Saskatchewan Lake trout are some of freshwater’s hardest fighting and largest predatory fish. Watch Jeremy Smith and Jeff Simpson go on an adventure for a lifetime for these trophy lake trout.
Location
These Big Tazin Lake trout are an ultimate freshwater predator and can grow to monstrous sizes in the far northern reaches of Canada. A trip of this nature brings on some unique scenery and untouched landscapes in one of the remotest locations in the world.
Due to the lack of pressure and the size of the fishery, it truly is world-class and is one of the best in the world. One must take a float plane to the far northwestern corner of Saskatchewan to get to his remote place. 
Quality Fishing
The Tazin Lake Trout fishery is an untouched fishery that receives minimal pressure from the lodge every summer. Only one lodge on the lake and no netting on the lake has created essentially a virgin fishery. This lake has been left untouched, which shows in the fishing quality we experienced here. Fish in the 20- to 40-pound range commonly get caught daily during the season’s peak, and 50-plus pounders often get caught yearly.
Tazin also features a quality pike fishy with fish over 40 inches the norm. The cold water and short summer season keep fish relatively shallow, allowing anglers to target lakers in less traditional methods.
Gear for Tazin Lake Trout
Having the proper gear to fight these behemoth fish is crucial on a trip. We brought Daiwa Lexas for casting and jigging, offering a powerful casting reel for these giant-sized fish. The Daiwa Saltist is used for trolling, with the line counter being the most crucial feature, allowing us to vary our trolling lengths and replicate a productive amount of line out.
It’s important to have good trolling gear, especially considering most of the big fish we got were caught trolling. Essentially, muskie gear is what it takes to tackle these Tazin Lake trout.
The Fight of a Tazin Lake Trout
The Lake trout at Tazin put up a tremendous fight unique to these freshwater brutes. These fish have such large tails, giving you long, steady runs and bulldog down deep. They have very pronounced head shakes that can be felt throughout that fight, resulting in a lost fish now and then.
We used St. Croix Onchor Trolling Rod with its moderate action helps soften the blows from massive lakers head shakes. Yet strong enough backbone to sink big hooks into the tough mouths of a Tazin lake trout.
Gear Adjustments
When doing a Tazin Lake trout trip, you’re only allowed 50 pounds of gear. It’s important to organize and only bring the must-haves for tackle. We recommend limiting large tackle storage and bringing one big-sized box to fill up with baits.
It’s an excellent opportunity to bring some non-classic lake trout baits and try them on some un-pressured fish. We brought a variety of muskie lures to fish with, and they worked very well. Bringing some custom trolling crankbaits and big rubbers, which the lodge wouldn’t have had, and we caught some of the biggest fish on those. Classic lures like Flatfish almost always produce and are a staple for a reason.
Technology to Improve Fishing
Bringing a depth finder along to stick in the boat was a game-changer in how we fished. We brought a Helix 10, which features Auto Chart Live, allowing us to map the vast uncharted Tazin Lake waters actively.
This proved vital in finding mid-lake humps and sunken points that are naked to the visible eye. Some of our best fishing happened when cruising around and discovering these humps on the 2d sonar. Then, being able to actively map out the entire piece of structure and fish it more effectively.
It also allowed us to create tracks to either fish the same pass when productive or make new ones to make sure we were covering new water when not. Being able to save all that on the SD card and use it to pattern the Tazin Lake trout over the course of the trip gave us a huge advantage while fishing. I definitely recommend bringing a portable unit and doing the same to improve what is already some amazing fishing.
Closing thoughts
Going up to the northern tundra and chasing these Tazin Lake trout was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and something that we won’t soon forget. The scenery is stunning, and it’s hard to beat fishing in such an unspoiled place on the planet with little sign of humans outside of the lodge. It should be on any anglers bucket list especially lake trout or pike fanatics. It was a really special trip and was one of the best Northwoods adventures we have been on.
