Chatwin Lake Fishing in Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87, Alberta

• Overview

  Set in Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87, Chatwin Lake is an Alberta water. Elevation runs to 530 metres. Around 72 hectares of surface means several distinct areas to work. Around 4.6 km of margin, front to back. Head to Bonnyville, 7.3 km away, for anything you forgot. Beyond it, Elk Point at 39 km and St. Paul at 41 km. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Chatwin Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 records list yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye among the fish reported. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Chatwin Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 17°C in July and bottom out at -17°C in January. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near mid November in autumn. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It holds true on Chatwin Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Parking sits 1 km out, which makes for a walk with tackle. There is a jetty 1.2 km off, worth knowing on a busy day. Mapping records toilets within 660 m. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Moose Lake, 4.3 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Chatwin Lake for certain.