Fort Mcmurray fishing

[Izzie]

I am being transfered up to Fort Mcmurray in a week. What kind of fishing is there around there? I will be fly in fly out so I have a company truck and cant travel to far. Is there anything nerby that is any good?

[drtibo]

The Athabasca offers up decent fishing if your into releasing, not sure if I would be eating anything out of there. On the north side of the bridge to nowhere there is a creek that runs into the Athabasca, this is a good spot for Walleye. There many creeks in that area that offer up Grayling, a little walking you should be able to find some decent pools, pretty much all the creeks have Grayling. If you take a right heading South just before supertest road there is a perch lake a few KMs in. You can always fish the Clearwater as well in and around Fort Mcmurray. If you want to head to the South side of town there is a stalked lake on 881 for Trout fishing.

[Izzie]

What species does the Clearwater have in it in Fort Mcmurray? When I picture it up there I picture the waters being polluted. I dont think I will be eating anything out of anywhere around there just looking for something fun to do and to kill the time till I get to fly back out.

[beermilk]

not that i have ever kept a fish from the athabasca but i dont think it would make a big differnce considering you would be fishing upstream from the plants. other then the bridge to no where. i know guys who eat fish out of there all year long.


what kind of fishing do you like ?

if your into fly fishing they hit up some of the small creeks for grayling. like above poster said most creeks have grayling in them.

if you dont mind river fishing / pickrel rig fishing maybe river fishing is the way to go. in the athabasca / clearwater you can expect walleye pike burbout goldeye little sucker fish. these seem to be the most common with walleye and goldeye being the top 2.

if you know someone with a boat or like shore fishing you can always hit up gregoire lake outside of town for some hammer handle pike and the odd walleye.

there is a small stocked trout pond a little ways up highway 69 / airport road.
and a bigger stock trout pond down highway 881.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by Izzie

I am being transfered up to Fort Mcmurray in a week. What kind of fishing is there around there? I will be fly in fly out so I have a company truck and cant travel to far. Is there anything nerby that is any good?

If you have never experienced bush fever...take along bug gear for your head and body...the kind you can put deet on without melting it is best.

You DON'T know bugs till you fish there in July. I was out working all day on a fishery project. When I went back to the hotel people thought I was in a car accident. When I looked in the mirror my face and neck was dripping blood. Where ever there was no deet...the black flies, no see ums, horse flies and mosquitoes feasted.

Most people when the get attacked for the first time...get an instant fight or flight reaction. Most run for shelter. Some run into the bush and die. After a few days you can't taste the bugs in your sandwich and drink. You start to play games like how many mosquitoes can you kill with one slap. Mine was like 56.

[Izzie]

Sounds perfect just another thing to look forward to up there. I am not to happy about te job up there. At least its only scheduled for 6 months....I guess.


I fly fish or spin cast. I have never caught a grayling so I will definetly have to try that out. Coming from Southern Sask. the only trout we really have are Rainbows, Cutthroats and a few Browns around Swift. Up north we have all the others but its rare I head up there unless its on a bear hunt.