SMALLMOUTH
“pound for pound, the hardest fighting fish in fresh water.”
The secret is getting out! - “The best numbers fishing for Smallmouth Bass in North America”
That’s what many anglers who have experienced the Saint John River are saying when they leave New Brunswick, and we aren’t talking about 1 pounders.
Average Smallmouth range from 2-4 pounds with anything in the 5-6 pound range being considered a true NB trophy.
With so many waterways holding these scrappy bronze backs, anglers of any experience level can count on having action packed days on the water using their tackle of choice.
Some general information about the seasons and locations are as follows:
- fly fishing or spin casting in fast moving skinny water from a jet/drift boat
- walk and wade trips available as well
- target the deeper sections of river with finesse tactics or work the weed edges and structure for some exciting top water blowups!
Equipped with a 17ft 115hp jet/drift boat NBFG is able to offer trips that put you in spots nobody else can reach. This often means cashing in on some of the best bites of the season.
Mid May to Mid June
- New Brunswick allows pre spawn fishing and this is when things can really get wild
- 100-200 fish days are a regular occurrence
- the bass are feeding heavy and stacked up either just below or in the heavy current sections
- weather conditions range from 60f (15c) to 85f (30c) and there is always a chance for cloudy/rainy spring conditions or bright sunny days
Mid June through August
- the bass are now dispersed through the system and summer patterns often revolve around feeding windows in low light periods when fishing the deeper waters
- the best part about choosing to fish the skinny fast sections of river are that fish seem to turn on throughout the day light hours
- weather conditions range from 70f (20c) to 95f (35c) and there is always a chance for cloudy/rainy fronts that usually really turn on the fishing
***jet boat trips in the shallow fast water are FLY ONLY by law as of July 1***
September
- a beautiful time to be on the water as the day light hours shorten and the air temperatures cool down.
- smallmouth begin migrations and feed heavily in large groups
- fishing is generally steady through the morning day and evening hours
- weather conditions range from 50f (10c) to 85g (30c) are usually the most comfortable “hoodie days” of the year