Where to go fishing around calgary

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by photon

Gonna bump an old thread, I was going to post a new thread, but then I figured I'd google it first.. google "good place for fishing around calgary", and this thread is the first hit. Gotta love CP.

Anyway, any suggestions for something close to Calgary (preferably on the east side) that I can go fishing this weekend with my 6 year old kid and have some kind of chance of catching something worth eating? I see people fishing the lake here in Chestermere but no idea if the fish are edible.

Or even what time of day to go. Total fishing n00b, my knowledge of fishing is flashlight = good.

TIA

For a 6 year old, the pond at Carburn Park (in Riverbend in the SE) is excellent. There is even a small dock to fish off of.

[troutman]

I would not eat fish out of the Bow. IIRC, the regs warn you not to eat more than one per week.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by troutman

I would not eat fish out of the Bow. IIRC, the regs warn you not to eat more than one per week.

Is it still like that? I knew the river was pretty dirty (detergents and such) 20-30 years ago but I thought the river was a lot cleaner now.

[worth]

Does anyone know where I can go fisting around Calgary?

[Flacker]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Is it still like that? I knew the river was pretty dirty (detergents and such) 20-30 years ago but I thought the river was a lot cleaner now.

There is still probably some fairly unheathly levels of creosote due leaching from a few locations, a pretty nasty carcinogen.

Kind of an old, long document, but shows locations of creosote sites.
http://environment.gov.ab.ca/info/library/5693.pdf = don't eat Bow River fish

Catch and release fishing is a much more sustainable hobby anyway. I have no issue with people harvesting hatchery produced trout from the likes of Wedge Pond but to be eating a large native trout from the Bow, Crow, Highwood or any high country lake is pretty short sighted. Fishing pressure is too high to allow even the lowest limits.

Walleye numbers in Alberta took a major thrashing to the point where limits were dropped to zero in some places. There are a lot of people fishing in Alberta and I think it is a tough job managing the sustainability of the quality of fishing in this province and protecting native fisheries.

Keep your tip up.