Chester Lake, Alberta: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Out in Kananaskis Improvement District, Alberta, sits Chester Lake. The water sits 2,204 metres up. At 5 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Compared with other Alberta water on our list, it sits high. Canmore lies 31 km from the water. After that come Banff at 46 km and Radium Hot Springs at 60 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Chester Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Kananaskis Improvement District list mountain whitefish, brook trout, brown trout, longnose sucker and white sucker. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Take Chester Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 10°C in August and bottoms out near -12°C in January. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Once it clears, about late May, the fishing comes on quickly. Open water usually runs from late May until about early November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Expect Chester Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Toilets show in mapping about 170 m away. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Rummel Lake sits 3 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish Chester Lake.