A Scout leader asked me a week ago if I'd like to join him, his uncle and cousins on a three day, two might back-country fishing canoe trip for Fri-Sun. I was able to get Fri and Mon off work (Mon just in case).
I met him at 0630 and we drove way up the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia to the Liscomb River headwaters in Guysborough County. We her his uncle and cousins at 1000. They'd gone in the night before and in just over and hour, they'd each landed and released more than 10 speckled trout over 9".
Just hearing that, I was impressed.
We shuttled the vehicles and put in about 1200. This is an annual trip for them and they normally go a month earlier. The water was low and there was a lot of dragging over too shallow rapids, but we didn't have to portage around and of the bad rapids!
When we got to the first good pool, we each landed a fish on the first cast, even me. They were all fly fishing but I only spin cast (and not well at that).
Anyway, we camped on a pine point that night at the junction where a creek enters. Nice spot. One hammock, three small tents and my tarp. We cooked some injured trout on the fire, I showed them how to make a pot hook on a tripod using a withy and we enjoyed some uncommon beverages in moderation.
Next day, I caught one with my first cast just after dawn. I'd been testing a tip repair and hooked a 10 incher. Unfortunately, he ripped his jaw during the fight. He was welcomed to join us for breakfast.
That day, Sat, was a flat water paddle over a lake and through some stillwaters in an area called The Alder Grounds. We saw an endangered Nova Scotia mainland moose swim across the river 20m ahead of us. That was the trip highlight. I reported the sighting to DNR when I got home. They need stats on the very rare sightings.
We stopped the next night on thenridge of a point that has a full on class III rapid even in this low water. We ate, chatted and were all to bed by 2130. Next day, we finished the carry and canoed up to a camp spot for lunch near our take out. Three took off in the car to get the other two cars and two of us carried the gear and boats up to the road.
I'll try to post some pics later.
It was an amazing time with some good guys, who each had some mad skills.
It was the best fishing I've ever seen in my life and about as close to "The Tent Dwellers" experience as you can probably get.
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