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Sport Fish Futures
From fly to lure: sport fishing for the future.
 fter World War II,
the development of the spinning reel and monofilament line and
the spread of smallmouth bass into southwestern lakes changed
New Brunswick sport fishing enormously. By the 1950s, lures
ranging from spinners to plastic worms to minnows, frogs, and
a dizzying variety of other creatures had replaced worms or
real minnows for catching brook trout and other species. Today,
lure fishing for brook trout, rainbow trout, landlocked salmon,
and especially black or smallmouth bass has become so popular
that lure fishermen outnumber fly fishermen by at least ten
to one.
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Premax fibreglass rod with Platil Spinette
spinning reel,
one of the earliest spinning combinations used in the province.
After World War II, fibreglass replaced bamboo as the most popular
rod material because it was less expensive and more resistant to
fatigue, the elements, and neglect. The reel would have been equipped
with monofilament line, light and strong in comparison with silk and
gut. This system's frictionless delivery and weighted lure enabled an
inexperienced fisherman to cover as much water as a veteran using
traditional fly-fishing tackle. Thus rods and reels like this outfit,
used on the Magaguadavic River and Chamcook Lake, Charlotte County,
in the early 1950s, increased pressure on freshwater game fish such
as trout, landlocked salmon, and bass.
(Collection of Bill Ensor)
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Most fly fishermen practice their sport on rivers in the north
and east, while lure fishermen throng to the more accessible
lakes and rivers of the south and west. But a lesson has been
learned: increased pressure has led to increased protection.
With strictly enforced bag limits and continuous restocking
programs, New Brunswick's sport fishery should have a healthy
future.
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Bass fishermen head out for a day's fishing
during a tournament sponsored by the New Brunswick Sportfishing
Association on the Mactaquac Headpond, Saint John River, May, 2001
(Collection of Larry Carr)
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