolled plugs, spoons or streamer flies. May is hot, and
the landlocks are often found along the face of the bluff.
64 Lily Lake
This 25-acre pond in Rockwood Park is stocked with brook trout
in the early spring. Fish from shore, a canoe or a float tube.
Worms, flies and small lures all produce.
65 Reversing Falls
From late July to mid-October, cast bucktail jigs from shore
at the end of Main Street or around the Reversing Falls Restaurant.
Or anchor on the west side above the falls and fish six- to
seven-inch plugs in the incoming tide for striped bass.
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.
Charlottetown is a very small city, in both area and population.
That means there’s little opportunity to fish within the
city itself, except where the saltwater estuaries of the North
and Hillsborough Rivers join to form Charlottetown Harbour.
There, you can troll for mackerel. Within a half-hour’s
drive of downtown, meanwhile, there are several fish-filled
streams. Typical is the Morell River, home to brook trout (both
resident and sea-run) and Atlantic salmon. Even closer to Charlottetown—just
10 minutes from downtown—is the West River, which is primarily
an estuarine fishery for sea-run brook trout.
66 Hillsborough River/ Charlottetown Harbour
In the late summer and fall, troll for mackerel or cast from
the rip-rap sections of the Hillsborough Bridge. Mackerel fly
rigs or two- to three-inch minnow jigs are best. |
