Fishing Bear Lake in Yellowhead County, Alberta

• Overview

  Bear Lake belongs to Yellowhead County, Alberta. Height above sea level is 869 metres. At some 1.52 sq km it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. There is roughly 5.2 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Nearest place of any size is Edson, 26 km away. Whitecourt follows at 54 km, then Mayerthorpe at 70 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Bear Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Yellowhead County cover rainbow trout, mountain whitefish, brook trout and bull trout. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Bear Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 15°C and January reads -14°C. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. On Bear Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Shiningbank Lake, 16 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Bear Lake should be assumed from this page alone.