About This Lodge
Accommodations
Amenities
Other: Daily hosted happy hour; alcohol allowed and welcome; gear rental at $50/person/day plus taxes (rods, reels, tackle); bear hunting add-on at $2,500 per person plus bear license (June and late August into September only); campfire area.
Fish Species
Boats & Equipment
Lake Information
Cree Lake is located in the remote Canadian Shield of northwestern Saskatchewan, approximately 300 km northwest of La Ronge, and is one of the province's largest and most impressive wilderness fisheries. Its enormous size, rugged shoreline, countless islands, and deep, clear-water basins create a diverse fishery for northern pike, lake trout, walleye, and Arctic grayling. The lake is fed by several rivers, including the Brustad, Karras, and Routledge, and drains north through the Cree River toward Black Lake and the Lake Athabasca system. With no highway access to the lake itself, fly-in fishing lodges provide access to this remote northern destination. Northern pike over 50 inches are caught with 40 inches or more being common, lake trout can reach 60 lbs with 20 lbs commonplace, dozens of arctic grayling can be caught, and quality walleye are an occasional catch rather than the main offering.
Meals & Services
Reviews & Reputation
Guests rate Cree Lake Lodge very highly. Nearly every review is 5 stars, and the one 4-star review is mostly positive. Several reviewers have been to many other Canadian lodges and still call it their favorite. One repeat guest has been four times and is booked for a fifth. Note that several of the longer reviews are blog posts or interviews, some posted on the lodge's own blog, so they are not fully independent.
The fishing is the most consistent praise, especially the size of the fish. Reviewers describe large northern pike and lake trout. One magazine trip report from a group of eight over five days cites hundreds of pike between 10 and 18 lb, more than 85 pike over 40 inches, a 50-inch pike, and lake trout up to about 40 lb, despite cold fronts. Other guests report 48-inch pike, and a self-guided group lost count of its 40-45 inch fish. Guests also praise the hosts, the owner Brandon and the Schreiber family, as well as the guides, the comfortable cabins and the food. One guest describes ice fishing there, with breakfast in the lodge kitchen and an 8-mile snowmobile ride, as an affordable way to have that experience.
Complaints are minor. One guest said they weren't told much about how departure morning would work, and mentioned that tips were handled through envelopes. The same guest said the cheaper platform tents are a hike from the lodge and would have meant cooking their own food, so she was glad her group chose the lodge cabins. The lodge suits anglers who want trophy-sized pike and lake trout, and groups of friends. It also works for experienced anglers who want to guide themselves, and for those interested in winter ice fishing.
Read all 10 reviews
What's Included
Included
Air fare from McMurray Aviation to Cree Lake Lodge and return; non-alcoholic beverages (not including water); all meals at the lodge; boats, gas and guides
Not Included
Air fare to McMurray Aviation from home; Saskatchewan fishing license; tips and gratuities; air fare from Fort McMurray to home; alcohol (available for purchase). Luggage limit 50 lbs per guest.
Getting There
Access: fly-in
Air Base: McMurray Aviation, Fort McMurray, Alberta (about 5 minutes from Fort McMurray International Airport)
Season & Booking
Minimum Stay: 5 days
Location
Contact
Cree Lake Lodge
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