Fly-In Northern Pike Fishing at it's Best
This predatory nature is what makes Northern Pike such an outstanding game fish. They are aggressive and they sure act like they don't like being caught. Thrashing from side to side and making long runs when the boat comes into sight, don't make the mistake of letting up on the tension before your trophy fish is landed.
Northern Pike Fishing Tackle Tips
These tips are meant as a guideline only. Most of you will have your favorite equipment and lures that you know work well. We have an excellent assortment of tackle at the lodge so if there's something that you are needing once you get up here, or have forgotten, don't worry. We probably have it!
Rods
- 6’ to 7’medium to heavy action spinning or baitcasting with appropriate reels
Line
- We highly recommend braided line, 30 to 65 pound test. Leaders should be 12” long, 30 to 80 pound test, and can be steel, titanium or fluorocarbon (flouro leaders should be 80 - 100 pound test)
Lures
- Spoons – ½ oz to 2 oz, in a variety of colours
- Weedless spoons - Johnson’s Silver Minnow, Rapala Spoon
- Spinnerbaits – Mepps, Blue Fox, Butchertails, and safety pin style.
- Swimbaits, Jerkbaits, crankbaits, and topwater baits are all effective. Typically baits in the ½ oz to 2 oz range work well.
- Soft plastics – Sluggo’s, Flukes, plastic worms, etc
Flyrods
- 9 or 10 wt rods with WF floating lines. Sink tips can be advantageous under certain conditions.
Flies
- Large streamers in a variety of patterns and colours, poppers and other topwater patterns can be a lot of fun at times.
Fly Fishing for Pike
"Very knowledgeable guides that are lots of fun to fish with. Lots of fish and very big!! Looking forward to come back. Thanks for the memories."
“Big year Patty, 49-1/2" + 50" for us. It'll be tough to beat those numbers ... but we'll give it a shot next spring. XO."
“Excellent facility, excellent fishing, excellent people, excellent food. First class place that I will tell all about. Trip of a lifetime, many memories. Thanks."
“Made the trip with high expectations. All expectations were exceeded, blown out of the water. Was hoping to land a few pike on my fly rod and broke all my personal records with a 46" pike on the fly. 8 pike 40" or larger in 3 days. Thanks to the guides, Darren, Joel, Georgie for putting us in the right spots, again, again, again. ”
"Had a great time! Looking forward to returning another time. Thanks to all the staff!"
"Thanks for a “great time”. Excellent fishing and meals. Awesome staff. This is a first rate resort!!"
"What a great time! Thanks for the wonderful meals Doreen and Betsy! Looked forward to them as much as the fishing! Pat & Paul – thanks for the effort – I realized that you can lead a horse to water…great laughs too! Have a great winter."
"Excellent food!! Excellent fishing!!! Awesome time!! Thanks Pat, Paul & the ladies!!!"
"Richardson Pioneer & Synergy group arrived Sunday August 22nd. Sunny day, little cool. Everyone has a smile on their face. Departing August 25th still smiling, what an awesome time!!!"
"Thanks for the great hospitality. The fishing was unreal, the meals were crazy good, thanks for the great memories."
"Pat & company, great lodge and wonderful fishing experience - thank you for making my initial pike and walleye experience so awesome. Hope to see you again"
“We had an awesome time! Caught the biggest fish ever! Food was great, guides were amazing. Wink wink to Bob! Can’t wait to come back again. Thanks to Bob, Dorreen, Pat, Cindy, & Wade"
“Patrick, Best walleye fishing in 10 years! Thanks for doing a great job as our host! You continue to improve the wonderful experience. All the best."
“LOVED IT ALL! Thanks."
“Great fishing!"
“Had a very good time, see you soon."
“Thanks for a great trip and lots of fun."
“Thanks for my 1st fish!! 36.5” pike. Cant wait to come back."
“Thanks for a great time. Hope to see you next year. Fun fun fun."
“Thanks for an awesome time. The fishing was great, you cannot keep them off the hook. The hospitality was second to none. Thanks for a wonderful, relaxing time."
“Thank you for a great time. Most fish and biggest fish I have ever caught. Cabins were very nice and the cooking was great."
"Thank you very much for the hospitality. I have never caught so many fish. 41.5” pike, many 37-39”. Great time.”
“Thanks for the great time. I have never been a fisherman, but this was one of the best experiences I have ever had.”
“These are memories that last a lifetime especially with pics. Truly an exceptional 3 days of fishing mammoth northerns. Excellent food & great people & fellowship! Will NOT forget!! Thank you for everything!”
“Thank you for a super weekend full of fun, never a dull moment. True natural setting with excellent hospitality, much appreciated. I would highly recommend for the best fishing I’ve ever experienced. Thanks again.”
“Thank you for a fantastic trip. Exceptionally well managed. The best fishing / great food. Well done.”
“The Dilly Guys from Philly. Where do I start? 2nd year at Cree Lake, the best lodge in Canada. Fishing is over the top – Chip is a great guide and friend – the food and hospitality cannot be beat. Patrick you know how to please – hope to be back. Still the Philly two.”
“30th year anniversary trip of a group of fishing buddies – perfect choice! Thanks for everything. Prime time!"
“World class in every way, trip up river to the dunes ranks in the top 3 big pike days of my life. Thanks for everything.”
“We had an incredible, wonderful time! Fabulous fishing, great food, and awesome hospitality. Hope to return again and bring family and friends. Thank you so much, Pat and staff!!”
“An amazing experience, great fishing, fantastic guides, and wonderful food. A trip I will never forget. It was fun to spend a week with my son and friends!”
“Great food, great group of people, awesome guides. Had nonstop action on the fly rod for both pike and greyling. Awesome week that I will not forget. Thanks again!!”
“First class accommodations and guides. Biggest Pike caught in 40 years (45”). The food was amazing.”
“Fantastic week! Pike, Walleye, Grayling were all a blast. Team Cree River Lodge were all awesome! Thanks to all, greatly appreciated.”
“First time fishing in 25 years, you guys made it so easy. Awesome people, great food and a super time. Hope to be back.”
“Great lodge, great staff, great guides, and most importantly, great fish!”
“Hoy muchas pescas, no? Great guides, staff, fish. Thank you for the memorable week!”
“Amazing trip, tons of fish. Amazing staff and lodge. Dunes was a great day trip. Will be back, thanks all.”
“Awesome times on the lake and at the lodge. Big fish. Thanks to all the staff at Cree River Lodge. River trip to the sand dunes was amazing and huge Jack on the river!!”
“Cree River Lodge is fantastic!! The only place in Canada where the fish bite better than the mosquitos!!”
“Good times, great fishing. Had a blast! Great meals and guides. Thanks for everything, especially the 45.5” Jack!”
“As an outdoors writer for the past quarter century, I've had the opportunity to fish a great deal of water with a great number of people, from the far north to Mexico. I can truly state that never have I spent time with better, more experienced anglers than the folks at Cree River Lodge. I felt comfortable from the moment our boat touched the dock at Cree River until; sadly it was time to depart. The fishing, food and hospitality were top notch and I am eagerly awaiting round two with those big pike and walleye.”
“I have fished a lifetime to catch the quality of fish I battled with at Cree River Lodge. The pike fishing is so insane I had to make time to fish for walleye and arctic grayling—I love first world problems like these.”
“I have been in outdoor media industry for 11 years, and in that time I've been able to travel to some amazing places to fish. But I can say that of all the incredible locations I've visited, none has stuck with me more than Cree River Lodge. I have an insatiable passion for pike on the fly, and I truly don't believe any experience will ever top the fishing at Cree River. It was as close to paradise for a guy in love with toothy fish on the fly as you can get. If I could visit every year, I would.”
“Cree River Lodge is a truly outstanding destination for giant pike! In the vast river system there, you can catch huge ‘gators in weedy backwaters, rocky river sections, and in wide-open lakes—loads of pike over 40 inches, with some pushing 50! If you get worn out by these monsters, take a break with a hot walleye bite, with most fish over 17 inches and some close to 30 inches. Finally, big grayling are waiting for the right spinner or fly pattern in the fastest river sections. The guides and accommodations are awesome, too”
“Patrick, Best Walleye fishing in 10 years! Thanks for doing a great job as our host! You continue to improve the wonderful experience. All the best. ”
“Cree River Crew, We had an outstanding time at the lodge and on the lake this week. Biggest pike on the fly. Stef's biggest pike, grayling and walleye and summer whitefish! Meals were too good. Hope to see you again soon. Cree river lodge is like fishing in a dream. Thanks All! ”
“Unreal. What I love about Cree River is you are in walleye, monster jack and grayling within minutes of the lodge - no 20 minute boat ride. I would recommend time at the rapids and the river. Four casts with 4 fish over 40 inches has to be the highlight!! The amazing food and shore-side lunches topped off the trip.”
“Date: Aug 21, 2015 Thx for the awesome fishing + Great food and Company, Completely awesome, Thx.”
“Date: Aug 21, 2015 Best fishing ever! 46.5" Jack, lots of Walleye! Awesome food, awesome people. Keep doing what your doin. thanks for the experience.”
“Date: Aug 21, 2015 Great fishing, Great people, Great food, Tons of fun. Thanks for everything.”
“Date: June 10, 2014 Greatest fishing experience I've ever had!"
“July 5, 2014. Thank you for the family atmosphere, good laughs + the BEST fishing these green eyes have seen. Also thanks for not sending us to the hospital during spoons! Cheers from Chicago! 29 inch Willy the Walleye. 45 inch Jack."
“Date: June 30, 2014. What a great time - food fish and food. Take the River trip and see the Canadian North. Thanks for the lesson on catching the Walleye. Pike fishing was Great. We both enjoyed it a lot."
“Date: July 5, 2014. My first 40" Northern, 28" Wally, and a very nice grayling to say the least it was a trip of firsts. So lucky to have had the chance to experience such a friendly and fun family. Can't wait to come back."
