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

• Overview

  Fishing Lake lies in Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87, in Alberta. It stands 595 metres above sea level. The water covers around 6.88 sq km, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. Shoreline length is close to 20 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Elk Point is the closest place, 45 km off. Further out sit Bonnyville (53 km) and Grand Centre (58 km). The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Fishing Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name yellow perch, Iowa darter, walleye, white sucker and northern pike. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fishing Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs -16°C to 16°C. This far north the hard season runs and runs. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Fishing Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Long Lake sits 5.3 km off and takes the overflow. Confirm access to Fishing Lake locally before you travel.