Fishing in Alberta/Prairies
Excellent fishing in the flat lands
Fishing in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan is an angler's dream. With plenty of fly-in, drive in and heli-fishing opportunities, anglers come here in search of remote lodges, pristine lakes and large trophy fish.
Fly fishing in Alberta is popular on the Crowsnest River and the Bow River in Alberta's southwest where a variety of trout can be caught. Bow River is actually rated one of North America's top ten trout streams. Also in this region, popular trout streams include the North Ram River, North Raven River and the scenic West Castle River.
Fishing in central Alberta offers excellent pike, walleye, perch and lake whitefish. Some of the best lakes include Sylvan Lake and Pigeon Lake in summer and Gull Lake for ice-fishing in winter.
Alpine fishing in Canada's Rockies is also ideal. Banff National Park is home to Lake Minnewanka, a well-known trout fly fishing location, while others prefer Jasper's Maligne Lake.
Alberta's north offers pike, walleye, perch and Arctic grayling and there are many fly-in lodges. Lesser Slave Lake is home to the "Golden Walleye Classic" and also has good pike and perch fishing, as does Smoke Lake. McLeod Lake has good rainbow trout fishing year round, while Little Smoky River is famous for its annual fall Arctic grayling fishing.
Saskatchewan, with 13 percent of the province being fresh water, boasts some of the best freshwater fishing in the world and is home to 100,000 lakes, rivers and streams, three dozen provincial parks and hundreds of fishing outfitters.
Fly-in fishing camps are throughout Saskatchewan and many also have outposts on nearby waters, where anglers can be flown by floatplane to spend a day or two in a different fishing area. Saskatchewan's most popular game fish include northern pike, walleye, lake, brook and rainbow trout, Arctic grayling and yellow perch.
Lake Athabasca, which straddles Alberta's border, is one of Canada's largest lakes. It is a popular angling destination for those in search of arctic grayling, trout and walleye. For trophy fishing, some believe that Lake Athabasca is the only place to go.
Saskatchewan has many other great freshwater fishing opportunities. Fishing outfitters offer sport-fishing trips by flight, car or boat to a variety of lakes throughout Saskatchewan including Reindeer Lake and Nemeiben Lake.
Lake Diefenbaker is a popular place to fish for big walleye and northern pike, while the lakes of the Qu'Appelle Valley are well-known for good walleye and perch fishing. Greenwater Lake Provincial Park is popular with pike and walleye anglers, and nearby Steistol lake is stocked with trout.
Meadow Lake Provincial Park boasts a chain of twenty-five river-fed lakes, perfect for northern pike, walleye and perch fishing, and there are several outfitters in the immediate area. The lakes of beautiful Prince Albert National Park offer walleye and northern pike, and record lake trout have been caught in Kingsmere Lake.
Manitoba is a prime fishing vacation destination. Also, referred to as the "Land of 100,000 Lakes, Manitoba boasts trophy-sized northern pike, lake trout, carp walleye and catfish.
Fishing lodges and resorts in Manitoba are numerous. Many of the lodges are exclusively fly-in, on lakes well known for their fishing. Many offer guide services and some also offer floatplane trips to some of the most remote rivers and lakes the province. Huge trophy catfish are found in the Red River Channel, Winnipeg River and Lake Winnipeg. Located in southern Manitoba, Lake Winnipeg is also the third largest Lake in Canada.
Fishing lakes in Duck Mountain Provincial Park offer some of the best sport fishing in Manitoba. East Blue Lake is just one of these, stocked with brook, speckled, rainbow, brown and lake trout, arctic char, muskellunge, walleye, northern pike, perch and whitefish. In Asessippi Provincial Park, drop your line in Lake of the Prairies for some of the best walleye fishing in the province.
