12-year-old girl pulls monster Northern Pike from icy Red River

Small girl, big pike

Small Girl. Big Pike!

Manitoba’s Red River has always been known for its big fish, but nothing could have prepared long-time Webber’s Lodges guide Quent for the monster his 12-year-old daughter Mikayla pulled through the ice a few weeks ago.

“I wasn’t near the hole when she caught it,” said Quent, “But when I heard all the whooping and hollering I knew they had something big. You always hear about people pulling big catfish and pickerel out of the Red River, but nothing like this. “

The “this” was a rare 19-pound northern pike and apparently it put up quite the fight.

“It didn’t want to turn,” said Quent. “So it took a little bit to get it out of the hole. But it was worth it. Mikayla was pretty excited about it.”

A Grade 7 student who also enjoys playing piano and guitar, Mikayla and her Dad have been going ice fishing on and off for 5-6 years. If she wasn’t already hooked on fishing, she likely will be now.

Quent has been working at Webber’s Lodges for over 30 years. He started out as a fishing guide at North Knife Lake Lodge for a few weeks at a time and progressed to guiding goose and caribou hunts at the various lodges owned by the Webber family. He now spends more time helping out at Seal River Heritage Lodge on the polar bear tours and photography trips. He’s also taken both his daughters to Seal River to see the polar bears.

Quent spent a lot of time canoeing and fishing with his father as youngster. He’s now transferring his love of the outdoors to his daughters.

Big northern pike and polar bears have them off to a fine start!

15 Reasons to Fish North Knife Lake – Manitoba’s Most Exclusive Fly In Fishing Destination

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Spectacular fishing – trophy Manitoba Northern Pike,  Lake Trout, Arctic Grayling, and Walleye, our remote and pristine wilderness in the heart of one of the last great ecosystems boasts virtually unexplored waters.
 

Enriched action – the day is yours. A full day’s activities supported by experienced professional guides with modern comfort-enhancing equipment to complement their expertise and ensure the experience of a lifetime.
 

Luxury lodging – in our beautiful, spacious, custom designed lodge with all the modern amenities. Enjoy a private bath off your bedroom, or you may choose a condo for a little more privacy. Luxury in the wild.
 

Fly fishing or hard tackle – whether you are a professional fly fisher, or a hard tackle beginner we can help you out. We have all the equipment to get you set for a day on the lake, and can also offer evening lessons for both fly and hard tackle fishing.

Exclusive adventure – walk softly, leave no footprints. With no more than 16 guests at the lodge at one time and no more than 160 a year, you are truly one of few and our spectacular retreat will still be here for your grandkids to discover. trophylaketrout.gif
 

Experience35 years of experience offering fishing, hunting and wildlife adventures in our area. We are your guide, your chef, your pilot. For us, excellence is not a business strategy; it’s a family tradition.
 

The Original – as the first luxury lodge in Manitoba we set the standard and lead the development in our industry. We are often imitated but never duplicated.
 

Northern hospitality – when you’re on the lake, a gourmet feast – shore lunch prepared by your guides, not your everyday fried fish and bread, and never the same one twice. Appetizers and cocktails ready for you when you come off the lake prepares you for the feature act.
 

Indulge – in a feast for the palate. Internationally renowned for fabulous meals prepared by our resident chef Dave Schellenberg and best-selling Canadian cookbook authors Helen Webber and Marie Woolsey, the fish stories are often relegated by talk of the gourmet meals. Couples Week.JPG
 

Pristine wilderness – when you’ve had enough fishing, relax with the view of a spectacular sunset or discover surrounding eskers and lakes. Let tranquility soak into your soul.
 

Wildlife – take a quiet stroll to watch for our resident wolf pack, moose, eagles and more – and out here, you may be part of the wild life too.
 

Nature’s playground – experience the soothing rhythm of paddling your canoe, feel the sun on your skin and breathe the air as you hike, stargaze from the hot tub, experience it all.
 

Extraordinary – natural resources offer abundant wildlife in beautiful, natural settings in the true north.Vukelic 007.JPG
 

Legendary wilderness – whether fishing, waterfowl , big game hunting, or nature watching, we are Canada’s legendary wilderness adventure specialist.
 

Exclusive fishing paradise – visit us once and we think you’ll agree that you’ve discovered the experience of a lifetime and all kinds of reasons for coming back to Canada’s most exclusive fishing paradise
 

Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Manitoba Caribou and Moose hunt too good to be true – Part 1

I had a job for 35 years that kept me from taking time off in September through November. When I decided to retire the first thing I promised myself was to hunt in September. I did what all good hunters should do and that was to research and talk to as many people as possible to sort out the numerous outfitters. Once I had narrowed the list down I made sure that I met and talked in person with each of the outfitters at one of their shows. I meet the Webber’s Lodge staff at the Chicago show in January on a snowy windy day. Once I had met them, I was sold and booked a combination fly-in Manitoba Caribou and Moose hunt. Once I sent in my deposit and made that commitment I hoped I was right. Well, I was and here is the Kimpton Boo 09.JPGstory.

On September 5th I left for what would turn out to be the hunt of a life time. The country was beautiful as I dove up and the flight from Thompson to Churchill was over some of the most spectacular country I have ever seen. When I landed in Churchill I was met by the Webbers staff who gave me the tour of the town. I had arrived a day early so I could see the beluga whales, polar bears and visit all of the historic sites. Finally on September 10th I was picked up at the hotel with the other hunters and driven to Landing Lake to met the float plane. We took off and flew a short ways to Dymond Lake to pick up two other hunters who were goose hunting and then joining us for the caribou hunt. What a beautiful lodge Dymond was, with Helen Webber serving hot coffee and sweet rolls upon our arrival. Once we loaded the two other hunters in the float plane we flew for about an hour north and saw herds of barren land caribou below us. Talk about exciting. The float plane flew low over Schmok Lake Caribou Lodge to announce our arrival. By 2 pm we were on our first hunt. I could not have been more excited. The colors of the tundra were an amazing back drop as we glassed for caribou. The first day we did not see any that were big enough to shoot and we ended up going back for the first of many great meals and socializing with the other hunters. 
 
Day two had us stalking and glassing herds of caribou, but again it was too early to just shoot an average size bull. One party of hunters took three huge bull caribou with one scoring well over 370.
 
Day three was my day. We walked to a great outcropping of rocks and sat down. The caribou had to come right by us to get around the lake so we settled in and began glassing. At 8:15 I sDSC_9601.jpghot my first caribou ever at 50 yards. If I had waited any longer it would have walked right over me. After pictures, Yvan my guide carried the meat, but I wanted to carry the cape and trophy antlers. We hung the meat and went right back out for the afternoon. At 3:45 four bulls and eight cows came out of the trees about 2 miles away and were making a beeline straight for us. When there was no doubt they were coming we run to a small rise and got ready. The caribou covered the 2 miles in less than 15 minutes and were directly in front of us and had no intention of stopping. Finally I had to shoot or again get walked on. One shot and it went down like a ton of bricks. The other caribou stopped and turned allowing us to see one of the other four bulls and it was a huge one. The rest of the trip I spent my time fishing for Northern Pike and Lake Trout. It was also nice to spend the days just relaxing and enjoying the beauty of the surrounding tundra.
 
Stay tuned as Paul is about to head to one of our fly-in Manitoba Moose Hunting camps. That part of his story coming soon…..
 
Paul Kimpton – Illinois