Rocky Brook Camp

Here are the outlaws at Rocky Brook Camp. This camp was burned by someone that was mad at someone else over a woman. First they chopped down a huge white pine; apparently that didn't accomplish the destruction of the camp, so they torched it.

I've spent many a night here, and one time Doug Carter took me and Wacker to Mountain Pond after a wild night of drinking too many beers. The trout were jumping into our baskets, and the black flies were so thick that we were breathing them in. Somewhere in there in believe we were on the old Coolaw tote road. Those trout were some of the best I've ever had; we baked them and ate them with blueberries.

Another time I was there with Doug, and a wolf actually flew in the air right over our heads! Sometimes when you're in the woods, weird stuff happens.

l to r: Candy and Glen Visconti, Doug Carter, Robin Reilly, Liz Hoy, Joe Hat, Karen Hoy, Wacker, Mark Carter, Steve Hoy; front: Steve McCann and Roger Parmeter

Fishing Derby, Owlyout, January 28 2006

Panther Mountain and Cobble Hill

Ice Shanty, looking towards Figure 8 Mtn.

Fishing on the Ice on Chateaugay Lake

Mouth of Owlyout Creek

Figure 8 Mtn., Porcupine Knob (Drew Mtn.), Larrabee Mtn.; Bluff Point in foreground

Figure 8 Mtn., Drew Mtn., Larrabee Mtn.

Drew Mtn. and Larrabee from mouth of Owlyout Creek

Birch Hill (left), 3rd, 2nd, and 1st Hills

One of these northern pike weighed 14 lbs.

Jack Clifford Camp (a.k.a. 5 Chimneys)

Every winter Doug Carter runs a fishing derby at the Owlyout Tavern (right by Owlyout Creek); the past few years they've had more than one a year. There are cash prizes ($200) awarded every hour for the biggest legal fish caught anywhere on Chateaugay Lake. There's a big breakfast early in the morning, and they run it until dark.

I brought along my camera so I could get a good shot looking out at the "W" range from Charlie Merrill's place; this will go in the book.

From Merrill's house I went to the Owlyout where I got some good shots of some of the fish; right when I left there was a single lake trout, a nice size, perhaps several pounds or so. A few years back that's all you could catch, plus perch, but now the pike have taken over.

Where did the pike come from? Is this a secret program run by the DEC? I've heard that the NYS DEC has been trading species to release in the wilds with other states. Someone from downstate found a badger or wolverine, with a Utah tag. When they contacted the NYS DEC, nobody would talk about it, but when they contacted the outfit in Utah, they admitted that they've been trading their species in order to obtain whatever New York has been giving to them. Probably more of these pike.