The Allagash Wilderness Waterway this past fall lost one of the most colorful rangers ever to work on its iconic waters. Brady Scott passed away on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016. Brady was the epitome of an Allagash Ranger; he could fix almost anything, was an expert watercraft operator, worked hard and was excellent at public relations.
When I showed up to work on the waterway in 1976, Brady had already been working there for a couple of years. He was a larger-than-life character. It wasn’t written in any manuals, but the unwritten standard for a waterway ranger was Brady Scott. If you wanted to be a good ranger, all you had to do was try to emulate Brady.
I can still remember the first time I ever met Brady. I was working at Churchill Dam for the day, when Brady came to the dam to gas up the Eagle Lake boat. I told him that there was a hornet’s nest over by the trashcans and that people were getting stung when they went to drop off garbage. Brady promptly poured some of the boat gas into a coffee can, walked over to the nest, threw the gas on the nest and then tossed his cigarette towards the nest. It all went up in a big ball of flames. Needless to say, I was impressed. As you can tell by this story, safety was not one of Brady’s strong points.
Some of the fondest memories I have from my early years on the waterway are going to Eagle Lake to work with Brady for the day, staying for supper and then going out togue fishing. Brady was a skilled togue fisherman. He fished the old fashioned way — lead line, big silver spoon and sewed live bait. He would rig up my fishing rod. All I had to do was sit in the front of the canoe and make sure my spoon was following along the bottom. On cue he would say, “We should be getting one right about now.” Within a matter of minutes one of us would have a togue on.
When you are only 23 years old and have never experienced the thrill of reeling in a 26-inch lake trout — magnified by the water as you look over the side of the canoe — that is a memory that stays with you for a lifetime. As you can tell, whenever Brady needed a hand doing something, I was more than happy to volunteer.
Brady made his own trolling spoons. He would cut the outline of the spoon from the side of a toaster, pound it into a curved shape with a hammer and then put it on some wire with a few beads. They were half-again the size of the biggest Murry Spoon; the large size of the spoon made it easier to feel the bottom of the lake. He made me one, which I still use today. I hope I never lose it.
I have one more story that I would like to share about the generosity of Brady. I was on seasonal layoff for the winter; money could get a little tight by spring. This particular winter I decided to try my hand a catching smelt and selling them to the local bait shops. It didn’t turn out to be a very lucrative venture. Norma, Brady’s wife, decided to come out of the waterway to spend Easter weekend with us. Brady must have sensed that times were a little tough for us, because he emptied his pockets of all the money he had, and gave it to me. I tried to refuse but he would have no part of it.
Thank you, Brady Scott, for all you taught me as a man, and as a ranger. I will cherish the memories. RIP.
Editor’s Note: Matthew LaRoche is superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. For general information on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, go to: www.maine.gov/allagash for an information packet call (207) 941-4014, or write to the Bureau of Parks and Lands, 106 Hogan Road, Bangor, ME 04401.
