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Giant Striped Bass in New Brunswick | Fish'n Canada
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Apr 15, 2025
Pete Bowman travels to the St. John and Kennebecasis rivers in the province of New Brunswick and takes on the super-power of the Bass world, the Striped Bass. This exotic species is nothing short of spectacular in both looks and of course strength... especially when they use the incoming tide to their advantage. Better strap Pete in on this one because he's about to catch his biggest Striped Bass EVER! If you like Striped Bass or have never been Striper fishing before this is one video you are going to want to check out! ► Subscribe http://bit.ly/youtube-fishncanada Don't forget to leave a COMMENT and give us a LIKE if you enjoyed what you saw. SUBSCRIBE for new videos and episodes released weekly! CONNECT WITH US -------------------------------- ► WEBSITE http://fishncanada.com ► FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/FishnCanada/ ► INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/fishncanada... ► TWITTER https://twitter.com/angeloviolafnc/ One of Canada's longest-running fishing shows, Fish'n Canada travels from coast to coast in search of trophy fishing opportunities. First started by brothers Angelo and Reno Viola in 1986, The Fish’n Canada Show has been on the air for over 30 years. Today, Angelo is joined by lifelong fishing buddy, Peter Bowman, and the pair continue to travel across Canada educating anglers using the experience they’ve gained over the years
View Video Transcript
0:00
[Music]
0:06
wow what a fishery striper fishing out
0:10
of
0:11
death hit that jig just
0:14
[Music]
0:15
like oh my God
0:20
buddy come
0:22
on look at that buddy holy
0:27
moly yeah it's a nice one oh baby that's
0:30
a big
0:31
one I was that for a strip
0:35
mask the fish in Canada show brought to
0:38
you in part five Ram trucks built to
0:42
serve Princecraft boats dominate The
0:47
Waters Garmin pan Optics allseeing sonar
0:52
Mercury outboards go boldly and Outdoor
0:56
Canada Canada's only National fishing
0:59
and hunting magazine is we're in for Sun
1:01
Fishing
1:03
[Music]
1:07
Canada today's fishing Canada episode
1:09
has me traveling to the beautiful east
1:11
coast of the nation here I'm hoping to
1:13
lock horns with one of the most
1:15
belligerent musclebound exotic gorgeous
1:18
fish in the entire country the stripe
1:20
bass they they got to be one of the
1:22
coolest looking fish ever right sure are
1:24
that's Mama right there nice
1:28
Beauty local fishing guides Steve
1:31
Delaney and I are going to be hitting
1:32
the St John and kenic casus rivers in
1:35
the province of New Brunswick I've been
1:37
striper fishing probably since I was a
1:38
teenager so uh talking about 15 years we
1:41
have quite a fishery here for for big
1:44
stripers average size is probably 15 to
1:46
30 lb we have a lot of river to cover
1:49
including the reversing falls the
1:52
Quispamsis area and now was considered
1:55
the most popular straper area on the
1:56
river gates toown to ferton it's all
1:59
matter of intercepting the fish on their
2:01
annual fall migration up River where
2:03
they will ultimately end up next spring
2:05
in their spawning
2:07
areas we started our day at reversing
2:09
falls the entry point for stripers from
2:11
the Bay of fundi a high current area
2:13
that loads up with the first run of
2:15
fish the last few days the temperatures
2:18
have been dropping the water temperature
2:20
dropped significantly and uh cold front
2:23
moved in feels like November even though
2:25
it's only October is it ever today it
2:28
does that's for sure you the difference
2:30
is there's still leaves in the trees
2:32
yeah so the fish start to uh migrate up
2:37
River for over wintering when the water
2:38
hits around 10° and so we decided to do
2:42
the same thing Steve knew almost
2:44
immediately that the fish had moved up
2:46
River and it's up to us to follow with
2:48
the truck and trailer that is cuz I'm
2:50
not about to take on those crazy Rapids
2:52
with our
2:54
boat our next location was quite a
2:56
distance up River from our first but I
2:58
knew from past experience it's a great
3:00
striper area for big fish as big as you
3:05
are I love it dude what a
3:09
monster the hardest part is staying on
3:11
top of the fish during this lengthy
3:13
River migration but the bonus is when
3:15
you find them they're hungry and they're
3:18
ready to
3:24
scrap got one nice one huh he hit it
3:28
just as it was getting bottom
3:30
what do we got here I'm going to loose
3:33
it my drag off cuz he hasn't even pulled
3:38
yet going up
3:42
River she's a strong old
3:45
Beast
3:48
nice look at the strength of that fish
3:50
there's nothing to it he's not even big
3:51
he's a nice one but the the small ones
3:54
have way more
3:56
energy than the big
3:58
ones they're really spunky oh that's and
4:01
I'm going to tell you what that is the
4:03
best hit I have had on a jig in a long
4:06
time just popped I thought I hit the
4:08
bottom like I just thought it just
4:10
chunked into the bottom you know what I
4:11
mean to barous just be I know you got
4:15
here hey look at the color on that fish
4:19
oh God that's beautiful look at that I
4:23
swear that thing was a lot bigger than
4:24
that cuz that thing just hit that jig
4:26
just like felt like that on the rod you
4:28
know what I mean then and D over just
4:31
like a dump truck yeah I should pop
4:33
there it is hanging on that a look at
4:36
that good look fish how old would that
4:38
guy be a girl probably four to 6 years
4:40
old yeah yeah uh the straight bass is
4:44
size uh there's one year class that is
4:47
quite dominant and it's all this this
4:49
size right now right uh so that's a good
4:52
sign for the future cool the St John
4:54
River stri B back bu put her back nice
4:59
that's a good warm-up fish that was
5:00
awesome I love it and they keep moving
5:02
too so like today you might get uh a few
5:05
few bass next week you might not get any
5:07
here they just keep moving and they have
5:09
certain spots they like and they'll hang
5:11
out there almost every year but they
5:13
just have to hit them when they're on
5:15
that spat that day right on yeah cool
5:19
that was fun that was awesome here we go
5:21
broke the Ice broke the ice
5:23
brother striper fishing at its
5:28
best
5:34
Steve Delaney is one of those techy guys
5:36
a perfectionist if you will since he has
5:39
a hard time finding and buying good
5:40
striper baits locally he decided to make
5:42
his own I started make my own baits just
5:45
a few years ago because uh it was hard
5:47
to find anything that uh could stand up
5:49
to the the big stripe bass that uh we
5:52
catch here and especially the stripers
5:54
and the reversing falls and the heavy
5:56
currents and uh it's just easier and
5:59
cheaper to to start making my own tackle
6:01
and and quantities and it's interesting
6:03
it's like it's another hobby get you
6:06
make different colors different
6:07
variations tweak things a little bit
6:09
here and there just uh sometimes that's
6:11
all the difference uh it takes to catch
6:14
uh more fish as an example on this day
6:17
he suggested I switch to a 9-in clear
6:19
Fleck with a bright chartreuse belly
6:21
jerk bait and the results were like
6:23
night and day that's a schoolie that's a
6:25
little that's a small little schoolie
6:27
this is a perfect little schooling
6:28
striper that's what these guys call
6:30
schoolies look at the uh lateral line
6:33
it's it's a little bit uh it's got the
6:35
white specks in it a little different
6:37
look at that color on that fish
6:38
beautiful I think they like your jerk
6:40
bait bud I think they
6:42
do I like when a a custom bait Builder
6:45
says try this out okay put this one on
6:47
that's not working try this
6:51
out
6:54
oh these are on today yeah they're on
6:57
today for sure well what a
7:00
fishery in about 10 15 years these will
7:04
be the 20 30 Pounders of catch is that
7:06
right
7:08
yeah another little guy another little
7:10
schoolie oh it's perfect oh drop right
7:14
up and look at the pattern on that one
7:16
it's broken they're all they're all
7:18
different so that look at that yeah that
7:19
one section yeah that's
7:22
crazy there we go they like this thing I
7:26
like when they
7:28
like
7:30
got
7:32
one they're hitting it on that drop it's
7:34
so
7:35
[Music]
7:39
cool I'll pull him right up striper
7:42
fishing at his
7:47
best this is when they get off when you
7:50
have the barous hooks but I'm going to
7:51
take a chance I got them hooked in the
7:52
bottom
7:53
lip how do you grab one hooked in the
7:56
bottom uh very carefully yeah no kidding
8:00
and the little ones are the the most
8:01
dangerous for hooks IND you and
8:06
spines okay
8:11
Mama what a nice looking fish that's
8:14
gorgeous little schooly that color's on
8:17
fire today yeah buddy threw the white
8:19
through there no T not a not a touch
8:22
really eh yeah probably the chartreuse
8:24
I'm going to guess if it's a color thing
8:26
it's probably the chartreuse right I
8:27
would think the water's still a little
8:28
stained from all the rain we had a few
8:30
days ago so right I can see that down
8:32
almost 3 ft viz right I would say and I
8:35
think these fish their eyes are probably
8:37
so dialed into this water Clarity oh
8:40
yeah they they have really good
8:43
eyesight okay
8:46
Mama know it is
8:50
yeah come
8:52
on look at that
8:58
buddy
9:01
that sounded good
9:02
no little bump maybe a
9:05
little heartbeat up oh jeez that felt
9:08
like another bump really fact oh it is
9:12
yeah he's after you uh-oh coming at you
9:15
now might be striper look like it's m
9:19
hooked oh yeah it's striper oh buddy
9:21
there we go that one's going to the net
9:22
I don't care what you
9:24
say he didn't know he was hooked that's
9:27
awesome look at that this oh oh my God
9:32
buddy I got the net in the water if if
9:35
he ever comes this way oh he's going
9:37
towards the motor now yeah we're good
9:41
for the drift so we're we're good oh
9:43
Steve I got to I'm in the where is he oh
9:49
come on
9:50
Peter look at that buddy holy
9:54
moly yes sir I got that that is an
9:57
awesome fish
9:59
[Music]
10:01
Stevie that's a good one eh you got to
10:04
say that's a good one he's not he's
10:06
better than not
10:08
bad this is a tank this is a tank oh
10:13
yeah show that to the camera oh
10:18
[Music]
10:21
Stevie B straight bass Bud oh good work
10:27
oh nice fish buddy look at that Oh What
10:30
a Beautiful thickness around that tail
10:31
yeah yeah
10:33
sure good stuff man let's get her back
10:36
in the water yeah how big would that be
10:38
do you think see 20 that' be mid 20s
10:41
probably at least take a look at that
10:43
it's good heavy fish oh yeah good fish
10:46
buddy good
10:50
fish that's a
10:52
Mongol you've got you've got a lot of
10:54
those having in your day I've got a few
10:56
yeah yeah he wants to go but he doesn't
10:58
want to let go on my thumb what I do I
11:00
give them a little tap on the back and
11:03
they usually take right off that's an
11:06
experienced striper fishing right there
11:09
good work man good job nice fish good
11:12
way to get slimed anyways finally yeah
11:14
yeah okay now it's your turn okay buddy
11:17
okay let's do it this is a what a great
11:19
move man from the from that cold morning
11:22
into here the shallower stuff you know
11:23
what I mean maybe just a little
11:25
something with the water temperatures
11:26
the air
11:27
temperatures I think down at the you
11:30
know what the water's colder here though
11:31
it is colder yeah yeah but who knows
11:34
right maybe they're more stable in this
11:36
shallow stuff when the water gets cold
11:37
in the river especially down the Falls
11:39
they start moving up getting right over
11:41
winter and right that's the fish move up
11:43
into the cic casis they move up the St
11:45
John River up to the estuaries and the
11:49
it's that time exactly
11:52
yeah the St John River stripe bass
11:55
spawning migration is an interesting one
11:57
some of the fish start out during late
11:59
summer to early fall in the Atlantic
12:00
Ocean along the US Eastern Seaboard
12:03
making her way to the St John River
12:05
mouth in the Bay of fundi they next
12:06
travel Upstream to the St John and kbic
12:09
casus rivers the fish that ultimately
12:11
choose the St John can continue up River
12:13
through gainestown and all the way past
12:15
the city of frederickton to their first
12:17
major blockade the McQuack
12:19
Dam an interesting sidebar to this
12:22
recent Studies have shown that with
12:23
Rising water temperatures due to global
12:25
warming strip bass that used to spawn in
12:27
areas like the Rowan Oak River river in
12:29
North Carolina for example had been
12:31
forced to move north towards the Bay of
12:33
funi seeking Optimum cooler water
12:35
temperatures needed to complete a
12:37
successful spawn this ability to adapt
12:39
trying to keep the species alive shows
12:41
the complexity of these seemingly simple
12:43
creatures we call
12:46
Fish on this portion of my striper Trip
12:49
Steve and I were fishing a tributary on
12:50
the St John River in where a recent
12:52
baress hook law had been introduced for
12:54
the protection of local sturgeon great
12:56
for the fish and up in the odds for
12:59
stories of The One That Got Away or in
13:01
my case the two or three That Got
13:04
Away the boil that was a good fish that
13:07
felt solid buddy yeah that was a big one
13:09
that felt really solid son of a
13:12
gun I could tell just caught a couple
13:15
small ones I could tell that one stopped
13:16
me it was a whole different
13:21
Feeling by using a Big Stiff 8ft
13:23
swimbait Rod coupled with heavy no
13:25
stretch braided line and doing battle
13:27
with these Giants in flowing Tide Water
13:29
keeping them on wasn't an easy chore
13:32
good call Steve told me where to cast I
13:35
cast and we hooked up straight over
13:38
towards that yellow
13:43
tree good
13:46
call if I need chase him not yet he's
13:50
really cooperating nice she he she till
13:52
he sees the boat yeah exactly then he's
13:54
going to be gone yeah he's going to make
13:56
that
13:57
run
13:59
oh it's a good size fish right here
14:02
that's no schoie
14:05
Steve this is
14:07
crazy these fish are
14:16
incredible you kidding
14:19
me that was only 5 ft of line
14:22
there this is I can't believe it h wow
14:28
what a shame
14:29
that was a
14:30
beast wow see if we can get another one
14:32
on yep let's do it
14:38
again got one yeah big one it's a big
14:41
one that's a big one that's a big one
14:43
that's a fair
14:50
one today's fantastic stripe bass
14:52
fishing took place on the St John River
14:54
in New Brunswick to get there I traveled
14:56
East on Highway 401 to Highway 20 in
14:58
Quebec I next turned Southeast on
15:00
Highway 30 which eventually joined back
15:02
to Highway 20 I then went South on 185
15:06
which turns into 85 and then joins
15:08
Highway 2 I finally arrived at my
15:10
destination the days in and Conference
15:12
Center in the friendly town of oroko
15:15
from here I could choose to travel
15:16
either down or Upstream on the very
15:18
productive St John River to access this
15:20
unique species of
15:26
fish got one we yeah
15:29
B this is a big one that's a big one
15:31
this a big
15:32
one oh boy W oh look at oh boy you
15:39
feeling lying get her off lock Steve
15:41
take oh yeah get her off lock quick
15:43
again you might want to chase him just a
15:45
bit oh look at the water splashing back
15:48
there ooo this is a good one stay on big
15:51
fella oh he going again going have to go
15:54
this side now that's
15:57
okay
16:01
this is just like Musky fishing this is
16:03
so cool like the excitement level
16:05
especially when you're casting
16:09
them wow I got C he just come up to the
16:13
top look at
16:15
that but I got to tell you something
16:17
these fish are tougher than musky I I
16:20
know they are right now I've caught
16:21
musky before and I just I've been very
16:24
few stripers saltwater fish fight like
16:27
crazy they just just something about
16:29
it I wo I hope he engulfed
16:34
it he just popped it so nice take it
16:38
easy Peter and just when you think they
16:40
they're worn out and they come to the
16:41
boat and they see that boat for the
16:43
first time oh boy they usually do that
16:44
last little run I'm hoping you can scoop
16:47
him on that
16:48
run we got a big enough net we got a big
16:51
oh that's a nice fish that's a good tail
16:53
on that
16:55
fish wow this river is just a total
16:58
amazing fishery muskies stripers small
17:02
mouth there she is oh my God Steve this
17:05
is a nice one that's a real nice one
17:06
holy moly look at this fish
17:09
deie oh my God F like that are why we
17:13
use 50 60 lb floc carbon liters yeah
17:17
yeah like you said he's he tries to dig
17:18
in the bottom too right they dig in the
17:20
bottom they got the the Gill plates are
17:22
sharp they don't have teeth but what
17:24
they do have is is the teeth are just
17:26
like real rough stand paper just just
17:30
chew through that leader or braid line
17:32
he might be the bottom guys I don't know
17:35
oh here he's coming up
17:37
okay
17:40
wow this is
17:42
incredible look at this fight this is
17:47
ridiculous on an October day with the
17:49
water temperatures of
17:50
48° air temperatures aren't much better
17:53
than that and I'm sweating right
17:57
now oh don't do that okay Stevie pretty
18:01
well done now he looks like he's getting
18:03
close eh he's getting
18:06
[Music]
18:10
tired holy moly these things are Wicked
18:16
Strong it's just in the outside
18:19
too come on tie your o big
18:22
[Music]
18:27
boy here he comes buddy here he
18:30
comes it's a big hoop yes guy there we
18:35
go nice one I am spent
18:38
buddy you are the man you are the
18:40
striper
18:42
man that's a brute is it she's a good
18:46
hope going to make me look like a little
18:48
whimp oh oh that's a good fish folks I
18:52
am spent oh yeah here I I'll sort of
18:56
help you or you bring me in in how big
18:58
is this fish oh he's over 30
19:00
lb got him he won't let go in my thumb
19:04
either I was up for a stripe Mass Steve
19:07
Del lady this the striper King puts me
19:09
onto a beast oh Stevie look at that fish
19:14
oh awesome hey look at that bud I caught
19:17
one almost that big last week I'm glad
19:20
you said almost that
19:22
big wo we're going to probably try to
19:25
revive this fish I'm got to drop her in
19:27
the water see what she does I'll try and
19:28
hold head first Steve might have to come
19:29
up with me on this one because it's a
19:32
lot of
19:34
fish W there this is perfect that's
19:38
energy still so see I will'll put her
19:40
her head in the water like this with the
19:42
current blowing this way look at her
19:43
tail going really nice already fins Road
19:46
good I'm telling you folks the east
19:49
coast of Canada is not that far away
19:50
from CL from Central I mean Ontario my
19:53
drive it was a day drive not even a real
19:56
real long drive to get fish like this
19:58
this this is an exciting moment for me
20:01
right here oh my God okay Mama you want
20:04
to
20:05
go me to give her what do you give her a
20:07
little shot in the p on the back yeah
20:09
sometimes I'll wake them up and they'll
20:10
take right off let's try
20:14
it I didn't have to hit her look at this
20:17
BR I am just I'm sweating I am
20:21
sweating how awesome is that new
20:25
bronze
20:27
yes
20:33
[Music]
20:35
today's hotspot is known for big Fall
20:37
Run stripe bass the Waypoint on your
20:40
screen will get you there this area not
20:42
only has stripers but sturgeon as well
20:44
sadly unethical Anglers have been
20:46
snagging and keeping sturgeon while
20:48
fishing for stripers this has brought in
20:50
new strict fishing regulations like
20:51
single Hooks and barous hooks only make
20:54
sure you read the RS before you fish
20:56
here if you're looking for an area with
20:58
with no special hook restrictions then
20:59
the stretch on the St John from
21:01
frederickton to Gat toown has awesome
21:03
striper fishing as well for more
21:04
hotspots like this one check out fishing
21:09
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21:13
canada.com the fish in Canada show
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21:20
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21:40
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21:42
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21:45
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21:46
Adventure come Al to our cabin in a
21:50
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21:53
[Music]
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Canada
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22:13
[Applause]
22:16
[Music]
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