Fishing Beatty Lake in Kananaskis Improvement District, Alberta

• Overview

  Beatty Lake is one of the Kananaskis Improvement District waters in Alberta. Height above sea level is 2,175 metres. This is a pocket water of some 4 hectares, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Alberta listings. Nearest place of any size is Canmore, 48 km away. After that come Invermere at 54 km and Radium Hot Springs at 54 km. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Beatty Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name mountain whitefish, brook trout, brown trout and longnose sucker. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. Fish Beatty Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give August about 9°C and January about -13°C. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late May. The lid tends to go about late May and return around late October. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Plan around that when you fish Beatty Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Mapping shows a campsite some 60 m from the water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, South Maude Lake is 3.1 km off. Treat access at Beatty Lake as something to verify.