At this NWT pike lodge the monsters are real—and you’re guaranteed to catch one

As for finally catching my elusive new personal-best northern? That happened on the morning of our second last day, at a place called “The Creek.” Perhaps fittingly, it was the toughest of all the spots to reach, requiring Luca to slowly run the outboard on a tilt so the skeg wouldn’t bounce off the minefield of rocks and boulders littering the way in across a shallow bay. And somewhat ironically, it was also the most compact of the spots we fished, little more than a weed-lined pocket of water at the outflow of a tiny creek.

It didn’t take long to connect, either, casting another one of John’s inventions, a gaudy white-and-silver streamer pattern adorned with a big-eyed plastic head (he called it the “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”). As I stripped in my third cast through the open water alongside the tangled mass of submerged weeds, an enormous boil suddenly engulfed the fly and it disappeared. Before any of us could lay eyes on the fish, it had booked it deep into the weeds, digging in for the fight.

I honestly wasn’t sure what I had on the end of the line, and started to think it was just another feisty 30-something, completely hung up in the weeds. As I kept the pressure on, with my rod arcing nicely, the fish began to slowly give up line. Finally, it broke free of the weedline, its head completely covered in foliage. Then I watched as the rest of the pike slowly slid out into the open water, revealing its entire length.

Right away, I knew this was no small fish, but was it the fish? Luca quickly got it on the bump board, and seconds later the high-fives were flying. At 45.9 inches, it had squeaked past my previous record by less than a half-inch, but there it was, my new PB pike on the fly.

A true monster of the Mackenzie.

LODGE LIFE

From June through August, Brabant Lodge offers five-, seven- and 10-day fishing packages, providing 12 hours of trophy fishing per day. Talk about getting your angling fix. Here’s what else you can expect.

THE ACCOMMODATIONS: Complete with Wi-Fi via Starlink, the waterfront main lodge houses the dining room, lounge, tackle shop and complimentary bar. Guests stay in the duplex-style log cabins nestled behind the lodge amid stands of black spruce, birch and alder. Each cabin is appointed with queen-sized beds, wood stoves for chilly nights and private bathrooms with welcoming hot showers.

THE FOOD: Mindful of conserving the surrounding fishery, the lodge provides made-to-order box lunches instead of offering a daily shorelunch. Back at the dining room, expect hearty breakfasts and gourmet-style dinners, topped off with freshly made tasty desserts.

THE FISH: During our stay, my fishing buddy John Cleveland and I punctuated our quest for giant northern pike with several hours of fun fly fishing for the river’s abundant Arctic grayling (above left) and walleye.

THE BOATS: The lodge maintains a fleet of spacious Lund 1800 Alaskan fishing boats, each equipped with a 50-horse Honda tiller outboard and Garmin Force bow-mounted electric trolling motor. There was plenty of room for John and me to fly cast without crossing our lines.

THE JOURNEY: Make your own way to Yellowknife, N.W.T., and the lodge will take care of the rest, flying you to Brabant Island and back by floatplane. Skimming the boreal treetops and touching down on the Mackenzie is all part of the adventure.

THE FINE DETAILS: Learn more about the lodge at www.brabantlodge.com; for further info on fishing in the N.W.T., visit www.spectacularnwt.com.