The Origins of Smallmouth Bass in Nova Scotia

"Where did the Smallmouth Bass in Nova Scotia come from ?", is one of the more common questions I get asked via email from this site.

I didn't know the answer until my brother, Warren, told me some of the history recently. Here is the story.

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Before the 1870's Nova Scotia was renowned for its Trout and Salmon but the only bass were Striped Bass, which ran annually along the coast.

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Smallmouth Bass were introduced into a private pond in Maine somewhere around 1870.

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Whether by flood or finding other escape routes through brooks or streams, the Smallmouth Bass in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia today are thought to be descendants of that original planting.

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They made their own way into New Brunswick but our Bass were officially planted in 1942 in Bunker Lake, Yarmouth County.

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There were other government sponsored stocking efforts in the mid 60's in King's County and again in the 70's in Digby County but I suspect that by far most of the spread of Smallmouth Bass in Nova Scotia was done by private citizens trying to stock their favourite ponds and lakes with something fish'able as Trout became more and more difficult to find due to the ravages of acid rain in the 70's.

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Whatever the case, we got 'em now and I spend a lot of time during the dog-days of summer flicking bugs and poppers at them. They are a game fighter and can be as easy to catch as Perch or as fussy and sullen as any Trout that swims.

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I can't say I don't long for the old days of pristine Trout waters but Heck, I've always figured if a fish, no matter what kind, is willing to take a fly - I'll oblige by throwing one at it.

The New Float Tube

Got to try out the new float tube Tuesday evening, Brad “Fish Hawk” and I hit one of our favourite secret spots for some pretty good fishing. There were lots of Smallmouth Bass, a couple of Speckled Trout and even a few Yellow Perch.

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The new float tube worked great. It is bigger and more comfortable than other tubes I have used. The small flippers I was using were a little under-powered for pushing it around the lake in the wind but are so comfortable and light that I’ll have to really think about whether or not to use my scuba fins next time. I’ll probably stick with the small flippers. Heck, it’s not as if I’m in a hurry.

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Tactics for the evening were pretty simple. I started with a Wooly Bugger and Brad started with a leech pattern of some sort. I picked off three Bass from under the shore vegetation as we were kicking out. As we moved away from our launch site Brad started connecting with fish. He had changed up to a streamer with a bit of green he called a Baby Bass.

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I soon switched over to a streamer, using one with a bit of yellow to represent the perch so plentiful in this lake. Fishing streamers around structure and through the open spots in the Lily Pad beds was absolutely deadly.
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All told, it was a great outing. I lost count of how many Bass we brought to hand. The Trout were a pleasant surprise and even the Perch were bigger than average.

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The weather continues crappy. Last night was cold and drizzly. Today continued cold but the sun showed his face toward the end of the day.

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Smallmouth Bass are an interesting fish. Here is a shot from last night of a tiny Bass that hit a streamer nearly his own size. What was he thinking? Probably the same thing I do when picking up a great big bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Green Awareness Hits Home

Well, it is funny but cynical old me seems to be on a bit of a “green awareness” binge.

I visited one of my favourite urban fishing spots two nights ago. This was my “go to” place for Trophy Trout during the heat of summer; a spring fed little pool on the edge of a big lake. The Speckled Trout would stack up there to get relief from the oxygen starved, warm water of the lake. They were there all through the dog days of summer.



The small, spring-cooled brook seeped through the boulder-strewn bottom and the fish would lay in the shaded protection between the rocks. The tops of the rocks were inches below the surface but the actual bottom was any where from two feet to four feet below that. A well-placed fly would raise those big Trout from their shelter in the crevasses and make for an amazingly exciting and challenging dry fly fishing experience.

Since my last trip there, a big construction project has been active across the highway and up the hill from the secret spot. It may be a coincidence but all the gaps and channels between the boulders are now filled, a couple of feet deep, with fine sediment. There is no place for the fish to lie. I did catch a few tiny eight inch'ers on the outer edge of what used to be the pool but the Trophy Trout are gone. I hope that it is just that they dispersed throughout the lake, but who knows?

Smallmouth Bass are as plentiful as ever so there is no obvious sign of the tragedy that has occurred. I will never know if the construction project was the cause. It is too late now anyway. Something precious has already been lost.