Saskatchewan’s Cree River belongs on every pike angler’s bucket list—especially if you fly fish. Here’s why

#1  This is the home of truly giant pike

Northern Saskatchewan’s Cree River system isn’t just another watershed with pike—it’s a genetic jackpot for producing giant Esox lucius. These northerns aren’t just big; they’re fat, with heavy bodies that seem almost overbuilt for freshwater predators. I’ve caught big-headed, skinny-bodied 44-inch pike that didn’t break 20 pounds. On the Cree, “mere” 38-inchers often hit that mark. It really is extraordinary.

The variety of water here also keeps things interesting. One hour you’re picking apart river channels; the next you’re scanning glassy, sunlit flats on Wapata Lake for shadows moving through the weeds. That constant change of pace doesn’t just make the days fly by—it also gives these fish plenty of prime habitat to grow big and stay healthy.

If giant pike are on your bucket list, this is the kind of place that can ruin you for everywhere else. Think that’s a fisherman’s tale? Get this: Every fish photo in this story was taken between June 12th and 15th, 2025, and feature only the four anglers in my group and our guides—no stock shots, no extra shots from the lodge’s archive or even other anglers at the lodge.