Sarah Klein, pictured here at age 12.

I don't know where she gets it from, but my daughter Sarah loves fishing.

She always has. So does Chantelle, her older sister.

But it was my youngest who came to me in the dead of winter, insisting we HAD to go to Canoe Lake when it gets warm enough.

"Why Canoe Lake?" I asked her.

"It is one of the best fishing lakes in Canada."

Athena keeps an eye on the captain.

Now, normally I would be skeptical. After all, she's a young city girl (she was 12 at the time). What could she know about fishing lakes?

Still, she does love the sport. Said she read about Canoe Lake in a national magazine.

She was determined.

What the heck. Our family camps a lot, so a trip to a lake in northwestern Saskatchewan seemed a reasonable undertaking.

From the time our two girls were small children, we've camped and gone on wilderness canoe trips. Just the four of us. These excursions have helped bind us into a tight family and now, even though Chantelle is 16 (an age when young people like to strike out on their own), every one of us continues to look forward these trips with great anticipation.

It was in this frame of mind that we set out with our brand new tent trailer (hey, I'm in my mid 40s -- I'm entitled to a little convenience) to Meadow Lake Provincial Park, about 110 kms (66 miles) from Canoe Lake and one of the gems of Saskatchewan's provincial park system. We aimed to set up camp in the park, and then drive up to Canoe for a day of fishing.

It was the second week of July and the weather couldn't have been better. The temperature hovered in the mid to upper 20s Celsius (73 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit) and the winds were light.

It was so nice, in fact, we had trouble pulling ourselves away from Matheson Lake, where we were passing our days on the sandy beach and our evenings canoeing to the far reaches of the small lake, looking at birds, beavers and other wildlife.

Parting with $56 for a motor boat was a wise choice, even for a cheapskate. Canoe Lake is big.

The road to Canoe Lake is gravel, but it winds through some spectacular boreal forest. It was a good thing we left early: We found it impossible to simply pass by all the inviting lakes we encountered along the way.

We arrived at North Haven Lodge, on Cole Bay, at about noon. We rented a fishing boat with a 20-hp motor for about $56 (Cdn). This was a new experience for us. I am cheap. I hate to fork out money for a boat when a canoe is much more enjoyable for me. But my children wanted to fish, and a small boat gets you to the fishing spots a lot faster than a dad-powered canoe.

On the road from the park, we were told by a road maintenance man to head for Dog Island, a large and uninhabited island on the south side of the lake.

"You won't get skunked there," he assured us.

If you travel through the park, budget some time to stretch your legs at a few of the lakes and streams.

Jim, the guy who rented us the boat, pointed us in the opposite direction. As it happened, they were both right.

Canoe Lake is a good example of what the early European explorers must have experienced as they travelled across the north. Except in areas where humans have fought back the bush, the shoreline is rimmed by rugged rocks and trees, right up to the water's edge. Around the lake are a number of low, rolling hills. The highest point is in the northeast, where a fire-control tower stands guard over the woodlands below.

We struck out along the shoreline and, after clearing an inhabited area, I dropped the speed of the engine down to a slow troll. Immediately, I caught a two-to-three-pound jackfish (northern pike).

Although we use barbless hooks, I wasn't going to throw this one back. I'm not a great fisherman. I wasn't going to risk leaving the lake without at least one meal.

I shouldn't have worried.

Cole Bay

We went about three quarters of the way around the lake, trolling most of the way, and rarely did we go more than 150 metres (170 yards) without pulling in at least one fish. Often, one daughter would catch a fish while the other was reeling one in.

We kept four fish, including a couple of three-pound pickerel (walleye). But we caught dozens more. It was an embarrassment of riches, particularly for a father who is, admittedly, a terribly unlucky fisherman. Normally, I get stiff shoulders from paddling the canoe. This time, my aches came from cranking the motor back to life after each fish was hauled on board.

We took some time out for a dip in the clear, sandy-bottomed lake, and then we hit the shore and headed back to the park that evening. The sun didn't set until well after 10 p.m., so we had our first feed of fish before bedtime.

I have to admit I'd had my fill of fish and fishing. But it takes more than one outing to satisfy Sarah. My task over the next winter will be to find a place that can top Canoe Lake.

For loads of information about fishing in Saskatchewan, check out our handy Fishing Guide.

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