14 THE REPORT OF THE [ No. 68 



change of water, if the water is kept at a temperature of forty or fifty degrees, 

 and frequently aerated. With such a car, satisfactory progress should be made 

 with the work during the approaching season ; and it is believed that the railway 

 companies will with eagerness embrace the opportunity of aiding the Province in 

 the manner indicated, being \ eneficiaries to so large an extent by our lakes and 

 rivers being well stocked. It may be mentioned in this connection that a number 

 of railways in neighboring States, recognizing the importance to them of this 

 condition, have, independently of State aid, equipped such cars to assist in the 

 work carried on by the Commissioners, though State cars are also in operation. 



THE RIVER NEPIGON. 



The River Nepigon, which connects Lakes Nepigon and Superior some sixty 

 miles east of Port Arthur, and which is said to be the head waters of the St. Law- 

 rence, is our most noted fishing river, and is admitted by those who have whipped 

 its waters to be the finest trout " stream " in America, if not in the world. 

 " Stream," however, conveys a very erroneous and vague idea of the magnitude 

 of the river, unless one were in the habit of so speaking of the great Niagara, 

 for the Nepigon possesses in but a slightly lesser degree the " whirling and 

 tumbling water, and the eddies and currents leaping and charging from side to 

 side in eternal confusion " of that river. Here is the virgin home of the speckled 

 trout, specimens having been taken weighing five, seven, and even ten pounds ; 

 and here is the angler's paradise. When they are rising well, the fun is fast 

 and furious, for the trout of this region are unequalled for vigor and activity. 

 No more delightful outing could be imagined, desired or experienced than is 

 afforded by a fortnight spent on the glorious Nepigon. The scenery alone would 

 well repay a visit, not to speak of the angling. In its sinuous windings it recalls the 

 famous Saguenay, and it, is a matter of constant wonder what splendor the next 

 turn will reveal. In some places the shores are banked with foliage to the water's 

 edge, while in others bold bluffs rear themselves majestically to dizzy heights, and 

 many islands add charm to the view. Immediately one begins the ascent, he feels 

 that he has been transported to another world. Dull care is left behind, the 

 anxieties of life cease to oppress, the very atmosphere seems to be intoxicating, and 

 he gladly yields to the fascination of his surroundings. After leaving Lake 

 Helen and passing the little Indian village at the mouth of the river, the prospect 

 is unbroken by settlement or habitation, and is one delightful expanse of nature's 

 most exquisite handiwork. Six miles more, and the first camping place — Camp 

 Alexander — is reached, and the initial portage has to be made. Here tents are 

 pitched, and preparations begun for spending the night. Some of the guides 

 repair to the forest, and in a few moments return heavily laden with large 

 bundles of fragrant spruce boughs, which they adeptly convert into restful couches. 

 Others have meantime been preparing the evening meal ; the call to "wee-sin" is a 

 welcome sound, and soon the camp is lulled to rest by the never ceasing song of 

 the river. No reliable fishing is to be obtained below Camp Alexander, though 

 the impatient angler has occasionally been rewarded with a rise where a fly has 

 been cast in the eddies along the way. The river falls in its course of 20 miles 

 between Lake Nepigon and Camp Alexander some three hundred feet ; so that for 

 this distance falls and rapids follow in quick succession, and good fishing is to be 

 had almost anywhere between these points. The guides are either Indians or 

 half-breeds, and, as a rule, are most attentive and trustworthy. To be properly 

 equipped, two guides are required for each canoe, unless one is himself an adept 

 canoe man, and has a fondness for hard work, for it requires a strong arm, a skil- 

 ful hand, an unerring eye, and an active brain to safely pilot a craft through these 

 turbulent waters into the coveted haunts. Indeed, as the struggle against the 

 rushing waters becomes fiercer, the muscles and veins of the swarthy guides stand 



