Cree River Lodge

Tucked away in a quiet bay on Wapata Lake, Cree River Lodge offers world-class northern pike fishing in the Canadian north. The lodge staff are extremely helpful on and off the water, making your stay as comfortable as possible and feeding you high quality home-cooked meals. The guides here can get you on fish even if it’s your first time holding a fly rod. A typical stay for a group is three to seven days.

The staff at Cree River Lodge do their best to get you out on the water as soon as possible. On the day of arrival you’ll make a quick bag dump at the lodge and then head straight to the boats. On your first full day of fishing, however, breakfast will be served at 7 a.m. with an 8 a.m. departure. You can start fishing right in front of the lodge, but most mornings include anywhere from a 10- to 20-minute boat ride to your first fishing spot. For an additional $300/day you can embark on what is known around the lodge as the “River Trip.” You will depart an hour earlier with a bagged lunch and take a longer boat ride (an hour and a half most days) upriver to another fishing location that produces bigger fish on average. We highly recommend this option. Regardless of where you choose to fish, you will spend the whole day fishing with an hour to an hour and a half for lunch. Lunch is served at an outdoor kitchen with freshly caught fish on the menu. You’ll fish the rest of the afternoon and typically return to the lodge around 5 p.m. Evening fishing can be arranged as well.

Boats and Equipment
Cree River Lodge runs 18-foot Lund Alaskans with 25- or 40-horsepower motors, as well as tunnel-hull style Alumacraft with a 40-horse motor. These boats fit two anglers and a guide comfortably and are equipped with casting platforms on the bow. Nine and 10-weight rods with intermediate sink-tips are recommended for pike fishing, but don’t forget a 5 or 6 weight with floating line to fish “the rapids” for Arctic grayling. Medium to large streamers are best for pike and walleye. You should bring your own flies, though the lodge offers a very nice selection for sale. Make sure to bring 20- to 40-pound leaders with steel tippets. These big, toothy critters can slice monofilament with ease.

Guests stay in small, cozy two-room/one-bath cabins complete with showers and in-wall heaters. Cabins are connected to the main lodge and outdoor gazebo area by wooden boardwalks, making going to and from the lodge a breeze. The main lodge is exceptionally cozy and offers a couch, tables, chairs, and a bar. The bar is set up on an honor system—grab a drink and mark it on your tally.

Cuisine
Breakfasts and dinners consist of home-cooked meals served in a traditional family style—everyone come and grab a plate. With the exception of river trips, a shore lunch of fresh caught pike and walleye is served fish-and-chips style.

Connectivity
Very limited. A cell-phone booster provides some reception. Satellite internet will be in place for the 2023 season.

Cree River Lodge offers black bear hunting as well as fishing. Another big attraction is going upriver to “The Dunes,” a one-mile-square sand esker in the middle of the landscape. A Dune visit can be added on a river trip.

Guests fly from Edmonton International Airport or Saskatoon International Airport to the small northern town of Stony Rapids. From there, you take a quick shuttle ride from the airport to a floatplane base, followed by a 30-minute flight to the lodge. If the weather isn’t cooperative for floatplane access, you will take a one-hour shuttle ride to the river and load into boats. After a quick 15-minute boat ride you’ll arrive at the lodge. Most travelers will need to overnight in Edmonton or Saskatoon on your way to the lodge. On the trip home, guests should be able to reach most major Canadian and U.S. airports on the same day.

All prices per person, CDN
Rates based on double occupancy/two anglers one guide per boat

3 Nights/3 Days $3,295.00 CDN per person
4 Nights/ 4 Days $3,695.00 CDN per person
5 Nights/5 Days $4,095.00 CDN per person
6 Nights/6 Days $4,495.00 CDN per person
7 Nights/7 Days $4,895.00 CDN per person
River Trips: $300.00 CDN per person

INCLUDED
Meals
Cabin lodging
Boat, motor, gas, and guide
Round-trip transportation from Edmonton or Saskatoon to the lodge

NOT INCLUDED
Gratuities
Taxes
Confections
Liquor
Fishing license
Airfare/travel expenses from home city to Edmonton or Saskatoon
Flies and fishing equipment/gear

Bookings are confirmed with a 50% deposit, made no later than seven days after booking a trip. Balance must be received no later than 90 days prior to the first day of the trip. Notification of cancellation must be received 90 days prior to the first day of the trip in order to receive partial or full credit for an alternate date. All payments are final and nonrefundable, with the exception of a medical or family emergency, deemed reasonable at GFFI’s discretion.

Booking a trip or making a deposit represents that the client accepts all terms and conditions. GFFI’s terms are in addition to any terms and conditions of each individual lodge that GFFI represents. Please read those terms carefully—lodge terms, which may differ from GFFI’s terms, supersede any agreements between GFFI and a client.