At Webber’s Lodges we pride ourselves on producing Master Angler northern pike and lake trout for the serious fishermen who visit North Knife Lake Lodge every summer, but we’re also a family run operation and we love hosting family fishing trips.
This past July we had three families at North Knife Lake at the same time, which made for an especially fun week of fishing!
If there was ever an expression that could match a child’s smile when opening that special present on Christmas morning, we saw it this past summer when the youngsters hauled in Master Angler northern pike, lake trout and even… a monster whitefish!
Gord and Ann Jensen of Minneapolis were here with their teenagers Gord and Brooke. George and Nina Williams were up from Winnipeg with their 10-year-old daughter Arielle, and Al Gorman of Chicago arrived with five sons and grandsons – the latter of whom apparently out-fished their elders.
"The Gorman boys were exceptional," said Head Guide Kent Michie. "They were like professional fisherman. The whole family was very gracious, but the kids were awesome and exceptionally well-mannered. I would guide them any time."
Elliot Gorman (age 13) caught a Master Angler northern pike and Owen Linback (11) hauled in a Master Angler lake trout.The Jensen family all caught Master Anglers. Gord Sr. and wife Ann caught Master Angler lake trout – Ann more than one – and Gord Jr. caught a Master Angler northern pike, but it was daughter Brooke who hooked the surprise of the trip when she reeled in a huge Master Angler whitefish!
"We had a great time," said Gord Jensen Sr. a customs broker who owns Norman G. Jensen, Inc. "I’ve been coming to Webber’s Lodges on goose hunting trips since 2002, but this was my first time fishing at North Knife Lake Lodge, and the first time I’d brought the whole family. The trout fishing was excellent."
Nina Williams, who had caught a Master Angler arctic grayling on a previous trip to North Knife Lake Lodge, was ecstatic while reeling in her Master Angler lake trout, which was caught on the final cast of the trip. "I asked Mike to stop at the trout hole just one more time," said Nina. "I just had the feeling I was going to catch a big one." Nina was right, and all smiles, but nothing could match the unbridled excitement of daughter Arielle (10) reeling in her own Master Angler lake trout, which she caught on a #4 Five of Diamonds. "It felt like a huge boulder," said Arielle. "It was really big!"
There were numerous lunker northern pike caught on the final day of the trip as lodge co-owners Mike and Jeanne Reimer, their son Adam (12), niece Rayne (13) and nephew Max (10) ventured out to the northernmost tip of the 30-mile-long North Knife Lake with the Williams family. Adam took the gold for the day with the biggest Master Angler northern pike, which he enticed with pink bubblegum sluggo, but other large pike were also caught on a black rubber salamander. On the same northern excursion, which included a few bald eagle sightings, the families explored a now-abandoned native village settled by the Sayisi Dene in the early ‘70s, which was quite an adventure, and not just for the kids!
"The people were awesome and the food was fabulous," said Nina. "We’ve been to Webber’s Lodges three times now and every time is special." Husband George, who has caught five Master Anglers on North Knife Lake over the years, agreed and added, "It’s the ultimate stress free vacation, but watching my wife and daughter haul in the monsters this time made it extra special for me."
Delicious shore lunches included sweet and sour pike, fish tacos, beer-battered pike, baked lake trout and more, but while the families certainly enjoyed the midday feasts, they especially loved the experience of dining on cuisine from the Webber’s Lodges award-winning series of cookbooks – prepared by Webber’s matriarch and co-cookbook author Helen Webber. Helen was ably assisted in the kitchen by aspiring chef Karli Reimer (18), but Rebecca (20) and Allison (16) Reimer also helped out at the various lodges over the summer.
How good were the meals?
When Arielle was asked what her favorite part of the trip was she immediately blurted out "The food!" followed by sitting in the wood-fired hot tub after a hard day of fishing and catching her big lake trout.
Webber’s patriarch Doug Webber led a group hike up the esker behind the lodge to explore the dens of three families of timber wolves that had been seen over the summer, and also showed a few of the guests his favorite spot for picking wild cranberries, which are used to make a dessert that has become a favorite among regular guests – Wild Tundra Cranberry Cake with Butter Sauce.
North Knife Lake has been catch and release for over a decade now and there has never been more than 150 anglers per year on the pristine spring-fed body of water. Both the water quality and the fishing remain exceptional. "We’ve hauled this water home to drink on occasion," said Mike Reimer. "It’s just that good. And we don’t have to fly out from the main lake to catch big fish."
"Look at that," said Doug Webber pointing to a school of minnows in the shallows off the end of the dock, as the guests prepared for their journey home. "Nature at its finest."
"Our fish are as good as any in the country."
I’m sure most of you who have fished since an early age can vividly remember your first encounter with those underwater swimmers at the end of your fishing line. The childhood or mid-teen memories of casting a lure for the first time or going to that secret spot with Mom, Dad or Grandpa in search of the big one.
