Profile of Paul Smith

Biography

Paul Smith, a native of Spaniard’s Bay, fishes and wanders the outdoors at every opportunity. He can be contacted at flyfishtherock@hotmail.com.

All articles of Paul Smith

• Puffins in peril
  In July 2009, Chris Fowler and I roamed around Iceland on a quest for salmon and trout. We flew to Reykjavik on the Icelandair red-eye from ...
• Early season silver on the Restigouche
  The 2013 salmon season opened on the island portion of Newfoundland June 1, and I suspect many anglers cleared the cobwebs from their eyes and ...
• Dancing with the big boys in the sunny south
  Over the Victoria Day weekend, 58 cm of snow fell on Gander. There was no accumulation here on the Avalon, but I did see some sloppy snow driven ...
• Making the best of it
  “It’s the 24th of May and we likes to get away Up in the woods or going out the bay There’s all kinds of places but the place we likes to get Is ...
• Big reductions in moose licences
  The 24th of May is a very significant day, not just for anglers and campers, but for hunters as well. Queen Victoria’s birthday is also the ...
• Fit for fishing
  Do you need to be physically fit to fish for salmon? Not necessarily, but on some days it makes the whole experience lots more fun — or should I ...
• Why folks do the things they do
  I ended off last week saying something about us needing more politicians that can paddle canoes. It might sound trivial to many, but I really ...
• Happy poachers and layoffs
  A few years back on a lovely, warm July morning, I paddled my canoe towards the shoreline of Gull Pond on New Harbour Barrens. I’d been fishing ...
• The many faces of camping
  What exactly is implied these days by the word camping? This past winter I did quite a bit of winter camping. We roughed it out 10 kilometres ...
• The bomber and a bitter lesson
  I awoke this morning to a downpour of rain driven near horizontal by barbecue-toppling winds. No matter what the weather or daily schedule, my ...
• Tea, kung fu and the Kelly kettle
  Tea is a wonderful indulgence — soothing, healing and refreshing, a calming organic antidote to life’s stressful days, long hours of toil and ...
• The early bird doesn’t always catch the worm
  It’s an old traditional expression that I’m sure you’ve all heard on occasion: “The early bird catches the worm.” My grandmother said it to me ...
• Hook and release: friend or foe?
  The weather in Newfoundland is oh so tricky and mischievous. Yesterday, spring was in the air, folks were outside in their yards raking and ...
• Sleeping with coyotes
  A while back, I dared say that coyotes were not solely responsible for the woodland caribou decline on the island portion of Newfoundland and ...
• Seatrout: an international celebrity
  I haven’t written much about fishing in a while. Relatively speaking, it’s been a bit of a cold and snowy winter — not as harsh as winters I ...
• Beat winter blues with ground moose
  My, how the time flies — a cliché, yes, but oh so true.I wish there was some way I could slow the hour hand and calendar. If only days could drag ...
• Listen to the pain
  I was once a staunch advocate of manning up and getting things done. You’re shovelling snow and your back hurts a bit? Ignore the pain and dig in ...
• Keep your feet warm and dry
  I hate having cold feet. I’m not talking about my feet being chilled a wee bit from a draft while watching TV in the family room. When that’s the ...
• Thoughts on the George River caribou herd
  Last week, I related to you a story of winter camping from my own personal experience. I received a few emails from people asking gear and ...
• Winter camping — without cold feet
  Finally we are having a real, honest-to-goodness, snowy and cold winter. The mercury at my cabin dropped to -18 C two weekends ago. I went ...
• This one’s dedicated to Gordon
  I’m compelled from within to write this week about trouting. By the time this piece goes to press, we’ll be nigh on the opening of angling season ...
• A bad day in the woods
  There’s no bad weather, only bad gear. Those are words dear to my heart and I repeat them often. If you appreciate your time in the woods, and ...
• A funny thing happened on the way to Heart’s Delight
  The Christmas season is over and some of us may be feeling just a tad bit down in the doldrums.Warm summer evenings are a long ways off, and the ...
• Foodies and salmon farming
  Happy New Year to everyone. I hope you all enjoyed Christmas to the fullest and shared tons of time and delicious meals with friends and family. ...
• The quiet joys of Christmas cake
  When I opened my house door yesterday, coming home from work, the sweet aroma of dark fruit cake instantly aroused my olfactory cells. The ...
• A crazy world
  The end of 2012 is drawing near. This is the last Saturday before Christmas and people are running about trying to finish off their last-minute ...
• A crazy world
  The end of 2012 is drawing near. This is the last Saturday before Christmas and people are running about trying to finish off their last-minute ...
• Time for base layers
  It’s getting colder as each week passes. I’ve kept quite in tune with water temperatures this autumn. Two-handed spey is a challenge that I’ve ...
• Fair or foul?
  Rabbit snaring is a long-standing tradition in Newfoundland and Labrador. For many decades, the snowshoe hare has provided sustenance, recreation ...
• Putting Damascus steel to the test
  I love knives. This might be one of the most politically incorrect statements I’ve ever made — if taken by readers the wrong way. Let me explain ...