Geography

• If you look at a map of northwest Canada, you may be struck with its vastness and scarcity of man's footprints. Here, you'll see Great Slave Lake, North America's deepest lake--over 2,000 feet deep--and ninth largest in the world. Further north, there's Great Bear Lake--200 miles long by 110 miles wide and seventh largest in the world. There are also mighty rivers. The MacKenzie River flows for 1,025 miles and has a basin of 697,000 square miles. Thousands of tributaries feed 25 other major rivers, like the Hay and Yellowknife. In the Yukon Territory, the mighty Yukon River drains 126,300 square miles of waters where fish thrive.
  
  

The Fish

• In Northwest Canada, there are many different ways to catch fish, including spin-casting, trolling and fly-rodding. You might even choose ice fishing for a winter getaway.
  
  The northern pike will give you a fight to test your skill and muscles. The hefty lake trout--the largest recorded was more than 77 lbs.--holds back until it feels the line tighten, then it becomes maniacal. There's Arctic grayling, small yet swift fighters. Many prize the Arctic char, which can weigh up to 15 lbs.
  
  Catch the "unknown fish," the Inconnu, a whitefish in the Mackenzie Delta, Great Slave Lake, and Liard River. It's nine to 20 lbs. of fight, but tasty when smoked and rich in healthy oils. It's often referred to as "the fighting perch" and is part of the pickerel or walleye species. They thrive in the Great Slave Lake area and tributaries.
  
  Burbot (or lingcod) are plentiful in larger lakes and rivers. They average 10 lbs., but ones as large as 75 lbs. have been caught. In the Yukon River, coho, king and chum salmon start upriver in June.
  
  

Licenses

• If you're between 16 and 65, you'll need a fishing license issued by the Northwest Territories government and found at lodges, grocery stores, sporting outlets and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) offices. You can choose one of two kinds--the three-day license for $15 or the season for $20. For non-residents of Canada, they are $30 and $40, respectively. Much the same fees apply to the Yukon territory, valid April 1 to March 31. At these outlets, you can get other needed information, such as catch limits, regulations and off-limits areas.
  
  

Barbless Hooks

• In summer you can fish twice around the clock in "the land of the midnight sun."fishing image by 3des from Fotolia.com
  
  NWT recommends "catch and release" for certain species of fish. That's one reason it now requires barbless hooks. These still enable you to catch and reel in fighting fish, but you can also release them with with less injury than regular hooks. You can purchase barbless hooks at sport shops. You can also rid your hooks of barbs by filing or crimping them.
  
  

Travel

• The bush plane with pontoons makes remote fishing areas accessible.float plane overhead image by Chris Bibbo from Fotolia.com
  
  You don't need a guide to fish in the NWT, although advice and instruction from one might be helpful for you, especially if you want to go fishing in more isolated areas. You also can book a week or two at a remote lodge, where you fly in or boat in. In summer, there are three open and well-maintained roads going from Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon into the NWT. Along the way, you'll find docks and boating ramps you can conveniently stop at for "a little fishing." By air, several main airlines fly into Yellowknife, and then smaller airlines fly to other locations. Bush planes using pontoons, skis and wheels can take you to just about anywhere.
  
  

Weather Conditions

• Most people visit Northwest Canada from early June to the end of September. With long days of sunshine, the summer temperatures are in the 60s and low 70s Fahrenheit. Still, you'd do well to have layers of clothing plus windproof and waterproof outerwear and boots. There will also be mosquitoes--hordes of them--so bring mosquito-proof headwear and repellent.