Anyone know the ice thickness for keho lake.?

A word of caution! With all the snow on top of what would be very thin ice in most areas, there is now very good insulation on top so it wont be freezing very fast at all.

Very carefully test all ice as you go (walking only).

Cheers and happy fishing!

PS: I also expect there to be lots of water on top of the ice in many areas because of the weight of all the snow pushing down, causing water to seep up through cracks and openings in the ice where it is thin. Alberta Fish and Wildlife Phone: 310-3773 Toll free: 1-877-944-0313

Contacts: https://www.alberta.ca/contacts-for-environment-and-protected-areas-and-forestry-and-parks

Is the ice on quarry lake strong enough to hold 2 people? Same question for chestermere lake. Planning on bringing my mom to go ice fishing on the upcoming Saturday. Tight lines

Hi everyone! This year will be my first season on the ice - I live in Calgary and I’m super excited to take my girlfriend out to try ice fishing for the first time. (Only ever fished the bow) any good suggestions for a good lake/pond to start? Not looking for anyone’s secret spot, just somewhere that should have some okay action to try as a novice. My tackle box is mostly trout focused. Would love to hear your suggestions, thank you!

So I found one spot that’s completely un-named and doesent winter kill. It’s mostly unknown except for the drilling crews that drilled there years and years back. So I’m wondering how the hell does someone find lakes that contain fish that are in named/secret. Just go and try?

Heading out to Yellowknife soon just curious does anyone know how thick the ice is out on lesser slave lake. Was thinking it should be thick enough to fish by now judging by the weather down there.

Hey anglers. Just wondering if there’s any point in fishing near pond this week? I’m just wondering if there’s any point will be any ice up there since I’ve never been up there.

Anybody willing to give up their secret spot/unknown/un named lake or pond. I can pay $250 upfront and another $250 if it lives up to what you say. You will have my word that it’ll stay between you and me.

I live right next to the mill creek ravine and I keep seeing crawfish and bright orange fish and some weird what looks to be creek chubs rising does anybody know what else there might be?

I’ve been fishing in Edmonton for a while now and honestly it’s getting kind of annoying the river is good for a bit but I can’t seem to catch much on lures and then for like you need to drive 2 hours out of the city I know there is a bunch of random ponds in Edmonton does anyone have a spot where there is fish

I have a used Marcum camera I‘d like to list on here. Before I do I want to make sure that’s allowed. Please let me know. Thanks!

Hello -

I'm based in N alberta, around edmonton - was hoping to get some advice about starting to fish.

It looks like the season is almost up but I was hoping for some chances in november?

I have a martin classic 8 foot fly rod + a 4-6 weight reel on it and a shimano SLS70M2 with some generic brand 3500 reel that was given to me + a box of tackle.

I don't and will likely never have access to a watercraft of any kind.

1.) Are those rods and reels okay? The fly rod seems ok but the shimano spin rod seems like its a little too heavy/large for the fish I'm largely going to catch shore fishing within 1hr of Edmonton. It seems like I should leave the shimano for when/if I ever get a boat and pick up some normal/ultralight very long rod so I can cast from shore?

2.) am I out of luck for trying to fish in November from shore? Is it worth even buying a license? I know ice fishing is an option but with the total startup cost, I'm not sure if I'm up for that.

How’s the ice fishing around the Cochrane area? Visiting later this winter and would like to get out if possible.

Hey y’all I’m a new fisherman in Calgary mainly on the elbow river in Stanley park and I was noticing the amount of fish I am seeing in the river has really declined. Are rivers / streams still viable this time of year or is it kind of transitioning to ice fishing on lakes down here?

Hey I'm new to fishing and outdoor activities. I was hoping to find someone to bring me out fishing, especially ice fishing this winter. Would like to learn and don't really know anyone that fishes often. I've been ice fishing twice and fell in love with it. I live in the Edmonton area.

Wanna get my pb trouts just wondering where would be a good start. I'm from grande prairie area.

I am going for a pb rainbow or brown I have been to the bow and lake diefenbaker but I'm wondering if there's other spots I should know about that holds monsters

I have been looking everywhere and I can’t find any info on when big hill creek is open for catch and release or if you can still do catch and release while fish are spawning. Could someone please help me out.

I’m very new to fishing, and have only fished 4 times, for a total of maybe 10 hours. And for the love of god I can’t catch a single thing 😭. Where is the best place in/near Calgary for a beginner so I can At least catch something, and what should I use

Anyone been out fishing the Red Deer River lately? Is it really low water levels rn? I was fishing the Old Man River recently and at least the spot I went to, the water was so low that it was very difficult to fish. Just wanted to check before I make the trip!

Has anyone been out fishing on the Bow around Bowmont Park recently? Maps seems to have some decent spots, namely the islands and channels in the park. Never fished this area and wondering if it’s worth the drive

I've seen a fair few posts this year about fishing the NSR, so I wanted to put this together to hopefully help some people out. This is mostly a collection of things that have worked for me and things that I have learned this year. A few things off the top: I just started fishing this year, so I'm sure there are plenty of things I'm doing wrong and still have a lot to learn. I will not be giving out specific places to fish; this is more of my thoughts and what's worked well for me. I have almost exclusively fished the NSR this year, and that probably won't change next year.

Snags and Weeds

There are lots of places to snag your line on. The more you fish a spot, the better idea you'll have of where you should avoid casting and where is generally good. I've found I lose a lot fewer lures on a heavier line. Weeds can be your friend even though they are annoying to deal with every time you reel in. Lots of predator fish will use them as cover.

Pole and Reel

Get whatever you can afford. My first rod and reel was a combo from Cabela's, and it's served me well. Garage sales are a great place to pick up gear as well. The rod I'm currently using was part of a $25 rod reel combo picked up at a garage sale.

Line and Leaders

I've used a few different lines, and right now, I'm using a 10lb (or is it 15?) monofilament. From what I've seen, the stronger the line, the fewer lures you lose, but the fewer fish you catch. Find the middle ground that works best for you. If I'm targeting pike, I will always use a leader. Big fish with big teeth can bite right through my line. I haven't had it happen yet when I'm not using one, but I expect it will happen at some point.

Tools

A multitool is probably what I use the most. You don't need an expensive one either, just one with pliers and a knife. Scissors are optional, but I wish my pair had them. Needle nose pliers or forceps are something I think everyone should have. They have helped me a ton to get hooks out when the fish have swallowed them deep. I do have a net, and when I remember to bring it with me, it helps, but it's something I don't think you need.

Lures

These are the lures that I have caught something on or have been with someone who has caught something on it.

Spoons

Pretty much any spoon you throw enough, you will catch something on. Here are some examples:

• 5 of diamonds (both glow and not)
• Red and white stripes
• Orange and white
• Black and white

Pretty much any spoon will work, whether it's a knockoff brand from a dollar store or a Len Thompson. Generally, the heavier the spoon, the further you can get it out.

Spinners

I have not had much luck at all with these, but I have caught a few pike on them. The topwater spinners have given me nothing. As a bonus, I've caught my biggest pike on a great big musky spinner made by a local guy here. (Am I allowed to plug his stuff?) u/bgst3s or sloughsharkspinners on Instagram.

Pickerel Rig

I hate using this, BUT I can't deny how effective it is. I have seen more fish caught on one of these than anything else. Pike, goldeye, mooneye, walleye, and sturgeon — it doesn't matter; they all bite a pickerel rig. I mostly use minnows, but worms are good as well. I've used various weights with them, but I think 4oz is ideal for most spots on the NSR.

Worm and a Bobber

I've only used this when I know there are plenty of goldeye eating near or at the surface. Toss it out upstream of them and let it float downstream. Reel and repeat.

That's about all I can think of right now. If anything else comes to me, I will edit this and try and keep it current. It's not too late to get out and fish the NSR.

Before I send out this post I want to make a disclaimer!

1. Please don’t read this and think of it as me trying to put you down or make you feel bad about how you fish! Honestly, I am putting this up here because I think this is a good conversation to have amongst anglers and I’m genuinely curious to hear opinions. I don’t want this to be seen or turned into a “right vs wrong” conversation or for me to be seen as the person playing devils advocate just for the sake of being the devils advocate. Again, just very curious on peoples different takes on this stuff! Frankly, I could sway either way on this conversation.

With that out of the way, let’s begin! Earlier this summer, I got into using soft baits on jig heads! I got various minnows of Berkley powerbait. I felt they worked GREAT! Easy to set up, great action in the water and effective at catching some big fish! This was good and all and then I realized that I was starting to lose tails on the bait. Whether through short strikes or from snags, I started to realize that this likely meant the fish had either eaten the plastic or there was plastic left in the bottom of the water that could be eaten up later. At that point, it started to not sit right with me that the worst case scenario of using the Berkley powerbait was that I potentially (while very unintentionally) feeding plastic to fish. This problem seemed even worse in my mind when I considered that much of what is available to catch is pike that have no problem using their teeth to cut through stuff like that with ease.

Now I know that there are plenty of things that beyond just fishing are things we need to be considering when talking about how we keep our waterways and fish healthy. However, am I out to lunch thinking that powerbait is perhaps not a great option when it comes to fishing and not adding plastic to the water? Again, like I said at the top, I simply am looking to get thoughts on this and for it not to be seen as me telling people they aren’t fishing right or to turn into an argument. But what are your thoughts on powerbait and other soft plastics when it comes to the idea of them being good for the fish and our waterways?