368 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Oc?r. 28, 1893. 



A WEEK IN THE TRITON TRACT. 



On the last day of June, ia accordance with plans made 

 when together at Lake St. John the previoixs year, our 

 party of three met in Quebec, en route for the grand 

 fishing in the Canadian Adirondacks. Bert and I were 

 prepared to remain a month, but poor Clarence had only 

 a week to spend with us. 



During our meetings in the previous winter, when 

 July seemed a visionary myth too far distant to ever 

 materialize, we had arranged and re-arranged the pro- 

 gramme for the month. How great was the anticipa- 

 tion; but how much greater the realization of our trip. 



During the early spring my friend Mr. A. L. Light, 

 l^resident of the nevply formed Triton Club, had extended 

 a pressing invitation 'for myself and friends to visit this 

 great tract, and test the quality and quantity of sport 

 that it afforded. As this was our nearest point, and 

 easily reached, we concluded to go there first. Leaving 

 Quebec at 8:30 A. M., on the Quebec and Lake St. John 

 Eailroad, we reached Skroders Mills, where the tempor- 

 ary club house is situated, at 1 P. M. We were warmly 

 welcomed by the president, and secretary, Mr. Seaton, 

 and found guides, provisions and camp equipment pre- 

 pared for us. Mr. Seaton advised us to go to Lake Trois 

 Cariboux, making our headquarters there. This lake is 

 located about ten miles from the club house, and has a 

 fine trail leading to it. The trail intersects some six or 

 seven lakes of fair size, all of which are crossed by canoe, 

 giving us a good opijortunity to rest off the effects of the 

 fifteen to twenty-five minute portage intervening. 



A few rods distant from the club house, and paralleling 

 the railroad, runs the Batiscan, the western boundary of 

 the tract, a large, fine trout river, the outlet of Lake 

 Batiscan, a large lake included in the tract, and affording 

 magnificent trout fishing. Fish of 8 and lOlbs. weight 

 have been taken from this lake. 



We made our start down the Batiscan in mid-afternoon, 

 and soon reached our first portage, twenty minutes in 

 length. Fresh from oiu: desks, how this first tramp did 

 pull on us. It was a warm day and the perspiration came 

 in streams, and our load increased in weight with the 

 miles. Tha,t is, the twenty minutes seemed to represent 

 as many miles. Tiien came a rest, and a welcome one, 

 crossing Lake Coteau, followed by a fifteen minute portage, 

 and Lake Caribou. Here we camped for the night. We 

 spent half an hour on the lake with our flies, and returned 

 to camp with 36 of the most beautiful red brook trout that 

 I have ever seen. Average ilb. 



Early the following morning, we commenced the day 

 with a fifteen miimte portage to Lake Licht. In crossing, 

 we picked up a few trout trolling our flies, and Bert 

 secured the largest loon I have ever seen; a good shot 

 with a .44cal. at 400yds. Another twenty minutes portage 

 and another lake. Here also we had good success trolling 

 our flies in crossing. A lunch in the shade, and another 

 portage of twenty or twenty-five minutes, and Lake Trois 

 Cariboux came into view. 



This is a beautiful sheet of water about three miles long, 

 with two long arms extending to the west. Midway 

 down, on a beautiful point, in the midst of spruce and 

 birches, is located an eighteen-foot-square log camp. 

 Securely and warmly built, it is provided with a log floor, 

 a small stove, tables, benches and all things necessary for 

 comfort. Log camps of this description have been, or will 

 be, placed at various points through the tract, so that com- 

 fortable quarters can be had at any location desired. 



With our arrival commenced our first rain storm, the 

 forerunner and a foretaste of rank humidity that we ex- 

 perienced almost daily through the entire month. All 

 this, too, on account of a blamed owl that commenced its 

 carols on the opposite side of the lake as soon as we 

 arrived, and kept up his monotonous tune for a week. 

 What a pity it was that we did not make a sortie and kiU 

 the rainmaking hibou. 



Plenty of boughs were procured for our bed, mosquito 

 netting stretched, everything arranged handily, and then 

 arose the question of where to fish, July is a peculiar 

 month for fly-fishing in lakes, and the fish must be f oimd. 

 A few were secured at a small I'eau froid (spring hole) 

 across the lake before dark. The following morning we 

 all started in different directions to find the best fishing. 

 Acting on the advice of one of my guides, I took a course 

 across the lake to the outlet, through which we paddled 

 for a few rods, and came out into Lake Travers, a lake 

 about two miles along. We started to search along the 

 shores for a large inlet, and experimentally I trolled my 

 flies back of the canoe. The result was astonishing. A 

 perfect succession of strikes followed, and numberless 

 were the trout I secured of about lib. weight. This was 

 indeed sport; but I wanted size as well as quantity, and 

 requested my guides to go faster. Even then the speed 

 interfered but little with the fish being hooked. 



We made nearly a tour of the lake before we found the 

 inlet wanted; it was fully a rod wide and came in from 

 the east. Entering the lake through a bed of lilypads it 

 formed an ideal spring hole, I cast my flies witlj b^t 

 moderate success, and I became convinced that the fish 

 were in deeper water and must be gotten by deep fishing. 

 We went into shallow water and with a small net soon 

 secured a quantity of small ouitouche, or chubb. I had 

 been using No. 4 flies, and hooking on an ouitouche let 

 the cast sink without a sinker in some twelve feet of 

 water. In a moment I had a good strike and after a. ten 

 minute battle I brought to net a 2^poimd trout. In a 

 few moments I had another of lilbs. For two hours this 

 sport continued until my bait was exhausted and I re- 

 turned to camp at 5 P. il. with 34 trout taken from this 

 hole, with an average weight of fully l|lbs. Bert and 

 Clarence had not succeeded as well, securing 24 between 

 them by trolling their flies in various parts of the lake. 

 For the morrow we planned a trip of a couple of days to 

 visit Hunter's and Stonewall Jackson lakes. That "man 

 proposes" but does not dispose was true in our case, as we 

 awoke to find a heavy rainstorm in progress. In fact, we 

 were not able to make this trip at all, much to our regret. 

 The daUy rains were too heavy. Fortxmately, they 

 always let up late in the afternoon so that we could have 

 the evening fishing. Mem. , the owl continued his rain- 

 making cry. 



Between showers Bert made a trip to the spring hole 

 across from the camp, and observed two caribou feeding. 

 As the law and club rules forbade shooting he was obliged 

 to finger his rifle nervously, imagine what he could do, 

 and let it go at that. Fresh moose signs we found on 

 several occasions, notably on Grant Lake. This lake, 

 about a mfle long, is connected with Lake TraveiB by a 

 stream about a quarter of a mile long, and is a fine body 



of water full of trout, and is, I believe, a great resort for 

 moose. In fact, the guides advised us that they never 

 made a trip to any part of the tract that has been opened, 

 but that they saw moose, caribou and bear. It was not 

 our good fortune to meet bruin in the flesh, but we found 

 his tracks on almost every portage that we crossed. This 

 occurred probably because we were always prepared to 

 meet him. 



Being prevented from making the trips mentioned, we 

 confined our fishing almost entirely to Lake Travers, and 

 during the five days at Lake Trois Cariboux, the weather 

 allowed a total of only 10 hours' fishing for the party, 

 with a grand total of 383 trout. The last day at the lake 

 we had 2^ hours of good weather. Result, Gm-tis 28, Clar- 

 ence 40 and the writer 25. 



Mosquitoes we were not bothered with, and the black 

 fiies were as nximerotis as they always are in July and 

 early August, but no more so than at any other point 

 either in the American or Canada woods. After fully 

 twenty years of experience, I find a solution of tar and 

 vaseline, 60 and 40 parts respectively, wiU if applied 

 twice a day, afford perfect immunity from their bites. 



From our own experience, and from the knowledge of 

 others who have fished the Triton tract, I have yet to 

 hear of anything except brook trout {Salmo fontinalis) 

 being taken in any of the waters. Lake and mountain 

 trout as reported to exist in the tract by "Silver -Doctor" 

 in Forest and Stream's issue of Sept. 2 are not "in it." 



On July 7 we made our returui trip to the club house, 

 and with much regret, as we wished to see more of the 

 tract. 



On the return journey we took another trail leading 

 northwest. This we found fully as easy to cross as that 

 followed on our journey in. We made five portages, in 

 length from ten to twenty minutes, crossing four lakes, 

 three of which were aUve with trout. The fiith portage 

 brought us to the Batiscan River, at a point some six 

 miles above Skroder's Mfil. Here the river widens out, 

 forming a small lake, simply perfect in its surroundings, 

 an ideal spot, and one that has been selected for a perma- 

 nent club house site. It is but fifteen minutes' trip from 

 the railroad by canoe via Indian River that crosses the 

 railroad and flows into the Batiscan at this point. 



Our trip down to the temporary club house was beauti- 

 ful, varied by shooting two rapids, and a stop for lunch. 

 At 3 P, M. our trip in the Triton tract was ended, and we 

 could not otherwise claim but that we were more than 

 satisfied with everything except the weather. A good 

 cleaning to get the tar coating off, and we sat down to 

 talk about the tract. We entered the tract as guests and 

 left as members of the club. The president advised us 

 that the original tract had been increased from 162 square 

 miles to 750. Truly, a magnificent preserve, and over 

 three-quai'ters of it virgin territory and waters. We were 

 also advised that there are more than 500 lakes over a 

 mile long contained in the tract. Smaller ponds are 

 numberless, and all full of trout. 



Owing to the great length of the tract, it has been 

 thought best to erect two club houses, one at each end. 

 Both are litear the railroad and easy to reach. Any point 

 in the tract is readily accessible, and can be reached in 

 less than twenty-four hours from the club houses, and 

 that by canoe and easy and short portages. 



Clarence left us for civilization on the night train with 

 an immense box of trout to show our prowess with the 

 rod. Bert and I accepted the hospitality of the club, re- 

 maining over night, and on the morrow took the train for 

 Lake St. John to continue our outing in seeking for more 

 trout, and the wonderful ouananiche in that vicinity. 



Eugene McCarthy, 



FISHING IN CANADIAN WATERS. 



Saturday afternoon, Aug. 5, found the writer leaving 

 the windy, smoky city of Chicago on the C. & G. T. R. R. 

 for a several weeks' outing, which I had decided to spend 

 in Canada, my native land. My life-long friend and old 

 partner Mr. Stanly M. Clapp, of Toronto, had extended 

 a kind and urgent invitation to join him in the season's 

 pleasures. It is needless to tell with what impatience I 

 covered that thousand miles, for my mind was constantly 

 reverting to the pleasures I had experienced in more 

 youthful days. Nine years ago in August, this very 

 month, I had taken between twenty-five and thirty mus- 

 calonge and hundreds of black bass in the waters that I 

 was now hastening to. How vividly I recalled the day, 

 when after a fifteen mile cruise (for we trolled from a 

 sail yacht then) we returned to camp and displayed five 

 beautiful muscalonge. The largest of those fish weighed 

 37ilbs. and the smaUest 19|lbs. The figiu-es I personally 

 had forgotten, but obtained them recently from my old 

 friend Mr. E. K. Bowen, of Na,panee, Ont., who was 

 with me at the time. 



I cannot refrain from relating a j)ortion of our experi- 

 ence in landing the "big fellow." Our gaff, which was 

 the best we could purchase at that time in our country 

 stores, had a way of straightening out on us or nearly so 

 when we were landing a muscalonge, but we would bend 

 it back again and go on prepared for the next. When 

 this "whale" struck he took the hooks in such a way that 

 he could keep his mouth closed, and after towing him 

 around the bay for nearly an hour Ave decided that it was 

 impossible to drown him, as he was apparently as lively 

 as ever, so we concluded to risk the gaff the first chance 

 we got. It came soon. E. K. B. got him alongside the 

 yacht, where he lay sulky and quiet for a few seconds 

 close to the keel. I reached over very carefully and 

 quickly put the gaff in him from under, near his forefins. 

 One mighty splurge and away he went with about 100ft, 

 of line, also about half the malleable iron part of that 

 gaff, which had become weakened from so much straight- 

 ening and bending. We were in a query now how to 

 land him, and on looking around the boat I found that 

 the only weapon we had was a 12ft. pole used for jjushing 

 off shore. The fish was stifi fighting, but showed signs 

 of weakening, and I proposed to Ed to get him alongside 

 if possible again, and I would try hard to lut him in the 

 right spot with the pole. He acquiesced and shortly had 

 the gamy monster parallel with the stern and about Sft, 

 out. I stood ready with uplifted pole and as he rested a 

 few seconds, his head and back partly out of water, I 

 gave him a mighty and fortunate blow across the neck, 

 breaking the hooks from the fine, but turning our game 

 beUy up, where he floated serenely. We came about 

 alongside and lifted him into the boat. After eyeing the 

 beauty with much pride, Ed asked me if I could do that 

 every time. I replied, "Certainly, that's nothing." Then, 

 he insintiated that I must have been taking lessons in the 



stoclrp-ards at Chicago, for he said that such a blow would 

 certainly have killed an ox. 



But now to come back to this summer's outing. 



Monday afternoon, the 7th, found me at the pretty 

 little town of Napanee, Ont. My friend Stanly and one 

 or two companions of former years were there to meet 

 me with a beautiful little steam launch; and they told 

 me that old "Camp Comfort" was waiting and ready, as 

 they had been out for two weeks, 



Tuesday morning early, we were steaming down the 

 beautiful Napanee River, which empties into the Bay of 

 Qutnte. As we glide swiftly along this lovely August 

 morning, out of the river and into the bay, my heart is 

 thrilled with nature's charm, and it seems that during 

 my nine years of absence the wooded shores and islands 

 have grown more picturesque and beautiful still. Fifteen 

 miles we have passed, drinking in the grandeur of the 

 scene and breathing the fresh pure air, while we round 

 Sherman's Point and enter the head of Hay Bay. Stanly 

 points to the opposite shore and announces, "Camp Com- 

 fort." I look and descry about a mile distant two white 

 tents glistening in the morning sun. A few more minutes 

 and we land. Surely the appellation is no misnomer, for 

 we find everything to make camp life a joy, and comfort 

 included. A commodious tent for sleeping (13xl6ft.) and 

 one for dining (10xl3ft.), are situated in a beautifuLshady 

 grove, on the farm of our genial friend, Mr. Chas. Curlett, 

 who for the past ten years has given my companion the 

 sole right of camping on his land, and would be offended 

 at an offer of remuneration. He is a big-hearted, whole- 

 Boified gentleman, who enjoys fishing and appreciates a 

 true sportsman. 



Dinner time soon came, and such a repast I have not 

 enjoyed in years. Fried black bass, baked pickerel (or 

 pike, as they are called in the United States), evergreen 

 corn, new ^potatoes, tomatoes and cucumbers. Dinner 

 over, we lounged about, talking of bygone days, of pleas- 

 m-e afield with dog and gun, and of duck shooting trips, 

 waiting for 4 o'clock to come, when George would steam 

 up and we would start, for a favorite cove, where Stan 

 had a muscallonge "marked down," which he said would 

 weigh 401bs. He had had it hooked over a week ago and 

 within 30ft. of the boat when it had broke loose and dis- 

 appeared ; the fish broke water twice and he had a good 

 opportunity to judge its size. He says, "I have tried 

 every morning and evening for a week since to get that 

 fellow or his mate again, but I cannot iiersuade him to 

 reciprocate my affection." 



"I'll give him a twirl this afternoon," I said, and pro- 

 ceeded to select from my kit a double spinner, two spoons 

 size 2-0, which play one above the other, and have always 

 heen a favorite bait with me. Presently George's "all 

 aboard" soimded pleasantly on our ears, and we lost no 

 time in getting there. I had just seated myself nicely in 

 the stern, when glancing up I saw Stanly walking out the 

 plank, tackle in one hand and a hammerless gim in the 

 other. To my inquiry "What are you going to do with 

 that gim?" he replied, "Shoot the stuffing out of that fish 

 if he strikes again to-day. I'd have had him last week if 

 my gun had been in the boat." I emphatically declared 

 he'd shoot no fish that I got hold of, as I wished some- 

 thing more than the head to bring back with me. 



We ran four lines, one from each side of the yacht and 

 two from the stern, I attending the left and Stan the 

 right. One trip up the cove was a blank, but on our 

 retm-n, and when half the distance had been traversed, I 

 felt a faint tug and then a stronger one at my stern line, 

 and I knew in a few seconds that I had hooked a large 

 fish and began playing him. I remarked to Stan that I 

 had his fish, and he at once got the other lines out of the 

 way and George shoved on more steam. In thirty seconds 

 the fish broke water 150ft. below and I saw that he was 

 only about 18 or 301bs. Stan went for his gun and stood 

 on the stern deck ready, when I bade him put it away 

 and get the gaff, which he did. In five minutes I had 

 the fish coming straight in on top of the water vsdthout a 

 kick. But here comes the ridiculous part of it. I sup- 

 posed that Stan knew how to gaff a mascalonge and did 

 not instruct hira ; but he told me after that he had shot 

 every one taken for years back after tiring them out and 

 had really forgotten how to haiidle the gaff. Well. I had 

 scarcely got the fish alongside when Stan made one 

 mighty overhand grab, and actually yanked the fish from 

 my hooks and let him slide off the gaff and disappear in 

 the depths. He looked around, a sickly grin on his palid 

 features, and said, "I told you so, why didn't you let me 

 shoot him?" and gave the gaff one big jjitch overboard 

 and vowed he'd never take another one in his hands. 



Well, I enlarged on his stupidity considerably, for he 

 had gone at that fish as some farmer would at a hill of 

 potatoes with a hoe, I gave him a lesson in gaffiing a few 

 days later on a 151bs. one, and he readily admits his en-or 

 now, but he is still the object of much I'idicule. 



A word about black bass fishing. We are having great 

 sport with the gamy fellows. Every morning from 5 to 7 

 o'clock and evenings at the same hours we repair to one 

 of the many splendid bars which abound in Hay Bay, and 

 only a few minutes' sail or row from camp, and here 

 catch them until we are nearly weary of the sport. One 

 week ago Fi'iday evening my friend and I landed forty- 

 two black bass in one and one-half hours, weighing from 

 li to 61bs. 



Yes, this is a paradise for fishermen indeed. We use for 

 bait green frogs, miimows, crawfish and grasshoppers, any 

 of which can be procured in close proximity to our camp. 

 I have taken some very large fish this season on angle 

 worms also. We have kept our farmer friends and 

 acquaintances in neighboring towns quite well supplied 

 with fish of late. We never return from a still- fish after 

 bass without a good big string. I am using a 7oz. Bris- 

 tol steel rod and an aluminum automatic real for my bass 

 fishing, and when I hook on to an old "slab-sider," as Stan 

 calls the big fellows, 1 have sport indeed. 



If some of my old Pennsylvania friends chance to read 

 this article, and doubtless they will, for many of them, 

 like myself, are lovers of Forest and Stream, I would 

 say to them, don't waste your time whipping the old Sus- 

 quehanna as we used to do, day after day, and often re- 

 turn home with an empty creel, but get over here for only 

 a couple of weeks, and you will return home much hap- 

 pier and more contented fishermen. 



There are hundreds of acres of rice beds and marsh in 

 some portions of the bay, and wfidfowl aboimd and breed 

 there in coimtless numbers. My friend killed forty-eight 

 ducks from 4 o'clock in the morning to 10 o'clock A. M., 

 with one gun, on the opening day last season, and indica- 

 i tions are good for splendid shooting this fall. 



