Raft Lake Fishing in County of Two Hills No. 21, Alberta

• Overview

  The County of Two Hills No. 21 end of Alberta holds Raft Lake. The bank is 616 metres above sea level. About 2.68 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. You are looking at roughly 6.1 km of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Elk Point lies 32 km from the water. It is 183 km to Edmonton, the nearest city. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Raft Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for County of Two Hills No. 21 names northern pike, shorthead redhorse, walleye, yellow perch and flathead chub. The county list is broader than any single water. Raft Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 16°C in July and bottom out at -16°C in January. Water stays cold even at the height of the year. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. The season between ice runs from about late April to mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan any trip to Raft Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Campbell Lake, 15 km out. Rules at Raft Lake are worth checking on the day.