Coffey Lake Fishing Guide, Wood Buffalo, Alberta

• Overview

  Coffey Lake lies in Wood Buffalo, in Alberta. The country round it is rolling bush from end to end. Surface area is around 13 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. On size it sits at the modest end of our Wood Buffalo list. 103 km away sits Fort McMurray, the nearest town. Wabasca-Desmarais is 239 km away, with Fort Smith at 263 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Coffey Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Wood Buffalo list longnose sucker, Arctic grayling, white sucker and mountain whitefish. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At Coffey Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 17°C and January near -21°C on the long-run figures. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and early November. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Coffey Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Firebag River, 11 km away. None of that is settled for Coffey Lake in what we hold.