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

NORTHERN PIKE

Common across most of southern Canada, pike are often referred to derisively as “hammer handles” because so many are relatively small and slim. Head north away from the crowds, however, and you’ll soon understand why they’re called “great northern pike.” When environmental conditions and next-to-no fishing pressure allow them to age, pike can grow to more than 50 inches in length—and test even the toughest tackle.

Big northerns are an entirely different fish than the pike many of us cut our fishing teeth on. They can be cautious feeders, but when the bite is on, even the largest lure or fly in your box will offer little more than a snack. And once hooked, they’ll fight until they can’t, usually after several powerful runs trying to escape. Even when they’re at the boat, however, the game’s not over. You still have to extract your hook and I, like many other hapless anglers, have the scars to prove their razor-sharp teeth remain a threat until they’re safely released.

The best pike waters are cold, clear lakes in the northern Prairie provinces and the southern N.W.T

The best pike waters are cold, clear lakes in the northern Prairie provinces and the southern N.W.T., where 20-pound fish are common—you don’t get too excited until you hook a pike weighing upwards of 30 pounds. Big spoons and large crankbaits are the norm for tackling these monsters, but spinnerbaits, in-line spinners and jigs have also taken their share of pike; when they’re hungry, they’re not particular. If you’re looking for an exciting change of pace, try walking-the-dog with surface baits such as the Zara Spook. Watching a big pike leave a wake as it torpedoes toward your lure and smashes it on the surface is about as exciting as fishing gets.

I mostly fly fish for large pike, stripping streamers just below the surface. While doing just that last summer out of Saskatchewan’s famed Cree River Lodge, I landed my best pike yet. The 46½-inch thug had my 8-weight bent to near-breaking, and me dancing in circles, as it made run after run around and under the boat before I eventually wrestled it into submission. I can’t recall a more thrilling fight. Great northern pike, indeed.