The Striper Release - Issue1; Spring 2014

the official newsletter of the Striped Bass Research Team at Acadia University

BASS DERBY GOES SWIMMINGLY Lea-Ann Julian, Volunteer, Shubenacadie First Nation Annual Striped Bass Derby For years, an annual striped bass fishing derby was ‘just a thought’ for Keith Julian. Keith hails from the Shubenacadie First Nation (Indian Brook) in Nova Scotia where he is an elected official to the Shubenacadie Band Council. His hometown First Nation is the home of the 1752 Treaty. Keith is very knowledgeable in his treaties and he also has an impeccable understanding of the tensions between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal people when it comes to fishing.

In 2011, Keith presented the idea of a derby to the band council and together they agreed that only good could come from it. The primary focus of this derby is “Community Relationship Building” - bringing all people together, if only for a day.

Information sharing is the key component in achieving or focus at each derby. Keith has always been an avid fisherman taught by his father, Stephen Julian, and now passes that down onto his children today - including myself.

One of the most important lessons I received from my father was not to play, waste or abuse: take only what you will eat, or what someone has requested you catch for them. Over the past 10-15 years, Keith promotes the idea that gaining knowledge leads to understanding. This process is necessary for our communities to move forward together.

The first derby was held on the banks of the Shubenacadie River in June 2011. It was

issue 1 spring 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Student Profiles: Freya Keyser: Striped Bass Movement Julia Whidden: Minas Basin At-Risk Species

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From the Angler Surveys: Popular Baits & Lures

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Striped Bass Stewardship

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Help Monitor Striped Bass 5 Research & Fun at Weir

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Bramber Bass Bonanza Recap

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Community Partner Profile: 7 Darren Porter The Story of the Old Striper 7 Stripers on the Annapolis: A historical perspective

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Enjoying the Shubenacadie Bass Derby. (Photo Credit: Lea-Ann Julian)

a very cold and rainy day which forced him to close it down early and carry it over to the next day for a total of 12 hours of derby time. There were only 4 Bass caught over 2 days (12 hrs). The longest being only 20 inches!

In 2012, Keith broadened his search for sponsorships and location. In doing so, other organizations jumped on board to take part in this very unique event.

After speaking with other anglers in the area, he decided that having the event earlier in May and on the Stewiacke River would be /see DERBY on page 2

Through the years...

2011 (June) Location: Shubenacadie River Attendance: 138 Bass caught: 4 Held late in the year, live bait was not permitted to be used by non-aboriginals. The derby is now held the last weekend before bait season closes. No license was required because this part of the river is Tidal Waters.

2012 (May) Location: Stewiacke River Attendance: 258 Bass caught: 77

2013 (May) Location: Stewiacke River Attendance: 421 Bass caught: 113 In 2012 & 2013, the bait season was open to everyone. No license was required, though this part of the river is considered to be Inland Waters; special permission was granted by Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Inland Fisheries. A “scientific day” for the species, the Striped Bass Research Team was on-site to gather data from the bass caught.

STUDENT PROFILE Temporal and spatial movement patterns of striped bass in the Minas Passage

Freya Keyser, Acadia Centre for Estuarine Research, M.Sc. Candidate, Acadia University A tidal energy turbine test site has been established in the Minas Passage (between Cape Split and Parrsboro) of the Bay of Fundy, and turbine deployments are expected as early as 2015. The passage, however, is also used by migratory fish species, including the endangered Bay of Fundy striped bass population. The purpose of my project is to identify movement patterns of this population that help to assess the potential risks of tidal energy development and to inform future conservation efforts.

To identify striped bass movement within the Minas Passage, near-shore areas of the Minas Basin and at the spawning grounds in Stewiacke River, an acoustic tracking system was used. Eighty-five striped bass were tracked using surgically implanted acoustic transmitters, and bottom-moored acoustic receivers. When a tagged fish swims within the range of a receiver, the receiver records the depth and identification code of the fish, as well as the date and time.

At the end of each deploy-

ment period (May-December 2011 and May 2012 – April 2013), receivers were recovered, and downloaded to a computer for analysis. Of the 85 striped bass tagged, 56 were detected (64%). During the May-November 2011 deployment, there was no clear seasonal pattern of striped bass movement in Minas Passage. During the 2012-2013 deployment, larger individuals were often detected in the passage, especially in the winter months. Striped bass generally occupied the top 40 m of the water column, with some large bass using a wider range of depths.

Interestingly, individual striped bass made multiple crossings of the Minas Passage

and many passed through the turbine test site at proposed turbine heights. While this could be of concern, it is possible that striped bass will be able to detect and avoid the turbines once installed; this ability remains unknown and will require further study.

Currently we are analyzing data collected in the Minas Basin and Stewiacke River, and trying to better understand the winter activity of striped bass in Minas Passage. This information will further strengthen our knowledge about the endangered Bay of Fundy population and the specific migratory groups within the population, and will benefit conservation and management efforts.

Freya holds a striped bass measuring 65.6 cm (fork length) that was detected 830 times between June 19 and October 17, 2012, at 28 different locations in the Minas Passage and Minas Basin.

(Photo Credit: Jeremy Broome)

Spatial distribution of detections from December 2012 to May 2013 of striped bass tagged in 2012. The size of each circle is proportional to the number of detections at each location. Transmitter identification codes are given above each plot; codes beginning with “S”, “G”, and “K” correspond to individuals tagged in Stewiacke, Grand Pré, and Kingsport, respectively. (Figure Credit: Freya Keyser)

DERBY cont. more suitable for everyone.

Last year, 2013, has been our best year yet - growing from $3,000 in our first year to over $10,000 in sponsors! We consistently promote outdoor living in terms of the prizes.

Canadian Tire (Truro) offers us tremendous discounts for most of the prizes. We’ve always had at least one canoe

Mi’Kmaq Conservation Group and of course Acadia University participate in this event; bringing lots of information and helping hands with them!

We’ve hosted anglers from all over Atlantic Canada - from New Brunswick, PEI, Cape Breton, HRM, Yarmouth & Digby. We’ve had a lot of nice compliments, the most memorable one being from Mr. Greg

for the grand prize, but last year we had a canoe and a Jon boat, among other great prizes.

The Shubenacadie First Nation Annual Striped Bass Derby is a non-profit event; it is free to enter & is open to all ages. Prizes are awarded in various categories throughout the derby.

Members of DFO, Striped Bass Anglers Association of Nova Scotia, Natural Resources,

Stevens from DFO – “I have to admit to you Keith, I never thought this would fly, but I take my hat off to you now, great job.”

If you are interested in sponsoring or participating next year, please contact: Keith Julian, Shubenacadie First Nation Band Council Member 902-805-0145

STUDENT PROFILE Conservation of At-Risk Fishes in Minas Basin Julia Whidden, M.Sc. Candidate, Acadia University I am a Masters student in Dr. Trevor Avery’s research lab at Acadia University as a member of the Striped Bass Research Team, and I have been working under his supervision for almost 3 years. I began my research in 2012, studying Little skate and Winter skate in the Minas Basin. Both species are considered at risk. We sampled and tagged skates at Darren Porter’s weir in Bramber, NS, in order to estimate skate population size in the Minas Basin and to determine important baseline information about these species. Since there is currently no commercial or recreational fishery for skate in Canada, there has been little effort – up to now – to assess them in the Minas Basin. My research expanded to include striped bass in 2013 and I will continue studying all three species until 2014*.

Myself and my tagging partner, Danielle Quinn, will be hard at work this spring and summer tagging and studying stripers and skates in Minas Basin and conducting community outreach.

Beginning in April 2013, we collect skate and striped bass population data, tag fish at the Bramber weir, and spread awareness about our research through community events across the Maritimes. This past February, Danielle Quinn and I worked in partnership with the Mi’kmaw Conservation Group to put on striped bass and skate tagging workshops to First Nations groups across the province. We travelled to Millbrook, Indian Brook, Glooscap, Annapolis Valley, Pictou Landing and Fort Folly (New Brunswick) and we were completely blown away by

the response! Over 75 people participated, with a great mix of young, old, male and female anglers interested in striped bass conservation and how they can be of help. We had many open discussions about what to do if you catch a striped bass (see below), how to tag a fish, safe handling practices, our current research efforts, and how to become a member of the Striped Bass Research Team. While not everyone was interested in getting their hands dirty, we truly enjoyed the opportunity to meet and ‘talk stripers’ to people with experiences far different from our own. We thank the Mi’kmaw Conservation Group for organizing these events, as well as everyone who came out to learn! However, getting communities engaged is just one piece of the puzzle in expressing why this research is so important.

The dynamic tides of the Bay of Fundy make it an extremely unique environment, and the biodiversity in its depths has learned to adapt to this challenge. However, a variety of marine organisms in the Bay now face additional threats that put their populations at risk.

My project looks at 3 different fish species in the Minas Basin that share similar threats such as overfishing, habitat loss, and the installation of tidal power turbines. Little skate, Winter skate, and striped bass are all valuable contributors to the marine ecosystem, and in order to effectively conserve these species so that they are available for anglers for generations to come, we must collect accurate information about their popu-

lations to compare against fluctuations in future populations.

Conservation action works best if more people are involved. For all those who love to fish stripers, keep an eye out for small, brightly coloured tags sticking out of the dorsal spine area of your fish! There are several research teams tagging striped bass across the Maritimes and each team uses different tags. Some are very expensive acoustic tags that transmit a fish’s location using satellites, while other tags - like ours - are just individually-numbered plastic tags that essentially give each fish a unique name. Our striped bass tags are about 3 inches long, bright yellow, and have “ACADIA BIOLOGY BASS####” on one side, where “####” represents a 4-digit number, and

our research website, “www. trackmyfish.ca” on the other side. Skate tags are pink with a similar numbering scheme.

If you catch a striper or skate with a numbered tag, the information (tag colour, number) can be uploaded to our tag-tracking database at www.trackmyfish. ca. You will receive instant feedback on where and when your fish was first tagged, and will be sent updates as soon as your fish is recaptured by another angler.

This website, and an accompanying mobile phone app, will be up and running by summer 2014.

In the meantime, information on any tagged fish can be sent to stripedbass@acadiau.ca – just visit our website for more details! *The current striped bass and skate research project is funded until 2015.

Acadia University Masters Candidate Julia Whidden holds a skate at Darren Porter’s weir in Bramber, NS. (Photo Credit: Danielle Quinn)

FROM THE ANGLER SURVEYS The input of anglers is incredibly important to the conservation of species targeted by recreational activities. In 2011, our research team prepared an Angler Survey for striped bass anglers, with questions ranging from fishing habits and equipment to regulation feedback to

the economics of fishing.

Every year, more anglers complete the surveys, providing data to paint a better picture of the striped bass fishing community’s influence across the province.

Below are some figures demonstrating preliminary results from completed surveys. Thanks to

all who have participated!

If you or someone you know fishes striped bass in the Maritimes, and not yet completed our Angler Survey, it is available both on our website, and in print. If you, or someone you know, would like one in print, please contact us.

CONTACT INFO website: www.stripedbass.ca e-mail: stripedbass@acadiau.ca phone: 902 585 1873 The data presented in this issue all relate to fishing gear and equipment used when fishing Striped Bass.

STRIPED BASS STEWARDSHIP Trevor Avery, Striped Bass Research Team, Acadia University What is stewardship? How can stewardship help striped bass? Who is involved in stewardship? These questions are often asked of the Striped Bass Research Team when they head to the field, fishing derby, or outreach meeting. A basic understanding about what stewardship is will help you understand some of the articles in this newsletter.

In a basic way, stewardship is the “people” side of conservation.

But what, then, is conservation?

Conservation is about the longterm protection of a species.

Conservation should not be confused with ‘preservation’ which, in ecology, is most often the term applied in a last-ditch effort to keep a species from extinction. To ‘preserve’ is to maintain something in its existing state, whereas to ‘conserve’ is to protect something from harm or destruction. The distinction is

important.

When biologists speak of conservation, they are often concerned with populations; that is, groups of individuals distinct from other groups of the same species. Often populations occupy specific areas and can overlap in space or time. Habitats are an important component of stewardship and usually the ‘easiest’ way to protect a species is to protect its habitat. Species, habitat, and conservation are tightly linked.

Stewardship is the activity of protecting and being responsible for something, and stewards take up this charge. The Habitat Stewardship Program (HSP) provides funding to support programs designed to enlist volunteers to become stewards, train stewards in stewardship activities, and measure the outcomes of these activities. The goal is to create a

self-sustaining program that will ultimately conserve a species.

But conservation has another goal; to continue to allow activities in conjunction with a species. In this case, conservation of striped bass conserves striper populations, but does so while retaining recreational angling.

Striped bass stewards include people from Federal and Provincial agencies, academics, commercial fishers, and recreational anglers all working towards striped bass conservation. Stewards can protect the habitat within which striped bass reside, or protect stripers directly through activities like catch-and-release, safe fish handling, or simply following fishing regulations. Being a steward requires participation, knowledge, an open mind, and a willingness to try new things.

Stewardship programs require more than just stewards.

Environment Canada sup-

ports projects on habitat stewardship through two programs: HSP for Species At Risk and Aboriginal Fund for Species at Risk (AFSAR). In 2013, the Striped Bass Research Team at Acadia University, the Mik’maq Conservation Group, and the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance were all awarded funding to support monitoring, surveys, outreach and awareness, and human impact mitigation of stripers.

These groups have the help of many volunteers (these are the stewards!). This newsletter is one avenue to provide news about these projects and to provide a forum for striped bass conservation, historical information, and other research being conducted on this majestic species!

For more information about the Striped Bass Research Team, projects and research on striped bass and stewardship, please visit: www.stripedbass.ca.

HELP MONITOR STRIPED BASS Sana Kavanagh, Research and Education Officer, Mi’kmaw Conservation Group Are you an avid striped bass fisher?

Do you want to learn more about striped bass in Nova Scotia?

If so, you can help monitor striped bass while you fish. Over the next two years, Mi’kmaw Conservation Group (MCG) and Dr. Trevor Avery of Acadia University will monitor striped bass. We need help from MCG community members to make this project a success. Volunteering is fun and it’s a way to show respect for and give back to a fish that has given so much.

Every time a striper is caught, there is a chance to learn more about this feisty fish. If a few scales are carefully removed from the fish, they tell a story.

Each scale has DNA that shows

how groups of striped bass from one area are related to another. Other info like length and weight can also inform us about the population. Volunteers will learn how to collect scales and keep them safe.

One of the coolest parts of this project is tagging. We will teach fishers how to put a small tag on the striped bass before releasing it. When tagged fish are re-caught, we can learn how striped bass move around Nova Scotia.

There will be workshops on tagging, scale samples, and other skills. There will also be regular meetings for striped bass fishers and events to involve the youth.

A lot of important information about striped bass comes from

people who fish.

If you fish for striped bass, you are the volunteer we’re looking for! If you’d like to volunteer or learn more about this project, please check out our website, email me at or call the Mi’kmaw Conservation Group. We look

forward to working with you thanks! website: www.mikmawconservation.ca e-mail: skavanagh@mikmawconservation.ca phone: 902-895-6385 toll free: 1-877-892-2424

Tagging Research and Fun Collide at Weir William Roberts, Striped Bass Research Team, Acadia University It was a hot sunny afternoon when I made my first trek out to the fish weir of Darren Porter in Bramber. The winding backroads had disoriented me entirely but when we arrived at the rocky, reddish beach, the alltoo-recognizable form of Cape Blomidon was visible through the haze across the reflective waves of the Minas Basin.

I was there to assist Julia Whidden, a new Masters student in Acadia’s Biology program.

For months, she had been visiting Darren’s weir at low tide, day and night, tagging fish and collecting data as part of on-going research projects. For each alive skate, sturgeon and striped

bass, Julia records lengths and some weights, then affixes each with an identifying FLOY tag.

These tags, often yellow, blue or pink, feature a unique ID number and contact information for the research team. This year, in addition to ID numbers, Julia’s tags also display the text www. trackmyfish.ca, a new website created to streamline the process of reporting tags. These tag IDs are used for population estimate studies for recaptures, but when reported by commercial and recreational anglers, they can help create migration paths.

For years, Darren has graciously allowed Acadia students to visit the weir and collect data

for their projects, tagging and releasing species that he does not catch and sell as bait to local anglers. I was surprised to discover that Julia and I were not the only visitors to the weir that day. It has become commonplace for both locals and tourists to join Darren’s team at the weir, either walking along the mudflats or hitching a ride by tractor. While Darren’s team works efficiently to process and sort their catch, the public is free to roam the shallow water, excited to see which species were caught this time, trying to catch fish by hand and admiring the diversity of our ocean neighbours.

As a research assistant, I am

no stranger to wrestling feisty sturgeon, being squirted by scared squid and getting down and dirty in the name of science.

It was, however, really great to see so many people – dozens of adults and children alike – interested in biodiversity, learning about conservation and helping out with data collection and research. Without the help of the public, our efforts wouldn’t be as successful.

A big thank you to those who get involved in conservation and rescue projects, and a big thank you to Darren Porter for allowing and helping the public to explore the ocean floor for themselves in exciting, natural ways.

BRAMBER BASS BONANZA RECAP Julia Whidden, M.Sc. Candidate, Acadia University

Ten-year-old Hunter Heart with his winning bass, weighing in at 9kg and measuring 40 inches long. (Photo Credit: Danielle Quinn)

The 1st annual Bramber Bass Bonanza couldn’t have received a warmer welcome, from both the anglers and the weather! The even took place on the 12th and 13th of July, with the scorching sun bringing out both anglers and bass of all sizes! Sixteen bass were entered over the course of the weekend, ranging from 28” to 40”. Anglers were able to fish all over the county, returning to Darren Porter’s lot in Bramber with their keepers for official measuring and photos. The weekend also featured striped bass awareness outreach from myself and field partner Danielle Quinn, focusing on our tagging program, promoting Acadia Biology’s new fish tracking website trackmyfish.ca, and encouraging safe practices for handling and releasing bass.

The weekend concluded with a filleting demonstration by Wilfred Ogilvie and Darren Porter.

A crowd gathered to watch the

fishermen expertly prepare their fish and share recipes. A generous angler even donated a piece of his bass to me! Having never tried it, I instantly accepted his offer and proceeded to barbecue and enjoy this beautiful – and tasty - fish.

The winning bass of the bonanza was reeled in by 10-yearold Hunter Heart, at a whopping 40 inches and 9 kg. The champion may have needed his dad’s help to hold up his prized fish, but he was generously rewarded with a free mount of his bass, donated by Duncan Crawford of Charlottetown, PEI. Other prizes were awarded for the smallest bass, at 28 inches, and the second and third largest bass, at 36 inches and 34 ¼ inches, respectively. Two draws brought some last-minute luck to Randy Parker and Craig Pickrem, who each won a high-quality bass fishing rod donated by Darren Porter.

COMMUNITY PARTNER PROFILE: DARREN PORTER Julia Whidden, M.Sc. Candidate, Acadia University Darren Porter says his passion for fishing can be traced back to his childhood, recalling it has always being his dream. At the age of 16, he was finally able to gain his first fishing license – a free license for clams distributed out of Dartmouth. Soon after, he sought bigger adventures, sitting on every wharf in the county, begging to be hired by any fishermen. After many unsuccessful attempts, he began his first business selling clams at about 80$ a tide, enough to sustain himself at that time.

As his family grew, he gave up fishing to work at a mill in Hantsport. Five years later, he was offered a job by a clam fisher and moved to PEI to be engulfed once again by his passion for fishing. While his re-emergence onto the fishing scene had him living in an 18.5 foot trailer on PEI for 7 months of the year for 6 years, he was eventually able to begin collecting fishing licenses.

Across his fishing career, Darren has owned and operated oyster and mussel aquaculture farms

in both PEI and Cape Breton, as well as shad, gaspereau, eel, clam, and smelt licenses in Nova Scotia.

It was only three years ago that he was able to purchase his current weir license off of Rusty Linkletter. Now two years deep into the weir, Darren attracts thousands of guests – both curious fish and people – each season. To him, the game of commercial fishing is one of constant evolution. As he seeks to fish new species, he also opens his weir to biologists like myself, generously offering up his piece of the ocean floor as our summer office of exploration and discovery.

Darren’s understanding of the importance of scientific research and education has provided Acadia University’s biology department with an invaluable resource. We thank he and his crew of Donna Dowe, Erica Porter, and Noel Geser for being so unbelievably welcoming to biologists and the public alike.

The top bass! Bamber Bass Bonanza 2013 - Biggest Catches L to R: Mike Smith (31”), Pam Chandler (30”), Jamie Leopold (29.5”), Danielle Pickrem (28.5”), Kim Heart (30”), and Hunter Heart (40”) (with his father) (Photo Credit: Danielle Quinn)

Dart tag retreived from striped bass in the Stewiacke River, over 24 years after insertion at Five Islands.

(Photo Credit: Steve Mockford)

The Story of THE OLD STRIPER Compiled by Trevor Avery, Striped Bass Research Team, Acadia University Background Striped bass have been tagged several times over the past 30 years by various researchers and agencies. If you catch a striped bass (or any fish) with a tag in it, record the number or, as a last resort, pull the tag out and return the information to the address on the tag, or (even easier) to www.trackmyfish.ca – and we’ll be sure to get the information to the owner and put your name in for a prize draw!! Here is a story about a striper tagged almost 30 years ago!

In May of 2010, a large striped bass was caught in a net during the gaspereau drift net fishery in the Shubenacadie River. Maja Reinhartsen, then a Research Assistant at Acadia, collected information on this fish when it was landed and returned the tag to Trevor Avery who found out the following information upon contacting Roger Rulifson (as per the tag address). Two scales were taken for aging and genetic stock determination. The scale age contradicts age at sea, but it has been demonstrated that age from scales underestimates actual age in larger stripers.

Statistics Years at Sea: 24 years, 7 months, 7 days since release Approximate age (based on age-attagging plus years-at-sea): 27-28 years

Scale age: growth rings on scale indicate 15 years (by M. Dadswell, J. Broome, M. MacLean) Tagging Information Date caught: 3 October 1985 Tagged by: Roger Rulifson, Senior Scientist/Professor, Institute for Coastal Science and Policy/Biology, East Carolina University Location: Caught and tagged in Gerald’s Weir, Five Islands, Nova Scotia Tag number: DMF BOX 769 MHRD. City, N.C./R.R. 00828C, (Department of Marine Fisheries, North Carolina) Length: 396 mm FL (39.6 cm) or 15.6 inches FL Body Depth: 100 mm (10 cm) Pattern: Broken lines Age: 3 years (approximated by size and scale aging) Recapture Information Date recaptured: 10 May 2010 Recaptured by: Randy Blake and Maja Reinhartsen Location: Caught by Shubenacadie River Fisherman’s Association gaspereau drift netters in the Shubenacadie River. Maja was conducting a by-catch survey for striped bass at the time.

Length: 107.95 cm TL (105.41 cm FL) or 42.5 inches TL Weight: 16.27 kg or 35.8 lbs Entrapped: Entangled by the dorsal fin and spines.

Condition: Healthy, until taken as a keeper (before tag was noticed)

STRIPERS ON THE ANNAPOLIS: A historical perspective In this issue, we begin a series on striper fishing along the Annapolis River with angler accounts of the recreational fishery in this area followed by statistics from the angling records kept at Dunromin Campground (eds.).

Nicole Oliver, Annapolis River Resident, formerly with the Clean Annapolis River Project (CARP)

Like ripples in the wake of a canoe, we leave evidence of our journey on the world around us.

We harvest natural resources, build our communities and grow our economies. It is with good intentions that we progress, but there are always consequences that cannot be predicted. For anyone with knowledge of the species, it is obvious that there has been a significant reduction in the striped bass population on the Annapolis River.

In the 1960’s a causeway was built between Granville Ferry and Annapolis Royal to replace a previously existing bridge.

The causeway is an important transportation link for the area, as well as a safeguard for 1740 ha of dyked land upstream by controlling the flow of headwater through sluice gates. In 1984 Nova Scotia Power, making use of the causeway, installed the first modern tidal power generating station in North America on Hogg Island. To this day, the tidal power station continues to generate power on the ebb tide.

There have been a wide range of scientific studies on the Annapolis River focused around the tidal generating station and threats it may pose, or contribute, to fish mortality, recruitment and passage.

Though no single influence can be identified as the source for the decline in striped bass populations on the river, there are strong indicators for what contribute to its fragility.

“A big fish from the late 80s. Our oldest daughter and my wife are trying to hold the brute while I got the shot. Although not weighed, 50lbs+ would be a reasonable estimate.”

- Bruce Day’s account will be featured in our next issue.

In this issue, we feature: Doug Parker As a young man, Doug Parker would spend the summers fishing for striped bass in and around Annapolis Royal.

“Every summer, 3 or 4 other boys and I would fish for striped bass in Allain’s Creek, a tributary of the Annapolis River. One of the boys’ homes was backed by a stream which connected to Allain’s Creek, where we’d put our rowboat in. Every day in July and August, on the incoming tide, with a rod and reel each boy would catch at least half a dozen

18-24” bass or “bake-able” size.”

“If we wanted to catch bigger fish, we would go to the bridge, which spanned the river, between Granville Ferry and Annapolis Royal. Early in the morning, we would go to Cummings’ Grocery Store and buy frozen herring. Then we’d cut it up and put it on hand lines with a weight and fish the outgoing tide. It was not unusual to count 20 people fishing off the bridge.”

“Although it was summer, it was chilly fishing on the bridge so early in the mornings. I remember one time trying to land

a fish with cold hands. I’d pull up the line and bring the fish up to the rail and almost flip it over before losing my grip. I had to repeat the process several times before I finally landed it. It was well worth the effort, as the fish ended up weighing in at 14 lbs.”

Fishing was good at this time and Dunromin Campground was establishing itself as apremier striped bass fishing destination in Nova Scotia. Currently, Doug lives along the Annapolis River, above the causeway, but does not see stripers or striper anglers like when he was a boy.