Selwyn Lake Pike Fly Fishing Hosted Trip Report:
On our third day of fishing we had the first blue skies of the trip and too many pike to count. My fishing partner that day, Dave, turned to me and said, “How come no one does this with flies?” As I sat back in my chair, enjoying a cold Original 16, Dave started casting again. I thought, “I have no idea, but I will be doing it again next year!”
When my good friend RA Beattie approached me about co-hosting a pike fly fishing trip, I said, “Perfect, I have always wanted to go on an actual pike trip, but where do we go?” RA said, “I have the place!” The place was Selwyn Lake Lodge and it was the perfect place for our group. Selwyn Lake Lodge is a premier fly in fishing lodge located on the boarder of the North West Territories and Saskatchewan. Selwyn Lake is 45 miles lone and 18 miles wide. The lodge and the facilities were a perfect fit for our group of 12 as we have the entire place to ourselves. The staff was amazing and catered to our every need.
The guides were very skeptical of an entire fly fishing group as they see very little fly anglers. Never before had they had an entire group of fly anglers. After a couple of days, the skepticism was put to rest as our group kept knocking prior guests off the leader boarder. Those names featured asterisks of an F for fly next to the name. At the end of the week, 4 of the top 5 fish for the year had a F next to them.
The fishing was nothing short of spectacular in all weather patterns. With wind and the rain, we would still be fishing in shallows and watching pike charging and throwing off bow wakes after the fly. In the sunshine, we were sight fishing for regularly for pike 35-40 inches in length. Our group landed roughly 15 – 20 fish over the 40 plus inch mark. Often, nice lake trout were caught in the shallows! A couple of we did dredge deep for them but it would be rare to bring your flies up without a take. Day-dreaming about monster lake trout was easy when dredging. Selwyn Lake is home to monster lake trout between 30 – 50 lbs. The take of the pike though seemed to consume most of the cocktail chatter and it was definitely what will bring most of the group back next year.
It is very different being in an Alaska frontier type setting with a serious danger element that includes the bears and wildlife but also the fishing itself. When landing a 40 plus inch pike, having it turn back and attempt to attack your face, you have a different appreciation for the level of anger in the fish. Watch out when washing your hands in the water is not something you hear everyday when fishing in a freshwater lake. When landing a pike around 35 inches one afternoon, I noticed a tail in its mouth. We used the jaw spreaders and some pliers to take the fish out of the pike’s mouth. It was a lake trout around 22 inches. A 35-inch fish who has eaten a 22-inch fish with it stuck in its throat however it still eats the fly? I see more pike fishing in my fly fishing future.
Thanks to an incredible group for a memorable time and the entire staff at Selwyn Lake Lodge. It was truly a special trip and I look forward to next year. For more information on this trip in 2017, please email WorldCast Anglers or call us at 800-654-0676. You are also welcome to sign up for our e-newsletters. Trip information can always be found on our WCA Hosted Trips webpages.
-Mike Dawes
WorldCast Anglers President
2017 Dates – June 15th – 19th
