World Class Trophy Pike Fishing at Sickle Lake Wilderness Resort

On my journey to Sickle Lake Wilderness Resort, I was joined by my friend Marcel. The trip started with a drive all the way up to Lynn Lake in Northern Manitoba. This drive, although lengthy, is worth every second. Where else in the world can you leave the Canadian prairies in the morning, drive through the transition into the Canadian shield in the afternoon, and by the early evening, be in a land covered in incredible sand eskers that look like mini mountains shaping up the horizon.

Upon arrival at Lynn Lake, we made our way to the float plane base and hopped on a quick flight to Sickle Lake. Once in the air, you truly get a grasp of how unique and remote this landscape is. Endless lakes and rivers meander through the massive sand eskers formed from glacial deposits. It truly is a fantastic glimpse of the world, exactly how it has looked for thousands of years.

As we approached Sickle Lake, I immediately recognized it from my time closely studying satellite imagery. This very recognizable lake is, as the name suggests, in the semi-circle shape of a Sickle.

Getting to some of their prime pike waters is truly an adventure in itself. This involves a phenomenal portage that includes four boats and a breathtaking waterfall. In only about 20 minutes, you hop on the final boat of this adventure on one of the province's best pike fishing lakes.

This trip took place during the spring, and judging by the main lake water temperatures; we knew that any warmer, shallow bay would likely be where these big pike were spending their time. But what we were about to witness was far and away more than we could have ever imagined.

Not only were there some pike in this bay, but dozens of massive pike were in this crystal clear water in every direction you looked. It was truly a site to behold. After taking a second to understand what we were witnessing, we quickly got our wits about us. We began getting the rods ready and casting into what legitimately seemed like an aquarium.

Once the lures began to hit the water, chaos ensued. As we stood in the boat, we started selecting which pike we wanted to catch. (“Oh, that one only looks like a 37-inch. I am going to cast for that 43-inch over there.”) With each slam of the lure, the rod would load up as the drag began to peel. The fight was on! To this day, it was some of the most incredible northern pike fishing I have ever seen.

We continued to fish in disbelief at what was happening for another hour before it was time to give the bay a rest and try our hand at some walleye fishing for shore lunch.

With a couple of hours left in the day, we headed into a new bay in hopes of finding the same success we had had in the bay earlier. Upon arrival, we realized the sight fishing aspect wouldn’t be as easy, but with the warmer water temperatures, we were confident the big pike would be here as well. After a few casts, Pat hooked into a really big fish. This behemoth put up a massive fight before we were able to get it boatside and in the net. We were all elated, and after a few quick pictures, we sent the pike on its way.

On Pat’s very next cast, he sent his swimbait in the same direction, and just a few seconds later, the fight was on again! Another intense battle ensued before this fish was again boatside and in the net. We were all a little shell-shocked by the day of fishing we just had, and capping the day off with back-to-back trophy pike was truly just the icing on the cake.