January 2024 UPDATE

Guest with Fish at Athabasca Fishing Lodges

Preparing for the 2024 Fishing Season

Happy New Year from all of us at Athabasca Fishing Lodge. As we begin the new year looking back at the 2023 season, it was truly another great season. For everyone that has fished this amazing lake with us, they understand what is lurking just below the waters surface, ready to become the biggest catch of their lifetime. For those who have not fished with us in the past, here are some of the highlights from the 2023 season.

Northern Pike and Lake Trout

We had several guests land their trophy of a lifetime with Northern Pike that measured 52 inches, and one that was just shy of 53 inches. As usual, the pike didn’t disappoint, with great numbers caught, averaging between 30 to 48 inches. Many of our fly fishing guests caught their trophies, with the largest on a fly rod being just over 48 inches right in Otherside Bay.

The Lake Trout were abundant this year as well, with two caught that were 45 inches, and many many more that averaged between 20 to 38 inches. The late season trout run at Otherside Bay was once again unbelievable, with many guests landing trout with numbers in the triple digits. The trout were also hitting very well at Poplar Point, Pine Channel, and Grease Bay.

Walleye, Grayling and Whitefish

Walleye at Lake Athabasca are always one of the high points for everyone. There’s nothing like having a hot breakfast at the lodge, and warming up for the day in the Bay catching some Walleye for shore lunch, and then some. The number of Walleye you catch depends greatly on how long you can handle reeling them in; one guest boasted of catching 21 Walleye in 21 casts, with many guests landing numbers in the triple digits. The largest Walleye this last season was on a fly rod, and measured just under 29 inches.

The Grayling and Whitefish were elusive as usual, but were certainly not absent. While there were only a few Whitefish caught this last season, one was a 28 inch trophy. The Grayling numbers were decent in Grease River, just above Grease Falls, and many were caught in the pools on Otherside River.

We’re looking forward to another great season, with improvements happening around camp through the winter months and into the summer. We’re excited to see all of the guests that booked again from previous years, and look forward to meeting all of the guests that have booked for their first time!