Category Archives: Brook Trout

Esnagami Lake

By Bill Rivers

Guest with Esnagami Lake walleye

A big lake by any standard, Esnagami literally translates to “big waters of many fish” including abundant walleyes, northern pike, yellow perch, brook / speckled trout, and lake whitefish. Esnagami Lake is moderately deep (average depth of 22 feet), shows some thermal stratification, is clear and “relativelely fertile”. Some 13 miles in length and 4 miles wide, Esnagami Lake offers hundreds of miles of shoreline with numerous islands and secluded bays to fish and explore. With diverse shoreline and mid-lake structures, it is a fishing lake with something for everyone, no matter how you prefer to fish.

Guest with Esnagami Pike

Esnagami Lake is the headwaters of the Esnagami River which flows northeast as part of the Arctic watershed. The lake also affords access to the Esnagami River and small lakes which offer pleasant diversions on day trips for camp guests. Two of the more popular walk-in lakes include Betty Lake (pike) and Spotted Lake (walleye with a markedly blue coloration ). In the early part of the season, a trip down the Esnagami River will offer the opportunity for some great brook trout fishing.

River Brookies

By Bob McGary

The Esnagami River offers the opportunity for an excellent day or overnight trip for speckled [brook] trout, walleyes and northern pike. Guests who stay at Esnagami Lodge and undertake the trip down river are accompanied by an experienced guide. Aluminum boats are used on the top part of the river, and at the end of two short portages freighter canoes with outboard motors are available for travel further downstream.

Eric Lund with brook trout

While fishing with Eric Lund, owner of Esnagami Lodge, I was impressed with both the numbers and quality of fish. Our first stop, having passed any number of other good looking spots, was below a waterfall. In half an hour, we caught and released a dozen walleyes and a few northerns. Further downstream, we fished for specks for about two hours and were rewarded with thirty (30) trout.

Fishermen on a day trip can regularly expect to catch up to 100 walleyes and 10 to 20 brookies. The walleye average one and a half to three pounds and put up a tremendous fight in the current flow. The specks are one to two pounds, averaging 14 to 18 inches in length. Most anglers use jigs and spinners for both walleyes and trout, but we used fly rods with both dry and wet flies for the specks and enjoyed outstanding success

Author Bob McGary

The Esnagami River flows about 60 to 70 miles before it meets the Little Current River flowing into the Albany River. On day trips, only the upper 5 to 10 miles of the Esnagami River are explored and fished. The time frame for fishing the Esnagami River is from the first of June to mid-August, low water levels limiting access in late summer. The action is consistent throughout the summer and provides Esnagami Lodge guests a nice change of pace from their walleye and pike fishing on Esnagami Lake.