We had heard tales that Big Trout Lake (aka Carp Lake) will occasionally yield a salmon or two, but we found this hard to believe. Our electrician also said he remembers pulling salmon and pike out of the area ditches as a boy. So when things got a little slower, we went salmon hunting--with a camera.
The Carp river flows out of the south end of Big Trout Lake. A quick look below the on Huckleberry Rd. certainly yielded no fish. Nor did the bridge over the Carp at M 123. So we decided if necessary to go on downstream all the way to it's mouth on Lake Huron, northeast of St. Ignace.
I didn't really expect to see much, but Bill said "Look, THERE!". Yup. There was a lonely salmon, biding it's time in a pool in the river.
We stopped at the bridge over the Carp River on the Mackinac Trail, north of St. Ignace. Walking downstream, Bill spotted some more swimming against the current upstream.
The further downstream we walked, the more there were.
That these were late comers was evident by the number of tracks and dead fish on the waters edge.
We decided to check out the mouth of the river, but found it was too deep to see any fish.
But I always enjoy looking out on the big lakes, and it seemed a fitting end to our quest... next year this is where it will all begin....again.
Great job on your Blog. It makes us feellike we are there at the lodge when we can't be there.
ReplyDeleteWe have been coming to the Lodge for the past 40 years and had a lot of nice conversations with Ann at the lodge.
My brother had a home on the South end of the lake back in the 70s and lived next door to Walter Betcher. During the deer hunting season after a long day out in the woods we would go up to the lodge in the evening for a beer and talk to the other hunters who were staying at the lodge (package deal) to see how they did.
I remember being at the 100 year Trout Lake Centennial and seeing Red driving a old Model T in the parade.
Glad to see that the Lodge has new care takers (fitting for a old hospital), please keep up the Blog (weekly updates would be nice with pictures) it makes us want to come back every chance we can.
My Father-in law Joe Pawyl during the Civil Conservation Core days was signed up for the CCCs from a small farming town in the thumb area of Michigan and traveled by rail to The Trout Lake Rail Station and was transported by truck to Camp Strongs (about 15 miles North of Trout Lake) where he spent the next couple years at the camp planting trees. When he left the 3 CCCs he was drafted into the Army Air Core where he spent the next 4 years assigned to a C-47 Aircraft and pulled Gliders over the English Channel on D Day.
Back in the 1980s his assigned C-47 Aircraft was restored and put on display in Bakersfield California at the Mc Clellon Airforce Museum.
We love staying at the Birch Lodge.
Les & Carol Toffen
Les & Carol Toffen