Stafford Lake Fishing near Brooks, Alberta

• Overview

  Set in Brooks, Stafford Lake is an Alberta water. Height above sea level is 748 metres. The water covers some 23 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 2.3 km or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Supplies mean a trip to Brooks, 0.3 km off. Bassano lies 47 km off, Vauxhall another 60 km. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Stafford Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. At Stafford Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes. Watch where fish top and note the time of day.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 18°C at the top of summer and -12°C at the bottom of winter. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to mid November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Stafford Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A car park lies 460 m away, so the walk in is short. Facilities include toilets around 460 m from here. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Rock Lake, 13 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Stafford Lake before loading the car.