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Fishing the 60th Parallel
by John Kruse, March 10, 2007
The first thing you learn on Canada’s 60th Parallel is not to lip the fish. Whether it’s a big pike, nice walleye or hard fighting lake trout, the results to your hand from these toothy fish are painfully similar. Even for an angler like me who is used to catching largemouth bass and crappie, it didn’t take long for the lesson to sink in.
The 60th Parallel east of Fort Smith marks the border of the Northwest Territories with Alberta and Saskatchewan. With great fishing and plenty of solitude it’s a wonder it’s not more popular. I suppose part of the reason is because of the planning it takes to get here. Ft. Smith is a two-hour flight or 880-mile drive from Edmonton Alberta. Another lodge in the region (Scott Lake Lodge) is reached by a charter flight from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Fishing options abound on the 60th Parallel. The most inclusive is offered by Scott Lake Lodge (www.scottlakelodge.com or Tel. 406-556-0516). Located on a huge 40 kilometer long and wide body of water, Scott Lake caters to 24 guests at a time. Guides accompany anglers during their days on Scott Lake or at one of 11 fly-out destinations. In addition to the fishing, the lodge offers full meals and the use of kayaks and canoes. There is also a two-mile interpretive nature trail just north of the lodge that will educate you about the area’s eco-system. At the end of a long day you can soak your cares away in a hot tub just outside the lodge or schedule an after dinner massage. Prices for this trip range from $3400 for five full days of fishing to $5000 for ten full days on the water. The packages include air fare from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
Those looking for something less pricey may want to consider a trip to Hanging Ice Lodge, located a few miles east of Ft. Smith in the Northwest Territories (www.hangingicelodge.com or Tel. 780-465-6343). This is a lodge operated for fishing with a little eating and sleeping thrown in to keep you going. The schedule centers around the simple but hearty food served three times daily. After each meal, you sally forth in a 16-foot aluminum boat powered by a 9.9 horsepower motor to the fishing hot spot of your choice. If you want to fish all day, a sack lunch is available. As you motor along you can enjoy the scenery of forest lined lakes and have the chance to view wildlife like loons, eagles, beaver, muskrat, moose and the occasional black bear. It is only at the end of an early summer day that never quite gets dark that you finally return to the lodge and your cabin for some sleep.
There’s plenty of water for anglers to explore here. The main lake is several miles long and the lodge is on the southern end of it. Next to the lodge is a channel connecting Schaefer Lake to good-sized Upper Schaefer Lake further south. On the southwest end of the upper lake the Tethul River flows in. Anglers can take their boats up the river to the rapids two miles upstream. Those choosing to go north from the lodge can make a 30-minute run to the outlet of the lake and walk beside a set of rapids to reach boats that are beached on Lower Schaefer Lake. Navigating this lower lake is a full day affair, with miles of narrow arms and bays to explore. There are also several other lakes to visit nearby for the price of a short walk. Several of them have cached boats or canoes available for use by guests of the lodge.
A full seven-day trip to Hanging Ice Lodge costs $1900 which includes airfare to and from Edmonton, Alberta. A shorter three-day trip from Ft. Smith costs as little as $900. Up to 13 guests can stay in the cabins surrounding the lodge. I had the opportunity to stay here for a week last season and would recommend this place wholeheartedly. However, at this time it is unclear whether or not the lodge will be open for the 2005 Season.
One place that will definitely be open is the Andrew Lake Lodge and Camps (www.andrewlakelodge.com or Tel. 780-464-7537). A floatplane trip from Ft. Smith will take you to Andrew Lake Lodge, cabins at the Leland Lakes, or a comfortable tent camp at Boquene Lake. Pike, walleye or lake trout are common in these Northeastern Alberta waters.
Lake trout up to 50 pounds and more pike await at the North Star Resort as well as Sparks and Alcantra Lake, located 100 to 150 miles north of Ft. Smith in the Northwest Territories. You stay in cabins and fish on your own in the sturdy boats available here. All of these trips offered by Andrew Lake Lodge and Camps have light housekeeping plans. This means you are responsible for bringing and preparing your own food. You also need to bring a sleeping bag. Rates for a seven-day trip range from as little as $895 for a cabin at South Leland Lake from Ft. Smith to $2065 for a trip to the North Star Resort from Edmonton.
The adventurous soul may want to give the folks at Reliance Airways a call (www.relianceairways.ca or Tel. 867-872-4004). Flying out of Ft. Smith, one of their floatplanes will drop you, a friend, and a canoe off into the northern wilderness. You can start at the Northeast tip of Alberta and canoe out to the Slave River, fishing for lake trout, pike and walleye along the way. You can also ask to be dropped off with your canoe at one of the many lakes within 38-miles of Ft. Smith. Bring your own food and shelter and arrange for a pick up whenever you choose to be flown back to civilization. These do-it-yourself trips cost as little as $350.
Now that you know what trips are available, let’s talk about how to catch the fish of the Canadian north. There are three main species of fish to target in this region. Northern pike are abundant and many of them are huge. Although the average fish weighs about three pounds, pike in the 10 to 20 pound range are common. Anglers have a real opportunity for a trophy pike too, as fish up to 30 pounds have been caught here. Try tossing a 5/8 to 1-oz Daredevele, Five of Diamonds or Luhr Jensen Krocodile spoon along rocky points or weed lines. A Johnson Silver Minnow spoon is also worth casting into weedy bays. Finally, fly-fishermen and women are discovering the thrills of catching these hard charging fish. Whatever tackle you use, you’re sure to be rewarded by a series of solid hits from these aggressive pike.
Walleye are also easy to find and some of them reach up to 12 pounds. In the span of two hours one morning, two of us caught and released 35 of them, as well as several pike, fishing near Hanging Ice Lodge. Most anglers use jigs with curly tail grubs to entice strikes. Others find that jigs tipped with minnows are very effective. Chartreuse colored buck tail offerings like a Mack’s Lure Rock Dancer jig is another great lure for both walleye and pike.
Lake trout up to 50 pounds are targeted along the 60th Parallel. Just after ice out, they are found in shallow water 10 to 20 feet deep, but as summer progresses they move deeper. A trolled 1-oz red/white and silver Half-Wave spoon or some of the above mentioned pike spoons weighing 1-oz or more will draw strikes from these line peeling fish, especially in the evening.
Catching all three species of fish in a single day is not unusual. At Scott Lake Lodge, walleye are not available but Arctic Grayling are plentiful. These colorful and feisty fish are great fun on light tackle and take flies readily.
There is a mandatory barbless hook rule in the Northwest Territories. While this means a few lost fish, the large amount you do catch makes it almost irrelevant. Anglers are encouraged to release all of their fish except for a few taken for meals on one or two days during their stay. This, along with the light angling pressure these lakes receive in the far Canadian north, translates into great fishing for years to come.
NOTE: This article was written for The Sportsman’s Atlas in 2005. Unfortunately, the publication folded. It is appearing here for the first time. Hanging Ice Lodge is not open at the present time but may be again in the near future.