Mystery Lake in Wood Buffalo: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Wood Buffalo end of Alberta holds Mystery Lake. The country round it is spruce and muskeg from end to end. Fort McMurray lies 41 km from the water. Buffalo Narrows lies 170 km off, Wabasca-Desmarais another 181 km. In the same area: Pushup Lake 6.2 km away, Crazy Lake some 8.3 km off, Kinosis Lake 9.1 km away, Surmont Creek some 9.3 km off and 51 Lake 12 km away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Mystery Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Wood Buffalo: longnose sucker, Arctic grayling, white sucker and mountain whitefish. The county list is broader than any single water. At Mystery Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 16°C and January near -18°C. Everything is compressed into the middle of the year. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Open water usually runs from late April until about early November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Mystery Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Pushup Lake, 6.2 km out. Rules at Mystery Lake are worth checking on the day.