Fishing Mountain Lake in Municipal District of Smoky River No. 130, Alberta

• Overview

  In Alberta, Mountain Lake falls inside Municipal District of Smoky River No. 130. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. Roughly 11 hectares: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The edge runs 1.9 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The nearest town is Falher, 45 km away. It is 346 km to Edmonton, the nearest city. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Mountain Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Municipal District of Smoky River No. 130 records list longnose sucker, white sucker and Arctic grayling among the fish reported. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. The shape of Mountain Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 16°C; by January the average is down near -14°C. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. The season on Mountain Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. If the gate is shut, Muddyshore Lake at 7.5 km is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Mountain Lake for certain.