Dreaming of a trip to Canada’s remote northern waters? Here’s a primer on the north’s iconic fish

A fish on every cast. Pristine, gin-clear water. Fish as long as your leg. Exaggerations? Perhaps, unless you’re talking about Canada’s northern waters, where such clichéd claims may very well have originated. For it is across the northernmost parts of many of our provinces, and into the territories, where fishing opportunities remain the stuff of dreams for adventurous anglers the world over.

The superlatives that describe fishing in our northern lakes and rivers stem from a combination of limited fishing pressure and the waters themselves, which are relatively unspoiled and untested in comparison to our more developed and accessible southern fisheries. While getting to many of these great fishing destinations demands flying in to a lodge, others require little more than a willingness to put in some windshield time—the end of the road can deliver you to a whole new world of fishing.

Every angler fantasizes about battling big fish, and heading north can be the first and most important step in realizing those dreams. It’s not just the size of fish that compels anglers to venture northwards, though, but also the fish themselves—the species that inhabit these waters are among the most revered and celebrated in all of Canada, and beyond.