Walleye and Northern Pike Fishing in Saskatchewan

A Bad Day of Fishing is Better than a Good Day of Work

Walleye and Northern Pike are two of the most sought after fish offered by over 90,000 lakes in Saskatchewan. With this many lakes to choose from you can imagine the number of Walleye and pike caught throughout the year.

One of my favourite locations for these two species is the Churchill River. The Churchill is known world wide for its excellent Walleye fishing along with lots of Northern Pike. One area of the Chruchill River that fits this description to a tee is 50 air miles North East of La Ronge at a camp called Twin Falls Lodge. Twin Falls Lodge is located between Twin Falls and Robertson Falls, with Twin Falls being the biggest Walleye spawning area in the North.

Twin Falls Lodge is a fully modern camp with the American Plan (all-inclusive) package. This is the only camp in the area, you won’t see another camp or any boats from other camps. You will enjoy total seclusion with breathtaking scenery. The water falls can be seen and heard from your cabin. I have personally walked (300 yards) to Twin Falls in the evening after a fantastic day of fishing on the river with our guide and caught and released up to 40 Walleye in a couple of hours or less.

After a hearty breakfast in the lodge we meet our guide at 8 a.m. for a full day of fishing. We usually go to the falls and fish for Walleye. Not only is this a spawning ground for the Walleye, they feed below the falls all summer long. We are very much into catch and release so we only keep 3 or 4 Walleye for shore lunch. After a short time at the falls we move out into other areas of the river.

This area of the Chruchill River has many islands and a number of other water falls and fast moving currents, which all hold Walleye. We never have to worry about the wind and there are no long boat rides involved. After an unbelievable morning of Walleye fishing we pull up to an island to enjoy one of the best meals served anywhere (sorry gourmet restaurants). If someone opened a restaurant and served a meal like a shore lunch they would be millionaires over night.

I love to fish for Walleye with my ultra light rod and reel. This usually consists of a 5ft ultra light action rod with a reel that holds 4 to 6 lb test line. You can use your 5 to 6ft medium to heavy rod with 8 to 10 lb test line as well. Every lake and river has different lures and bait that work on that body of water. In this area we only use a 3/8 oz lead head with a 4 inch plastic tail (worm). Yellow, white, black seem to be the only colours you need. Some people will put on a frozen minnow, but I find that takes up too much time, and the Walleye seem to steal the minnow more times than not.

I will cut out the gullet from the throat of the Walleye and attach it to my hook. This is a secret weapon so I hope not many of you know what a gullet is. With the moving water we need a 3/8 oz lead head to get to the bottom where we jig while drifting along the Walleye spots. While bouncing our bait off the bottom or near the bottom with our constant jigging motion, we will get Walleye hits all morning long.

After eating way too much for shore lunch - anyone that has never eaten fresh Walleye at shore lunch can’t believe how much a person can eat - we will spend the afternoon Northern Pike fishing. I will switch to a 6ft medium action rod with a little bigger reel with 12 to 18 lb test line. There are way too many rods and reels out there for me to recommend one or the other, they will all work, its just a matter of preference for each fisherman.

I like to use open face reels, while others like bait casting reels. When fishing for Pike I will use your standard Len Thompson spoons. Can you believe they have been making Len Thompson spoons for God knows how many years (over 50 years), and they haven’t come up with anything better. Although, many companies are making attractive lures to catch the fisherman, they will also catch you fish as well.

Whichever lure you spend money on will usually work for Pike. There are many bays with weed beds to choose from to cast your spoons to attract the Pike. If you want to have lots of fun and action try some top water plugs for Pike… very exciting. It is true you will catch your bigger Pike on lakes like Selwyn Lake, which offer trophy Pike/Trout fishing, but 3 or 4 days of fishing on the Churchill River will offer our group a couple of 16 to 24 lb Pike. Some of us just like to catch lots of fish, not necessarily big ones.

One of my favourite things to do while fishing with Twin Falls Lodge is to go on one of the camps portage lakes trips. There are a number of lakes to portage into that already have the boat and motor in that lake. We just walk in with our guide and spend the day fishing for Walleye and Northern Pike. We are the only people on the lake for the whole day, talk about isolated and truly “Out There”, enjoying the peace and beauty. I can’t explain it, you will have to do it yourself to really know what I am talking about. These portage lakes only see approximately 10 to 20 people per year, so I don’t have to spend 10 minutes telling you how truly exceptional the fishing is. No, you don’t have to go in the bush to change your lures to keep the fish off, but that is the closest way to describe the fishing.

We have also taken a day trip to go fishing for Lake Trout. This means a short 15 to 30 minute float plane trip into a day use lake. Again, you are the only ones on that lake for the day (which again doesn’t see 20 fisherman per year). Nothing like a day of fishing to enjoy fast, powerful striking Lake Trout. For those of you that have fished Lake Trout, you know what I am talking about.

After the day is over, we return to the Lodge for more great food. The camp serves a number of great “home cooked/family-style meals”. Then you can sit on the deck talking with other fishermen, swapping fish stories, listening to the water falls and watching the sun set over Robertson Falls. Or like I mentioned earlier, if your arms aren’t sore from the days fishing, you can walk to Twin Falls and catch more fish.

A trip like this is more then just a fishing trip per say… and its not the number of fish you will catch or the great people you will meet… people say it’s the great get-a-way. If you have taken a trip similar to this you will understand what I am saying. If you haven’t taken a trip like this, what is your excuse? Please try it before it’s too late.

Remember, a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work. With all the lakes Saskatchewan has to offer, get out there so you have your own story to tell. 

Written by Ron Cojocar of Adventure Destinations International