Fishing Ansell Lake in County of Athabasca No. 12, Alberta

• Overview

  County of Athabasca No. 12, Alberta, is where Ansell Lake sits. It sits at 659 metres above sea level. The water covers some 18 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Athabasca is the closest town at 26 km. Smoky Lake is 60 km and Westlock 64 km. If this one is busy: Archie Lake at about 1.5 km, Camp Lake near enough 2.6 km, Plante Lake at about 2.8 km, Mastin Lake near enough 3.3 km and Stanley Lake at about 3.9 km. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Ansell Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name yellow perch, white sucker, northern pike, longnose sucker and walleye. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Ansell Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 16°C and January near -17°C. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. At Ansell Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records show it does not hold water year-round. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Archie Lake is 1.5 km distant. Treat Ansell Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.