Mastin Lake Fishing Guide, County of Athabasca No. 12, Alberta

• Overview

  Set in County of Athabasca No. 12, Mastin Lake is an Alberta water. The setting is spruce and muskeg on every side. At about 58 hectares, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. About 3.5 km of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Nearest place of any size is Athabasca, 24 km away. Westlock follows at 62 km, then Smoky Lake at 63 km. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Mastin Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Public occurrence data for County of Athabasca No. 12 names yellow perch, white sucker, northern pike, longnose sucker and walleye. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Mastin Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 16°C, the coldest about -17°C. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. It sets the rhythm of the year at Mastin Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. It is recorded as intermittent, which means the basin empties in dry spells. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Gilbert Lake is 1.6 km distant. For Mastin Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.