Long Lake Fishing Guide, Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87, Alberta

• Overview

  Long Lake belongs to Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87, Alberta. The ground around here is taiga. About 3.21 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. Shoreline length is close to 11 km, and each section fishes a little differently. Start from Elk Point, 49 km down the road. After that come Bonnyville at 58 km and Grand Centre at 61 km. No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Long Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 list yellow perch, Iowa darter, walleye, white sucker and northern pike. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Long Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 16°C at the top of summer and -16°C at the bottom of winter. Winter owns most of the year at this latitude. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. That is the shape of the year on Long Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Rock Island Lake sits 3 km off and takes the overflow. What applies at Long Lake may have changed since it was mapped.