Catching a trophy Northern Pike is a bucket-list experience for many anglers. On Reindeer Lake, the opportunity to catch a true giant is one of the reasons anglers travel north for a fly-in fishing trip to Northern Saskatchewan.
At Arctic Lodges, we consider any Northern Pike measuring 40 inches or better a trophy. Fish in the mid-40-inch range are regularly caught, 48-inch-plus pike are not uncommon, and Reindeer Lake produces pike reaching the 50-inch mark every year.
The key to consistently finding these fish is understanding how they move throughout our short northern fishing season. Where we target trophy pike in June can be completely different from where we’re fishing them in August.
Here’s what we’ve learned about finding and catching trophy Northern Pike on Reindeer Lake.
Why Reindeer Lake Produces Enormous Northern Pike
One of the biggest reasons Reindeer Lake grows enormous pike is the amount of food available to them.
The lake has a diverse forage base including cisco, whitefish, perch, walleye, suckers and burbot. Trophy pike have no shortage of opportunities to feed throughout the season.
Combine that food supply with Reindeer Lake’s cold, clean water and incredible amount of habitat, and you have ideal conditions for growing truly giant Northern Pike.
It also leads to one of the biggest misconceptions we see from anglers coming north.
Big Baits Don’t Always Mean Big Pike
Many anglers preparing for a Northern Saskatchewan pike fishing trip assume that targeting big fish means throwing the biggest lure in the tackle box.
That’s not necessarily the case on Reindeer Lake.
There is certainly a time and place for large swimbaits and other big presentations, but many of our biggest pike are caught on baits measuring only 3 to 6 inches.
These fish have an abundance of smaller forage available and are used to taking advantage of easy meals.
Don’t be afraid to throw a smaller spinner, spoon or swimbait just because you’re targeting a 40-plus-inch pike. Some of the biggest fish in the lake are caught on surprisingly small presentations.
June: Shallow Water and Sight Fishing
Our season begins June 12, and June offers some of our most consistent trophy Northern Pike fishing of the summer.
Early in the season, we’re looking for warm water.
Large pike move into sheltered, shallow bays where the water warms faster than the main lake. Our guides pay close attention to water temperatures and look for protected bays with soft or sandy bottoms.
Even a small temperature difference can make one bay noticeably more active than another.
It’s common to find big pike sitting in only two to three feet of water.
With Reindeer Lake’s clear water, this creates incredible sight-fishing opportunities. You can often see a trophy pike before you cast to it and sometimes watch the entire interaction unfold.
At times these fish can appear almost lethargic in the shallow water. But when the conditions are right and they decide to feed, the action can turn on quickly.
Best Lures for June Pike Fishing
- Mepps Syclops spoons
- Mepps Aglia spinners
- Blue Fox Vibrax spinners
- Len Thompson spoons
- Streamers for fly anglers
These smaller presentations consistently catch big pike on Reindeer Lake.
Late June and Early July: Topwater Pike Fishing
As the water slowly warms, pike become more aggressive and we start adding topwater presentations.
From mid-to-late June onward, baits such as the Berkley Choppo and other aggressive topwater lures can produce some incredible strikes.
There aren’t many things in freshwater fishing more exciting than watching a trophy Northern Pike explode on a surface bait.
One thing that’s important to understand about Reindeer Lake is how slowly such a large northern lake warms.
Early July can still fish a lot like June. Big pike may continue using shallow bays, particularly during warmer parts of the day.
As July progresses, however, we start seeing those fish transition toward their summer locations.
Mid-July: Follow the Developing Weed Beds
By mid-July, weed beds are becoming more established and trophy pike start showing up more consistently around vegetation and main-lake structure.
This is when we begin changing how we fish.
We’ll still use the spoons and spinners that produce throughout the season, but we’ll also start throwing more:
- Weedless spoons
- Weedless spinners
- Slug-Go-style soft plastics
- Topwater baits
- Larger swimbaits
Larger swimbaits such as the Savage Gear 3D Line Thru Perch and Shadzilla Jr. become good options as the season progresses.
But we don’t put away the smaller baits.
A 40-plus-inch Northern Pike is still more than willing to eat a relatively small spinner or spoon. Let the conditions and the fish tell you what they want rather than assuming bigger is always better.
August: Aggressive Trophy Pike in the Weed Beds
By August, our approach changes again.
Pike are beginning to prepare for the long northern winter ahead, and that means they’re putting on the feed.
At this point in the season, we’re primarily targeting established main-lake weed beds.
The fish are also more spread out than they were earlier in the summer. In June, multiple trophy pike can congregate in the same warm, shallow bay. Once they’re relating to summer vegetation, finding large, productive weed beds and working them thoroughly becomes more important.
We generally start by fishing the outside edges of a weed bed.
From there, we’ll work farther into the vegetation, presenting baits through openings and over the weeds where large pike are waiting to ambush prey.
The important thing is to slow down and cover good water.
If you’ve found a large, healthy weed bed, don’t be too quick to leave it. Trophy pike can be spread throughout the vegetation, and August fish can be extremely aggressive when a lure comes through their ambush zone.
The Right Gear for Trophy Northern Pike
You don’t need an oversized musky setup to catch trophy pike on Reindeer Lake, but you do need equipment capable of handling a big fish.
- Rod: 6- to 7-foot or longer heavy-action rod
- Reel: 4000-size reel or similar
- Line: 35 lb or heavier braided line
- Leader: Heavy titanium leader
A stout setup becomes especially important once the pike move into thick summer weeds.
When a big fish eats your lure and immediately wraps itself in vegetation, you need enough backbone to apply pressure and bring that fish back out.
Heavier equipment also helps you land a trophy efficiently rather than unnecessarily exhausting it during a long fight.
Don’t Stop Your Retrieve Too Early
One of the advantages of fishing Reindeer Lake is its exceptionally clear water.
We see a lot of pike before we catch them.
That makes a good pair of polarized sunglasses one of the most useful pieces of fishing equipment you can bring.
A common mistake is making a long cast, retrieving the lure and pulling it out of the water four or five feet from the boat so you can quickly make another cast.
Don’t be in a hurry.
It’s common for a trophy pike to follow a lure for a long distance and then stop several feet from the boat. If you aren’t watching behind your bait, you may never even know the fish was there.
Keep working your lure all the way back to the boat and pay attention to what’s following it.
How to Trigger a Following Pike
When you see a big pike following your lure, change something.
Speed it up. Slow it down. Drop the bait deeper. Give it a sharp jerk and pause.
That change in cadence can be enough to trigger a strike.
It’s also a good idea to have several lure patterns and colours readily available. With Reindeer Lake’s clear water, you can sometimes watch a fish follow one presentation without committing.
Show it something different.
A change in colour, size, action or retrieve can be all it takes to trigger an indecisive fish.
Some of the most exciting Northern Pike strikes on Reindeer Lake happen only a few feet from the boat.
Why Local Knowledge Matters on Reindeer Lake
Reindeer Lake is massive, remote and complex.
With thousands of islands, countless bays and huge stretches of open water, it’s not a lake that should be taken lightly by an inexperienced or poorly equipped boater.
Many of our local guides at Arctic Lodges grew up on or around Reindeer Lake and come from northern communities including Southend, Kinoosao and Brochet.
Their knowledge goes far beyond knowing a few good fishing spots.
They understand which bays warm first in June, where weed beds develop as summer progresses, how trophy pike move throughout the season, how changing weather affects different areas of the lake and how to safely navigate an enormous northern body of water.
On Reindeer Lake, that experience matters.
Protecting Reindeer Lake’s Trophy Pike
At Arctic Lodges, trophy Northern Pike are handled with care and released.
Smaller fish may be harvested for shore lunch, but trophy fish go back into the lake.
Large pike should be landed efficiently, properly supported for a quick photograph and returned to the water as soon as possible.
It takes years for a Northern Pike to reach trophy size. Releasing these fish helps protect the quality of the fishery and gives another angler the opportunity to experience that same fish again.
When Is the Best Time to Catch Trophy Northern Pike on Reindeer Lake?
There isn’t one answer. The style of fishing changes throughout our season.
June offers some of our most consistent trophy pike fishing. Big fish are concentrated in shallow, warming bays, creating incredible opportunities to sight fish pike in only two to three feet of water.
Early July can fish surprisingly similar to June because Reindeer Lake takes a long time to warm. As the month progresses, pike begin transitioning toward developing weed beds and main-lake structure.
Mid-to-late July brings more established weed growth, aggressive fish and excellent opportunities to catch trophy pike on topwater baits, spoons, spinners and swimbaits.
August is about finding productive main-lake weed beds and working them thoroughly. Pike are feeding aggressively, and big fish are waiting in the vegetation to ambush passing prey.
Whether your goal is your first 40-inch Northern Pike or the fish of a lifetime, a fly-in fishing trip to Reindeer Lake gives you that opportunity throughout the summer.
At Arctic Lodges, our approach is simple: understand how the fish are moving, adapt to the conditions and put our guests in the right water at the right time.
On Reindeer Lake, you never know when the next cast will put your lure in front of a true giant.