Tazin Lake Fishing Adventures in Northern Saskatchewan
- 1. Page 28 January 2024 by John Cleveland It’s hard to resist the intoxicating wonder of wild places, and the remote regions of northern Saskatchewan are among my favorite places to find the unfiltered adventures I dream about. My friend Bob Vogel and I were invited to Tazin Lake Lodge in northern Saskatchewan by the owners, Barry Prall and Trevor Montgomery, to explore fall fishing in September. With an estimated 100,000 lakes and rivers, Saskatchewan has the reputation for yielding exceptionally big trophy lake trout and northern pike. Fall is my favorite time of year to chase big lake trout with both fly rods and conventional gear. As they begin moving into shallow water to get ready to spawn, they offer sight fishing opportunities and spectacular battles when hooked in skinny water. When we arrived from Detroit in Fort McMurray, Alberta on September 1st, the smoke from forest fires in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories had socked in the area with a thick haze, and our pilot had to land on instruments. The next day when our float plane was to fly us to the lodge, the visibility was too low to take off, and we were sent back to our hotels and told to report back to the airport the next morning at 7 am. With visibility just above legal minimums the next morning, our plane lifted from the tarmac and flew an hour and a half northeast to Tazin Lake. We found out later that our plane was the only plane allowed to take off that day from Fort McMurray. As the float plane settled onto the lake, the acrid taste in the air from distant wildfires in the NWT was unmistakable. A thick, smoky haze enveloped the crests of the steep hills surrounding the lake, creating a surreal vision with only the jagged tips of the hills visible, giving us the Jurassic illusion of the thorny backs of sleeping dinosaurs napping at the edge of the lake. After an enthusiastic greeting from the camp’s staff, we headed up to the lodge, which is perched on a sandy beachfront with an expansive view of the lake. Following lunch and a brief orientation to the coming week’s fishing program, we headed to our assigned cabins to gear up and start chasing fish. The cabins at Tazin Lake are cozy and paneled with the classic wilderness comfort of knotty pine. They have hot and cold running water, and a cast iron wood stove to keep the cabin cozy and warm. Tazin Lake is an emerald gem mounted in a setting of birch- and spruce-covered slopes accented with steep, rocky, Precambrian chutes and outcroppings. The lake is of modest size at 22 by 12 miles. But most importantly, it is rich with ideal structure for producing trophy lake trout, with depths up to 900 feet, endless drop-offs and more bait balls than I have ever seen on a fish finder. I knew Tazin Lake held the DNA of monster lake trout, as I have had several friends fish successfully during the spring and summer months, regularly catching lake trout 30, 40 and even 50 pounds and larger. Keeping the faith On the morning of our third day at the lodge, I stood on the front deck at the break of dawn. Temperatures had dropped overnight to 36 degrees, and chilled raindrops were ricocheting off the porch’s shingles from a passing front. I watched a stream of purling white smoke ascend into the wet air from the fieldstone chimney of the lodge and inhaled the scent of the rain- infused wind, sipping my first cup of coffee while pondering the past two days of fishing. We had spent the past two days covering as much water as possible, with Trevor in search of spawning lake trout while trying to pattern their movements. The surface water temperatures were unseasonably high at 57 to 59 degrees. Lake trout generally don’t begin to congregate to spawn until the surface water temperatures drop to 54 degrees or lower. We were swimming upstream against the odds. Yet with the 36-degree temps registering this morning, and a forecast for cooling temperatures the rest of the week, Bob and I were optimistic and kept the faith that our luck was about to change. We fished hard all day, targeting pike in a channel that led into a bay called “The Tree” that held excellent structure and expansive cabbage beds. We caught dozens of respectable fish, but just couldn’t make the connection with the trophies we were hoping to find. In hindsight, I think the big girls (large trophy pike are females) had moved into the deeper water where the temperatures were cooler and the bait more plentiful. When they disperse to deeper water, thry can become difficult to locate as they are spread out and suspend throughout the lake. A couple of the other guests in camp had the good fortune to land a 43- and a 46 1/2- inch pike today. Tomorrow we will focus on finding trophy lake trout. tempt 'em. Shop Dardevle Online for Our Complete Selection! More Lures! More Colors! More Sizes! MidWest Outdoors “Helping you enjoy the outdoors!” Smoke on the Water in Northern Saskatchewan Tazin Lake’s staff greeting new arrivals at the dock. Sharing a wilderness adventure with friends is what it is all about. Trevor Montgomery hoisting Bob Vogel’s well-earned trophy lake trout.
- 2. January 2024 Page 29 Patience and persistence The mists of morning hovered over the lake like a predator as I stood on the front deck of the lodge, sipping a cup of hot coffee. The view across the lake was spectacular, as a horizonal fog bank cascaded down the steep hills across the lake like a waterfall spilling into the lake. Bob and I were confident today was the day the magic would happen, and the trophy trout would come out and play. We encountered challenging conditions on day four with temperatures in the low 40s and the wind sporadically blowing pelting rain throughout the day from the west at 15 to 25 mph. Trevor suggested we head directly to a reef called “Trout Rock” and troll for lake trout. Bob had just cracked a joke that he was done fishing and ready to start catching when his baitcasting rod buckled with the strike from a powerful fish. He worked hard for the next 15 minutes to respool the 150 feet of line the trout was connected to before swinging it boatside, where Trevor rolled the huge trout into the net for a win! This was Bob’s first trophy lake trout at 45 inches and estimated to be 35 to 37 pounds. After a few victory whoops and grip-and-grin photos, Bob eased the trout into the lake. With a powerful swipe of its broad tail, it headed back to the reef to rest. Shortly after Bob landed his big fish, I was jigging a Rocket Devle in front of a large, boomerang-shaped arc on the fish finder when my rod was almost yanked out of my hands by a powerful take. I played tug-of- war for 10 minutes with what turned out to be one of the most powerfully stubborn, 18-pound trout I have ever fought. Patience, persistence, and a good guide had finally paid off for us. The remainder of the day, we hooked and released 15 to 20 smaller trout. The stocky, muscular condition of all the fish we caught this week speaks to the healthy forage base of ciscoes, sculpin and other baitfish we regularly observed as “bait balls” on the fish finder screen while trolling. After 10 hours of fishing in the wet chill of the day, we headed back to the lodge and our cabin to fire up the wood stove. And to celebrate the kind of day that makes you feel alive and tested by the harsh elements of an untamed land. There is something particularly satisfying about striking a match to the kindling in a wood stove, the spark and pop of the local spruce logs and the first push of hot air as the logs begin to burn. We were quickly rewarded with the radiating heat from the stove’s iron skin as we changed into dry clothes and headed to the lodge for a great meal, fish stories and the satisfying camaraderie that develops with new friends met at a remote fishing lodge. A spectacular theater Our final day was spent trolling and jigging in the morning while watching the ethereal images of elusive trout on the fish finder, with little effect other than to enhance our frustration at their lack of enthusiasm for our baits. Trevor suggested we give pike fishing a try in a nearby bay. As we slipped into the mouth of the bay, I noticed two bald eagles resting their wings on the morning thermals above us, their majestic presence adding to the magical vision of the shallow pike waters we were about to explore. The water in front of me exploded as a pike absolutely blasted the Dardevle spoon I cranked in at full speed on my first cast. For the next two hours, almost every cast we made with our Dardevles was met with big takes from enthusiastic pike. It was an absolute blow-out finish on our last day, hooking more than 50 feisty pike in a spectacular theater set with beautiful fall scenery. If we are lucky enough, we ultimately find more than just fish on a wilderness adventure. The scenery, wildlife, the chase and challenge, and the people we share it with are the elements that paint the memories of an epic fishing adventure. Once again, northern Saskatchewan and Tazin Lake Lodge have provided the perfect canvas on which to paint another inspiring adventure. MWO John Cleveland is the Marketing Director for Dardevle spoons, made by Eppinger Manufacturing Company. He is also an award-winning freelance outdoor writer and featured speaker on topics relating to his passion for catching big fish in wild places with fly and conventional tackle. Email: [email protected]. MidWest Outdoors “Helping you enjoy the outdoors!” Tazin’s main lodge is perched on a sandy beachfront with a spectacular view of the lake. The smoky morning haze blurred the sun’s rays like a watercolor, turning the land into a mystical painting. 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