9 reasons why every angler should visit northern Manitoba

#7  The flyfishing is outstanding

If you like to fly fish, nothing compares to a fly-in trip, both for numbers and size of the fish. At Laurie River, I primarily tossed flies, which accounted for both of my trophy pike, as well as my biggest walleye of the trip. The chubster above was only 34 inches, but it gave me one of the best fights I’ve ever had from a northern.

Although my good friend and frequent fishing partner, Lynn Henning (above), has been fishing the north for a long time, he’s a relative newcomer to tossing flies. But he got to break in his new 8-weight outfit in a big way, landing dozens of pike on it.

#8  The pike are so awesome, they deserve a whole page of their own

The fourth member of our fishing party was Lynn’s son, Griffin Henning. Griff (above in the foreground, with Alfred) claimed his fishing skills were a little rusty, but the way he handled this 40-inch northern suggested he was being modest.

In about five feet of water, Griffin enticed the fish with a slow-rolled spinnerbait, and then hauled it out of thick weeds, all while keeping the lunging giant away from the outboard (above). With a great netting job by Alfred, the whole operation was basically textbook.

#9  You can reconnect with family and friends

There’s nothing like a fishing trip, where you spend concentrated time together doing cool stuff, for renewing family bonds. Above Lynn (right) who lives in Michigan and his Griffin, who lives in California, show off matching lakers.

In our group of four, we all knew Lynn, but before the trip, none of us had even met each other. Yet within a day, we were all friends, with bonds forged from shared experiences of fishing and fellowship. And believe me, there’s a lot more to tell, so keep an eye out for the full story in an upcoming issue of Outdoor Canada magazine.

Many thanks to Laurie River Lodge owners Brent and Erin Fleck, and their entire staff for making us feel so welcome, and to the great team at Travel Manitoba for their help and support.

Find out more about the Laurie River Lodge at www.laurieriverlodge.com.

Learn more about fishing in Manitoba at www.huntfishmanitoba.ca.