Was a windy Saturday fishing with my father inlaw at Lesser Slave Lake. The day started off promising, caught a pike within the 1st hour, unfortunately it was too small. I kept fishing and boom another fish on the hook. I pulled a nice 22" walleye through the ice. After the walleye I caught 2 more hammer handle pike that lived to see another day... about 45 minutes after that I felt a bite I set the hook and fought with her for a while. I had my jaw jacker next to me and she triggered the jaw jacker as I was trying to bring her in. I prayed she wouldn't get tangled or worse break free. After a short fight I had her head at the bottom of the hole. I grabbed the line and pulled her up. Once she was near the top I reached down and pulled her out. I was shocked at her sheer size. I was pumped as new personal best pike just came through the ice. She measured 37.5", not sure on weight as we didn't have our scale with us. All in all it was an amazing day out at Slave Lake.

The largest pike I've caught on Lesser Slave Lake. 32 ft of water, jigging for walleye at the Cut Bank. 30 minutes of intense runs and retrieve. My angler wife did a fantastic job of netting it. After a few pics and measurements, this one was 21 lbs and 40 inches long, I sent him back to the depths that he came from. Good luck to the next angler that catches this one.

One of the larger yellow perch we have caught on Lesser Slave Lake in 32ft of water on the edge of the Cut Bank

Known as “the fishing hub of the north,” Lesser Slave Lake - Alberta’s largest accessible waterbody - is Alberta’s walleye capital! Walleye are the most popular fish in Lesser Slave Lake, though whitefish, burbot, yellow perch and pike also provide ample opportunity for a catch. John Cryan of Canadian Tire Slave Lake says that ice fishing is best to fish for walleye and pike. As a general rule, Cryan says that early mornings and evenings are when the fish are most active. Cryan says the ideal time for walleye is during the first two weeks of freeze over and just as the ice is coming off the lake. These fish are light sensitive so may be harder to find in bright sunlight. Walleye can be fished right along the shoreline, or can be found along the sandy or rocky shoals. Cryan states that the most common baits used for walleye include night crawlers, leeches, or minnows. Keep in mind that regulations prohibit the use of live minnows. Cryan recommends using a jig tipped minnow or leech with a bottom bouncer. “Medium sized crankbaits are also effective,” he notes. Pike may be targeted during winter, spring, and summer. They feed on small walleye and other baitfish, so look for baitfish when locating pike. Avoid areas with heavy weed growth and look for underwater structure like rocks or sand. Spoons of all sizes and colours work well for pike, as well as medium or large crankbaits. Cryan says that larger spinner or spinner baits also work well. For anglers who are looking for a challenge, burbot can be extremely fickle and hard to actively target. They are found most often in the winter time, however they are fussy. Spinners and spoons are your best bet, but patience is an angler’s best tool when fishing for burbot. Despite their appearance, burbot are very tasty, making for some bragging rights and a great meal! There are a number of rivers and tributaries of Lesser Slave lake including Lesser Slave River, South Heart River and Travers Creek. Cryan says that a great place to start your hunt for walleye or pike is at the mouth of the Lesser Slave River, up to ½ km up the river. Fly-fishing is growing in popularity. Pike can be taken on the fly early into the season. As well, arctic grayling are an exciting and fun fish on the fly. They can be found in the Lesser Slave River. Make sure to check the regulations for lakes and rivers before heading out. For anglers looking to show off their skills, the 2019 Canadian Tire Slave Lake Angler’s Cup will be held June 14-15, 2019. This is a catch and release walleye tournament, and there will be $97,200 worth of cash and prizes to be won, based on 100 teams participation. Proceeds go toward the Slave Lake Fire Department. Check out www.anglerscup.ca for more information and to register. Show off your skills and have some fun! LAKE ACCESS There are a number of campgrounds and marinas located on or close to Lesser Slave Lake including Norm’s Walleye Camp and RV Park, The Point Campground & Marina, and Spruce Point Park. From Edmonton, drive north on Hwy 2 for about 56 km. Turn left at Hwy 18. At Westlock, turn right onto Hwy 44 (104th street). Continue on Hwy 44 for about 104 km, and then for approximately 100 km after Hwy 44 merges again with Hwy 2. Follow the signs for various access points along the lake. From Slave Lake, drive west along Hwy 2 for 100 km and then turn north onto Hwy 750 for approximately 30 km until reaching Hilliard’s Bay. The campground has 164 sites, a day use area, and a boat launch. The communities of Widewater, Joussard, Faust, and Kinuso all make good locations for outfitting, hiring a guide, and finding accommodations.

May daughter Claire decided to give this Walleye a kiss before setting him free. The look on my son's face in the background shows what he thought of this idea...

Fishing at Slave Lake in the summer of 2017. My son Reid decided that a big hook catches big fish so he trolled his largest Len Thompson spoon and ended up landing this 34" Jack.. His excitement is pretty clear in this picture I snapped when we got back to the dock as a storm was rolling in.

Fishing at Slave Lake Alberta. My son decided to troll a very large spoon, believing that a bigger hook catches big fish. He was very excited when he snagged this 34", 7lb Jackfish. I snapped this picture when we got back to the dock as a storm was rolling in

Fishing at Slave Lake Alberta in July 2017. My daughter Claire decided to give this Walleye a kiss before tossing him back. Her brother's face in the background is priceless.