24 THE REPORT OF THE No. 31 



The fishing, while good, was not (according to the reports from tourists 

 who have fished the river almost every season for the past fifteen or twenty 

 years) up to what it used to be in the earlier years, claiming the average 

 size of fish were smaller and not so numerous. They also report the river 

 as being over-run by coarse fish, such as pike, suckers, etc., which are play- 

 ing havoc with the speckled trout and will in time completely destroy the 

 river as a good trout stream if measures are not adopted to keep the stream, 

 at least as far as possible, free from such fish. 



One man was employed for a period of six weeks, during the months 

 of July and August, netting these coarse fish, during which time he des- 

 troyed 7,632 pike, 2,282 suckers, 228 dore and 145 white fish making a 

 total of 10,287 fish destroyed by this means. Yet this hardly makes an 

 impression on them, they being so numerous. 



Temporary docks were erected at canoe landings on the various port- 

 ages on the river early in the season, which have proved a great conven- 

 ience and are appreciated by the tourists. A guardian was maintained 

 on the river from June 9th until October 31st, it being necessary to pro- 

 tect the stream in this way after fishing season closes, owing to the fish 

 spawning in the shallow waters, and the stream being used as a highway 

 for voyagers to and from Lake Nepigon and the country tributary thereto. 



With the locating of the Trans-Continental Railway along the north 

 end of Lake Nepigon, this traffic has greatly increased, owing to the Nepi- 

 gon River, Lake Nepigon and the streams flowing into Lake Nepigon from 

 the north, north-east and north-west, affording easy access to over 200 miles 

 of this line; and when construction work commences on the line, this traffic 

 will be a serious menace to the fishing in these waters, unless more efficient 

 means are adopted for their protection. 



The camp grounds have been maintained in a sanitary condition. 



A shipment of 500 trout, ranging from two inches in length to those 

 weighing five pounds was made by the C. P. Ry. in a fish car (specially 

 constructed) to the waters of the Kicking Horse River, west of Banff, with 

 every success, there being only a few fish lost in transit, notwithstanding 

 the extreme distance covered. 



During the last few seasons, teams are used on the long portages on 

 the river for transporting tourists' outfit over same, and with the constant 

 traffic these portages have become badly cut up in many places, creating 

 large mud holes, etc., which are impossible to be passed by foot passengers 

 without wading in the mud up to their boot tops. Many of the other port- 

 ages are in very bad shape with boulders, etc. The bridge over Eraser 

 Creek on the Camp Alexander portage has fallen down through timbers 

 becoming decayed. These places should receive attention and be repaired 

 in the spring. 



Quite a number of the tourists during the past season also took in fish- 

 ing on parts of Lake Nepigon, and some of the streams north thereof, all 

 of whom reported magnificent sport, with speckled trout, lake trout, pick- 

 erel, etc., many lake trout weighing from 15 to 20 pounds being taken, 

 which gave exciting sport on a light rod. This lake is a most beautiful 

 sheet of water with very picturesque shores and studded with many beauti- 

 ful islands and is teeming with a variety of fish, such as lake trout, white 

 fish, pickerel and sturgeon, also speckled trout at the mouths of the various 

 streams entering into the lake. Many of the streams flowing into the lake 

 are also well supplied with brook trout, making this lake a great spawn- 

 ing ground for the latter, but which are, I am sorry to say, being ruth- 

 lessly destroyed by the Indians living around the lake. In the fall of the 

 year, when the brook trout are on the spawning grounds close to the shore, 



