HAY RIVER, NWT, Canada

I enjoy salad-in all forms.

I crave the heavy green stuff served in a bowl, on a plate, and sometimes on a sandwich. And when it comes to the water-soaked stuff, I’m like a kid in a toy shop.

I’ll often go out of my way to find a lake or pond which is over run with cabbage, coon tail and other less common green-like occlusions.

The word occlusion is sometimes used by the medical community to describe a blood vessel that is blocked, or choked-off. An astute fishing pal of mine likens that term to what I often seek, surface areas choked with weeds, or salad.

Forty years of experience has taught me great treasure usually awaits my probing and searching when I can target a spot with a lure or bait that will overcome the heavy mess.

Such was the case here on the Mackenzie River on the far west end of Great Slave Lake.

And within the confines of this mighty river, lies a section known as Beaver Lake.

This is not your typical river, where you can easily see the other shoreline. This is a major waterway that serves as a conduit for cargo ships and commercial fishing vessels to make their way to and from the Arctic Ocean. In fact, the Mackenzie is the longest river in this country, some 1,800 kilometers long.

In 1789, explorer Alexander Mackenzie thought he was following a river route to the west coast. Instead, it led north to the Arctic Ocean. That was a tough lesson to learn. And yet the wonders Mackenzie uncovered became legends in the annals of Canadian folklore.

As on past adventures, photo guru Mike Seeling and I continued our search for jumbo northern pike.

Fly angling pro and trip packager Paul Melchior suggested we head to the far, upper-northwest regions of the Northwest Territories and Brabant Lodge to fulfill that desire.

John and Ellen Pollard run a very classy operation here in this bush-country locale. And their daughter, Kailey, is slowly acquiring the necessary skills to one day take over the actual stewardship of the lodge.

The log cabins are as expertly built as anything I’ve seen in the north-country, and Ellen runs a kitchen that turns out meals fit for royalty.

But it’s the pike and walleye fishing that impressed me the most.

Our guide took us to an area of Beaver Lake where acres of coontail and cabbage weed beds poked through the surface.

Seeling and managed to acquire a handful of silver, Rapala Minnow Spoons. I also brought along a couple dozen Johnson Silver Minnows. We tipped each lure with a split tail trailer and went to work. In just a matter of minutes we spotted huge pike following the baits. Hits came on the edges of these massive weed beds, and sometimes when we allowed the spoons to drop to the bottom, several pike tried to outmaneuver each other to grab the hook.

After a dozen or so big fish, Seeling decided to “skate” his Minnow Spoon across the surface. The lure got to within ten feet of the boat when the water exploded. A 45-inch monster slammed the lure and headed for the main channel. The action was like that all morning-long.

“Want to try for some big walleyes,” ourt guide asked?

“Of course, since were game for anything,” I replied.

We pulled up to a shallow flat near a shoreline and allowed the wind to drift us over rocks and gravel bars. We tied a ½ oz. Lindy Wide-Gap, Bleeding Hook jig on a spinning rod and tipped them with an Old Bayside Shadlyn plastic minnow bait. The walleye action was as good as the pike fishing, with 6-8 lb. “eyes” attacking the jigs like sharks. Mike and I caught and released over four-dozen jumbo walleyes in an hour.

After supper, we decided to try for the river’s famous grayling.

Using 4-lb. test, small Mepps spinners, and light spinning rods, Seeling and I nailed grayling up to 23-inches.

Later, in our cabin, after an exhausting day of multi-species action, we both agreed that this fishery is one of the better locations for trophy pike. Of course the outstanding lodging and gourmet meals didn’t hurt one bit either.

Big boats, four-stroke outboards, expert guides, and world-class pike fishing sure make for indelible memories. I hope to return soon to give it another shot.