Fishing the May Long Weekend

The May Long Weekend is Here

It is May long weekend here for us who live in Canada and it’s the first chance we get to go ahead and get out camping and fishing. I have never really been much for camping on this specific weekend as it usually is a weekend for bad weather. No I am not trying to jinks you here so stay calm. I do not think we will need to worry about the weather this weekend as it is predicted to be about 20-25 degrees above zero. This is a first in a long time the sun will be out all weekend long, suits me just fine. Now the decision is where to go and camp and fish. Well that is precisely why I am writing this article for you, to give you some great spots to check out.

The first decision I personally make is am I going to fish a river or a lake? If I decide to fish a lake here are some of the places I go camping and fishing.  McGregor Lake is one of my top spots to camp and fish. Swimming and boating access is at McGregor Lake Recreation Area (formerly Milo Campground), an Alberta Provincial Park site with camping facilities at the northwest corner of the lake. Amenities include a boat launch, playgrounds, and picnic shelters. Small boats can also be launched at Lomond Crossing, where Secondary Road 531 crosses the lake. Sport fishing yields Walleye, Yellow Perch, Lake Whitefish, Rainbow Trout, and Northern Pike (Jackfish). Local residents have reported catching up to 22 lb northern pike. A campground, picnic area, and boat launch are provided at the north end of the lake.

Crawling Valley Reservoir near Bassano is another one of my favorite destinations. Not much for trees or scenery but the fishing here can be dynamite. Rise early and fish late into the evening for Walleye or cruse the back bays for good sized Pike. Early spring fishing here can be awesome as those big Pike come in shallow and feed heavy on jigs, frozen minnows and those big crank baits like the Rapala X-Rap. Fishing from shore here can be great as well for those who do not have a boat. A relatively new campground which was established in the mid 80’s, Crawling Valley Campground is located on the Crawling Valley Reservoir, NE of Bassano. Services Include Pull through sites, Fire pits, Fire wood, Ice, Group camping, Coin operated showers which are Handicap accessible, Potable water, Dumping station, Boat launch and day use area, Public phone, Fish cleaning stand, Concession stand.

And for the whole family Sylvan Lake, Sylvan Lake is the perfect destination spot for the entire family at any time of year. They are among Canada’s ten best beaches and the fishing here can be very good in the spring time. Sylvan Lake has a wide variety of accommodations ranging from luxurious hotels to clean, rustic campgrounds. Sylvan Lake has clear water, little algal growth and few areas of dense aquatic macrophytes. Although summer kills occur occasionally, the lake supports a popular year-round sport fishery for pike, perch and, in recent years, walleye. Provincial sport fishing regulations apply to Sylvan Lake so check the regulations guide before fishing anywhere.

Please come back to the Blog and I will let you know where I go to fish the rivers and streams here in Alberta. Fish and camp this May long weekend and have fun. Take a youngster out for his/her first time fishing. Practice catch and release fishing and respect your surroundings. Clean up after yourself and if you see some garbage lying around, please pick it up and dispose of it. Let’s all do our part and make sure we carry this way of life far into the future for our kids to enjoy.