Wabamun and Lac St Anne this weekend

Dean2 · #1 07-13-2015, 10:55 AM

Provincial park at Wab was insanely busy on Sunday and we were told it was like that Sat. Between the great weather and free fishing weekend there were a lot of people out. Boat trailer parking completely full and most of the overflow was used up too. Launch in town is in great shape, there are lots of piers and wharfs to pull up to and there was lots of parking. The $15 user fee seems to be just enough for the town to make good money and keep the launch and facilities in top notch shape.

Just so you don't' get caught short, the gas station it town is closed down, and the two shells on the highway are both out of gas due to their refinery work over. The Fas Gas on 43 had gas, 1.10 for reg and 1.30 for premium. Might want to fill up in Edmonton before you come out.

Fishing on Wab was excellent. We went out mostly to run the boat and have a look around. Only fished for about a half hour and caught 6 1-5 LB pike, one rod pulling a bottom bouncer and single hook spinner rig, using leeches for bait.

Once you got a couple of miles from town you pretty much have the lake all to yourself.

Stopped at Lac St Anne as we thought about launching there for a run too. Poorest set up I have seen in a long while. Very good boat launch but absolutely no place to park the truck and trailer. It would be at least a Kilometre walk. I think the town is loosing out on a lot of tourist dollars by not having a better set up but I guess that is there choice. I know we won't be going back any time soon.

Hope the rest of you has a good weekend too.

Red Neck · #2 07-13-2015, 11:54 AM

Great info thanks. We have tryed parking in Alberta Beach thought we were in a legal parking spot. A $75 parking ticket told us we were wrong

.
We always use Warwa launch and will never go back to ;Alberta Beach there cutiing them selfs out of lots of tourism dollars??
Red Neck Out

Northern Yaker · #3 07-13-2015, 02:13 PM

West cove has a pretty good launch and as of last year they cleared a area for parking of trucks and trailers. I wouldn't let one experience jade me. It's Great Lake, you were just in the wrong area to launch from.

Dean2 · #4 07-13-2015, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northern Yaker

West cove has a pretty good launch and as of last year they cleared a area for parking of trucks and trailers. I wouldn't let one experience jade me. It's Great Lake, you were just in the wrong area to launch from.

Good info, we may try that. Is there a town and other services at West Cove as that is one of the big pluses about launching in the town of Wabamun. As to Lac St Anne, we do fish the narrows, it isn't the Lake I have anything against it is the poor facilities the town itself provides. It is the town we won't be going back to any time soon.

Kim473 · #5 07-13-2015, 05:11 PM

Town of Wab is gonna get real busey as Seaba Beach closed there launch. Dumbies ! They could make a pile of money with a propper set up and reasonable fees.

waterninja · #6 07-13-2015, 06:37 PM

Nice informative thread. Yup, It's not easy to launch at Alberta Beach.

abhunter8 · #7 07-14-2015, 11:45 AM

I was at the Town of Wab boat launch on this past Sunday afternoon and that is the least busy I have seen it in the past month, probably because it was pretty windy. We were there Sat and Sun Jun 27 and 28th and it was a zoo. The boat launch is nice and I don't mind paying $15 to launch and park... because it is one of the cleanest lakes in the area. It was not without it's price though... It was over an hour wait in the lineup to launch the boat and well over an hour in the lineup to load the boat. . There was no parking, I had to park on a residential street 4 blocks away. Angers me the people who launch there boats then park them on the dock to visit and show off so a guy can't even use the dock to pull his boat up to and jump in! While waiting in the line up to load the boat, 2 guys drive by everyone on the left in a white Toyota tundra and proceed to launch their seadoo's. Several people got out of there trucks and bitched and complained but I was the only one that had the balls to go talk to them and clue them in. One of the most frustrating boat launching experience I have ever had. The lake is also the busiest lake I have ever been on and we covered the whole lake from Seba to Sundance... with water rough due to all the boats and not from the wind. It really sucks that the only boat launches on a lake the size of Wabamun are at the Prov park and the town of Wab.

1bluZebec · #8 07-14-2015, 12:10 PM

That's unreal but how it is. I have an inflatable so I don't have to worry about all that but couldnt imagine waiting that long watching all the people that are not ready to launch take their time screwing around getting everything ready. Sure make it nice when everyone launching had already done all the prep work first somewhere else minimizing time spent unloading boat and getting ready to leave the dock.should be 5 minutes a vehicle. Then loading is just as much if not more of a gong show with everyone trying to hog a spot at the dock till truck comes. It nearly ruins a good day having to deal with that. Maybe they will open another little launch somewhere else with some room for parking too.

EZM · #9 07-14-2015, 04:08 PM

Yup .... all of the above .....

There really should be a sign covering the most basic common sense and courtesy rules with detailed explanations .....

1) Be ready/prepared to Launch (we all know this one)
2) The Launch area docks are not parking spots (for loading and launching and max 5 minutes or so)
3) Parking for boats trailers only (Don't park your minivan here in the weird extra long spot)
4) No wake zone (so take your jet ski outa here nobody thinks you are cool)
5) Don't fry Bacon in the Nude

Fishslayer99 · #10 07-14-2015, 04:34 PM

I agree with all rules except for #5!

GrandMasterFish · #11 07-14-2015, 08:27 PM

I agree Alberta Beach has an absolutely terrible set up minus the actual launch. The pier built is so high with no ladders or stairs near the actual launch but on the opposite side there are two rickety sets of ladders. I still don't understand their complete lack of a designated parking spot. In speaking to some locals parking behind the hotel is where it is acceptable to park but if they had used a fraction of that land to make a parking spot for boats/trailers and even charged 5 or so dollars to park there they'd make a killing. The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that they don't want non-residents to use the launch. Easy to do when you can drive back to your cabin or home.