The San Francisco call., 1896-07-19
THE TROUT
in LEBRqDOR
Glorious Fishing in
the Hudson Bay
Region
THE Ouananiche and It's
Canadian Environment.
E. It. Chambers
A Book That Hunters and Anglers
Will Love-A Plea for the
Preservation of the
Forests

A book which will certainly prove of great
interest as well as of value to sportsmen of
our Eastern States and OF the eastern prov
inces OF Canada is The ouananiche and its
Canadian Environment" by E. T. Chambers.
II contains an account OF the fishing waters of
the Province OF Labrador, the principal game
fish in them, and some delightful descrip-
tions of fishing trips and incidents.
The region in which the ouananiche, game
species of salmon trout, fourishes and has its
sole abiding place, is the great peninsula
which reaches from Hudson Strait on the
north to the st. Lawrence on the south, and
from Hudson Bay on the west TO the Gulf of
st. Lawrence and the Atlantic on the east.
This vast territory is fully 1000 miles from
east to west and 1900 miles from north 10
south. The region abounds with magnificent
lakes and rivers, is almost wholly unexplored
and affords for fishermen the best sporting
grounds in the world from the time the ice
breaks up in May to the beginning OF fall.
The recent construction of the Quebec and
Lake ST. John Railway has opened up rich
and promising section of the country to
tourists and anglers. AS q consequence 1t Is
stated that trail 800 miles long from quebec
into these magnificent wilds is now as tfe-
quent an occurrence as was one OF thirty miles
from the same city little more than decade
ago; while camping ana exploring parties in
quest of adventure and sport have penetrated
by portage and canoe to the great Lake Mis-
tassini. some $50 miles from Lake St. John go
ing toward the north. From comparatively
small corner of the territory traversed by this
trail there could be taken the total areas OF
the Adirondaeks, the Rangeleys and Yellow
stone Park, and as yet not third of this i'm
mense fish and game preserve has been
trsversed by tourists or sportsmen.
The Labrador Peninsula is so completely un-
explored that even its largest lakes and rivers
have not been even approximately surveyed
to their full extent. Mistassini is the only
large lake north of Quebe that had been sur
veyed up to 1894, and this was found to be
above 100 miles in length. Eastward of that
lake there was found in the same year an in
land body of water larger still. The Low ex-
pedition, which discovered this lake, was also
the first to explore the great falls OF Hamilton
River, which are said TO excel those of Niagara
and to be the finest in the world.
The work before US, however, is not an ac-
count OF the exploration of Labrador and
Northern Quebec. 1t is a sportsman's book
and contents itself with merely suggesting the
immense possibilities of the country for those
who delight in camping out, hunting and fish,
ing. 1t is time, therefore, to turn from a con-
sideration of the country itself to its fish, and
particularly to the ouananiche, from which
the book takes its title.
The ouananiche is the salmon found in the
waters of Northern and Eastern Canada Care
full observation tends to the belief that it very
seldom descends TO salt water. 1t is found in
the fresh waters OF Lake st. John all the year
around. Strangely enough, however, it is not
found in any lakes or rivers that empty into
Hudson Bay, but only in those which flow TO
the st. Lawrence or the Atlantic. 1t is claimed
that the ouananiche, which is frequently
caught Weighing from eight to ten pounds, is
the gamest fish of its size in the world, and
offers the finest sport that anglers know.
Other game fish of these waters are brook
trout, of which five species have been taken at
one time in single net Hamilton River;
the lake trout, which grows to an enormous
size one having been taken which weighed
twenty pounds; the Marston trout, newly
discovered Labrador fish over which anglers
grow enthusiastic; the onitouche, species of
club which attains q weight of six pounds,
rises freely to the hy and fights like Trojan
the white fish, which is more easily taken in
Labrador than in the great lakes; pickerel,
pike and turbot, species of fresh water cod,
which grows to an immense size in Lake st.
John and is described as being very good
eating.
The game of the country includes bear,
moose, Caribou red deer. and almost innumer-
able quail, partridges, snipe, black ducks,
teal and sheldrake. Moose, except in localities S
remote from railroads, are getting scarce.
Caribou said to be fairly plentiful in the
entire Saguenay and Lake st. John country,
while bear are liable to be encountered at any
time and therefore even on fishing trips the
sportsman is warned to take his gun with him.
The rivers OF the country broken by in
Vulnerable rapids and waterfalls, and there
tore are navigable only by light birchbark
canoes. which can be carried around the falls,
or packed from one river or lake to another.
The pleasure of canoeing is put down by Mr.
Chambers as one of the delights OF a hunting
or fishing trip in the Labrador country. OF
~ ,ala he he a
genuine enthusiasm and says:
at is an experience that none should miss
to run the rapids OF the Grand Decharge, the
Peribonoa, or the Ashuapmouchouan The sem
satIon. as the frail craft glides almost with
imperceptible velocity down steep incline of
smooth water, or dips into the hollow of a
great sea, is thrilling in the extreme Now it
seems that the crest of huge wave is about to
break over the side of the canoe; the next in
stsut the birchbark is lifted sideways out of
the hollow. Then again the bow is apparently
upon the point of being submerged, when the
canoeman in front cuts off the head of the
breaker with his paddle. Here, in very dan
gerous place where two currents violently
collide, or in the very vicinity OF a
whirlpool, the guides, resting upon
their paddles, hold back the canoe
in the middle OF q heavy rapid, until
a propiiious moment approaches for darting
by the temporarily averted danger. There,
both men are struggling for very life, strain
ing every muscle to wrench the canoe out of q
current that would dash it upon a rock, or
forcing it against the treacherous, smooth
rapid that carry it down over yonder water
fall. For while they seem TO be making no
headway. When one lifts his paddle little
high, it is evident that the canoe IS losing
ground. Even for the bravest it is an exciting
moment. No swimmer could struggle success
fully against that awful tide But one false
stroke and all would be over. Experience and
endurance triumph in the end, and never yet,
when the injunchons of guides have been OBJ
served, has any serious accident occurred to
angler or tourist in the Canadian environ
ment of the Ouananiche.
Well indeed, does Charles Hallock say that
there is an exhilaration in canoe-voyaging
which pertains to no other kind of locomotion
enjoyed by man.
The angler who penetrates these regions
must OF course rely largely upon the Indian
hatlVes Tor guides and boatmen. These as a
RUE are said to be reliable, trustworthy and
thoroughly skillful in their work. Mr.. Cham
: oe.s' VINO has evidently had much experience
1tn enem, speaks of them with high praise.