5:00 AM wake-up and we were on the road to begin the first
leg of our journey across the continent. We had just about a week to explore
the three closer Maritime Provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince
Edward Island. The drive over to NB was about 8 hours long so we appreciated
being able to switch drivers.
First stop of the journey was to a set of rapids on the
Oromocto River to see if we could get into some Alewife and maybe Blueback
Herring. Upon arriving, we spied a few families fishing in the fast water using
dipnets, a very good sign! We hurried to the river and it didn’t take us long
to realize that it was teeming with fish! It proved difficult to get them to
take a hook but eventually we both succeeded in landing some, our first lifers
of the trip.
Next, we drove down some back-roads to get to a small creek
that I had heard was supposed to have a good population of Slimy Sculpin. Most
micros don’t interest Alex very much so she stayed in the car while I made the
quick trek through some thick woods. The water was incredibly clear and I
quickly found some sculpin laying right on the current seam. A short bit of
fishing with a small worm and another lifer was mine! Driving out of this area
was not as easy as catching the fish though. The route Google Maps suggested
took us down what was little more than a trail, with large rocks, small stream
crossings, and ruts. I wasn’t too happy to give the Matrix a beating this early
in the trip.
After successfully navigating the “road”, we made our way to
Hopewell Rocks to see the famous flowerpot formations. The natural sculptures
were cool, but the Stickleback and Topminnows in the surrounding marshes were
even cooler! One of my big goals was to catch the remaining 4 species of
Stickleback in eastern Canada that I had yet to encounter. I’m happy to say
that the Hopewell Rocks tidal marshes provided me with some beautiful male
Threespine Stickleback, as well as a Mummichog (little did I know Mummichog
would be found everywhere).
After a long day, we drove to our home for the night: a nice
campground called The Shire. It’s a free area to spend a few nights and is run
by an older gentleman by the name of Don. He only asks that you walk across the
road to greet him and sign-in before spending the night. Apparently, he’s been
doing this for a good 20 years; I was amazed by his generosity. The area had a
sort of hippie-era feel with lawn sculptures, VW buses, and a communal eating
area. To my delight, it was also home to some Ninespine Stickleback which I
found in the marshy area behind the campsite J
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