Bass Fishing in Nova Scotia

The Captain and Legendary Uncle Donnie with a nice catch!

What do you do on a hot summer day in Nova Scotia? Well you could go for a dip in one of the many gorgeous lakes and if your up for it, cruise the shoreline in a canoe looking for scrappy small mouth bass to take your fly-no other fish is likely to anymore out here, this time of year anyways... 

A five weight fly rod, a muddler minnow and a legendary angler with more than 55 years years of fishing stories in Nova Scotia and you've got yourself all the main ingredients needed for an exciting morning on the lake. Thirty years ago Waterloo lake was full of spectacled trout and brown trout, today its full of the invasive species: smallmouth bass. These voracious predators have displaced most of the trout, so I had no qualms with acting as a conservationist and keeping my catch which turns out is actually quite tasty even in hot summer waters!  

Filleted, skinned and fried in dollops of butter and dulce and this delicious white flaky meat melts in your mouth. A fine way to start any day.

A special thanks to Uncle Donnie! 

I hope you are enjoying some summer fishing adventures wherever you are,

Until next time, keep on adventuring, 

Captain Quinn

April Showers Brings Big Leaf Maple Blossoms (Acer macrophyllum) by Jade Bisson

Howdy Adventurers!

Spring has sproinged! And what a beautiful spring it has been in the PNW. I don't know about you, but this past winter reminded me of a black and white movie! While I do love old cinema, I really enjoy a splash of color every once in a while. There is no season other than spring where things are at their greenest. The newly emerging grass, the bright shades of moss, fresh seedlings sprouting everywhere you look....And if you look way up...Way, way up...Up to one of the tallest trees in our coastal forests and you will see the most brilliant shade of green dangling against a bright blue sky. Can you see them? Ok, incase you are inside sitting at your computer while reading this, (caught you!) I am talking about Big Leaf Maple tree Blossoms! Whhhaaaaa? Maple trees have blossoms? Yes! And you can eat them? Yes! And maple trees have many more uses other than just furniture and syrup?!? Yes! 

Ok, but lets focus on the now. As in April. Like I said, these maple blossoms are everywhere right now! If you want to get all techy, the term 'raceme' is used for the actual shoot of flowers that protrude from it's protective red sheath that connects to the branch (you'll see what I am talking about when you go picking!). Big Leaf Maples are tall! To pick the racemes, you'll have to find a latter or a shorter tree. I picked a few up after a wind storm, but had to soak them in water to get the bugs out! Fresh off the tree is best. Look for compact flower clusters that haven't fully bloomed yet. That way you won't get any older flowers, which turn quite fibrous. When you have enough collected, you can steam or eat them fresh. But seriously, you should just deep fry them!!! Mix a simple batter, heat up your cast iron pan, grab some high heat healthy cooking oil (preferably animal tallow or some types of coconut oil) and fry away! Here is a fool-proof recipe for maple blossom fritters and also one for maple blossom mint pesto: RECIPE

Finding a native maple tree is relatively easy if you live in southwestern B.C. They can get up to 36 meters full grown! They thrive in moist soils (most soils around here) and commonly grow alongside alders, cottonwoods, Douglas-firs, cedars and hemlocks. So, if you are looking at a forest in this part of the globe, you are sure to see a couple of maples. If you are STILL unsure.... look for trees with grey-ish brown bark usually draped in mosses, think Florida bayou style. And of course, at this time of year, you should be seeing beautiful florescent green blossoms dangling off it's leaf-less branches! Have fun collecting, and adios for now!

Captain Quinn Adventure Fishing

Captain Quinn Adventure Fishing is currently in the process of producing some amazing adventure fishing films with footage that will ​knock your socs off. Stay tuned and tell your friends! Subscribe to our youtube channel and be notified right away.

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SCALE Magazine-New Addition!!!

Check out the latest edition of SCALE magazine-Captain Quinn's favorite fishing magazine! No.8 is an engaging, attractive edition with captivating content put together in the most desirably creative fashion.

Devour it front to back and make sure not to miss page 34 for an article by Captain Quinn-​"The Dirty Angler" which aims to explains what fishing is all about and why we should never stop exploring.