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New Brunswick Muskie | Fish'n Canada
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Apr 15, 2025
Angelo heads to the province of New Brunswick with good buddy and Muskie fishing nut Steve Niedzwiecki (owner of Chaudiere Lodge, Upper French River), as they seek Canada's number one predator... the Muskellunge. You read it correctly, there "are" Muskie in NB and they are thriving in the waters of the Saint John River... one problem though, in this water they're considered an invasive species and many of the old school locals want them eradicated! Ang and Steve try to bring new light to this magnificent sport fish and open up the eyes to the entire country saying "these Muskie are here to stay, so let's embrace and take full advantage of this relatively new and exciting east-coast fishery"! ► 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]
0:07
the Bruce Lee the Bruce Lee of the musky
0:12
Rod our first new budwick musky buddy
0:15
they're here they are
0:20
here that's what we come to New
0:22
Brunswick for isn't it
0:27
yep look at the sock there
0:33
life I love is fishing with my
0:37
friends the fishing Canada show brought
0:40
to you in part by Ram trucks guts glory
0:45
ram Sterns trusted on the water since
0:49
1952 Mercury outboards number one on the
0:52
water and Outdoor Canada Canada's only
0:56
National fishing and hunting magazine
0:58
[Music]
1:02
on today's show we're traveling to
1:04
Atlantic Canada chasing down a rumor
1:06
that's been swirling around the fishing
1:07
Community for the last couple of years
1:10
our destination is the St John River in
1:12
New Brunswick but not for salmon not for
1:15
stripers not even for smallies believe
1:18
it or not today we're in pursuit of
1:21
musky so when I first heard Angelo and
1:23
the the fishing Canada team was going to
1:25
be coming to New Brunswick for Musky
1:26
fishing I was very excited uh I I knew
1:30
they had been here for Smallmouth bass
1:31
and experienced how awesome that is here
1:33
I think you Brunswick has smallmouth
1:35
bass Peter you
1:37
figureo I know they've done
1:39
stripers I know they've done Tuna on the
1:42
maritime we got him we got him we got
1:44
him pick up pick up pick up pick up
1:46
that's a beefy fish boys yeah so I I
1:48
really kind of I was hoping I could help
1:50
add to that list of uh awesome
1:52
experiences for the crew and really show
1:54
them what our musky fishing's all about
1:56
here not only are musky not native to
1:59
these Waters but most of the locals and
2:01
some fisheries management officials
2:03
actually see them as an invasive species
2:06
the muskys got into the St John River in
2:09
uh the
2:10
1970s um from 1970 to 1979 approximately
2:15
6,000 musky fingerlings were stocked
2:17
into Lac Frontier in Quebec uh that is
2:20
in the very most northern headwaters of
2:22
the St John River from there they made
2:24
their way through the St John River in
2:26
Maine uh into the the head ponds of New
2:28
Brunswick um Beachwood head Pond and
2:31
McQuack head Pond which we're here
2:32
fishing today the first musky was
2:35
collected at the McQuack Dam in 1988
2:37
through the '90s they continued to
2:38
populate about 2004 is when we've
2:42
discovered that there's really good
2:43
fishable populations of muskies
2:45
throughout the river I guess you could
2:47
say one man's trash is another man's
2:50
treasure finding musk in the St John
2:52
river is like finding gold in the Yukon
2:55
our biggest obstacle is just to change
2:57
the perception in New Brunswick of
2:59
Muskies um it's there's a deep deep
3:02
history in salmon and trout here and uh
3:05
people are always afraid of change and
3:07
and what the future may hold when they
3:09
damned the system up uh the creation of
3:11
these dams created these massive head
3:13
ponds we we've really created a perfect
3:15
uh ecosystem for muskies to thrive in
3:17
while it's hard for you know some of the
3:19
old-timers and the people that grew up
3:21
here to to kind of let go of the past
3:23
and what used to be those Waters now are
3:26
just not favorable for salmon I just
3:28
think the opportunity here for
3:30
is huge uh we have a trophy fishery on
3:32
our hands uh and and I think it'd be a
3:35
shame not to embrace that well this is
3:38
one old-timer who's ready and willing to
3:40
embrace this exciting new fishing
3:42
opportunity for this Expedition I
3:45
brought along my good friend and
3:46
esteemed musky expert Steve Ned Wiki
3:49
owner of the legendary Shier Lodge on
3:51
the French River as a lodge owner I have
3:54
guests that drive many many miles to
3:57
come with the expectation that they're
4:00
going to catch musky and that's a great
4:03
anxiety that I have in my real day life
4:06
and when an called me and said we were
4:08
going to drive 12 hours to New Brunswick
4:10
and we were going to catch some muskies
4:12
put them in a boat and make a show them
4:15
uh that whole anxiety hit me even harder
4:19
because I know it is extremely difficult
4:23
to do something like that everybody who
4:25
fished musky knows they can humble you
4:28
knows that there can be some long days
4:30
lots of casts lots of hours trolling
4:32
with no answers so um obviously as a
4:36
guide I'm I I'm a little bit nervous
4:38
that hey the the fish may not cooperate
4:41
but uh that's just Musky fishing uh I
4:43
was just going to do my best and and and
4:45
show them everything I know so got a
4:47
variety of different baits here that we
4:49
we use here on the St John River um the
4:52
musky main forage here is going to be
4:55
gaspero uh white perch and white suckers
4:58
so white and Sil
5:00
black back this is really going to
5:02
imitate exactly what they're eating out
5:04
there we don't like to go too big as the
5:07
bait fish here aren't too big so we're
5:08
not using the giant 14in 15in lures
5:12
usually the 8 to 10 in range so number
5:14
one and then all the rest are secondary
5:17
that's right always always start with
5:19
your with your silver and white for sure
5:21
okay
5:22
cool I think we have a big enough
5:26
net yeah that's what I'm talking about
5:28
buddy yeah absolutely how's it feel oh I
5:32
feel all right
5:35
man we were the best of
5:38
friends insisting that the river keep
5:41
turning our way and our our way on the
5:46
ro road again I can't wait to get on the
5:50
road again the life I love is Mak music
5:54
with my friends and I can't wait to get
5:57
on the road again
6:01
life I love is fishing with my
6:05
friends yeah oh yeah you know sometimes
6:09
you get bobbing around on the water and
6:11
things aren't going that well and uh
6:14
your mind just starts to travel we're
6:16
doing a trolling show which is very
6:18
difficult to to to do uh in the first
6:21
place so you know one thing I like to do
6:25
is lighten up the mood
6:31
whoa will you stop it I'm practicing
6:36
here okay get out see how see how quick
6:39
that
6:40
was just like that the Bruce Lee the
6:44
Bruce Lee of the musky rod
6:53
[Music]
7:04
stretching her
7:16
out get her set
7:21
boy yep that's a fish fish
7:24
on let me get mine
7:27
in yeah that's what I'm talking talking
7:29
about buddy yeah absolutely how's it
7:32
feel oh it feels all right
7:35
man that's what we come to New Brunswick
7:37
for isn't
7:39
it oh she's pulling good
7:44
okay there nice little swirl nothing
7:47
like catching muskies no matter where
7:50
you are H oh no matter where you
7:52
are well I think we have a big enough
7:57
net that's good Big's important though
8:01
Bud on the troll too eh on the kind ofes
8:04
do you do much trolling on the French oh
8:06
yeah yeah at this time of the year
8:08
especially
8:10
yeah there you
8:16
go our first new brudwick musky buddy oh
8:20
they're here they are
8:23
here keep that that's a pretty little
8:25
fish it is so stocky little guy there
8:31
I'll I'll let him fall back into that
8:32
net you get that net down
8:36
there get over here there we go nice
8:40
work brother a
8:42
boy there you go there we go he's a
8:45
chunky little guy isn't he oh isn't he a
8:47
chunky little f look at this guy I refer
8:52
to it as a little guy but you know
8:53
something on this body of water that's a
8:56
great fish and really on any body of
8:58
water when you're talking about a a fish
8:59
that's over 3T long it's a great fish
9:02
anywhere oh yes look at that guy right
9:07
there first New Brunswick musky first
9:09
New Brunswick musky and you know what
9:11
they are so healthy and pretty looking
9:13
I'll tell you what nice light color it
9:15
is so cool all right good start
9:17
beautiful way to start buddy I'll just
9:19
get him back in the water I think we
9:21
over netted him I think net might be a
9:25
little big for that guy there we
9:27
go neat color though isn't it oh yeah
9:30
very
9:32
cool there you go
9:35
Bud good stuff buddy
9:38
yeah that's a rip buddy
9:43
yep yep look at this
9:45
thing oh
9:48
God while the musky has taken over the
9:50
position as the apex predator in these
9:52
Waters they aren't completely without
9:54
danger and it comes in the form of man
9:57
and some narrow-minded thinking the
9:59
province of New Brunswick and the
10:00
government uh they they do not allow
10:02
musky to pass through the dam um at the
10:05
dams they have collection facilities
10:08
where fish are sorted Atlantic salmon
10:10
Etc to the best of my knowledge the
10:13
migrating fish at the dams are lifted up
10:15
in an elevator and dumped into a truck
10:17
full of
10:19
water blue back Herring salmon and gasbo
10:23
get dumped above the dam into the head
10:24
Pond all other fish get shipped to a
10:27
sorting facility below the dam uh at
10:30
this sorting facility all Native fish
10:32
are re-released into the water all
10:34
invasive species are destroyed and
10:37
currently muskys are considered an
10:38
invasive species coming from one of the
10:41
best musky places on the planet the
10:44
French River and being a person who
10:46
makes my living on marketing and
10:50
revering
10:51
musky here in New Brunswick when I got
10:54
here and found out they were considered
10:55
an invasive species blew my mind blew my
10:59
mind it's no longer a Salmon River as I
11:01
mentioned before um so unfortunately we
11:05
lost the rich history we lost what we
11:07
once have here and by some miracle we've
11:10
almost been given a chance at another
11:12
trophy fishery um muskies are a
11:15
destination fish anyone who's been out
11:17
there and held one or fished for one and
11:19
felt that tug can really appreciate you
11:21
know what what they can do I I I think
11:23
the province really needs to look at you
11:26
know the benefits not only to the
11:28
fishery but you know even the economical
11:31
uh growth we could see through a fishery
11:33
like this on on such an awesome piece of
11:35
water too that's a r buddy
11:40
yep yep put her in neutral got
11:44
it well that was a gentle rip if I ever
11:47
saw
11:49
one oh he's off no he's on he's
11:53
on no it's got to be off maybe I've got
11:57
you yeah it's got to be no I'm
12:00
[Music]
12:04
in he's off that was a weird rip though
12:08
wasn't it yeah it was
12:12
like oh
12:15
yeah there's nothing there
12:19
buddy well we'll call that one a log
12:22
twig tree something oh no you got a fish
12:26
fish look at this thing oh my God
12:29
holy
12:34
moly you want me to grab the net no
12:38
we'll let him go out the boat oh he's
12:40
he's done like dinner
12:43
eh that might be the smallest musky I've
12:46
seen in a long time well that's it's you
12:48
know what it says great things about the
12:50
fishery oh for sure you knowbly should
12:53
be able to let them loose right there at
12:55
the boat the St John River I found is a
13:00
great young fishery the French river is
13:03
an old fishery these fish are young and
13:06
they have the potential of being
13:08
great here we go and he's
13:13
off coming at you look at
13:26
theck today's Musky show took place on
13:29
on the St John River in the province of
13:30
New Brunswick to get there Steve and I
13:33
drove Eastward on Highway 401 to Highway
13:35
20 in Quebec we next turned Southeast on
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Highway 30 which eventually joined back
13:41
with Highway 20 then we went South on
13:44
185 which turns into 85 and then joins
13:48
Highway 2 we then got off on Highway 550
13:51
East and arrived at the town of
13:53
Woodstock located right on the St John
13:55
River
14:11
Ho Holy woo yes sir right there they're
14:17
following that bait around man
14:19
absolutely they
14:22
are how's she
14:24
feel hard to tell with these guys they
14:27
swimming towards us so this is going to
14:29
be a great fishery you know give this
14:30
another few years and people catch on to
14:32
this Musky fishing down here
14:35
100% And and you know the one thing that
14:38
you need for a
14:40
great musky fishery yeah is a great
14:43
Forge base oh I
14:45
did oh I'm telling you there are clouds
14:49
of bait like I haven't seen in a long
14:51
time in this oh they got tons of food eh
14:54
tons of food and it's the type of food
14:56
that makes these fish grow fast and fat
14:59
100% now apparently these things are
15:01
somebody was saying that they're at
15:03
least 10% maybe 15% fast fatter than the
15:06
average musky because of that Forge base
15:09
so that's awesome well let's see how how
15:12
much of a fatty this one is I just saw a
15:14
glimpse bud you got a bit of weight to
15:17
him yeah oh there it is oh big fish
15:20
that's a beautiful fish budo that is a
15:23
great fish for this water Bud look at
15:26
that that's a you know what beauty that
15:29
is a fantastic fish in any fish any
15:33
water
15:34
Bud oh my God look at that the size of
15:38
that thing look at that truck okay
15:41
coming at you coming at you look at the
15:44
size
15:47
that that is a truck fatty right there
15:51
that is a truck mackerel nice job and
15:55
and look at how fat it is that is fat
15:58
when I first saw that big fish uh there
16:01
was no doubt in my mind that it was a
16:03
tank it was huge it's something that you
16:05
see on some of the best Waters in the
16:07
world including the
16:09
[Music]
16:12
French she's still full of life oh yeah
16:14
being in that net holy
16:17
shoot look at that fat fish wow got on
16:23
that that fantastic that's new runswick
16:26
musky believe it or not they are here
16:29
here holy
16:31
mackerel that's fantastic okay baby
16:35
you're going back in what a gorgeous
16:37
looking fish in terms of color too a
16:40
Steve oh it's beautiful wow it is
16:43
beautiful and fat that that's the thing
16:45
I love about it they eating
16:48
gas okay get right over there and get
16:50
that fish released in there set her down
16:53
grab her by the tail and then get a nice
16:55
tail splash
17:00
[Music]
17:03
there she is wow that is spectacular
17:09
man there you go right on the miner too
17:12
eh right on the miner perfect time it
17:14
was almost over
17:19
though that red that you see in this
17:21
fish by the way is something that's
17:22
pretty characteristics to most musky and
17:24
not many other game fish and that is
17:27
when they put up the fight that lactic
17:29
acid that builds up manifests itself in
17:32
all of the uh little red blotches that
17:34
you see on this generally when you hold
17:37
them in the water for a while just
17:38
before they're ready to go the blotches
17:40
will almost start
17:42
disappearing wow what a
17:45
thrill a whole new fishery is just
17:48
opening up down here and this is going
17:50
to open up a whole new industry for
17:52
sport Anglers from all over the world I
17:54
mean this is probably the second or
17:56
third most sought after game fish on the
17:59
planet and people will travel anywhere
18:02
to get a fish like
18:04
this in 2018 we'll have a national event
18:07
through muskys Canada where anyone's
18:09
invited from across Canada and even
18:11
muskies Inc uh down in the US uh we'd
18:14
love to see as much participation as we
18:16
could possibly have uh so we're going to
18:18
be inviting musky nuts from across North
18:20
America and uh we're looking forward to
18:23
to getting the details out there soon
18:25
and uh if you stay tuned to your musky
18:27
Inc magazines your musky can ofes
18:28
magazine
18:29
and the forms you'll see lots of details
18:31
coming out it's uh it's going to become
18:33
a a Musky Mecca here we go
18:37
bye-bye there she go
18:40
wow see you later see you
18:42
[Music]
18:44
buddy what a fish brother that's what we
18:47
come to new guns back for
18:50
eh
18:53
yes I know that there's huge potential
18:56
and this very well could turn into the
18:57
next French River
18:59
being here now for the first time has
19:01
shown me a beautiful Province great
19:04
people and excellent fishing it's wet my
19:07
appetite and I will be
19:10
back well my friends it's that time
19:13
again on the road road again I you can't
19:17
wait to get on the road
19:26
again today's hot spot is a break line
19:28
on the edge of the main channel in New
19:30
Brunswick's St John River the way point
19:33
on your screen will get you right there
19:35
we trolled a lot of this River using the
19:37
sonar features of our garment looking
19:39
for schools of gaspro the maritime
19:41
version of lwi and blue back Herring
19:44
this particular Hotpot for some reason
19:46
had the highest concentration of
19:48
stationary bait out of everywhere we
19:50
fished by running various trolling
19:52
passes in this area and using the tracks
19:55
feature on our GPS we can ensure that
19:57
all possible fish tring areas would be
19:59
covered remember musky are A peculiar
20:03
creature try hitting them from different
20:05
angles VAR your trolling speeds and
20:07
change your baits if nothing is
20:09
happening for more hotpots like this one
20:11
visit fishing
20:16
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20:19
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