Fishing at Clark Lake, Fox Creek, Alberta

• Overview

  Out in Fox Creek, Alberta, sits Clark Lake. It lies 884 metres above sea level. It measures about 62 hectares, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Bank access stretches around 3.1 km in total. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Fox Creek. Fox Creek sits 18 km from here and is the nearest stop. Whitecourt lies 66 km off, Edson another 76 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Clark Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Fox Creek, recorded fish include longnose sucker, white sucker and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Read Clark Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is -11°C to 15°C. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Time your trip to Clark Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Smoke Lake at 21 km is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Clark Lake in what we hold.