Opening of Trout Season in Algonquin Park…A Tradition

Opening of Trout Season in Algonquin Park… A Tradition - written by Kirby the Camper

I’ve been lucky enough over the past 10 years or so to be invited to go backcountry camping in Algonquin Park with one of my best friends, Dan. Dan has continued a 50 year (or so) family tradition of going to Algonquin Park for the opening of trout season. Sadly, Dan’s father passed away in the mid 90’s, but Dan felt it was important to continue on the tradition, and opened up the invite to some friends, as well as his extended family. Camping has always been something important to Dan and his family. The great part about this tradition is that Dan and I have young children that we have been able to take camping, and hope that when they are old enough, we will be able to take them into Algonquin Park to enjoy the park as we do.

Our group usually numbers between six and ten, with the number growing as kids become old enough to deal with the canoeing, portaging and isolation that are all a part of backcountry camping. Our general rule is that we like the kids to be ten years old in order to come with us. They seem to really enjoy the freedom, and the idea of backcountry camping, far away from daily stimulants. We camp and fish on Ryan Lake, which is north of Madawaska, accessed through the Shall Lake Permit Office. Our trip starts off with a couple of kilometer portage to Shirley Lake. To help us out with the portage, we have sets of wheels for the canoes, making carrying our load of supplies much easier. If the winds are up, and blowing down Shirley to where we are crossing, we can continue the portage on the logging road to the south shore of Ryan, but our preference is to cross Shirley to the Ryan Lake portage.

Ryan is a relatively small lake with maybe ten campsites on it. We usually camp at “the beach”. It’s south facing, maybe ten feet about the water, with a slope that is sandy, like a beach. The site is surrounded by tall pines that provide shelter from the winds, but open up just enough to let sunshine in during the day. Dan’s family has camped at another site I call “the field” which has no shelter. It’s a great location when the sun is shining, so you really have to hope the weather is cooperating. Over the years, both sites have provided us with a good supply of fish. If we are struggling, there is nothing to stop us from traveling around the lake to find the fish. A few years back a couple of us decided to travel to Fog Lake, a small lake located west of Shirley, with a portage that went straight up a steep hill. “Legend” had it that there were lots of fish there. We didn’t even get a nibble, but had a great afternoon relaxing in the sunshine.

Ryan Lake is stocked with Splake every other year, providing us with an opportunity to catch fish every year (although we have been catching fewer fish the past few years). The traditional bet is $1 for largest fish, $1 for first fish, and $1 for the most fish. I have paid out much more than I have taken in, since I have only caught three fish since I started going to Algonquin. Fishing isn’t the priority for me for the weekend, but there isn’t much better than eating the fresh fish we catch on opening day (our alternative is macaroni and cheese).

Some of the lessons I have learned over the years:

Change your socks before you go to bed…the nights in April are pretty cold, and damp socks aren’t good when the temperature is low.

Pack light, but still be prepared for the elements. We have had many cold nights, and one year woke up to three inches of snow on the ground. Packing up and coming out under snowy conditions was not fun.

Be careful in the canoe. We did have a fully loaded canoe, with two passengers, flip over on Ryan Lake. Luckily, everyone was fine.

Get up really early on Saturday morning in order to catch the first fish (I have not done well with this one…I would rather sleep), and start brewing the coffee.

There aren’t many beers bottled in plastic bottles (glass is banned in the backcountry).

Dan’s supply list has served us well. Dan uses the same list for supplies every year, so things are rarely forgotten.

Google Earth/Maps has really opened our eyes to what is around us.

If you get a chance to go backcountry camping in Algonquin Park, or any park, take it. It is a completely different camping experience compared to “car camping” which I love as well. ~ Kirby