Chestermere Conditions

[grant]

Just got back from chestermere trying to sneak in some late season pike. The whole lake is frozen over about an inch and a half to two inches thick. I could see some little minnows swimming underneath the ice. They are gonna make some tasty winter treats for the bigger ones. Ice fishing season seems to be right around the corner.

Grant

[SuCraM]

Cool good to hear its almost good.

[Jorg]

On Friday there was still lots of open water on the south side with geese swimming

[4D7]

How is the icefishing in chesteremere? this will be my first time ice fishing and i wanted to try somewhere close before heading out to other places

[FisherPotch]

Chestermere? If I'm not mistaken this lake is just east of CGY, no/yes? Whats species are in there?

[4D7]

Yes it is just east of calgary like 10 15 mins out. I fished there a couple times in the summer caught some pike, but there suppose to be somer perch and the odd rainbow and white fish

[Battery]

lots of pike for sure. Can spend a day in the canals which attach to the lake by the railroad tracks and catch 20-30 a day i am not sure on the lake because my boat is out at glennifer all year so couldn't really fish the lake

[Sir. Kenneth]

lots of pike for sure. Can spend a day in the canals which attach to the lake by the railroad tracks and catch 20-30 a day i am not sure on the lake because my boat is out at glennifer all year so couldn't really fish the lake

Really? 20-30 a day huh? i didnt know the pike fishing was that good in Chestermere? What size pike usually?

[Battery]

id say foot and a half to 2 feet long, not huge but fun, i wouldnt keep anything out of chestermere anyways so i dont mind catching the medium sized fighters. And im sure out of that 20 - 30 id catch the same one once or twice, but it still counts to the 20 - 30 number haha. I lost my favorite lure in a big ones mouth, went back 2 days later and caught the same fish and got my lure back! :lol:

[4D7]

Ever try ice fishing there?

[grant]

ice fishing there is alright. however sometimes the community will set up a snowmobile track on the middle of the lake which tends to put a damper on potential honey holes. ive only caught pike of the chester however once upon a time the perch were plenty.

[dodger]

Many many MANY moons ago we use to have an permanent ice shack on Chestermere. As mentioned by grant the Perch fishing was great and there were some big Pike to be had. My dad caught a 24lb Pike there and actually had it mounted. Great memories from my childhood :lol::lol:
Dodger.

[4D7]

I wonder how the fishing will be this year. I walked out to the lake on sat and it was frozen about 3-4'' of ice but there was still a portion of running water. Walked out about half way into the lake before hitting actual ice. Lots of mud though =D

[Jorg]

The Ice fishing is usually good on Chestermere the problem is probably 95% of the pike are 55cm or smaller but they do keep you busy. I mostly ice fish on the south end about 150 meters nw of the outlet. The lake also has perch,burbot and the odd lunker trout and I've heard of people catching whitefish but have never seen one.

[Battery]

well hopefully this snow and cold helps freeze it a bit. i like being able to drive 15 minutes from home for some ice fishing when i don't have much time.

[4D7]

Sweet nice weather coming in this week. Kinda off the thread topic but how much does a hand auger and a gas auger go for?

[superspud]

went out to chestermere today. had three pike all under 55. the first was probably just under. was only out for about 3-4 hrs mostly to test a new auger.
i love being motorized now!

but my word dosent mean much since this is my first time out, ice was a foot thich, watch out under the bridge.
where do you acess to fish near the cannals?

[Jorg]

went out to chestermere today. had three pike all under 55. the first was probably just under. was only out for about 3-4 hrs mostly to test a new auger.
i love being motorized now!

but my word dosent mean much since this is my first time out, ice was a foot thich, watch out under the bridge.
where do you acess to fish near the cannals?

For the south outlet cannel just head east on 17th ave till you hit the esso intersection and turn right (south) there follow that road (i can't remember the name) it goes on for a while and there are a few turns but always hug the lake side and you will eventually come to the south end of the lake just drive over the small dam gates and there is parking on the other side

[4D7]

where can you access the water from chestermere. Wheres the best spot to start, just bought an auger and a rod today i'm very eager to test it out :)

[superspud]

thx for the directions!

[Battery]

hows the ice out there?

[superspud]

about 6 inches, but slushy. take care with a truck in some areas.

[Battery]

only 6 inches????

[4D7]

Theres more than 6 now. Was there today only caught one in 5 hours. Still looking for that honey hole lol

[4D7]

I'm wondering if anyone can help me with bait choice for chestermere lake. Looking for pike. I'm not sure what to use. I only caught one pike outta there and it was on a yellow diamond lure. Any tips? Thanks Oh yeah happy new years everyone

[4D7]

Pretty productive day today at chestermere. Landed 2 pike , lots 5, lots of nibbles. But.... When we were fishing we were hearing loud thumping noises around the lake. We thought it was some dude pumping his bass in his car or something. Then when i went to switch back to a previously drilled hole i heard the loud thump under me and a bit of ice cracking noise. Kind of wierd because the ice was 10-12'' thick. Anyone got any clue what that noise was?

[Duck Hunt]

Chestermere Lokness Monster I'm Guessing !
I've heard about several sightings
The sounds are also similar to what to the eye witnesses described:confused::confused:

[slingshotz]

Does anyone if there is burbot in Chestermere? Been thinking of heading out there on a weekday evening as it's so close to the city. Last time I had a look at the place in the summer I was pretty saddened to see the water levels so low compared to many years ago and the fishing looked pretty poor. Was there trucks on the ice? It seems like a lake that would shallow more vehicles than other bigger lakes for some reason.

[Mish]

Pretty productive day today at chestermere. Landed 2 pike , lots 5, lots of nibbles. But.... When we were fishing we were hearing loud thumping noises around the lake. We thought it was some dude pumping his bass in his car or something. Then when i went to switch back to a previously drilled hole i heard the loud thump under me and a bit of ice cracking noise. Kind of wierd because the ice was 10-12'' thick. Anyone got any clue what that noise was?

Does it kind of sound like a gigantic rubber band being snapped? That's just the ice cracking and moving. I've been told that it's nothing to worry about, but it still always irks me. Give me a frozen lake with snow everywhere to dampen the noise...then I can fish peacefully.

[4D7]

Yes it does sound like a rubber band snapping or a very loud thumping noise. But it scared the crap out of me when i heard it right under me. Thats good to know that theres nothing to worry about. Thanks!

[Nerdapres']

Get used to that sound, it'll happen even with 36 inches of ice.

[SuCraM]

Yup that is the sound that ice makes most of the time. Still gets me heart pumping sometimes when I hear a big pop. The carcking doesnt bother me anymore though. Just takes getting used to.

[Jorg]

I'm wondering if anyone can help me with bait choice for chestermere lake. Looking for pike. I'm not sure what to use. I only caught one pike outta there and it was on a yellow diamond lure. Any tips? Thanks Oh yeah happy new years everyone

I always use medium sized minnows on rigs that way I have an opportunity for pike,perch,burbot and trout on the same rig. I usually fish in around 10 to 15 feet of water.

[4D7]

I always use medium sized minnows on rigs that way I have an opportunity for pike,perch,burbot and trout on the same rig. I usually fish in around 10 to 15 feet of water.

Sweet have you actually caught a burbot out of there yet, that would be so cool. I thought there was only perch and pike outta there with the odd rainbow and white fish. Anyway what kind rig do you use. Is it just the simple pickerel rigs?

[Jorg]

Sweet have you actually caught a burbot out of there yet, that would be so cool. I thought there was only perch and pike outta there with the odd rainbow and white fish. Anyway what kind rig do you use. Is it just the simple pickerel rigs?

Yes got two last year not very big around 16-18 inches but tasty. If you get any keeper pike and are into a fishfry the pike from Chestermere are very tasty also, far better than some other lakes around here.
I just use pickeral rigs in Chestermere I use fireline braid on the hook part instead of monofiliment and use a single hook on the top and a small treble on the bottom.

[slingshotz]

Are there any spots to watch out for when driving on the ice? And whats the best way to drive out on the ice? I've only fished it in the spring/summer from the bridge area.

[Jorg]

Are there any spots to watch out for when driving on the ice? And whats the best way to drive out on the ice? I've only fished it in the spring/summer from the bridge area.

I don't drive out anymore as I only fish the south end and it is blocked for vehicle access now and driving under the bridge is a very bad idea

[4D7]

Are there any spots to watch out for when driving on the ice? And whats the best way to drive out on the ice? I've only fished it in the spring/summer from the bridge area.

I see cars parked around the south canal. Not sure how to get there, i'll be checking sometime this week. But thanks jorg on the info for what to use on the lake. I've been using glow jigs tipped with a minnow and its been very very productive.

[Logan]

I live in Chestermere by have never ice fished the lake haha sad I know, but I have heard of people catching the odd trout and Rocky Mtn. Whitefish but its pretty rare. Jorg is the first person I have heard about that caught a Ling out of there, by no means means they are not in there. Ill do a back flip if I had a Burbot fishery 3mins from my house though!

I heard it used to be a damn fine Perch fishery years ago, ANYONE ever catch any Perch there anymore?

[SuCraM]

There used to be perch in there when i was a kid. Now there is mainly just hammer handle pike in there.

[Jorg]

I live in Chestermere by have never ice fished the lake haha sad I know, but I have heard of people catching the odd trout and Rocky Mtn. Whitefish but its pretty rare. Jorg is the first person I have heard about that caught a Ling out of there, by no means means they are not in there. Ill do a back flip if I had a Burbot fishery 3mins from my house though!

I heard it used to be a damn fine Perch fishery years ago, ANYONE ever catch any Perch there anymore?

There is perch in the lake I have not caught one yet but I do see the odd school of juvies swimming around in the summer. Any fish that you can find in the bow river can end up in Chestermere because of the canal system.

[slingshotz]

I see cars parked around the south canal. Not sure how to get there, i'll be checking sometime this week. But thanks jorg on the info for what to use on the lake. I've been using glow jigs tipped with a minnow and its been very very productive.

I've never heard of glow jigs, are they just fluorescent color jigs or do they actually glow in the dark cause I thought that anything that emits light was not allowed when fishing?

[4D7]

I've never heard of glow jigs, are they just fluorescent color jigs or do they actually glow in the dark cause I thought that anything that emits light was not allowed when fishing?
I got these glow head jigs at wal mart. Its just a glow in the dark color jig. Its not really a fluorescent color just like a whitish green color. It doesnt glow for very long though maybe 5 mins then it needs a recharge in the sun lol. The brand is Jims Jigs. I got this off the alberta regulations

"Use lights to sportfish unless the light is attached to a hook or line used in angling"
So I think those glow jigs are good for usage. You should try them

[superman]

My dad and I went out there last Thursday and hear and felt the same noise right under use for the last part of the day. Very very unsettling but I believe it’s just the shifting of the ice. Had great luck with smelts as bait, caught five in total but had about another 8 on that unfortunately did not land. Does any one know where on the lake would be good for fishing the perch?

[4D7]

Was out today for an hour and a half and my girlfriend and i caught 9 pikes. Great day

[4D7]

Was out today in this -23 weather. Fishing was crazy we landed 12 missed 8 right at the hole and many many nibbles. My buddy landed a 26'' that was about 7-9 pounds, released it back of course. It broke his line the first time right when we were taking it out of the hole, but he caught it again! Was a superb day today.

[Dean2]

The colder it is the more banging you will hear. At 50 below it sounds like a rifle shot. New ice of course forms at the water to ice line so as it gets thicker the ice is pushed upwards, since it floats on water. What you are hearing is the ice cracking as it heaves upward. As long as you aren't near a pressure crack, zone where the ice is actually heaved up and broken, you should have nothing to worry about.

First time I took my BIL out in real cold weather on George"s Lake one of those loud cracks went off right under him. He jumped six feet in the air and legs were going full tilt for shore before he even landed. Laughed so damn hard fell right off my bucket. He has always been one very entertaining dude.

[jts1]

I have heard diffrent stories about this body of water. 1 guy says its good the next says its not. If there are good numbers of fish in ther I would love to try iot out Dont have to be huge just good numbers of hits.

[4D7]

I would definately recommend chestermere because its close and you can get lots of action. My buddy that i went with yesterday was on a dry streak for 5 trips to chestermere. Yesterday he caught his first fish and out fished me 8-4. So far i havent gone to chestermere with out catching at least 3 fish in an hour or so.

Also i recently just switched from glow jigs to this storm wild eye hair jig and man these pikes go crazy over it. So i guess you always gotta change up your presentation too.

[slingshotz]

Ditto to 4D7 comments, have been heading out to the lake for a few hours in the afternoons every couple of days and it's been pretty fun each time. Went out today in the cold and still managed a few (no keepers though). So far I've caught pike in 2 feet down to 10 feet of water.

I seem to have the best luck jigging compared to the tipups by probably 4:1. I think they like the more active presentation. As long as you're not expecting monsters, its pretty fun and close by. I have seen one big keeper someone pulled out from only 6 feet of water.

[Elcinco]

I live in Chestermere by have never ice fished the lake haha sad I know, but I have heard of people catching the odd trout and Rocky Mtn. Whitefish but its pretty rare. Jorg is the first person I have heard about that caught a Ling out of there, by no means means they are not in there. Ill do a back flip if I had a Burbot fishery 3mins from my house though!

I heard it used to be a damn fine Perch fishery years ago, ANYONE ever catch any Perch there anymore?


Hello, new to the forum, had a perch last year. I usually fish ulachon if I can get em. I always catch a bunch of little pike out of there, usually get one legal one in a day of fishing, but not always... Got the perch using a caddis that came up with my bait... rehooked, put on the caddis and had a perch on in about 20 minutes, so I would guess there must be quite a few in there.

Anyone going to the derby this valentines day (I think thats when it is)? Got a hat last year, and 80$ the year before, and the pancakes are pretty good too.

[jts1]

I am going to check it out. Just dont know how to tell my wife. If you see a shack out there with a mailbox in front of it she didnt like the idea......