Shore Fishing Around Edmonton

[CBanger]

Hi Everyone,

We have four boys and I have gone to many lakes within an hour of Edmonton (usually west) and we can never seem to catch much if anything. It seems most of the lakes around here are so shallow or so full of weeds you can't cast far enough...

Can anyone recommend some lakes we can fish from shore? We are saving up for a small fishing boat in the meantime.

[1bowhunter12]

I would recommend the river instead of a lake for shore fishing. catch lots and kids will have more fun looking around for cool rocks and fun things for them to do . Lots of places for access .

[huntinstuff]

Shore fishing around here is as you described.

What I did was tie a fly on, have a bobber about 12" up the line and cast it out. This somewhat avoided the weeds and the kids caught fish. Once they got older I bought a boat.

[Dean2]

Most of the stocked trout ponds around Edmonton can easily be fished from shore. There are a large number close to Edmonton. Also, the North Sask River has good shore fishing in a number of places. If you check out the other folks fishing it is easy to see methods, and baits that work.

[KGB]

There are a few small lakes around Edmonton in a 30-35 minutes drive. Try Hasse lake, star lake, Ashland dam, wabamun lake and a pigeon(a bit further away) to start. Cardiff trout pond used to be pretty good too.

[-JR-]

Carson lake is a great place to take them . It has a board walk on one side of the lake with sit down benches . I took my grand kids there last weekend . They caught a lot of rainbows using Len Thompson hooks about 1 inch long .
They also have a few day use stalls behind the concession building in the bush if you want a weenier roast . Its 2 hrs west of Edmonton .
Watching the eagles dive down all day picking up trout is a treat on its own .

[Dean2]

JR is right - Carson is a beautiful spot, and worth the drive.

For closer in, not as scenic but fishable - This lists all the stocked ponds. There are couple at least right in the Edmonton city limits and another half dozen within 20 minutes. Morinville x2, Cardiff,

https://open.alberta.ca/publications/fish-stocking-list

This one has a map of the stocked ponds.

https://mywildalberta.ca/fishing/fis...king-maps.aspx

[Stinky Buffalo]

I agree with the above. Rivers can be fun with the kids, just need to keep safety in mind, especially when the flow is higher (after rain, or spring runoff).

What I ended up doing is buying an inflatable. When the kids were small enough, I could take them all out, paddle just beyond the weeds, and get into the action.

The one I have is on sale at Canuck Tire this week: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/i...rq=mariner#srp

I added a trolling motor as well, which definitely upscales it. All of this fit into my compact car (including life vests! Don't forget those!), so it made for cheap impromptu fishing trips with the kids.

At Carson, when spinners and flies weren't working, I would rig up a slip sinker rig. It's a single hook with a swivel about 2-3 feet up the line, and use a heavier sliding weight above that. I'd bait the hook with a bait that floats (eggs, powerbait, etc.) So the sliding weight rests on the bottom, and the bait floats a foot or two above it. Like so:



That way you can cast farther (the weights help with getting that extra distance), and you aren't constantly casting over and over again.

[thorne]

NSR has some of the best fishing around! Was at a spot just downtown Edmonton Yesterday for just 2 hours and caught 4 really Nice Wallies/Sauger, 3 HUGE Goldeye, and 1 decent Pike....Hard to beat it...just find a decent place, hook on a minnow or worm with a weight and just chill, till your rod bends over!

[-JR-]

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