Texas Hunting Network

After leaving the Dudley's and New York state, we drove across Vermont and New Hampshire and in to Maine.

Maine was the first place we ran into the situation that you had to ask for ice for tea or soda pops.

We were going to cross into the province of New Brunswick at Houlton Maine.

When we reached the border, we stopped at Customs and I went in and registered my firearms.

Since I have a tendency to be somewhat anal, I was taking 2 rifles and 60 rounds of shells for each on this hunt.

After filling out all the paperwork and inspecting the guns, the Customs Agent said we could go.

I have to back up just a little here, because I managed to get to Canadian Customs the first time around and they asked me why we were coming to Canada, and when I said to do some hunting, they asked for the registration papers for my rifles.

When I said that I was not sure what they were talking about, they told me to turn around and drive back over to the U.S. Customs office and they would fix me up.

And they did and I felt foolish, but it all actually went very smoothly.

Now with the properly filled out forms in hand I drove back over to Canadian Customs and this time when they asked, I handed them the paper work all proper and legal.

After looking at the paperwork, the agent, asked me if I also hunted with a handgun, to which I replied Yes.

She then asked me if I had brought one with me to Canada, and I said No.

She then asked why, and I said all the paperwork I received from your goverment  said I could not bring one.

She smiled at that answer and wished us a safe and successful trip.

We crossed into New Brunswick at about 9:00 a.m., and were headed to our first real major stop, at a place called Gray Rapids Lodge, just outside of Upper Blackville on the famous Miramachi River.

I had booked a One Day Atlantic Salmon fishing package.

We arrived at the place mid-afternoon and were able to do some sightseeing before supper.

One of the places we visited while in that area was the Atlantic Salmon Museum at Doaktown N.B..

The stretch of river I fished was beautiful, the Miramichi is world famous and has been for many decades, for the Atlantic Salmon and Brook Trout fishing available there.

As a kid growing up in the 60' and early 70's, I can remember some of the TV shows such as the American Sportsman and the older Sports Afield or Field and Stream episodes of Lee Wulff and Joe Brooks, fishing the Miramichi and the rivers of Newfoundland.

The lodge where we were staying and the stretch of river I was fishing were about 1 mile from the stretch of river and the lodge Ted Williams owned and fished.

My days fishing began with an early breakfast, then getting set up with waders and a fly fishing outfit. 

Somewhere in our stuff, we have or I should say had some video of me wading the river and casting. 

I did not catch any fish during my one day of fishing, but I had 20 and 30 pound Atlantic Salmon surfacing within a rods length distance of me.

My guide apologised to me that evening for my not being able to catch a fish, but I told him it was okay, as I had been watching him all day and I had not seen him catch anything either.

I was just in awe of the fact that I had been fishing the same river and in the same vicinity, that some of the sports most famous anglers had fished.

Had I have been lucky enough to caught a salmon, regardless of the size, that would have been the icing on the cake, as it was, I was thankful for what I had experienced.

That evening we had a wonderful supper and sat at the lodge and watched as twilight fell on the river, while big salmon were continueing to roll occasionally.

After leaving Upper Blackville and the Miramichi we headed southeast toward Nova Scotia.

Another of the side trips we were unable to make was to the world famous Bay of Fundy, where the highest or among the highest tides anywhere on earth take place.

We were trying to make up time and our next planned stop was North Sydney Nova Scotia and our departure from mainland North America to the island of Newfoundland.

Nest installment, the trip to The Rock.