Fifth Lake Fishing near Jasper Park Lodge, Alberta

• Overview

  In Alberta, Fifth Lake falls inside Jasper. The bank gives way to mixed forest. At 9 hectares it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The nearest town is Jasper Park Lodge, 9.1 km away. The big place round here is Kamloops, 287 km distant. Other water nearby: Fourth Lake a touch under 0.5 km, Third Lake (0.7 km), Second Lake a touch under 1.1 km, First Lake (1.9 km) and Wabasso Lake a touch under 4.3 km. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Fifth Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Jasper list rainbow trout, longnose sucker, brook trout, bull trout and brown trout. Protected fish appear in the records for this area, so treat the list as information, not an invitation. Fifth Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 13°C, the coldest about -10°C. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The season between ice runs from about late April to mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan any trip to Fifth Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. A jetty or pier is mapped about 430 m from here. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Fourth Lake is 0.5 km off. Check the position at Fifth Lake before loading the car.