Going Places

checking off life-list species by the dozens. It's also here that visitors wiggle into dry suits and take a plunge into these historic waters for up-close and personal encounters with beluga whales. And then there are the polar bears. Does anyone not have "see polar bears" on their bucket list? B ack at North Knife Lake Lodge, my day is going well. Very well. Earlier, the smell of bacon and freshly baked cinnamon buns had wafted from the kitchen to my fireplace-appointed cabin, perched on a spruce-tree-dotted rise overlooking the lake. Then I smelled the coffee, made from beans ground fresh every morning. Making my way to the main lodge, I'd sunk into an overstuffed leather chair by the blaze in the towering fireplace – more for show than warmth today. With a good book, I might have never left. But the lake beckoned. All the planets have aligned and the lake trout bite is on. With the first hit, my rod bends into a tight U shape. For the next 20 minutes, I crank furiously, only to have the fish dive back down into 50 metres of water, over and over. We finally get a glimpse. 22 G O I N G P L A C E S p20-25_MadeinMan.indd 22 >> Michie grabs the cradle – a device used for scooping big ones into the boat. Dangling over the rail, he eases the fish into the cradle and then into the boat. There's time for a quick photo and measure, then back into the drink it goes. "That fish is probably close to 80 years old," says Michie, before adding a hearty "Nice job, Shel!" My lake trout is 102 centimetres long summer 2013 13-04-12 1:06 PM

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