Anglers have been taking advantage of the great weather this fall by fishing the Bras d’Or Lake. I haven’t been able to get out but friends have sent me pictures of the great trout they are catching.
As a fly tier I am always interested in what the fish are taking. Gordie’s Shrimp is always a good choice but I’ve also heard of trout being caught with their stomachs full of three-spine sticklebacks. Sticklebacks are a common bait fish throughout Cape Breton, in both fresh and brackish water, and trout love to eat them so it is not surprising that trout in the Bras d’Or Lake are taking advantage of this plentiful food source.
Sticklebacks aren’t large fish. Most of them are five centimetres in length and don’t live that long. Three years is the average lifespan. As their name suggests the fish have a series of spines on their back, and one on the bottom of their body. These spines fold against the fish’s body when swimming but they can be extended and locked in place when the fish is threatened. Unfortunately the spines do not appear to be much of a deterrent to trout as sticklebacks are a favourite food for brook, brown and rainbow trout in both fresh as well as brackish water.
Much is known about the biology and behaviour of this species as they have been widely studied. Sticklebacks have an interesting mating behaviour where the male builds a nest at spawning time, which takes place in the spring. The nest is made on the bottom and consists of plant material, which the male stickleback forms into a barrel shape nest, open at each end. The nest is held together with a glue-like material the fish secretes from their kidneys. At spawning time the male stickleback becomes bright red in colour and carries out a courtship dance to attract the female into the nest where she releases her eggs. Once they hatch young sticklebacks grow quickly.
While three-spine sticklebacks are the most common, Nova Scotia is home to five species of sticklebacks. They are the three spine, the four spine, the nine spine, the brook and the black-spotted stickleback. All the species generally look the same except, as their name implies, the number of spines they have. In colour they range from silver to a greenish brown, except during spawning when the male takes on their spawning colours.
While live sticklebacks make good bait there are numerous imitations also available. A search of the Internet will reveal numerous fly patterns. However, I believe a small muddler minnow tied with a silver tinsel body is as good as any. If you want a fly that is more realistic tie on a silver body and then palmer a grizzly hackle to imitate the spines. Finish it off with a red head.
Tip of the week:
Don’t forget that the bag limit for trout in the Bras d’Or Lake at this time of year is two trout which may be brown or rainbow. Also, there is now a size limit for rainbows. They must be at least 35 cm in length.
Cape Breton native Don MacLean is a fisheries biologist and a resident of Pictou. He writes on sportfishing for a variety of publications. You can reach him at email@example.com.