Regina 
Saskatchewan is well known as the land of 100,000 lakes, and this means that the province offers some fantastic opportunities to fish. It is easy enough to find a campground and head off onto one of the bigger lakes on a boat, canoe or kayak, but there are plenty of other fishing holes that are more off the beaten track, where, even in the heat of summer you may not find anyone else.
Credit: Victoria Harrison
Fall is sometimes overlooked as a time to get out fishing, but the autumn colours mixed with the greens of the pines create an amazing backdrop to some downtime on the water. Since it is a cooler season, it is important to be prepared with extra clothing and warm sleeping bags for the nights.
Travelogue: Three-Day Fishing Getaway in Northern Saskatchewan
Every time we head off to the north in the province of Saskatchewan, we discover new areas, and over a three-day trip in September of 2022, we discovered some awesome fishing in three different lakes.
Starting in Saskatoon, we loaded up the truck and hooked the boat trailer on to travel the highways up to the Big River area. Our plan was to backcountry camp, as most of the area around the lakes is Crown land, which means that you don’t need a permit to camp, and if you have all your own equipment, it is an inexpensive way to get out for a couple of nights.
The journey from Saskatoon is just under three hours. We stopped in Blaine Lake at the Gas Plus to pick up some bait but also to check out Betty’s Diner, which is the cutest retro café that you will find in the area. Our next stop was in Shellbrook for a snack, and the last place we would have flush toilets for a couple of days. We hit the Subway at the gas station on the corner but considered having an early lunch at Arnie’s Grill, which has good food at decent prices.
1. Swede Lake
As we were travelling, we decided to make Swede Lake our first overnight destination. Swede Lake is right across the road from Nesslin Lake, which has a proper campground, so if you travel to the area and don’t want to backcountry camp, facilities are available.
Nesslin Lake is also a great place to fish, but we wanted a quieter experience, which Swede Lake afforded us.
Credit: Victoria Harrison
It is possible to canoe or kayak on this lake, but we had chosen to bring a motorized boat for trolling and better comfort on the water. The track (can’t call it a road) going down to the lake was a bit bumpy, but we made it with no problems and discovered a cleared boat launch and an open area to park the truck.
It would be a slow drive down to the lake in a small or lowered car, and if it has been raining the track might be quite muddy, so be aware of your vehicle and the state of the track before travelling down it. Also, there is no sign indicating that there is a boat launch there, so if you miss the track, you can always ask for directions at the campground at Nesslin Lake.
It didn’t take us long to load all the camping gear into the boat and set afloat. We took a quick tour around the lake, warming up the engine and marvelling in the beauty of the day, even though it was overcast.
We had heard that there was a rough campsite set up on the far side of the lake, so we headed over to see if we could find a place to set up camp before throwing our lines in the water.
Credit: Victoria Harrison
Apparently, the lake and the area are well used by both fisherpersons and local Scout troops, so we found a well-set-out area with a stone fire pit, fish cleaning station, and a lean-to with some already cut wood. We pulled the boat in for a better look and unloaded all of our gear.
A quick walk around the camp area showed us a trail leading to the left. Following it, we discovered an area perfect for a tent or two, well enough away from the campfire area to not have to worry about bears or other animals coming around to snoop on our food smells.
Credit: Victoria Harrison
The rest of the day was spent enjoying the fishing and catching! There are plenty of jackfish (northern pike) in this lake, but since they are not the best to eat, we practiced catch and release. Northern pike have a very bony structure and can be difficult to clean, and often, older fish don’t have a good taste.
We had plenty of success both trolling and casting using spinners, with two sections of the lake proving to be the best – right across the lake from the boat launch, and within the little cove at the far end of the lake.
The depths vary, so if you are in a motor boat, you will need to watch carefully if you do not have a depth or fish finder. After a catch of 15 to 20 fish each, we called it a day and spent the evening hanging out in front of a roaring fire with some tasty smokies.
Credit: Victoria Harrison
Our second day brought us plenty of sunshine, good coffee and pancakes. The fresh morning breeze carried the sounds of the birds and the slight breeze through the trees – it was a perfect autumn day to be out on the water. Within a half hour, we had eaten, broken camp and loaded up the boat, having already decided we wanted to take our chances with a couple of other lakes in the area.
It wasn’t easy to just head back to the boat launch, so we trolled the lake for about an hour, catching some 15 fish before deciding we were ready to leave.
Once the boat was loaded up and we had stowed our camping gear in the truck, we headed back to the main road (922) to try our hand at trout fishing in Ted’s Lake, a bit farther north up the road. The boat ramp here is quite steep, and you will need to pull your vehicle all the way back up to the side of the road, as this is a popular little lake.
2. Ted’s Lake
Ted’s Lake is a stocked lake with rainbow trout. They generally restock every two years, and because this lake is very small, you can use a canoe or kayak, but trout are best caught when you are trolling, so a fishing boat is a better choice of watercraft. Tiny flies are used for successful catching, and a light touch is used when reeling in, as they are prone to letting go.
Ted’s lake/ Credit: Victoria Harrison
We had set our timeline for two hours, as there was nowhere to camp on this lake, so we launched and spent the first hour on the lake by ourselves. Most fisherpersons here circle the deepest spot on the lake, and it can get congested in high season, but this afternoon allowed us the pleasure of having the lake to ourselves until just one other boat arrived. I managed to catch one decent-sized trout, which we kept to have for dinner.
Two hours went by quickly, and we attempted to load the boat without incident for the second time that day, however, our boat trailer had a different plan, and one of us was unceremoniously dumped into the lake. After much laughter and some wringing out of clothing, we were once again on our way.
Our next destination was a much bigger lake – Hackett Lake – back south down 922. This huge lake is approximately 44 kilometres north of Big River.
3. Hackett Lake
The most annoying thing here is that there is only a boat launch at the privately owned campground (leased from Saskatchewan), which means that you are required to pay $15 a day for the privilege of launching onto the lake. Carry cash with you to put into the envelope or check in at the office at the campground.
We decided that it was worthwhile to pay, since we had heard that there was a backcountry campsite at the other end of the lake on Crown land. Of course, for those who are travelling and would like amenities, having the campground here is a huge bonus.
Hackett Lake is also a fantastic place for catch and release as it is home to lots of Northern Pike, but Walleye can also be caught here. Within the first five minutes of being on the lake, I had already caught four pike of varying sizes, and we knew that we were going to enjoy our time on this lake.
Both trolling and casting using spoons were successful endeavours here, and we lost count of our fish after we both hit 20.
Credit: Victoria Harrison
Sadly, even with using our fish-finder, bait and lots of patience, we had no success with Walleye. Usually, fisherpersons can have some success with using live bait and the jigging method. Deeper waters (more than 10 feet) are usually home to Walleye in this lake, and some of the best areas are the flat parts of the lake floor. In the fall, you should be looking in depths of 15 to 25 feet of water for Walleye. It is advisable to use a depth monitor or fish finder for this lake, as depths vary greatly.
We stayed on the lake long enough to enjoy a gorgeous sunset before travelling to the far end of the lake to look for the off-the-grid campsite. Located on the left-hand side at the far end, this is another spot where many people have camped and have created some basic camping structures.
Be very aware that there is a sand bar in the middle of the lake towards this end – you need to travel to the right-hand side of the lake to go around it before coming back to the left. Pull into the cove on the left side, as there is the remnants of a boat launch and road. The campsite is located up the road and to the right, and it overlooks the lake. We didn’t know about the boat launch area until we had waded through the water right in front of the campsite and hauled all of our stuff up the slope.
Once we started exploring the area, it was easy to find, and we moved the boat into the quieter bay area for the night.
An exploration of the area showed us that there were the remains of a recent trapper’s cabin just outside the camping area, with a still functional outhouse (thank you to whoever put the toilet paper and hand sanitizer in there). We set up camp quickly and proceeded to cook the trout that I had caught earlier on Ted’s Lake. The night was crisp and clear, and we were treated to an amazing view of the night sky.
Hackette Lake/Credit: Victoria Harrison
We rose early to enjoy some fishing before departing the area, and the view of the mist on the lake with the rising sun was something to be cherished.
Another couple of hours of trolling and casting took us back to the boat launch, where we loaded and started the journey back to Saskatoon.
Hackette Lake/Credit: Victoria Harrison
We highly recommend being properly prepared for an adventure such as this. There is little to no cell phone service in these areas, so carrying everything you need is important. Remember to get your fishing license, and check the fishing season dates, fish limits and other important government information before heading out.
If you are travelling in the fall, carry plenty of warm clothing and a cold-weather sleeping bag with you, as temperatures can vary greatly between daytime and nighttime. Remember to carry out whatever you have carried in with you, and be mindful of how your food is stored, as bears and other wild animals are in the area. A flashlight is essential, as well as an axe or small chainsaw and matches or a lighter to ensure that you can start a fire. Food, water, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, extra fuel, and proper camping gear should also be on your “to pack” list.
Always inform someone of where you are going before you leave cell service.
For more information on fishing in Saskatchewan, check out Saskatchewan Tourism Website.
Might be worth mentioning that you need a National Park License to fish at Halkett or Sandy as it’s more well known.
Great write up!
No live bait in Saskatchewan.