Fishing for northern pike on Great Slave Lake on a brisk, early summer day in Canada’s Northwest Territories turned me into a sport fisher. Until then, I viewed fishing in the most utilitarian sense: practical food finding that ranked along with grocery shopping and gardening. Sixteen feisty pike and a delicious shore lunch later, I was hooked.

The only catch? Most of my fishing companions were men—and let’s just admit it, they approach the whole exercise differently. There’s something primal about fishing that brings out the, um, hunter-gatherer in men. It’s not just me feeling the testosterone gap: turns out that fishing trips geared to the fairer sex are huge. Women have always gone fishing, but now we’re ditching the boys in droves and taking it up a notch: think pink fishing rods, mojitos on the dock and après-fishing spa treatments.

Some lady-friendly Canada fishing tours from coast to coast:

• McLennan Fly Fishing (AB) – Veteran fly-fishing instructor Lynda McLennan has taught and fished in southern Alberta for three decades. Check out the outfit’s women-only introductory and next-step fly-fishing schools.
   
• Painter’s Lodge Women’s Salmon Fishing Derby (BC) – This popular Campbell River lodge hosts a women-only derby each June. It’s four days of fishing and way too much fun, plus the lure of bliss-out time at the Aveda Concept Spa at April Point.
   
• Women Sportfishing Adventures (BC) – An hour from Vancouver, GR&L Fishing introduces women to year-round sturgeon, salmon and trout fishing in the Fraser Valley.
   
• Wild Women Expeditions (ON) – Wild Women has been leading women into the wilderness for almost two decades. WWE’s Fly Fishing Goddess offers fly-fishing workshops from its northern Ontario base camp.
   
• Pond’s Resort on the Miramichi (NB) – Renowned Pond’s fishing lodge is the home of Broads with Rods, a women-only fly-fishing school on the famed Miramichi River.
   
• Whistler Flyfishing (BC) – This fly-fishing school, specialty fly-fishing tackle shop and guide service in Whistler offers women-only casting lessons, fly-fishing instruction and fly camps.
   
• Coastal Wilderness Adventures (BC) – Deluxe accommodation and a day at the Eden Street Salon & Day Spa in Campbell River turn a women’s fly-fishing package into a bona-fide retreat.
   
• JourneyMakers (BC) – Bowen Island-based JourneyMakers specializes in golf and fly-fishing vacations throughout British Columbia, including ladies-only packages.
   
• Grand River Rafting Company (ON) – Join a women’s fly-fishing course on the Grand River, just one hour from Toronto.  

video:
Northern Life Fly Fishing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgEzM2Pi8O0

Flyfishing on the Miramichi River
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoMUQ6Lg_N8