SALMON FISHING ON CHARLESTON LAKE. 



E. A. GEIGER. 



One of the most picturesque lakes in 

 Canada is Charleston lake, 17 miles from 

 the imaginary line dividing New York 

 State from the Province of Ontario, at 

 Brockville. Air. B. Loverin, the genial 

 owner of the houseboat Lah-ne-o-tah, and 

 a member of the Reporter Hunt club, 

 promised the club a good time with the 

 salmon* as soon as the ice went out, and 

 accordingly April 28 was appointed for 

 the members to meet at the houseboat. 

 Five of us left Brockville at 3.30 p.m., by 

 the Brockville & Westport Railway, and 

 reached the lake at 5.30. There we were 

 met by our host, who gave us a hearty wel- 

 come and announced everything in readi- 

 ness for the salmon. 



In the morning lots were drawn for 

 positions in the boats. Mine fell to the 

 boat with Byron Loverein, a son of our 

 host, and a member of our club, and my 

 brother Adolph, while the other boat held 

 Messrs. Charles Stagg, Leonard Cossitt and 

 George Beecher. We got an early start 

 and soon had 4 lines in the water. We 

 were not out of sight of the houseboat 

 when a shout from the other boat an- 

 nounced the first strike. These salmon 

 never give up until landed, and after a 

 good fight the anglers brought in a beau- 

 tiful 8-pounder. Hardly had they landed 

 their fish when my brotner got strike and 

 reeled in a 6-pound salmon. Getting 

 among the islands, of which there are 123 

 in the lake, we lost sight of the other 

 boat until noon, when we returned to the 

 houseboat and found our friends already 

 in, with 5 splendid salmon while we had 

 but 3. These salmon weighed 3 to 9 

 pounds each. 



After noon we again started out, in dif- 

 ferent directions, but as the wind had in- 

 creased, and was blowing from the South, 

 causing quite a sea, it was difficult to keep 

 out in the open water. We kept closer to 

 the shores and did not have as good luck 

 as in the morning, getting only one salmon 

 each, of about 5 pounds. On our return 

 Charlie Stagg related an experience they 

 had with black bass. While fishing among 

 the islands they ran into a school of these 

 fish and as fast as they could put out their 

 lines 8 small mouth black bass : were 

 hooked, none weighing less than 4 pounds. 

 As this was in the close season the bass 



*The mentioned fish is probably Atlantic salmon, 

 Saltno solar. — Editor. 



iSs 



were carefully returned to the water ; still 

 it gave us an inkling of what sport we 

 might expect with the bass after June 15. 



The next day the wind continued strong. 

 Byron Loverin decided to remain in camp 

 and repair some of the havoc the storm of 

 the week before had wrought on his float- 

 ing boathouse, and my brother elected to 

 remain with him, so we had but 2 men 

 in each boat. Just as we were ready to 

 leave the houseboat Messrs. Ross -and Os- 

 born, of Brockville, rowed up and exhibit- 

 ed a fine 11 -pound salmon they had landed 

 off the high rocks a few minutes before. 

 We had hardly passed the first point of 

 land, Derbyshire Point, when we hooked 

 and landed a 5-pounder. We soon lost 

 sight of the other boat and decided to go 

 Southeast, . under the high bluff shore, to 

 be somewhat protected from tne wind, and 

 to remain until late in the afternoon. At 

 12 o'clock we landed at a cold spring, ate 

 our lunch, then "climbed the high cliffs on 

 Crawford's Point, at the mouth of Leeder's 

 creek, where we hdd a*i excellent view of 

 the lake for miles in all directions. On 

 our return we had 3 and the others 4 sal- 

 mon., __:. 



After supper we strolled over to Cedar 

 Park, to arrange for a rig to take us to the 

 station in the morning. While we were 

 there Mr. R. B. Reading, of Lambertville, 

 N. J., came in witn 6 salmon weighing 

 respectively 3^, 4, 8^2, 9, n and 12 pounds. 

 The crowning event of the dry was when 

 Mr. Osborn came in with a salmon tipping 

 the scales at exactly 14 pounds. These 

 are not extraordinary catches for Charles- 

 ton lake, as the weather was not favorable, 

 either day. The limit according to our 

 fish and game laws is 5 dlmon per rod per 

 day, and none of the .boats reached their 

 limit. 



It is impossible to describe the beauties 

 of Charleston lake. It is about 8 miles in 

 length and one-half mile to 6 l / 2 miles in 

 width. There are few shoals and no 

 marshes. The water runs to 300 feet in 

 depth, and is exceedingly clear, being fed by 

 many springs. The lake contains 123 is- 

 lands, on many of which are fine summer 

 cottages owned by Americans and Cana- 

 dians. The shores vary from grassy slopes 

 to high rocky bluffs rising almost perpen- 

 dicularly 50 to 200 feet. There is first class 

 hotel accommodation, and there are plenty 

 of good guides or oarsmen to look after 

 visiting sportsmen. 



