15 Canadian fishing hot spots—and the stories you just might bring home from each one

ENA LAKE, Saskatchewan

As we lifted off from the Edmonton airport, fellow scribe Gord Ellis astutely observed, “If this plane goes down, a lot of column inches are going to become available.” Gallows humour, perhaps, but true. Along with Gord and me, the entire crew venturing to northern Saskatchewan’s Ena Lake consisted entirely of outdoor communicators, including well-seasoned Canadian writers and TV personalities T.J. Schwanky, Brad Fenson, Dana White and Don Lamont (pictured with me). While we’d known each other for years, this would be the first time we’d all fish together. Ena lived up to its promise of outstanding lake trout and pike fishing, uber-comfortable accommodations and world-class dining—the lake trout shorelunches alone make this a must-visit destination. And as might be expected given the cast of characters, the tales shared around the campfire each evening, while not necessarily able to withstand fact-checking scrutiny, were no less memorable.

LEARN MORE: www.enalake.com

GEORGE RIVER, Quebec

If you don’t have time for 10,000 casts, the George River may be for you. Draining into Ungava Bay near the Quebec-Labrador border, the George is an Atlantic salmon river with few peers. I’ve fished it only once, with legendary outfitter, northern adventurer and pilot Sammy Cantafio. It’s not a matter of *if* you’ll hook a salmon on any given day on the George, but rather how many. I landed more than a dozen over four days, for example, and lost nearly an equal number. And while George River salmon don’t reach the sizes found on the famous salmon rivers further south, a 20-pound fish is a definite possibility. If your tastes run more to brook trout, lake trout or Arctic char, the George can scratch that itch, too, but the Atlantics are the main attraction. If you want to experience a salmon Shangri-La, this is it.

LEARN MORE: www.helenfalls.com

GREAT BEAR LAKE, N.W.T.

As a kid, I read everything I could about the N.W.T.’s Great Bear Lake and its massive lake trout. More than 30 years later, I finally got a chance to fish this mythical destination with my wife, Jane (pictured), and we didn’t leave disappointed. Today, Great Bear remains the continent’s premier destination for anglers seeking trophy lakers, with the fishing as good as ever according to the many line-class records. And why wouldn’t it be? After all, Bear is the eighth largest lake in the world, and only 300 or so anglers fish it each year. It doesn’t take much imagination to visualize the thousands of trout living their entire lives there without ever seeing a lure. When I visited, virtually every group at Great Bear Lake Lodge boated a 50-pound or larger trout. If you somehow get bored with netting such huge lakers, there are also excellent pike to be found, and the Arctic grayling fishing is as good as it gets.

LEARN MORE: www.plummerslodges.com