“The first time I met the Shangbanger and Son, who are otherwise known as Ed and Rodney Harback from Harriman, Tennessee, I would never have guessed that they were Great Bear Lake legends in the making.

Even though they are father and son, you never met two more different people. Two peas in a pod they were not…”

“Dave pulled off nothing short of a miracle in keeping us from going under, but there was nothing he could do to stop the pounding that our old boat and the three of us were taking.

Each time we hit the bottom of one of those deep troughs, it was like being hit in the ribs with a sledgehammer…”

If you’ve read any of the material I have been plastered this site with over the past year or so, you will have likely figured out that I have taken up retirement on a full time basis.

While it was a long time coming, as I suppose most retirements are, it has certainly been well worth the wait...

I've done my fair share of fishing over the past 50 years. Some might even say more than my fair share. Travelling in search of fish has taken me to some of the most "exotic" places throughout North America and beyond, but none perhaps more "exotic" than Great Bear Lake.

So what and where is Great Bear Lake or Sahtu?

Imagine a place where the only sound you will hear is the wind and that of your own voice.

Imagine a place so beautiful and unspoiled, that on any given day or moment it can, and will take your breath away.

Imagine drifting through a place where fish float silently just below the surface to soak up the summer sun, not noticing or caring as you pass.

Imagine a place where the Dogrib and Sahtu Dene have gathered for centuries.

Imagine Hottah Lake.

While our stay at Trophy Lodge would “officially” run from the 16h to the 23^rd, we were compelled by circumstances to gather in Edmonton on the 14^th. This was a precursor to flying to Yellowknife on the 15^th where we would then catch the Plummer’s Lodge charter to Great Bear on the 16^th.

Sound a bit confusing?

For thousands of years the Dene have referred to this giant of a river as Dehcho – Deh meaning “river” and Cho meaning “big” or “worthy of respect.”

Heading back to the lodge after yet another day of remarkable Pike fishing on the Whitefish River, my fishing partner and I decided this was not the time to turn our backs to the wind, so we spun our seats around so we could watch the splendor of Great Bear Lake unfold in front of us as our boat cut a path across the glass like surface of the water.