Madden Lake

Madden Lake

         I had been asked to test some SHOOT N C Targets, and thought I might as well make a quick trip into Madden Lake as well to check things out, before sighting in my twenty -two rifle.

 While it is possible to get to Madden Lake by the Sawmill Lake road off the Fairview-White Lake Road, the easiest way is to continue from this junction 6.9 kilometres up the Fairview Road. Turn left at the sign-post for Ripley and Madden Lakes. At the 7.3 kilometre mark the Ripley Road takes off to the left, soon passing under the power line. At 7.8 kilometres, keep to the left then stay on the main road and ignore all the side roads.

 From here to Madden Lake the terrain is fairly open, largely due to the huge fire that swept through here in 1971. There is an abundance of balsam root and saskatoon bushes all along this route. The balsam root is a good wild edible and at times a favourite for the blue grouse as they go for the seeds in the fall. Bears perhaps covet the saskatoon berries even more than we do, for you often see plenty of evidence of this in bear scat.

 Arriving at the lake, the odometer showed just under 9.4 kilometres. I found the recreation site full to bursting even this early on a Friday afternoon, and new arrivals were turning away to search for other option. There seems to be eight official sites, but several more makeshift ones were also in use. Unfortunately I was told about one of the tables being destroyed and burned the previous week. Subtle use of a cell phone camera would be great if turned in to the police to capture such selfish culprits.

There is a trail around the lake that does access some spots to fish from shore, but a lot of the shoreline is full of bull rushes and  reeds. The most popular method of fishing is by boat and with a fly rod. Chromids appear to be working very well this May long weekend, and I had several reports of fish caught between one and two pounds. Several years ago, I passed this way during hunting season and saw a fellow with six nice fish that appeared to be about four pounds each.

 This whole area between Sawmill Lake and Ripley Lake is criss-crossed with roads and trails that are popular with ATV users and trail bikes. The dryness of the country leaves it very susceptible to damage and I would encourage users to remain on established trails. There seems to be some improvement in the amount of garbage left out in the country, but there is still some evidence of abuse. This is also rangeland, so remember to leave gates as you find them to keep the cattle where they belong.

 My prime purpose today was to test a special target and I did not want to disturb the campers and fishermen. Slipping further uphill I located a quiet spot with a good backstop where I could set the target up in the shade. One shot was all it took to impress me. A brilliant yellow circle appeared just off to the right and below the  florescent bulls eye. Upon impact, part of the black coating around the shot flakes off showing the yellow under undercoating on the target. Even though the target was placed in the shade, this shot showed up on the black three-inch circle very clearly. Three more shots and I already felt I was ready for bird season in the fall. Ask your local sporting goods dealer if they have the Shoot N C target. They are available from Birchwood Laboratories Inc.