For this angler, you can’t beat Great Slave Lake’s far-flung East Arm for incredible laker action on the fly

 Last summer, I had yet another amazing backcountry adventure—my third—on the N.W.T.’s Great Slave Lake, a destination that should be on every angler’s bucket list. And if you’re in search of world-class fly fishing for lake trout, look no further than the venerable Frontier Lodge on Great Slave’s remote East Arm. Here’s what makes both the lodge and the lake itself a sure thing for adventurous anglers.

THE LAKE

The 10th largest lake in the world, Great Slave is 469 kilometres long and 203 kilometres across at its widest, covering approximately 27,200 square kilometres in the southern part of the N.W.T. The fishing guides here gauge the distances from the lodge to promising trout lairs in hours of travel, not kilometres—the lake is simply that large. Its pristine waters seldom exceed 10°C during the summer, which is the preferred water temperature for lake trout. That’s good news for anglers, because it means lakers can be caught close to the surface on both conventional fly and spin tackle (more on that shortly).

THE FISH

Lake trout are often touted as the greatest sportfish in North America, and for good reason. Not only are they big and feisty, they’re also abundant, especially on Great Slave, where 30- to 40-pound fish are regularly caught. While fishing with guide Ryan Mercer during my most recent trip to Frontier Lodge last summer, for example, I landed a 28-pound lake trout on a fly rod (no small feat) and was top gun during my week-long visit. It was pure fishing nirvana, with daily catches in the order of 25-plus lakers, many in the 10-plus pound range; my second largest trout fish weighed in at 17 pounds. If you tire of tackling giant lake trout or just want a change of pace, meanwhile, there are also plenty of opportunities for Arctic grayling and northern pike.