Fishing at George Lake, County of Athabasca No. 12, Alberta

• Overview

  The County of Athabasca No. 12 end of Alberta holds George Lake. The surface lies 648 metres up. The water covers some 27 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. A shoreline of some 2.0 km keeps the choices simple. Athabasca sits 24 km from the bank. Edmonton sits 110 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on George Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Across County of Athabasca No. 12, recorded fish include yellow perch, white sucker, northern pike, longnose sucker and walleye. The county list is broader than any single water. On George Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 16°C and January at -16°C. Ice holds for a long stretch, so the open weeks matter more here than further south. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and mid November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan around that when you fish George Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. 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. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Grass Lake sits 2.8 km off and takes the overflow. Treat George Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.