Shelly...you seemed to enjoy my first attempt at composing
a true life adventure of mine, I thought I would make a second attempt.....The year was
1968 and I was serving a 4 year tour in the U.S. Navy at Argentia, Newfoundland.
Newfoundland is a sparsley settled province of Canada and survives on fishing and timber.
The Special Services Branch of the Naval Station provided various benefits to the Sailors
for Morale and Welfare. A remote fishing camp, which was accessible by float plane only,
was made available for 3 days. It included a 50 acre lake, with two cabins, separated by a
beautiful, pristine river. There was a foot bridge crossing the river that joined the two
cabins. There was one cabin for Officers and one designated for enlisted service members.
We were lucky...there were NO Officers on this trip. Another amenity was 3 aluminum fishing
boats w/10 HP outboards and local fishing guides to accompany us, providing instructions
and tackle tips, cleaning fish and head chef and bottle washer! They were licensed
hunters and were provided with rifles for protection as black bear and Moose were
prevalent. The first night we went outside with a spotlight and walked midway on the
foot bridge. We soon spotted a large bull moose wading in the stream, eating water
plants and never giving us a second look. We arose the first morning and could not
wait to wet a line in the unspoiled waters of Lake Jubilee! The four of us teamed up
with our partners and began casting small bronze spoons and colorado spinners w/trailing
nightcrawlers. We were fast into native brook trout that averaged 12 inches but some
approached two pounds. Their color was amazing with the blue and orange spots standing
out on their darker flanks as we placed several on the stringer for lunch, releasing
the rest. The brookie is a bulldog of a battler on ultra light tackle and a good match
for my 308 Mitchell spinning reel and 4 1/2 foot Shakespeare rod. A bonus to our trip
were the Bald Eagles soaring overhead and spotting their nesting sites. As we approached the end of the lake, it narrowed into a
fast moving stream and we beached the boat and explored the water as it cascaded downward
in a series of fast water, momentarily gathering into clear pools, then gushing out of
another opening and continuing downward to the river below. We fished these pools with
small Mepps spinners with squirrel tail trebles and caught and released over 50
Brookies in less than two hours! It was amazing. I shall never forget its natural
beauty without ever once seeing a cigarette package, aluminum can, car tire or rusting
refrigerator. The next morning we were encouraged to wade upstream and try our luck on
Landlocked Salmon. They willingly took our offerings of small silver and bronze spoons
in the current and were airborne immediately after feeling the hook! These fish ran to
4 lbs and were more than a match for our light tackle. That evening we cleaned the fish
at the rivers edge and enjoyed the taste of freshly caught Salmon and Trout while
listening to the call of the loons listening to Bear and Moose stories by the guides.
As the plane lifted off from this serene sight, everyone, although ready to take the
hour long flight home to reunite with family, were saddened by the fact that this would
be our last trip to truly virgin woodlands and unspoiled wilderness fishing....../ BassnRoun) |
