Chasing the far-north triple crown on the NWT’s remarkable Kasba Lake & Kazan River

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Pump and crank, pump and crank. On it went as my friend Lynn Henning steadily reeled another lake trout up from the cold, rocky depths of the N.W.T.’s Kasba Lake. Periodically, his rhythm was interrupted by the harsh, yet magical zinging of his drag as the fish powered away, taking back yards of hard-won line. For anglers who value the destination more than the journey, this probably sounds frustrating, but it was exactly what Lynn and I had travelled so far to experience.

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After the fish’s third run, it was clear Lynn was connected to his largest laker of the trip so far, and he continued the battle with a combination of determination and something close to glee. Eventually, we saw a flash from his big silver spoon, followed by a shadowy outline. Then it was in the net—just over 20 pounds of huge-headed, deep-bodied lake trout, a truly formidable-looking predator (above).

Moments later, the fish was back in the water and swimming away. Along with our guide, Tyler Jones, we toasted the completion of our goal. Capturing that trout meant both Lynn and I had, after just four days on the water, completed the triple crown of Far North fishing. As life goals go, striving to catch a 20-pound lake trout, a 40-inch northern pike and a two-pound Arctic grayling on a fishing trip is pretty arbitrary, bordering on frivolous. Yet we found it oddly meaningful—complete with some wild and occasionally improbable adventures along the way…