Best Pike spots near Calgary

[Cee]

Hey! Just started fishing a couple weeks ago, and I'm really interested in targeting Pike. What are some of y'alls favourite spots to shore fish from? I've been to Glenmore Reservoir and had a few bites, but didn't actually catch anything.

[tirebob]

Wrong question to ask unfortunately, especially as a first post. People are pretty guarded around here of any spot that produces lest it become overrun and fished out. You can get jumped on pretty good for such an offence lol!

Best thing you can do is lurk around and ask some specific questions about how to target specific fish, learn techniques, get involved with the community and then start to figure out where those spots are with trial and error or tagging along with a new friend you might have made here by using proper fishing etiquette and good manners.

Please don't take that as a slam... People around here are actually extraordinarily kind and helpful folk with people who are looking to do the work and not just be pointed a direction without contributing first.

[oilngas]

See what Captain Bob said. Same same with Newby hunters i.e. where can I load up my moose, whitey etc.

[Talking moose]

If I was around Calgary or knew the area better I’d tell ya.

[Smoky buck]

The best spot is often the lake or river you know best. It will also depend on if you are in a boat or on shore

Popular areas like crawling valley, megregor, travers, eagle and keho to your east are worth a look. In all honesty though Alberta really doesn’t have a lot of water so just start doing your research on possible locations within the distance you are willing to travel and go try them out

There is no secret honey holes in Alberta and do to the lack of water everywhere is well known by anglers.

[Dubious]

Dalemede is close popular and far from anyone’s secret spot. There are also confirmed perch there. No motors so pack in your canoe or boat and have a day while the water is up. Access is on the south side from 22 or from the pheasant release site via Langdon.

[Cee]

Originally Posted by tirebob

Wrong question to ask unfortunately, especially as a first post. People are pretty guarded around here of any spot that produces lest it become overrun and fished out. You can get jumped on pretty good for such an offence lol!

Best thing you can do is lurk around and ask some specific questions about how to target specific fish, learn techniques, get involved with the community and then start to figure out where those spots are with trial and error or tagging along with a new friend you might have made here by using proper fishing etiquette and good manners.

Please don't take that as a slam... People around here are actually extraordinarily kind and helpful folk with people who are looking to do the work and not just be pointed a direction without contributing first.

That makes sense! I'll focus on finding my own spot and just see if I can get advice on Pike specific gear haha, thanks a lot

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by Cee

That makes sense! I'll focus on finding my own spot and just see if I can get advice on Pike specific gear haha, thanks a lot

No harm done at all! lol! Just want to see you get off on a good foot and become a contributing member!

As for catching pike, the nice thing is some days you can throw a bottlecap and they will hit it haha! Voracious buggers they are... Seriously though, like anything it can vary by the day so it is a good idea to have a few things in your kit. The good ol' 5 of diamonds is always great as you will get pretty much everything hitting that along with pike. I like silvery flashers/spoons a lot. Soft plastic perch with a lot of tail action have done well for me. You just start chucking a lot of stuff and see what works.

I honestly don't know a lot of shore fishing spots around Calgary but I am sure there are some. Heck a kid caught a doozy of a pike out of Nose Creek in Airdrie a few years back even! That was a rarity but point is they can show up wherever there is water.

https://discoverairdrie.com/articles...from-the-creek

[Outbound]

The toughest thing I've found with catching pike is keeping the stupid walleye off the hook long enough for the pike to nail the lure. Pike are ambush predators so weed beds and structure is where I target them. Seems every time I think I've fouled my hook on a clump of weeds, it's a walleye so I have to waste time cranking it in and releasing it before I can get back to fishing.

I have a box of fancy lures and spoons, but I'm not sure why. The 5 of Diamonds seems to be what I catch 90% of my pike on. I'd pick up a few of them in different sizes and then learn the spots. No need for expensive tackle imho.

[Cee]

Originally Posted by tirebob

No harm done at all! lol! Just want to see you get off on a good foot and become a contributing member!

As for catching pike, the nice thing is some days you can throw a bottlecap and they will hit it haha! Voracious buggers they are... Seriously though, like anything it can vary by the day so it is a good idea to have a few things in your kit. The good ol' 5 of diamonds is always great as you will get pretty much everything hitting that along with pike. I like silvery flashers/spoons a lot. Soft plastic perch with a lot of tail action have done well for me. You just start chucking a lot of stuff and see what works.

I honestly don't know a lot of shore fishing spots around Calgary but I am sure there are some. Heck a kid caught a doozy of a pike out of Nose Creek in Airdrie a few years back even! That was a rarity but point is they can show up wherever there is water.

https://discoverairdrie.com/articles...from-the-creek

Yeah, I've heard that they're "easier" to catch due to their aggressive feeding response. I have a couple 5 of diamonds in size 0 and 00, along with some chatterbait, perch paddletails, baby brushhogs, yum dingers, grubs, and some live nightcrawlers.

I'm planning on using the grubs with jigheads, texas rigging the brushhogs/dingers/paddletails, but I'm unsure how to rig the nightcrawlers.

Not sure if I should go for a bobber setup or use a carolina rig. Any advice? Gonna find a good spot and try all of these, rotating every 30 mins. Will be using a steel wire leader to avoid any cutoffs.

[Cee]

Originally Posted by Outbound

The toughest thing I've found with catching pike is keeping the stupid walleye off the hook long enough for the pike to nail the lure. Pike are ambush predators so weed beds and structure is where I target them. Seems every time I think I've fouled my hook on a clump of weeds, it's a walleye so I have to waste time cranking it in and releasing it before I can get back to fishing.

I have a box of fancy lures and spoons, but I'm not sure why. The 5 of Diamonds seems to be what I catch 90% of my pike on. I'd pick up a few of them in different sizes and then learn the spots. No need for expensive tackle imho.

Yep, already got a couple of those!

[ragweed]

I would take a look at a map and find some bodies of water in the area that you are willing to drive to. Then jump on here and do a quick search of post regarding said body of water. That’s what has worked for me in the past. My experiences started at Macgregor and Travers 20+ years ago. Find accessible shore lines. Cast whitefish spoons and hope for hits.


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[calgarygringo]

If you want the big girls Newell is top dog. There are a few rez close by that have big girls a plenty too. If you work outside the box there are other places with not as many hogs but you can catch many above normal weight pike all day long. I wont say where but you can even keep 1 from this place if you can catch 1 small enough.

[HighRiver]

Yesterday Twin Valley and Clear lake were both great. Using a Rapala at Twin off the west end of the dam caught 12 and Clear lake using the trust five of diamonds from the plastic floating dock.

[Sundancefisher]

If you want to catch small pike that’s catch and release only, get a float tube or kayak and fish Eagle Lake. Fly fishing or spin fishing works.

People do chest wade along the boat launch shore and catch fish.

Large back eddies of the Bow River have some pike in them. Casting off the dam at McGregor is also known to catch some pike.

All that said… there are a ton of anglers so fishable places are often over fished.

Go to pike lakes and ask questions.