Fishing at Stouffers Lake, Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87, Alberta

• Overview

  Stouffers Lake stands in Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87, Alberta. Elevation runs to 601 metres. About 1.46 sq km, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. Some 5.2 km of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Cold Lake lies 35 km from the water. Edmonton sits 258 km out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Stouffers Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Survey and observation records for Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 include yellow perch, Iowa darter and walleye. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Stouffers Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 16°C in July and bottoms out near -17°C in January. The fishing year opens late and shuts early. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. The water is typically free of ice between late April and early November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Stouffers Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. A wire trace and a big bright lure handle the pike; deep water asks for a heavier spoon. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Hansen Lake at 18 km is the nearest alternative. Check the current arrangement for Stouffers Lake.