Search these forums for "bass" or "bass fishing" and you'll find lots to read. I read everything I could last summer and it kept me busy, checking out various spots. The exploring was the fun part, wasn't able to find any of those 2-3 pound fish that I read about
Some tips, based on my limited experience:
LocationsDeer Lake: Lots of little bass in there and some bigger ones too, I've heard. Advice: Rent a canoe! I've had the best luck getting away from the (awfully limited) shore access points. I've caught a bunch in the 6-8" range and the biggest one was 11 or 12". That's after 4 trips out in a canoe; gorgeous way to spend an evening. Also some trout in there. Nice scenery, good parking.
Minnekhada: Fished it once in the afternoon. Didn't catch any fish but there's not many places to fish from. Heard there's big fish in there but I haven't done enough recon to know where to fish from. There was a bear on the path the day we went and we had to go the long way to the car. Not uncommon in that park! Good parking but the gravel roads mean your car will get dusty.
Fishtrap Creek: Fished it once this summer using worms under a bobber. Water too low and weedy for lures. Caught 6 or 8 fish in the 6-8" range. Easy fishing but not many places you can fish without worrying about the weeds. Good parking.
Albert Dyck Park: Easiest place I've found to catch bass. Been there about 6 times, caught fish most of those times. The water's super clear so you can fish by sight a lot of the time, especially with polarized sunglasses. Everything I've caught there has been in the 6-10" range, usually on the 6-8" side of the scale. Saw a big one swimming around under the dock once, maybe about a foot long, but that's the exception. I usually do a loop around the lake and try a few casts every 50 meters or so. Scenery is nice-ish but lots of noise from the industrial concrete thing next door, and the airport across the street, and the waterski boats. Good place for swimming, just watch the drop-off! Someone drowned there last year. Good parking.
TechniquesI've had good luck using Kwikfish lures, Croc spoons, and worms under a float. You can also jig with plastic baits from the dock at Albert Dyck if the waterski club isn't running their boats. Can be tough in the summer with people clomping all over the dock though
I've read that bass will bite pretty much anything and that's been my experience... just switch lures often and something will work eventually. There are all kinds of bass-specific lures too but I haven't used any of those.
EdibilityYou can eat bass but sooner or later someone on this forum will laugh at you for it
Whether you want to eat fish from Deer Lake, Albert Dyck, or Fishtrap Creek is up to you. Albert Dyck is very clear but it's surrounded by farms so I'd worry about farm runoff. Minnekhada's probably fine, although a park employee checked my license last year and told me that it's C&R only in there. From my reading of the regs that's not accurate but I don't keep bass so it wasn't an issue.
Hope you have some luck! Just remember to enjoy the adventure and don't expect to catch the sort of fish you see on the fishing shows. Most of the bass here are small but they're around if you want to catch some. Please let us know how you did, where you had luck, etc...
Monsters like these could soon be within your reach!
Albert Dyck Park:
Deer Lake Park:
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Topic: Bass fishing (Read 13597 times)