Crawling Valley Ice Fishing

TheBigShooter · #1 12-16-2020, 08:58 AM

Hi Everyone - I'm looking at getting out to crawling valley in the next couple weeks. I've never fished there (ice or in the summer), any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

PS - I'm not asking for the super secret spots either, finding good spots is part of fishing in my opinion.

LUNKDAWGEH · #2 12-16-2020, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigShooter

Hi Everyone - I'm looking at getting out to crawling valley in the next couple weeks. I've never fished there (ice or in the summer), any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

PS - I'm not asking for the super secret spots either, finding good spots is part of fishing in my opinion.

There's a ton of structure at CV. I'd recommend downloading a bathymetric map if you can find one. Usually decent visibility in the Winter. Weed lines are very defined on some sections of this lake if you find a good edge there will usually be fishing cruising along it. Good luck!

Sent from my motorola one hyper using Tapatalk

mapleleafman3 · #3 12-16-2020, 01:07 PM

Crawling Valley Reservoir bathymetry map
https://open.alberta.ca/publications...oir-bathymetry

Tigger72 · #4 12-28-2020, 09:22 PM

Has anybody been out since the snow storm that hit before xmas... did the bassano area get hit as well?? Is the north end accesses driveable??

tsmith196 · #5 12-28-2020, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tigger72

Has anybody been out since the snow storm that hit before xmas... did the bassano area get hit as well?? Is the north end accesses driveable??

Was out there twice since (including today). Crawling got hit, there are some pretty decent size drifts on the access road we use but it was plowed out, otherwise in accessible by truck. Can’t speak for any of the other accesses.

Tigger72 · #6 12-28-2020, 10:52 PM

Tsmith- you said in accessible but did you mean it’s accessible?? Just wondering if that’s a type-o lol.....

tsmith196 · #7 12-29-2020, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tigger72

Tsmith- you said in accessible but did you mean it’s accessible?? Just wondering if that’s a type-o lol.....

Sorry that was a typo. If the road wasn’t plowed we wouldn’t have been able to make it in with a truck. 3-4ft drifts in some places with hard packed snow.

graybeard · #8 12-30-2020, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsmith196

Sorry that was a typo. If the road wasn’t plowed we wouldn’t have been able to make it in with a truck. 3-4ft drifts in some places with hard packed snow.

I appreciate the "ice thickness thread" but it is a PITA to find my body of water with 10 pages...

Buddy was out to CVR yesterday:
- ice was 12" thick ,100 ft out from the campground
- some drifting snow
- lots of trucks
- his fishing was slow
- water in the camera was clear.
- wind was howling, and they sat in a ice tent with their camera. A lot of fish swam by but only a few takers..

Tigger72 · #9 12-30-2020, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graybeard

I appreciate the "ice thickness thread" but it is a PITA to find my body of water with 10 pages...

Buddy was out to CVR yesterday:
- ice was 12" thick ,100 ft out from the campground
- some drifting snow
- lots of trucks
- his fishing was slow
- water in the camera was clear.
- wind was howling, and they sat in a ice tent with their camera. A lot of fish swam by but only a few takers..

Heading out with the kiddos tomorrow- hoping that was a “full-moon”
type of day - as they are still of the “it’s more fun catching vs fishing” mindset.
Will update as well- thanks for this Graybeard!

Tigger72 · #10 12-31-2020, 06:29 PM

-At least a foot of snow on the ice....
-14” of good clear ice
- fished from 5-11 FOW
- saw 2 caught 1
- slow day

globetrekker · #11 01-01-2021, 12:40 PM

thx for the tips and info

graybeard · #12 01-03-2021, 09:13 AM

Out yesterday...

- came in from the north....the road was surprisingly, pretty clear.
- drove onto the ice, along with numerous other vehicles
- 14"- 15" ice at the north end about 200 yards from shore
- pretty windy
- some snow as deep as 12" on the ice, proceed slow and pay attention

Landed 2 walleye and 8 pike, others with us were about the same yield.

Cheers,

KJPFISH · #13 01-03-2021, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by graybeard

Out yesterday...

- came in from the north....the road was surprisingly, pretty clear.
- drove onto the ice, along with numerous other vehicles
- 14"- 15" ice at the north end about 200 yards from shore
- pretty windy
- some snow as deep as 12" on the ice, proceed slow and pay attention

Landed 2 walleye and 8 pike, others with us were about the same yield.

Cheers,

Thanks for the update! How clear was the water? Could you see the bottom? Cheers!

Tigger72 · #14 01-03-2021, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJPFISH

Thanks for the update! How clear was the water? Could you see the bottom? Cheers!

In 11 FOW you could see bottom and with the camera in the tent you could see from one end of the tent to the other....(just) and that’s in an Eskimo 9416

graybeard · #15 01-05-2021, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tigger72

In 11 FOW you could see bottom and with the camera in the tent you could see from one end of the tent to the other....(just) and that’s in an Eskimo 9416

X2.....Surprisingly clear....

graybeard · #16 01-08-2021, 09:32 AM

Beauty day, not a cloud in the sky and at best a whisper of a breeze.

I was on top of 17" of ice (I physically used a tape)....All north end on the east side.

6 pike with two measuring 28"....very health and outstanding color...

Igudiel12345 · #17 01-08-2021, 10:56 AM

Any tips on finding whitefish there ? I never been able to find them, never really tried before and i'd like to cross em out from my species list

graybeard · #18 01-08-2021, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Igudiel12345

Any tips on finding whitefish there ? I never been able to find them, never really tried before and i'd like to cross em out from my species list

I would appreciate any information on CVR whitefish as well....I have been fishing CVR a number of years and never caught a one???

archerynut · #19 01-08-2021, 12:58 PM

I was out on wednesday for a couple hours. Caught one lost two pike. For winter time I was pleasantly surprised how fit and healthy the pike are. Always nice living a 10 minute drive down a gravel road too...ice was black as the night and close to 14" where I was.

highrockslayer · #20 01-15-2021, 12:38 PM

Where is the access to the north end? Only fished here once at accessed the lake at the boat launch. Wanting to try the North end this year. Any general direction would be appreciated. Just want to know which road to head down and I can figure out the rest. Thanks

fish99 · #21 01-15-2021, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by highrockslayer

Where is the access to the north end? Only fished here once at accessed the lake at the boat launch. Wanting to try the North end this year. Any general direction would be appreciated. Just want to know which road to head down and I can figure out the rest. Thanks

turn left instead of right after exiting the hi way and follow it east then turns north until you see a big red rock turn west to the lake on that road , good luck the north end is the best fishing in winter

Spudnut · #22 01-18-2021, 04:54 PM

As others have said, use a the bathymetry map. Also good to have a fish finder if you have one. Less to find the fish, and more to check for depth and structure as you drill holes. We used that combo this weekend and got on top of some fish pretty fast. Also depends what you are after. It can be pretty easy to find pike at Crawling Valley, but walleye might take a bit more work. I also hear that many people ignore the perch but there are a few videos out there of people catching them (Superstrike has some).

Here is a vid of our trip on Sunday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfB4s6pIZLg

musak4ears · #23 01-20-2021, 05:07 PM

Spudnut, was this the south end or north end?

graybeard · #24 02-02-2021, 07:59 AM

We fished the north west area;
- 24" of ice
- clear water down to 10'....(I lost a bell and with a magnet I was able to see it by shading the hole with my hands, and recover it...haha)
- weather was good +7C
- fish all looked good, good color and no damage
- one walleye and the rest pike......

Spudnut · #25 02-02-2021, 08:16 AM

South end

kevinhits · #26 02-02-2021, 10:05 AM

Planning on heading out SUnday and wondering how the access North at the red rock is? 4x4 accesible?

tsmith196 · #27 02-02-2021, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevinhits

Planning on heading out SUnday and wondering how the access North at the red rock is? 4x4 accesible?

Was good this past weekend but likely to change with the snowfall expected in the next few days. Guess it depends on how fast Torxen clears those lease roads. That road can drift in pretty good.

tsmith196 · #28 02-02-2021, 10:38 PM

Anybody having luck finding walleye/burbot/whites? We’ve poked around the lake and have mostly only landed pike with the odd walter. Seen a few perch on the camera in our last spot on the south east end but nothing that would take a hook. Walleye bite just seems slow right now and have yet to land a burb/white. Any help appreciated!

Brovacs · #29 02-03-2021, 10:07 AM

Never personally caught a whitefish in Crawling Valley but I have seen a few giant dead ones over the years. Not sure why but there the population seems to be low compared to MacGregor, Travers, Keho etc.

Walleyes aren't hard to find. Lots of structure in the lake so look at the bathymetry maps available and find the humps and drop offs and fish prime time hours around sunrise and/or sunset. Good spot to start is along the west end about half way up where there is the bay and lots of islands. Be mobile and if you don't mark fish within 15-20min move. Flutter spoons and rattle baits are great for this run and gun type fishing. They will move up and down the structure through out the day so hole hopping will likely out produce sitting and waiting with deadsticks.

Burbot right now you'll have to fish the night shift to get on any numbers right now. The spawn is about 3 weeks away still so they aren't super active yet. Fish the top of drop offs with heavy glow spoons and jigs and pound bottom. Really it is just a waiting game and patience is a virtue with burbot. Especially during the spawn please keep only what you need as a 10 fish per person limit is ridiculous and needs to be changed. Its up to us anglers to have some restraint and common sense to preserve the fisheries.

Good luck!

tsmith196 · #30 02-03-2021, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brovacs

Never personally caught a whitefish in Crawling Valley but I have seen a few giant dead ones over the years. Not sure why but there the population seems to be low compared to MacGregor, Travers, Keho etc.

Walleyes aren't hard to find. Lots of structure in the lake so look at the bathymetry maps available and find the humps and drop offs and fish prime time hours around sunrise and/or sunset. Good spot to start is along the west end about half way up where there is the bay and lots of islands. Be mobile and if you don't mark fish within 15-20min move. Flutter spoons and rattle baits are great for this run and gun type fishing. They will move up and down the structure through out the day so hole hopping will likely out produce sitting and waiting with deadsticks.

Burbot right now you'll have to fish the night shift to get on any numbers right now. The spawn is about 3 weeks away still so they aren't super active yet. Fish the top of drop offs with heavy glow spoons and jigs and pound bottom. Really it is just a waiting game and patience is a virtue with burbot. Especially during the spawn please keep only what you need as a 10 fish per person limit is ridiculous and needs to be changed. Its up to us anglers to have some restraint and common sense to preserve the fisheries.

Good luck!

Helpful information Brovacs, appreciate it