Lac Des Arch in Canmore

[Dust1n]

I need info on this lake on how to fish it.
any info would be appreciated because i got skunked the few times iv been there.
Thanks in advance.

[Albertadiver]

no fish

[DuckBrat]

Be careful on this lake, the winds whipping around the corners of the mountains in this area, leave many thin spots. I thought there were brookies in there.

[Albertadiver]

Be careful on this lake, the winds whipping around the corners of the mountains in this area, leave many thin spots. I thought there were brookies in there.

There may be the odd one, but for the most part it's a very shallow lake, not much happens in there other than the odd ice kite guys.

[Dust1n]

im not ice fishing it i was planning on fly fishing it again next summer

[Dust1n]

There may be the odd one, but for the most part it's a very shallow lake, not much happens in there other than the odd ice kite guys.

do you have a depth chart of the lake

[Jayhad]

as others have said it is super shallow, and as most think it doesn't have many fish..... that said it does fish better for about a two week period. If you get caught in the wind it can take hours to get back to where you park, and it can turn silly in seconds. I am sure, now that it has been hot spotted it will be even harder and the overall experience will diminish greatly. too bad

That being said you are a pretty keen angler for anyone twice your age, you should be able to put it together given enough time. I know several guys that have been skunked out there. I had to put in a couple of days before netting Lac's bounty.

[WayneChristie]

forget the lake, its just overflow from the bow pretty much. there is some awesome fishing in the actual river all around there. I used to camp there a lot, watched a moose one day walk all the way across and didnt even get its belly wet. if you get bored check out Heart mountain across the road, theres a cave way up in the middle thats a fairly easy scramble. Couple of us tried hiking all the way to the top on the right shoulder, to see if we could get across to Kananaskis, when you get to the top you will see theres another peak behind the first one, that was a big dissapointment.

[Dust1n]

there has got to be some big ones in there in fall and spring. tactics=big streamers around dusk and dawn in fall, spring= fishing the side with the wind and fishing leeches shrimp or caddis pupae.
hopefully it will work next season!

[thumper]

The deepest water - which still isn't very deep - is right along the highway on the west side of the lake- where the westernmost viewpoint is - between the shore and the little island. Most of the lake is just a shallow silt bottom that dries up during low water periods and blows dust all over the Lac des Arc community.
I've watched moose walk across that lake too!

[Dust1n]

thanks for the info guys

[Kokanee9]

Don't bother with that place. There are too many other choice spots around there like somebody else said in an earlier post. If I could figure out how to mark on google maps and send it I would.

[Sundancefisher]

do you have a depth chart of the lake

I electrofished this lake as part of a study on the airborne particle problem. Shallow mud flats whipped up in the wind blew crap into the nearby town. They put in a small dam structure to impede water...is was very shallow before...still very shallow now. Very little fishing habitat. You are better off fishing the river. There is a very nice pool in the Bow beside the campsite. Saw lots of rises.

[Dust1n]

Don't bother with that place. There are too many other choice spots around there like somebody else said in an earlier post. If I could figure out how to mark on google maps and send it I would.

I electrofished this lake as part of a study on the airborne particle problem. Shallow mud flats whipped up in the wind blew crap into the nearby town. They put in a small dam structure to impede water...is was very shallow before...still very shallow now. Very little fishing habitat. You are better off fishing the river. There is a very nice pool in the Bow beside the campsite. Saw lots of rises.

im not after river browns anyone can catch one of those any day of the week even in my backyard.

[thumper]

I haven't fished it for many years but we used to target big browns that weren't afraid of the skinny water. Not very many, but some would come in from the Bow River and hang out in the lake. Got skunked many times, but also caught a few beasts.
Try larger buggers and pheasant-tailed nymphs.

I'm not much of a trophy-fisher anymore, so I fish the river where I can count on more action - albeit with smaller fish.