If you want to catch walleye, northern pike, burbot/ling, perch, or lake whitefish successfully and consistently, you should definitely pay a visit to Lesser Slave Lake, the 2nd largest lake and the largest lake with easy access by vehicle in Alberta, Canada.
According to Alberta Conservation Association, in 2005, the estimated total angler catch of walleye was 870,000 fish while the mean weight of harvested walleye was 0.92 kg/fish. And the estimated number of anglers that fished the lake in 2005 was 115,000. What does that mean? It means that each angler could catch about 8 fish on average in 2005. In addition, anglers on ifishalberta.ca are saying that they are catching dozens of fish per day. Sounds exiting, doesn’t it?
Located about 3 hours driving north of Edmonton, Lesser Slave Lake has an area of 1,168 km², close to twice the size of Edmonton (684.4 km²). The Lake is a popular destination for fishing, boating, camping, hiking, birding and other activities. Here is an overview of what to do or where to go in Slave Lake area.
Below is a map and depth chart of Lesser Slave Lake that I think everyone who goes there for fun may want to keep a copy. It marks the locations of campsites, boat launches, beaches, river/creek mouths, and more.
Great fishing spots at Lesser Slave Lake
I remember someone says “90% of fish are in 10% of water”. In other words, fish prefer some parts of a lake to the rest of the lake. These preferred parts include:
Dropoffs, ledges, mid-lake humps, shoals, dips, rock outcroppings, outflow/inflow river/creek mouths, sunken trees, lily pads, reeds, etc. These areas provide fish with forage, oxygen, shelter, and easy access to different water depths to adjust to changes of temperature, air pressure, and light conditions.
So, here are some easily accessible hot fishing spots on Lesser Slave Lake:
(1) Shaw’s Point and Buffalo Bay west to Shaw’s Point.
(2) Lakeshore Campground.
(3) Spruce Point.
(4) Canyon Creek.
(5) Slave River outflow mouth and Dog Island.
(6) Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park area.
(7) Hilliard’s Bay Provincial Park area.
To find dropoffs, you may want to mark those areas with dense isobath lines on the map above. A sonar fish finder will definitely help you locate structures and fish.
Read my post: how to use fish finders to help you catch more fish
Tips:
Wear PFDs/life jackets while fishing on the lake, especially if you are kayaking/canoeing. Waves can get big on this lake. The lake can be calm and quiet in the morning. But it can get windy and noisy toward the end of the day as well.
Check the weather forecast before you head out. Storms and windy conditions are not unusual in summers.
Further readings:
Walleye fishing tournament: Golden Walleye Classic.