Liza Lake Fishing near Bonnyville, Alberta

• Overview

  The Bonnyville entry here is Liza Lake, in Alberta. The bank is 539 metres above sea level. With some 35 hectares of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 2.7 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The nearest town is Bonnyville, 4.7 km away. Grand Centre is 41 km away, with Elk Point at 43 km. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Liza Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Take Liza Lake a stretch at a time. Where reeds break, there is usually a route in for fish.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 17°C at the top of summer and -17°C at the bottom of winter. A short, intense season is the rule this far north. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. On Liza Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Chatwin Lake is 4.8 km distant. Nothing here settles the position at Liza Lake for certain.