Lac Poitras Fishing near St. Paul, Alberta

• Overview

  The County of St. Paul No. 19 end of Alberta holds Lac Poitras. The bank is 605 metres above sea level. Surface area is around 82 hectares, which gives you real water without needing a boat. The full circuit measures close to 4.0 km on foot. The closest town, St. Paul, is 20 km away. Edmonton sits 133 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lac Poitras

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. 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. Species logged across County of St. Paul No. 19 include yellow perch, Iowa darter, northern pike, white sucker and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Lac Poitras where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -16°C in January. The freeze holds for the better part of the year. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near mid November in autumn. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Plan any trip to Lac Poitras around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Lac Sante at 3.4 km is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Lac Poitras before loading the car.