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

#6  Bonus species sweeten the deal

While pike understandably get top billing on the Cree River system, there’s more here than toothy predators. Arctic grayling, lake whitefish and walleye round out the lineup, offering variety and a chance to change gears when you want a break from casting big flies. Just downstream of the lodge, grayling dine freely on small flies, offering a trout-like interlude. For anglers who enjoy light-tackle or delicate presentations, these “sailfish of the north” are both beautiful and hard fighting. And don’t be surprised if you nab lake whitefish as well.

Walleye are astonishingly abundant throughout the system, and take flies almost as readily as they pounce on jigs and spoons. If you wanted, you could park the boat on a bar or current channel and catch walleye on almost  every cast, using a sinking line or weighted flies like a classic Clouser Minnow. In addition, the walleye often chunkier than you’d expect in water that’s only 100 kilometres south of the 60th parallel.