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| Babe
with one of many mosnter "gotors" from the
waters of Northwest Territories Lac La Martre. |
Man oh man…does a Banjo Minnow ever make
an explosion when it comes to catching big pike,
but before we go any further, let’s back
up to the beginning of this weeks fishing
story.
This happens to be my first time visiting
Lac La Martre Lodge-- about 125 miles norwest
of
Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of
Canada. Lac La Martre is nearly 1,000 square
miles long, with countless pikey bays…islands
scattered throughout…an average depth of
30 feet and a maximum of only 65 feet.
Lodge-wise,
nobody ever said to expect 5 star accommodations
or some of the luxuries many
facilities tend to hang their hats on. What
I have been
promised though is a warm, dry cabin…all
the essentials...and quite possibly the best
trophy pike fishing anywhere the world over.
Upon
first hearing that claim, I wondered to
myself “who
did lodge owner Mark Damaske think he was
talking to?” “Doesn’t
he know about all the places I’ve
explored over the last 25 years of filming
pike shows
alone?” Reindeer, Trophy Lake, Wollaston,
Kasba, Knee Lake, Bolton, Ennadai, Nueltin
and Munroe lake to name only a few.
I’m not trying to brag, but while hearing
about Lac La Martre for the first time…“Those
are some pretty tough acts to follow” I
kept thinking. Nonetheless, along with friend
and Kansas hunting outfitter Dan Thurston, I
was intrigued enough to check it out. Since he’s
taken me turkey, whitetail and coyote hunting
so many times in years past, in thanks, a seat
on today’s big pike expedition is the least
I can do.
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