I truly look forward to Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territory every year that I am able to. I have experienced some incredible fishing there over the last few years. I try to go with no expectations, I know the scenery and the company will be great.
My first year we had the trip my fishing buddy and our guide refer to as “Reefer Madness”. We had great weather, light to no winds, clear skies, and lake trout were on almost every reef we would pull up to. We got to sight fish for Lakers! We would watch multiple fish chase after our flies, pick targets and see the eat. Goofy fun that has not been repeated, we have had moments and parts of days since, but not all day for most of our trip.
My second year I got my first fly caught laker over #20, and we caught a ton of fish. The average fish we catch are in the 6 -10 pound range, a lot of fun. They are really strong and put up a great fight on my 8 wt Iconoglass.
Year 3 was ridiculous, I caught multiple fish over 20# a couple closer to 30#. We had gull parties where the lake trout are crashing bait on the surface. We had a couple days where we were doubled up over 30 times. We had many double doubles, once the guide unhooked a fish I would cast and strip and hook another before he could unhook my buddies fish.
Our guide has become a friend to both of us by this point. He started taking us on a late season pike fishing mission that we are not allowed to talk about with the other guests. It requires him to line a boat up a river to a lake that hasn’t been fished for about 6 weeks. He no longer guides full time but comes back every year to guide us and another group. I have been privileged.
The stoke for this trip is always high, tying way more flies than I could possibly need, texting back and forth with my guide/friend in the months leading up to the trip. This year we hit some snags.
Just as our flight from Seattle to Calgary started to push off from the gate it stopped. Report of a piece of metal on the tarmac near the front of the aircraft. Pilot goes out, returns to report there is a small puncture in a front tire. We wait on the plane for an hour for maintenance to show. After he gets a look at it we de board, our new departure time is 3 hours later than originally scheduled, but we still feel we have plenty of time as we had a 5 1/2 hour layover in Calgary before our flight to Yellowknife. We get something to eat and come back expecting to re board, maintenance hasn’t even taken the front tire off the plane yet!
We watched this for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, there were 4 technicians there by the end, it
seemed like this guy didn’t really know what he was doing, he definitely struggled.
We missed our connection, had to overnight in Calgary, and couldn’t get into Yellowknife early enough to catch our morning flight to our destination. The lodge manger tried to see if he could hold the flight back 2 hours, but wasn’t able to. All flights were full for the next 2 days, we were looking at 3 days in Yellowknife, and missing half of our fishing days. We couldn’t even find an available charter. We rented a car and an air b&b for 3 nights and accepted our fate.
The lodge manager was able to get us on a charter the next day. We were on our way after only losing 1 day of fishing!
RedCliff Island almost there!
We landed at 1 PM and were on the water by just after 2. The had our licenses and park passes ready for us to sign, quick stop at the cabin to gear up and we were at the dock.
We didn’t have to go far as there was a gull party on the flats!
First fish happened almost immediately
After catching quite a few my buddy and I switched up to poppers! We each caught a few and even doubled up. Incredibly fun to watch fish slash at our poppers.
We started day 2 with wind and slow trout fishing. We each caught a few but not the action we have become accustomed to. Finished the day in a protected bay looking for pike. The action was better, I found a decent silver
We had another windy day, traveling to couple of my buddies favorite spots. The fishing was slow. Again we each caught a few.
Musk Ox silhouetted on the ridge
And we got up close to a lone bull
He didn’t care about our presence, kept eating and went to rub in the trees
Then it was 2 days of secret mission, at the dock after everyone else left, jet boated in a sled up to our boat and targeted northerns. We caught fish, it was work, that’s how I like it
We had one last day of trout fishing, it was a pretty good one. The most action since the gull party of our arrival, we doubled up a half dozen times or more, and had a perfect ending. We doubled up and my fish was a screamer, deep into my backing on the first run, I regained all my backing and half of my fly line and it ran again taking out all the line and about 30 yards of backing. My buddies fish is in the net and he wants a picture of our double, when I finally get mine to the boat I am happy to see it is fair hooked, I lift it over the lip of the net, it pops off and swims free. The biggest fish of the trip to our boat about #15. My buddy doesn’t need a picture of me with a fish half again the size of his, and I got to play an absolute screamer, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Heading out on our first secret mission
Sunset on the point
First night lights in front of the cabin
The back side of Red Cliff with 3 Humps on the horizon
Shore lunches
My first year we had the trip my fishing buddy and our guide refer to as “Reefer Madness”. We had great weather, light to no winds, clear skies, and lake trout were on almost every reef we would pull up to. We got to sight fish for Lakers! We would watch multiple fish chase after our flies, pick targets and see the eat. Goofy fun that has not been repeated, we have had moments and parts of days since, but not all day for most of our trip.
My second year I got my first fly caught laker over #20, and we caught a ton of fish. The average fish we catch are in the 6 -10 pound range, a lot of fun. They are really strong and put up a great fight on my 8 wt Iconoglass.
Year 3 was ridiculous, I caught multiple fish over 20# a couple closer to 30#. We had gull parties where the lake trout are crashing bait on the surface. We had a couple days where we were doubled up over 30 times. We had many double doubles, once the guide unhooked a fish I would cast and strip and hook another before he could unhook my buddies fish.
Our guide has become a friend to both of us by this point. He started taking us on a late season pike fishing mission that we are not allowed to talk about with the other guests. It requires him to line a boat up a river to a lake that hasn’t been fished for about 6 weeks. He no longer guides full time but comes back every year to guide us and another group. I have been privileged.
The stoke for this trip is always high, tying way more flies than I could possibly need, texting back and forth with my guide/friend in the months leading up to the trip. This year we hit some snags.
Just as our flight from Seattle to Calgary started to push off from the gate it stopped. Report of a piece of metal on the tarmac near the front of the aircraft. Pilot goes out, returns to report there is a small puncture in a front tire. We wait on the plane for an hour for maintenance to show. After he gets a look at it we de board, our new departure time is 3 hours later than originally scheduled, but we still feel we have plenty of time as we had a 5 1/2 hour layover in Calgary before our flight to Yellowknife. We get something to eat and come back expecting to re board, maintenance hasn’t even taken the front tire off the plane yet!
We watched this for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, there were 4 technicians there by the end, it
seemed like this guy didn’t really know what he was doing, he definitely struggled.
We missed our connection, had to overnight in Calgary, and couldn’t get into Yellowknife early enough to catch our morning flight to our destination. The lodge manger tried to see if he could hold the flight back 2 hours, but wasn’t able to. All flights were full for the next 2 days, we were looking at 3 days in Yellowknife, and missing half of our fishing days. We couldn’t even find an available charter. We rented a car and an air b&b for 3 nights and accepted our fate.
The lodge manager was able to get us on a charter the next day. We were on our way after only losing 1 day of fishing!
RedCliff Island almost there!
We landed at 1 PM and were on the water by just after 2. The had our licenses and park passes ready for us to sign, quick stop at the cabin to gear up and we were at the dock.
We didn’t have to go far as there was a gull party on the flats!
First fish happened almost immediately
After catching quite a few my buddy and I switched up to poppers! We each caught a few and even doubled up. Incredibly fun to watch fish slash at our poppers.
We started day 2 with wind and slow trout fishing. We each caught a few but not the action we have become accustomed to. Finished the day in a protected bay looking for pike. The action was better, I found a decent silver
We had another windy day, traveling to couple of my buddies favorite spots. The fishing was slow. Again we each caught a few.
Musk Ox silhouetted on the ridge
And we got up close to a lone bull
He didn’t care about our presence, kept eating and went to rub in the trees
Then it was 2 days of secret mission, at the dock after everyone else left, jet boated in a sled up to our boat and targeted northerns. We caught fish, it was work, that’s how I like it
We had one last day of trout fishing, it was a pretty good one. The most action since the gull party of our arrival, we doubled up a half dozen times or more, and had a perfect ending. We doubled up and my fish was a screamer, deep into my backing on the first run, I regained all my backing and half of my fly line and it ran again taking out all the line and about 30 yards of backing. My buddies fish is in the net and he wants a picture of our double, when I finally get mine to the boat I am happy to see it is fair hooked, I lift it over the lip of the net, it pops off and swims free. The biggest fish of the trip to our boat about #15. My buddy doesn’t need a picture of me with a fish half again the size of his, and I got to play an absolute screamer, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Heading out on our first secret mission
Sunset on the point
First night lights in front of the cabin
The back side of Red Cliff with 3 Humps on the horizon
Shore lunches
