McGregor Ice
Sometimes the best destination is the closest.
One advantage to living in High River is the easy access to the Bow river Irrigation District, for those that are unfamiliar this is a system of reservoirs and canals utilized by farmers to grow crops and water livestock. It includes the larger reservoirs of McGregor, Travers, Badger, Keho and little Bow and several other smaller reservoirs all linked by a canal system. This system holds a multiple of game fish species like Walleye, Pike, Lake whitefish, Perch, Burbot and Trout. Many reservoirs have parks and campgrounds allowing for easy public access. One of my favorites to fish is Lake Mcgregor , located 40 minutes from my place in High River it is a large reservoir with a number of good fishing spots. Access is easy from the campground at the North end near Milo.
I love to ice fish and over the last 4 years I've probably logged more hour on McGregor than any other Alberta Lake. One thing it has taught me is anything can happen. Many times I've been ready to pack it in without a bite and all of a sudden BAM the fishing turns on. It's always a surprise because you never know what is on the end of your line and that 5 pound walleye you think your reeling can turn out to be a 5 pound Trout and surprise you with burst of speed before you know what's happening or a lunky 5 pound Ling that comes up the hole tail first.
The lake is relatively featureless in the main body so finding the quick depth changes near shelves and flats can sometimes be the key to finding the fish. Many techniques work and catching a fish can be fairly simple due to the abundance of pike and walleye (which must be released).
Did you know?McGregor offers liberal limits of Whitefish(10), Ling(10), Perch(15), Trout(5) but Walleye and Pike are catch and release only.
During the early morning I like to target whitefish and trout. Micro jigs tipped with meal worm with a wire worm 12 inches above is the preferred tackle. Often best in 4-10 feet of water this offers up a chance at sight fishing some big tasty fish. Limits of 10 whitefish can happen in a heartbeat some days and hooking up with a rouge 5 pound rainbow is one memory I'll take to my grave.
With the evening comes the Burbot aka Ling, lawyer, eelpout, Mariah, lush ect. My preferred method to catch theses misunderstood fish is a large 3/4 oz glow jig tipped with a minnow, sucker belly, chicken liver or bacon. A slow presentation & tip ups are what this nocturnal fish prefers and I always set one tip up and deadstick my jigging rod after some bottom pounding. It gives me the opportunity for a campfire and beverages with buddies or fellow near by fishermen. If I'm on a solo trip I just like to sit by a fire and look up and admire the stars while coyotes sing in the distance.
Prairie wildlife abound near these reservoirs. It's not uncommon to see mule deer, partridge, grouse, ducks, coyotes, beavers, ect. Several times I've looked down a hole to see a beaver or muskrat look back up at me. McGregor has large flocks of Partridge that live in the campground and it's not uncommon to have a flock of geese roost on the ice.
"Take something to cook". McGregor is one of those lakes that has a bite in the morning and one in the evening, during the day as Human activity on the lake increases fishing tends to slow down. This provides a great opportunity to cook something. Whether it be a shore lunch whitefish fry, smokies n chili on a BBQ or hot dogs on a campfire. This will recharge your day and make some great memories.
If you've had a successful day you'll want to do your catch up right. Take the extra time to clean and dress your catch. a well cleaned fish can change the taste of a recipe greatly. Along with smoked fish I like the old standard salt pepper flour fried in butter. I am never afraid to try something special. Parmesan crusted whitefish is one of my favorites with pike chowder a close second. Poor mans lobster(Burbot) is always a treat and when we have an abundance of whitefish the puff wrapped whitefish wellington with hollandaise sauce makes for a great Sunday dinner.
McGregor is definitely one of those public jewels. A place where everybody can enjoy the outdoors and have a good time. Follow some basic rules, eat what you keep, clean up your mess and leave no trace so others can enjoy the beauty.
One advantage to living in High River is the easy access to the Bow river Irrigation District, for those that are unfamiliar this is a system of reservoirs and canals utilized by farmers to grow crops and water livestock. It includes the larger reservoirs of McGregor, Travers, Badger, Keho and little Bow and several other smaller reservoirs all linked by a canal system. This system holds a multiple of game fish species like Walleye, Pike, Lake whitefish, Perch, Burbot and Trout. Many reservoirs have parks and campgrounds allowing for easy public access. One of my favorites to fish is Lake Mcgregor , located 40 minutes from my place in High River it is a large reservoir with a number of good fishing spots. Access is easy from the campground at the North end near Milo.
I love to ice fish and over the last 4 years I've probably logged more hour on McGregor than any other Alberta Lake. One thing it has taught me is anything can happen. Many times I've been ready to pack it in without a bite and all of a sudden BAM the fishing turns on. It's always a surprise because you never know what is on the end of your line and that 5 pound walleye you think your reeling can turn out to be a 5 pound Trout and surprise you with burst of speed before you know what's happening or a lunky 5 pound Ling that comes up the hole tail first.
The lake is relatively featureless in the main body so finding the quick depth changes near shelves and flats can sometimes be the key to finding the fish. Many techniques work and catching a fish can be fairly simple due to the abundance of pike and walleye (which must be released).
Did you know?McGregor offers liberal limits of Whitefish(10), Ling(10), Perch(15), Trout(5) but Walleye and Pike are catch and release only.
During the early morning I like to target whitefish and trout. Micro jigs tipped with meal worm with a wire worm 12 inches above is the preferred tackle. Often best in 4-10 feet of water this offers up a chance at sight fishing some big tasty fish. Limits of 10 whitefish can happen in a heartbeat some days and hooking up with a rouge 5 pound rainbow is one memory I'll take to my grave.
With the evening comes the Burbot aka Ling, lawyer, eelpout, Mariah, lush ect. My preferred method to catch theses misunderstood fish is a large 3/4 oz glow jig tipped with a minnow, sucker belly, chicken liver or bacon. A slow presentation & tip ups are what this nocturnal fish prefers and I always set one tip up and deadstick my jigging rod after some bottom pounding. It gives me the opportunity for a campfire and beverages with buddies or fellow near by fishermen. If I'm on a solo trip I just like to sit by a fire and look up and admire the stars while coyotes sing in the distance.
Prairie wildlife abound near these reservoirs. It's not uncommon to see mule deer, partridge, grouse, ducks, coyotes, beavers, ect. Several times I've looked down a hole to see a beaver or muskrat look back up at me. McGregor has large flocks of Partridge that live in the campground and it's not uncommon to have a flock of geese roost on the ice.
"Take something to cook". McGregor is one of those lakes that has a bite in the morning and one in the evening, during the day as Human activity on the lake increases fishing tends to slow down. This provides a great opportunity to cook something. Whether it be a shore lunch whitefish fry, smokies n chili on a BBQ or hot dogs on a campfire. This will recharge your day and make some great memories.
If you've had a successful day you'll want to do your catch up right. Take the extra time to clean and dress your catch. a well cleaned fish can change the taste of a recipe greatly. Along with smoked fish I like the old standard salt pepper flour fried in butter. I am never afraid to try something special. Parmesan crusted whitefish is one of my favorites with pike chowder a close second. Poor mans lobster(Burbot) is always a treat and when we have an abundance of whitefish the puff wrapped whitefish wellington with hollandaise sauce makes for a great Sunday dinner.
McGregor is definitely one of those public jewels. A place where everybody can enjoy the outdoors and have a good time. Follow some basic rules, eat what you keep, clean up your mess and leave no trace so others can enjoy the beauty.
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