Practicalities

The Fond du Lac is a relatively easy river, but, as in all northern travel, you must remember that you are on your own if something happens to you. There are daily scheduled air flights between Points North Landing and Stony Rapids, so I carry a small, handheld VHF radio, which can be used to communicate any problems with an airplane. If you buy or rent one of these units for your northern trips, familiarize yourself with the local air schedules, the frequencies that the planes use, and general radio protocol.

I also carry a personal locator beacon strapped to the back of my life jacket in case we capsize and lose our gear. This unit, when activated, sends a signal by satellite to the mission control center at Canadian Forces Base, Trenton. Upon receiving a signal, the most appropriate rescue plan is initiated based on your location.

The Fond du Lac is a warm river; if you take a spill, you aren't in as much danger of hypothermia as you would be on an arctic river. The biggest danger in the event of a capsize is the possibility of wrapping your boat around a rock, or worse — getting yourself pinned. A good course in whitewater technique and emergency rescue, and solid skill in class 2+ rapids will see you safely to the end of the river. There is no need for a covered canoe on this river, but given that you aren't portaging much anyway, it won't hurt to have one. The final lake-crossing to the community of Black Lake is over twenty miles and there are no islands to break up the full force of the wind, so you might just find that a cover is a good thing to have along.

Firewood is more than abundant and there is no real need for gas stoves. They are handy for those wet days when you want to cook under your rain fly.

Fishing on the Fond du Lac is excellent. Take tackle for pike, which you can search out in shallows and weed beds, and for walleye (pickerel), which you can find at the bottom of many rapids along the eddy lines. Grayling fishing is excellent in the many rapids of the Waterfound, so take some"tiny" spoons and dry flies.

Count on seeing lots of wildlife. Black bears are common, as are moose. In one section below Redbank Falls I have seen as many as twelve moose in a single day. In fact, I have never seen fewer than two. I have also seen lynx, foxes, otters, mink, beaver, marten, and wolves.

Whether you choose to start your trip where Highway 105 (gravel) skirts Wollaston Lake, or at Waterbury Lake, the headwaters of the Waterfound River, your trip will be about 170 miles. With few portages and lots of current, count on an easy fifteen to twenty miles a day. Allow a few extra days for possible wind on lake crossings.

You will need three 1:250,000 scale maps for your trip:
Wollaston Lake 64L
Stony Rapids 64P
Pasfield Lake 64I

Article copyright © Bill Layman, 2000. Photos copyright © Bill Layman, 2000.