The Best Places to Go Fishing in Alberta

If you look at a map, you might notice that Alberta doesn’t have a lot of blue on it. That blue represents water, of course, and it translates to fewer lakes, and therefore fewer places to fish, than even the other prairie provinces.

But don’t let that colour scheme fool you. What the province may lack in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality.

“Alberta has amazingly diverse fisheries,” says Andrew Clough, a fisheries technician with the Alberta Conservation Association. “From great prairie fishing in our southern reservoirs, to high-mountain streams full of cutthroat trout and Arctic grayling, to huge rivers with monster, prehistoric sturgeon. All things considered, it’s a great place to fish.”

In addition to his day job, Clough is a lifelong angler who’s been hanging around the province’s lakes, streams and rivers since he was four years old.

Here are some of his favourite spots around the province—just make sure you’re up to date on the latest fishing regulations before you drop a line.

North Saskatchewan River

As the centrepiece of Alberta’s capital city, the North Saskatchewan River winds its way through the middle of Edmonton, with several easily accessible fishing spots within city limits.

Clough recommends areas like Gold Bar Park, Whitemud Creek and Hermitage Park. These spots provide easy access to the walleye and sturgeon that populate the North Saskatchewan—and it’s not a coincidence that all three are near stormwater outlets, since the warmer water and increased bug activity are both major attractants for fish.

All three also benefit from the picturesque scenery that is Edmonton’s renowned river valley.

“I’m always blown away by the size of the valley and the size of the river,” Clough says.

Bow River

Alberta’s other major city has its own majestic water feature at its core, along with the equally impressive fishing opportunities that come with it.

“ The Bow is the most famous river in the province,” Clough says, noting that fishers travel from all over the country and beyond to fish there. That reputation is more than earned, with the Bow containing one of the highest concentrations of trout per kilometre of any river in the world.

In fact, the Bow provides so many options to anglers that you don’t even need to stay within Calgary to make use of them. Head west towards Canmore if you want the best snapshots for Instagram, but Clough says the mountainous portion of the river actually isn’t as productive as the portion that’s further downstream.

Instead, try Policeman’s Flats, just south of Calgary, or McKinnon Flats a half-hour drive further east. The fish aren’t just more plentiful there—they’re bigger, too.

Lesser Slave Lake

First of all, don’t take the name too literally: “Lesser” Slave Lake is still mighty impressive. Located a three-hour drive north of Edmonton, it’s the third-largest lake in the province and offers year-round appeal for fishers: you can enjoy sandy beaches in the warmer weather, and excellent ice fishing during those famous Canadian winters.

The fishing is top-notch, too, as the lake is full of walleye, pike, perch, burbot and whitefish, among other species.

First-time visitors to Lesser Slave Lake will want to check out the narrows, where the lake pinches off in the middle; otherwise, the easiest access point is Dog Island, which is just off the shore from the town of Slave Lake proper.

Cold Lake

This province-crossing lake, straddling the eastern border between Alberta and Saskatchewan, is big (373 km2 or 144 mi2), deep (around 100 metres or 328 feet), and—yes—also quite cold.

Locally, Cold Lake is famous for three things: being the fictional birthplace of the iconic Marvel superhero Wolverine, an Indigenous urban legend surrounding a murderous fish known as “kinosoo” (a popular beach is named after it), and lake trout. Of the three, you’re most likely to see the trout. In fact, the provincial record for lake trout, at 52 pounds, was caught right there in Cold Lake.

Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes

In Clough’s opinion, Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes are “some of the coolest lakes in the province, and some of the most beautiful.” Which makes sense, given that they’re both located right in the heart of Kananaskis Country—one of the most stunning natural regions in all of Alberta.

Both lakes are now reservoirs, and both are full of massive trout: bull, cutthroat and rainbow, to name a few. Clough recommends starting at the interlake region, at the narrowed passage between the two lakes. If you happen to get there in late June, you might even be able to stand on the shore and casually cast into schools of trout cruising the shallows.

Travelling in and around the Rockies is an undeniably magical experience—but it does come with some added risks. While fishing in the Kananaskis lakes, Clough recommends keeping your bear spray handy, just in case.

Lake Newell

A slightly lesser-known fishing spot is Lake Newell, a man-made reservoir located in southern Alberta just south of the town of Brooks. It’s renowned by locals for its walleye and, especially, its pike.

“If people want to catch very large pike in Alberta,” Clough says, “this is where they go.” Specifically, you can easily launch a boat from Kinbrook Island Provincial Park, on the lake’s eastern shore. (Just make sure to check the weather before you go – it can get windy.)

Its more southerly location also means that Lake Newell has a distinctly prairie feel: from the herds of pronghorn and mule deer that live in the area to the endless horizon and impossibly blue sky overhead.

Crowsnest River

Tourists from across Canada have long sought out the famed Crowsnest Pass, connecting Alberta and British Columbia through the Rocky Mountains. But fishers rank the area just as highly for the nearby Crowsnest River.

This river begins in the mountainous Crowsnest Lake and then moves east through the pass and the town of Frank (famous, in its own way, for the remnants of its massive rockslide in 1903). Its dense insect population has led to a world-famous flyfishing environment—to accommodate this, Frank has multiple fly shops in town, in case you run low on supplies.

Plus, it’s just a short trip from the Crowsnest to the Oldman and Castle Rivers—two equally top-notch fishing holes in the area.

“It’s a great spot for a fisherman,” Clough says.

Lake Athabasca

In the mood for a bucket-list challenge? Look no further than Lake Athabasca. The biggest lake in the province (nearly 8,000 km2 or 3,089 mi2) also spans the border into Saskatchewan, and it isn’t easily accessible—you have to fly into the hamlet of Fort Chipewyan, since there’s no road access. But it’s an angler’s dream once you get there.

Lake Athabasca is home to nearly two dozen species of fish, from yellow perch to longnose sucker. It’s also where the world’s largest lake trout—weighing in at a whopping 102 pounds—was caught back in 1961.

In addition to fish, the lake contains some of the most varied terrain in the province, from the ruggedness of the boreal shield to the northernmost sand dunes in the world.

“I’ve never fished it, to be honest,” says Clough wistfully, “but it would be a dream trip for anyone.”