Fish species in Saskatchewan
- Karin Schreiber
- 8 hours ago
- 4 min read
Classics, predators and quiet companions
There are places you don’t just pass through. You slow down for them – drawn by curiosity, by the promise of good water, and sometimes by the distant hum of a floatplane crossing endless forest. Northern Saskatchewan is one of those places. Thousands of lakes lie scattered between boreal forest and ancient rock, clear, deep and alive. Rivers carve their way through the landscape, sometimes gentle, sometimes restless, shaped by channels, bends and rapids that keep the water moving. And somewhere in between, a plane settles softly onto the surface. Welcome to a world that doesn’t push itself forward, but gives you room – wide, quiet, and full of stories that begin with a cast and carry on long after, beside the fire.
Fly-In Lodges – Gateways to the wild
Fly-in fishing lodges in northern Saskatchewan are more than just places to sleep well and eat well. They are remote anchors in a landscape where nature sets the rhythm and distance means something again. Fishing here doesn’t happen alongside docks and cottages, but in true wilderness – where fish live undisturbed, and every strike feels earned. Each catch becomes part of a story shaped by the water, the weather and the moment.
Fish species in Saskatchewan
Walleye
A cornerstone of Canadian angling and Saskatchewan’s official provincial fish. Walleye are valued for their firm, white fillets – and for the way they surprise anglers with a solid fight, even on light tackle. They often hold in deeper areas of large lakes, close to structure, where patience usually pays off.
Hooked facts:
Record size: 8.33 kg (18 lb 40 oz)
Where? Ice fishing on Tobin Lake (2005)
Average weight: usually 0.5–1.5 kg (1–3 lb)
Northern Pike
The ultimate ambush predator of Saskatchewan’s lakes. Pike are fast, aggressive and unpredictable – a fish that never does things halfway. In shallow, weed-filled bays, they lie in wait and strike with explosive force, turning a quiet retrieve into instant chaos.
Hooked facts:
Record size: 19.4 kg (42 lb 12 oz)
Where? Lake Athabasca (1954)
Live release record: 141 cm (55 in)
Where? Mirond Lake (2008)
Average weight: around 1–2.5 kg (2–5 lb)
Lake Trout
Cold, deep and demanding – lake trout are truly at home in Saskatchewan’s northern waters. They live where summer never reaches the depths and where success requires patience and solid gear. When a lake trout finally comes tight on the line, there’s no mistaking the weight and power rising from below.
Hooked facts:
Record size: 24.6 kg (54 lb 4 oz)
Where? Wollaston Lake (1995)
Live release record: 132 cm (52 in)
Where? Lake Athabasca (2000)
Average weight: most often 1–1.5 kg (2–5 lb)
Rainbow Trout
Bright, energetic and built for battle. Rainbow trout are known for aerial runs, long fights and pure determination – and in Saskatchewan, they’ve quietly made angling history along the way.
Hooked facts:
World record: 21.77 kg (48 lb)
Where? Lake Diefenbaker (2009)
Average weight: about 0.5–1.8 kg (1–4 lb)
Arctic Grayling
Elegant and unmistakable, the Arctic grayling stands out with its sail-like dorsal fin. Found in clear, cool rivers and northern lakes, it’s especially prized by fly anglers who value finesse, rhythm and subtle takes.
Hooked facts:
Record size: 1.96 kg (4.3 lb)
Where? Fond du Lac River (1966)
Live release record: 96.5 cm (22 in)
Where? Grease River, Lake Athabasca (2002)
Avergae weight: usually under 1 kg (2 lb)
Brook Trout
A classic trout of cool, clear water. In Saskatchewan, brook trout are less about size and more about the experience – quiet fishing, careful presentations and that rare sense of complete focus.
Hooked facts:
Record size: 3.5 kg (7 lb)
Where? Loch Leven (2004)
Average weight: 0.5–1 kg (1–2 lb)
Yellow Perch
Small, lively and plentiful. Yellow perch keep rods bending and spirits high, offering steady action and welcome variety during a day on the water.
Hooked facts:
Record size: 1.26 kg (2 lb 12.4 oz)
Where? St. Brieux Lake (2012)
Average weight: around 250 g (0.55 lb)
The quiet companions
Not every fish in Saskatchewan demands attention. Some are simply there, part of the rhythm of a day on the water. Whitefish are a good example – found across the province, steady and reliable inhabitants of deeper lakes. In the Saskatchewan and Churchill river systems, Sauger move quietly through slower currents, often holding where the water flows gently.
The shimmering Goldeye belongs to the Saskatchewan River as naturally as the current itself and is also common around Cumberland Lake. Farther south, selectively stocked Brown Trout have established themselves in a handful of lakes. The same goes for Splake – a hybrid of brook trout and lake trout – now well settled in certain waters.
And then there’s the Largemouth Bass. Not a classic prairie fish, but very much at home around the Rafferty Reservoir in the southeast. Together, these species round out a fishery that is far more diverse than many expect.
More Than Fishing
What makes Saskatchewan special goes beyond what’s swimming below the surface. It’s the whole experience: arriving by floatplane, the wide, open lake, the quiet tension of the cast, the waiting – and the sudden pull of the first strike. At midday, the day’s catch is prepared as a simple shore lunch right at the water’s edge. As evening approaches, calm returns to the lodge. The fire crackles after a full day on the water, and somewhere in the distance, a loon calls into the night. In Saskatchewan, fishing is both reason and companion – the thread that holds it all together.
Those who come here leave with more than photos and stories of big fish. They take home a sense of space, of time slowing down, of real wilderness. And maybe the quiet feeling that somewhere between forest and water in the North, there are still plenty of fishing stories waiting to be told.
For further information, please visit www.tourismsaskatchewan.com.
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