Alberta named as having one of the best ice fishing spots in Canada
Winter in Alberta offers plenty of outdoor activities, and a lake in the province was just named one of the best for ice fishing in Canada.
Cold Lake in northern Alberta was named one of the top ice fishing destinations for 2026, with Fishing Booker describing the lake’s size similar “to an ocean” and “hard to miss.”
The lake boasts more than 370 square kilometres of surface area and a maximum depth of 100 metres, with a healthy and thriving ice fishing community that turns out to enjoy the activity each and every winter.
This past February, more than $23,000 was up for grabs at the annual Cold Lake Fishing Tournament, with a 92.1-centimetre lake trout snagging the top prize.
If you are hoping to make it up for the next tournament, it will be held from Feb. 20 to Feb. 22, 2026, with a total prize value of more than $23,000.
City of Cold Lake
Laine Mitchell/Daily Hive
Cold Lake boasts a variety of fish species, including walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, and burbot; however, the City claims that what makes Cold Lake special is its thriving lake trout population.
The lake still holds the Alberta angling record for lake trout, with a person catching a whopping 52.5-pounder while on vacation in the community back in 1929.
Other spots named to the list include Tobin Lake in neighbouring Saskatchewan and Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories.