Percival Bay, PEI - a trip to the NCC's Nature Reserves

After waiting for a few days, we finally got a day with winds under 10 knots. After double-checking my MYS15 outing checklist, I headed out (9:30 am) to McKie's shore in North Enmore. After launching, I started rowing north towards the Inverness Reserve in a very light tailwind. But soon, the wind was up, and I was going downwind at a good clip, even with a reef in the sail. I went by one oyster fisher, and I'm not sure what he thought of a sailboat this deep in the bay. In less than 20 minutes, I was onshore at the Inverness Reserve, fighting the horse flies. I did a quick walkabout and took a few photos. Things look a lot greener in the wetland than in May. 

I was soon back on the water and heading upwind towards the McKie Reserve (about 4km). After a few tacks, I made a landing on the western shore of Percival Bay -- right across from the McKie's shore launch site. The shore here is a nice sand/gravel beach with a small inland marshy area. There were pipers on the beach, and I spotted one blue heron in the marsh pond. After a snack, walk, and some photos, I headed back to the McKie launch site to retrieve my long outdoor pants for some extra horse fly protection. Horseflies only seem to attack your feet and lower legs!

With the standing lug sail still reefed, I managed to sail upwind to the W. McKie Reserve (2 km) in about half an hour. I could have gone a bit faster, but I wanted to test the new sail rig in the reefed configuration. Again, I went ashore for a short walk and some photos. The tide was high enough to venture into the Big Barachois marsh, but it was getting late for lunch, so I decided to sail straight back (downwind) to the launch site.

In a 6-8 knot wind, the MYS15 works well with the sail reefed. The MYS15 could probably handle up to 8 knots of wind without a reef. Although, less sail area is usually best for going downwind. 

Leard's Pond, Coleman PEI - more trout fishing

On a lovely Tuesday morning (May 24th), Anne and I headed west to Leard's Pond on Route 140 between Coleman and Mount Royal (not far from O'Leary). In PEI's early days, many rivers and streams were dammed to harvest the power for mills, etc. Today, many of those dams have been preserved and upgraded as recreational fishing ponds (e.g. fish ladders). Leard's Pond is on the higher reaches of the Trout River watershed.

Anne dropped me off at Leard's Pond for a few hours while she headed out for some shopping in O'Leary and TH. Leard's Pond has a nice gazebo and a large parking lot. I launched the canoe in the Pond and headed upstream (Beaton's River on some maps).

The stream above Leard's Pond starts in an open wetland area, and after much zigzagging (1 km or so), it enters a wooded area. I was at the edge of the wooded area before landing my first trout. I caught two more trout in the same area, and it was time to head back to meet Anne.

Once you get away from the road, the stream (Beaton's River) is a great place for paddling and fishing – I'll definitely return to check for other fishing holes!

ds

Fishing Summary:

-         Two hours of paddling and casting

-         Used #1 silver Mepps spinner with worms

-         Result = 3 trout (8” to 10”); Dinner for two

-         46° 41.188'N;  64° 12.659'W  (FH2 BR)

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21May2024 Update

I came to Leards Pond again to try my luck at some Brook Trout. No luck, this year.

My track for the day, Hiawatha canoe

I paddled up the creek as far as I could go. There were no signs of any fish (i.e. no bites).

I did see a few ducks, a Cormorant, birds, and some cedar trees. 

This might be my last outing here for a while -- at least for trout fishing...

Spring fishing on the upper Enmore River, PEI

Enmore River, PEI

Amazingly, most rivers in PEI have brook (speckled) trout. Brook trout does well in PEI due to the cold groundwater that feeds all the running rivers and creeks.

Today (May 18), I decided to try my luck on the upper Enmore River. The small bridge on un-paved Mill Road is a popular spot for local anglers. I decided to bring my small Hiawatha canoe and go further upriver. The river is still navigable for 1 km from the Mill Road bridge and probably more in early spring at high tides. 

Brook Trout

On the way upstream, I caught a couple of small trout (6"), so that was encouraging. The river bed is shallow and without any real deep holes. The water is deeper around bends, and the river bank has some undercut features in some areas. On the way back, I tried casting where I had caught the small trout earlier and was surprised to land a larger one (10"). More fishing in that area did not produce a second trout of that size, just another baby! I did not have my GPS, but I should be able to find that spot again.

Fishing Summary:

- Two hours of paddling and casting

- Used #1 silver Mepps spinner with worms

- Result = 1 trout (+ 4 babies)

- Enough for appetizers for two (yummy!)