Adventures in the northern country

Jun. 28—For the past several years, I have ventured north to the remote waters of northern Saskatchewan for a week of fishing in lakes where the fish seldom see a lure.

I've written about the experience and thankfully have been able to help some of you plan your first venture up north.

There are several ways to fish in this remote wonderland but most involve flying in a float plane, at least those in the far northern part of the providence. Some fishing lodges are full service where everything is furnished including meals and guided fishing. I've fished at several of these and it's lots of fun to jump in a boat with an experienced guide, but for those of us that enjoy doing it ourselves, there are outfits like my friend Bryce Liddell runs.

Iskwatikan Lake Lodge is situated on a remote island about 20 air miles from a little settlement called Missinipe, on the banks of Otter Lake.

Otter Lake is remote but not nearly as remote as our fishing camp on Iskwatikan Lake. The short flight takes one over countless small islands and lakes and I always wonder if man has set foot on any of these tiny islands or fished the lakes.

It wouldn't be impossible to access the area by canoe but it would be a major chore and one would have to be in top physical condition to portage and probably chop brush to reach the final destination.

During the winter months, Bryce Liddell makes the 25-mile ski mobile run hauling fuel to his camp using the frozen lakes as a highway.

Once at Bryce's camp, everything for a comfortable week of fishing is there including a cozy cabin, boat motor and fuel. Guests need to bring their own food and drinks, which are readily available at grocery stores along the drive from Saskatoon.

We eat fish daily and very often twice a day. A tasty, cold, fried walleye sandwich makes a quick and tasty breakfast before we head out to fish. Dinner is blackened or fried fish with simple sides such as canned green or baked beans, seasoned rice or mac and cheese.

Because there are only a few hours of darkness each night this far north, serious fishermen have to pace themselves. Fishing is usually good throughout the day for walleye, northern pike, lake trout and whitefish, and sometime it's hard to stop fishing.

Years ago I learned to fish three or so hours in the morning, come in for lunch and maybe a nap, and then go back out and fish during the afternoon.

We usually stock up on fillets during the morning, keeping enough walleye and smaller northern pike for lunch and the evening meal. Fish cleaning is included and Bryce or one of his helpers are waiting at the dock with a sharp knife when you pull back into camp.

We usually concentrate on the pike and walleye but this time I got into a good school of whitefish which we found to be very tasty. The fillets were flaky, somewhat like crappie. Northern Pike or "Jackfish" as they are called up north are also very tasty but require some skill with a fillet knife to remove the little Y bones.

Lake trout are more challenging to catch and because I enjoy pike fishing so much, I seldom fish for them. There were several big lakers caught during the week. I vowed to spend some time fishing cut bait on bottom for burbot which is an odd-looking fish that resembles a cross between a catfish and eel, but again my focus was on the abundant northern pike, most of which were caught on spoons.

Lure presentation is important when pike fishing. Most of our strikes came when the spoons were retrieved in a series of short jerks of the rod which caused the baits to stop and flutter toward bottom. When a pike hits a spoon, its intent is to kill its prey and their strength is transmitted up through the line into the rod. Even a smaller pike puts up a strong fight when caught on medium action rods. A big one will give you the fight of your life. To date, my biggest pike measured 48 inches but any pike over 40 inches is considered a trophy.

The excellent fishing is obviously the big draw for an angler heading to the north country but once there, you'll find the fishing to be a bonus to the beautiful scenery and time spent in wilderness country. It's common to see eagles, bear and an occasional moose.

Last summer while fishing, we were able to use the wind to drift our boat within 40 yards of a moose standing in knee deep water and even photographed a lynx that was out for a swim in the cold lake water. I had always thought cats hated water but this one seemed to be enjoying its swim. When our boat approached, the cat made a mad dash for shore and quickly disappeared into the bush but not before we captured it on our still and video cameras.

Once while fishing around a small island, we encountered a nested pair of bald eagles. I still remember the giant wing span above our heads as the male eagle swooped low to let us know we were not welcome.

Planning a trip to this wilderness country can be intimidating but it's really very simple. Saskatoon is a major jumping off destination. From there, the traveling angler either drives several hours to the float plane destination or possibly connects with a commuter plane to a settlement with an airstrip. We rent a van or SUV in Saskatoon, stock up on groceries and make the five-hour drive to Missinipi where we board our float plane.

Once you reach your float plane, your outfitter usually has everything covered. It's a good idea to spend some time on the phone with your outfitter and have a list of questions. Guys like Bryce Liddell (306-425-7014) know all the answers and can brief you on tips that will make your journey easy.

Tourism Saskatchewan (www.tourismsaskatchewan.com) has a great all-inclusive website that I've found to be very helpful. The fishing season on these northern lakes is relatively short, usually from ice out in late May through September. This country begins to ice up in October and by mid November, several feet of ice form on the lakes, then its ice fishing only for those hardy enough to access this remote area via snowmobile. But during the winter months, what was a summer fishing paradise is now a vast frozen land that sees few humans other than the occasional trapper.

We filmed our trip to Iskwatikan Lake Lodge for an episode on "A Sportsman's Life" and by next week you can watch the segment on Carbon TV.

Contact Luke Clayton via his website, www.catfishradio.org, for any questions or news from your neck of the woods.