Calgary Fishing Spots

[Patrick B]

Due to new corona restrictions my initial plan to fish with friends at residential lakes has been shot down. So I was wondering if there were any trout lakes within an hour of Calgary. I don’t care about keeping them, just going to have fun, any burbot or whitefish recommendations would also be greatly appreciated!

[Brovacs]

Welcome to the forum! For trout some good spots to start are Chain Lakes by Longview, Champion Lakes by McLean Creek or Birch Lake by Caroline.

For whitefish and burbot, any of the southern reservoirs (McGregor, Crawling Valley, Travers, Little Bow, Newell) are good options. Gull and Sylvan Lake are also very productive fisheries that are north of the City. If you need any additional info just search any of the aforementioned lakes and a plethora of links will come up with tips and techniques.

Make sure you familiarize yourself with the regulations for the waterbody you choose before hitting the ice. Good luck!

[Scott N]

Although it's a bit more than an hour, Spray Lakes south of Canmore is also very popular with anglers from Calgary. Scenery is top notch here, so if the fish aren't biting, it's still worth a day trip.

[Flieguy]

https://www.ab-conservation.com/prog...stocked-lakes/

Map with all the ACA and AEP stocked lakes in Alberta. Some of them are closed in the winter or have bait bans and other restrictions in place so check regs before you go.

Cheers

[Patrick B]

Thanks for the tips guys, going out tomorrow evening and hoping for some action! Just another question, does anyone have tips on how to catch suckers through the ice. Trying to stock up on some bait for later in the season and can’t find many tips anywhere. Any links or other forum posts would be appreciated!

[The Fisherman Guy]

Originally Posted by Patrick B

... does anyone have tips on how to catch suckers through the ice. ...

Chain Lakes south of Longview has small suckers which are good for Pike bait.

Short drop shot or pickerel rig with small hooks, tipped with dew worm seem to work for me.

[CardiacCowboy]

Originally Posted by Brovacs

Welcome to the forum! For trout some good spots to start are Chain Lakes by Longview, Champion Lakes by McLean Creek or Birch Lake by Caroline.

Note on Champion Lakes. Even though it is a stocked lake it is not under the standard stocked lake regs. It is under quality stocking regs and is listed under "sunken Lake" in the regs book. There has been confusion on this as it listed as Champion lakes under the stocking lists but sunken in the regs