Jpauls I usually fish at spray in 80' to 100' of water. I use a jighead with a piece of smelt. Make sure it is a smelt not a minnow because mminnows aren't allowed. Goodluck!

Thanks friends. I'm relatively new to ice fishing.. What is a good depth to fish at? I have never had any luck on the ice so I'm hopin to reverse the curse this weekend.

North end of the lake. You will see the sign. You can miss it.

Is it north or south end of the lake?

Driftwwood is where the boat launch is. Smelt is your best bet. I also have caught fish on green power bait.

This will be my first time heading to Spray Lake. As I have read, Driftwood seems to be a spot people catch frequently. Can someone share with me where Driftwood is and what is being used for bait? Thanks in advance

Fished today at Driftwood about 300 m out in 60 plus fow and caught 2 small 12 inches. Other people were having good luck in shallower water maybe due to warm weather. Lots of slush on ice bring rubber boots! 12 plus inches thick.

Ice Report: 20 in
Measured at Sparrow

Fished Driftwood from 9 am - 1 pm...I was skunked but my wife hooked and landed 7 whitefish; one was over 30 cm. About 4" of wet slush on most of the lake...bring good boots.

Hey thank's yes your right it's minnows are not allowed but he's got always somebody's like that you know but it's not right

No water on the ice, approx 2-4 inch of snow over 18 inch of solid ice. Someone left some minnows (half container) in a bag in the parking lot at driftwood. Remember minnows are not allowed.

Is somebody know if is there water on ice thanks

Wanted to know if the campground will be open on the weekend of feb 14th to feb 16th. If not are there any other lakes close to calgary that have a campground that is open and i can ice fish. Need to plug in the camper. Thanks

Thanks Fishoholic!

What are you using as bait? Shrimp, maggots?

A nice day yesterday. We caught 9 and missed at least that many. Lots of wind. Nice to have the tent.

Fish Turtle Only by foot on this lake.

Can you drive a vehicle or a quad on the ice?

Yes NC lol We caught 6 total,but after another 5-6 misses. It was not ordinary day. We were getting bites until 6pm which is not usual. We are going up there again on this saturday 17th late afternoon or evening until the next day 18th afternoon. Hope I can see you again. It was nice talk to you on 11th.

Fishholic, were you the guy with the flasher that we took a look at? Did you end up getting some fish?

Where's a good spot on this lake? Gonna be my first time tomorrow .

I think I met you on 11th around 2-3pm.

Hi NC You are definitely right! Earlier morning always better than the afternoon. Look like you have same spot as mine.

I was there on the 11th, key is to get there early, I was fishing by 9:45 but I usually like to be fishing earlier. Tons of bites, lost a bunch, landed two good sized ones at 16 and 17 inches and fat, got the 17 incher on the drop, the first drop of the day! lost a 14 incher at the hole. Ice was 13.5 inches where I was just past sparrowhawk. Fishing in just over 100ft of water

Did you catch anything?

Was there yesterday....real slow fishing, around 16" ice

Any body been up here lately? I'm thinking of heading up in Wednesday

Was out today about 50 feet of water. Straight out from the boat launch. -25 with the wind chill. Fish seemed to be moving pretty slow on the cam. Caught 2 lakers about 12-15 inches.

Thanks for the tips. Smelts 60+ good advice.

Always a good day when you have to start releasing lakers cause you have your limit. Fantastic 12 in of solid blue ice.

Try half a smelt on yellow or orange jig head in 60+ feet of water near bottom. Bait fish are not allowed in spray so make sure It is a smelt!

What is the scope folks on what people are using as bait and lures out there. First time heading to spray and could use some help. Thank you and good luck to the folks fishing.

Ice was about 11 inches by spurling Creek too, lost 2 nice lakers. When I was packing up and coming back, the ice made a cracking hollow sound which sounded like it was thin near shore. Not sure if I just hit a tiny air pocket, but I ran off that Lake real fast haha. Be safe!!

Ice Report: 11 in
drilled Multiple holes. Ice was 11" in all spots. Several dog sled teams were out as well as several other ice fishermen.

Casual Fisher First the ice was 16+ inches thick white ice. I saw lots of cars and truck on the ice. Lots of 5-6 inches or under perch. It was a fun day

Can you let me know how burnstick is? I have not been for a few years.

Fishholic

Thank You NC I will go fishing probably next week after Burnstick lake this week.

Fishholic, I was there on December 23rd and the ice at driftwood was around 10 inches, a lot of it was white ice but it is perfectly safe, they were running the dog sleds and One guy was packing up from fishing when I got there, I didn't catch anything that day (lost 2) but I'll be back, it was so windy that day that I think we focused more on keeping the tent from ripping off the anchors and blowing away than we did fishing.

Ice Report: 10 in

I heard that ice was broken around the shore, Is it frozen up now?

Anyone been up to Spray over the weekend? Wondering how the ice is doing as thinking of going up next weekend with the nephews. -Boots

Thanks Friend!

No access on the ice. It is broken all around the shore.

What's fishing like out here this season friends??

Ice Report: 4 in

Ice Report: 6 in
6

i will take my auger and stop by tomorrow morning......should be good to at least walk on no?

any word on ice thickness?

I would love to know how it's icing as well! Willing to take a trip down for a look see this week if no one replies.

Anybody have any reports on how spray is icing up? (Specifically driftwood boat launch area) Would love to hear something if anyone's been up there, from what I've heard it's not icing up very well, might try to get up there sometime this week to check things out and if everything's good might do a bit of fishing, I was on 5 inches of good ice there last year on December 7th, I might check it out if no one replies, but might go somewhere else not sure yet, would be great if anyone had some reports NC

The campground is closed but you can still fish the lake

I thought spray lakes was closed for the season?

Was shore fishing today just past the boat launch at driftwood, didn't catch anything but did have one good bite on half a small smelt on a pickeral rig with a large weight casted out as far as possible

Hi NC, We usually fish from shore. There are a couple of spots just south of the Boat Launch that are 20-30 feet deep. The end of the camp ground is good too but it is now closed.

Yes, I have been wondering as well, are the lakers biting lately? Would it be worth it to fish from shore?

Anyone have luck here lately?

Same here gordachuk. It didn't matter what we were using, they were not biting at all.

Fished there all weekend. Tried spoons, lures and bait. don't even think I had a nibble. Tough.

Anyone have any luck this week at Spray? It seems to have slowed down the past couple of weeks.

Buzz bomb for jigging, good idea for Lake trout never thought of that, have you ever tried down rigging at spray for Lake trout? Any luck, I tried there a few weeks ago and got skunked.

I was using yellow /green and yellow/ orange buzz bomb tipped with piece of smelt. I was on a boat running around and looking for fish. My fish finder saves lot of time to look for fish. As soon as i see school of fish I stop my boat and drop buzzbomb immediately. Lot of bites and misses.

What were you using? We're you trolling.

I was there on 3rd of August sunday. Lot of bites. caught only 4 total, but missed a lot. Great day spent

Not a bite all day! Down rigging.

does someome know where the lakers hang out during sept and oct

was there today nice morning only caught 2 small lakers tried everything jig with smelt spoon rapala downrigger

Caught one small white fish after 4 hours...that was it.
View on Map

Went out on Monday the 7th. Sunny and calm. The boat launch seems very good. Forgot to bring bait. No fish, still a great day.

Caught 30+ lakers jigging on Canada Day.

Thank you scordz

Yes red devil. Water is still a little low but plenty of boats were out this past weekend.

Is there anough water to launch a boat at the boat launch?

I was at the campground across driftwood... Went again last weekend caught three more.

flagada, which campground were you at? the west one across driftwood or the one in sparrowhawk? How deep were you fishing?

How many fish can you keep at spray lake?

Jigging smelts is the way to go. Caught about 20, was a great day. Everytime I dropped one down I had a fish on, can't event count how many got off

really that suck I wanted to go there monday to wednesday but the forecast was calling for lot of rain oh well maybe next week thank for the upate

Yes they are. Does anyone know if you can launch boats yet?

Are motorized boats legal for use on that lake?

Was there yesterday and they had barely any rain at all. @bruno27

how the water look like after all that rain guys

AA it's a nice lake their were tons of bites I was out their on June 15 for 4 hrs and I landed a 17 in laker

AA: it was a great day lots of bites bit only got 1 laker

Hi all, I was originally thinking of fresh water smelt - didn't mean to confuse anyone. Happy fishing.

Cajed1 smelt originated in salt water, any freshwater smelt in Canada were introduced into the lakes a long time ago

nc you are right I just called the wild life office and they explain me why you are aloud to you smelt im spray lake because they are salt bait . the officer had a really good explanation and if anybody have any further concern just call this number and they will explain it to you 1 403 591 6309 .smelt and sardine are both aloud at spray lake good luck everybody

are you talking about lake champlain in quebec by chance

Since when are smelt salt water?? It's the main thing they ice fish for on Lake Champlain.

And I'm guessing Houston1 has never been to spray, as almost everyone uses smelt for bait

Houston1, smelts are actually not illegal as they are considered salt water fish, I was just checked by a conservation officer yesterday at the lake and he was saying this, it is illegal to use any type of freshwater bait fish, such as minnows, the conservation officer even looked at my bait and said it was good, you CAN use smelt, they are NOT illegal, but thanks a lot for misinforming everyone

Smelts are illegal as they are considered bait fish. Don't use them unless you want to pay a huge fine.

Do not use any type of bait fish, including smells. It is illegal.

okay thank a lot for the info and im going there monday to wednesday with my boat hopefully I do good to do you know any other good spot on the lake and hoe big they get in there 25 pound ich

Half smelt just means a smelt cut in half, a head and tail section of one, (make sure you don't use minnows, it's illegal) the frozen smelts that you can buy in a bag at superstore would be good, if you can't find them there go to Canadian tire they always have some frozen in there bait fridge as well, but Canadian tire is more expensive, by the way I was at spray today again and caught 3 decent sized lakers and lost a bunch in the same spot

might sound stupid but im going there next week and just wondering what you guys mean by half smelt or whatever it is help will be appreciated thank you

I was out yesterday caught 6 lakers in 3 hours. 2 big, 2 medium and 2 small. I went on the campground side where the little island is ( by the end of the campground) half a smelt is definitely your best bet. No need to be fancy, a hook and a weight is pretty much all you need. Cast as far as you can and reel slowly.

thank nc I will post if I do good next monday and tuesday

People were launching boats at driftwood, the lake is pretty low so you can't launch off the cement pads, you have to drive down further, but people were having no problems launching, you can use orange or white jigs with half a small smelt and you'll do good, you can also use a 3 way swivel and a plain hook on one side and then a sinker on the other side, same bait with this rig (half small smelt)

I will be going there for my first time next week and was wondering if the boat launch is made of cement or its a natural boat launch and just for help what good to use to catch lakers on the lake spoon jig thank for the info

Water was very clear, biggest laker was 17.5 inches we caught them off shore near driftwood

how was the water clear or murky any big lakers

Was out today, lake is completely ice free, bonus is we caught 4 lake trout!

Was out there yesterday, most of the lake was still frozen.

Has anyone tried trolling and had any luck?

There is a channel to the dam that is open that's it. Tried yesterday no luck

How much open water is on this lake does anyone know?

Went fishing 15 mins past driftwood boat launch still 26 inches of ice. Caught 6 2lbers in 8 hours. Missed a lot of bites

Pete2b3, I was fishing just past driftwood today (also saw one person fishing at driftwood when I drove by) and the ice was still a bit over 24inches thick, all solid ice except for the snow on the top which was a bit slushy, caught two average size lakers and lost a bunch more, good luck!

Anybody know what the ice is like at Driftwood Boat Launch, was looking to go out this weekend, is it still safe ???

I fished the south end Wed Apr.9,2014. Found 6" slush with solid crust over 30" good ice. Snowshoes kept me on top of the crust. Fishing was slow but delicious.

Drove by spray lakes today road was good lots of cars on it saw about 10 or so people fishing on lake and open water close to dam

I am looking for a road report, fishing report, and ice report for the Mar 22/23 weekend as I would like to go during the week.

Pls post how road and ice is planning on going next weekend. gl have fun

Just take it slow..

Hi varder for some reason my login won't work. I have a small car too with snow tires, if it looks bad I'll just turn around. Better safe than sorry. Do you ever go there in the summertime?

I am going on Saturday, too, so let's see what we find there... I was there last weekend, and the ice was almost 3' thick. I was checking the weather forecast the whole week and I think the ice is not gonna be a problem. I am more concern about the road, beacuse I am going in a small car...

No idea- I was going to go there on Saturday, let me know what you discover

anyone on the ice? how thick is it? I am planning to go there on the weekend...

went fishing on Saturday. Fishing was slow. Picked up three small lakers.

Fishing was slow caught three trout all day, two 14" and one 6"..... Winds were so strong could not put up tent....

Black/red or black/white flies tipped with maggots will work for mt. whites.

I'm also looking to find some areas with mountain whites... driftwood or sparrowhawk be a better bet? What color/flies would be best?

I figured that would be the way to check the depth, without a depth finder. Thanks for answering all of my questions!

Hi MattyO The easiest and fastest way will be using depth/fish finder. If you don't have one, you can try this way. It will take longer than using electronics, but it will work. First you drop your line all the way to the bottom and walk away from the hole and count how many steps it take and you will get approximate depth.

Fishholic, I appreciate the reply back! We will definitely try out driftwood and post results upon returning. One other quick question, how do you know what depth you are at? I do not have any type of technology to help me out... thanks

Hello iFish I was going to ask same question too.

Hi MattyO Yes the direction you wrote is correct. Once you take the exit from hwy#1, follow the sign for 742. And yes there are signs for driftwood and sparrow hawk. No you can't drive any motorized vehicle. Only Walk on the ice. Driftwood has better/easier access with heavy sled. I also had better luck near drift wood. Just look for 70+ ft south west from the boat launch.

How long does the ice stay on at spary.

I am planning on going fishing next week at Spray Lakes. Driving from Calgary I take highway 1, take a left on Three Sisters Pkwy, and follow that all the way to Spray Lake, correct? Once I get to the lake are their signs along the road that inform me where Driftwood and SparrowHawk are? Can we drive on the ice or do we have to walk on? And if there is a better spot to fish, which one would it be? I am bringing out a few beginners and would like to land a few Lakers! Lots of questions, thanks in advance for the help! - MattyO

Hi Anna I usually fishin for Lakers since I can catch lots of mt. whites from bow river up stream. Try little shallower water right on the bottom with flies and maggots. Can't wait to go for fishin on tues day again.

Thank you Fishholic! I am hoping to get out there with my sister next weekend. haven't had much luck in this lake, but we're hoping to land some mountain whites for dinner

Fishing is really slow. Still iced 1 laker

Hi Anna I have full size pick up and Rav4. The road to the lake usually well groomed. I saw compact sedan (corolla) was running good. Your Rav4 will be more than enough. As long as you keep the speed 40-50km/h or slower, you will be fine.

I've been to spray over the summer. The road to get there was very poor. I don't have a pickup. Just an SUV (Rav4). Is it possible to access this lake at this time now that there's ice and snow?

Johnny Hey went to spray lakes on Feb. 3rd and was fishing 40 feet off off an island and I finally landed a good size laker 15lbs (27inch big belly) took a few years of ice fishing to get a big one but i did it.Time was 10:00am ish

Shot a pilot for a series at Spray last week - the trailer is online here: http://www.kevinkossowan.com/wild-spray/ Amazing place, lots of bites and iced some.

Does anyone know a good lake to catch perch.and is there a place that sharpens ice auger blades

Shane
View on Map

Caught 2 lakers yesterday. Great Lake to get out to even when the fish aren't biting.

Saturday, January 25th from 8:00am till noon. No slush yet! Lake is covered with 6" of dry/packed snow which helps with traction. Beautiful clear, calm,sunny winter's day. Just before the sunlight hit the ice surface, the lake trout started biting at a good pace. Had two rods on the go. Could of caught more if I wasn't having to run back & forth. Caught & released twelve in total. Mostly small 9" to 12"s lakers. The biggest being 16 & 18"s.

On Jan 18, went for fishing but very slow///Lack of sign borad of SPRAY LAKE... tooe little bit time to reach exact location

Ice Report: 20 in
Just off Driftwood.

A group of us headed out Saturday Jan 18th. Fishing was extremely slow. Two keepers. Couldn't ask for a better day. Beautiful warm calm sunny morning. Lasted until the winds picked up slightly around noon. For those interested: A three part mini series called Klondike was filmed at Spray Lakes last winter. It will be making it's debut on the Discovery Channel starting January 20th.

We went to spray today had a few bites but nothing:( went a few days ago as well n we caught 2 tiny ones but nothing else. A bit past sparrowhawk. Gonna try driftwood next time but it was really busy today. Overall it was still a fun day as always even if we didn't catch anything

I came for a day to ice fish. I saw a few fish circling but 1 bite. On the plus side the littlest hobo decided to make a visit. The happiest dumbest dog in the world.

Has anyone been out on the ice this week?is there water under the snow ?

Had a good day just off of Driftwood today, iced 3 nice lakers (one 17 inch) and lost one nice one as well, there was around 16 inches of ice with about an inch or 2 of slush (more so near shore) and then about 4-5 inches of snow, there was a rather large patch of open water close to the dam and what looked like very weak ice all around it, I wouldn't venture any closer to the dam than driftwood at this time.

Had a good day just off of Driftwood today, used yellow and orange and chartreuse jigheads with a smelt head, iced 3 nice lakers (one 17 inch) and lost one nice one as well, there was around 16 inches of ice with about an inch or 2 of slush and then about 4-5 inches of snow, there was a rather large patch of open water close to the dam and what looked like very weak ice all around it, I wouldn't venture any closer to the dam than driftwood at this time.

How deep of water should I fish

Maybe 8-10" sitting on top of the ice. It was my first trip to Spray so I'm not sure if that's more than normal.

Comming from Edmonton wanna try going for lakers any tips for a fellow fisherman

Is there lots of snow on the lake

Ice Report: 18 in
Off Driftwood, nearly 19"

Was out at Driftwood on Jan 12th from 10:00am till 1:30pm. Fished in 80 to 90ft of water. Beautiful day. Very windy at times with blowing snow. Had a dozen bites or so. Kept two 16"s for supper. There's a good 6" to a foot of snow that's covering the lake. If the warmer temps continue, lower layer of snow will turn into slush. Ice is still around a foot thick. If you don't have a shelter, bring along a snow shovel, as many people are doing and build yourself a snow wall. Might come in handy if you need to dig your or someone else's vehicle out of the snow bank. Smith-Dorrien Spray road crews continue to do a great job clearing and sanding the road. Heading back next Saturday.

Yesterday off driftwood no action 11-2. Sparrowhawk this morning 7-10, quiet until loads of bites btwn 9-10am. Tube w 1/3 smelt - think my gear was too big as they were eating off the smelts at 35-40 ft in 42 fow. For a good 3/4 hr. Cloudy, windy.

I was there by driftwood 400-500 meter southwest at 90ft on 8th. Caught 7 lakers (15-18 inches) and kept 3 + lot of bite missed. Started from 9:30am -2:30pm. It was very windy and cloudy.

Saw both you out today, we were fishing with the blue umbrella closer to shore. Landed a 14 inch laker and a little 6 inch guy. Fun day a ton of bites!

Cmcissac... Yes myself and my girlfriend were in the blue hut and wish we could of got there sooner as it seems like fishing in the dark is the best time haha

Cteed... Were you in the blue hut? I got there around 8:15, also caught a 14inch laker on my first drop of bait. I was in the orange shelter. Lots of action all morning.

Went out today in the sparrowhawk area in about 60-70 fow .. On lake at 730 and hooked one on first drop of bait.. Caught what we think is a splake(17 inches) are these common? Also iced a good laker and had many more on the line throughout the day.. Calm and sunny day to be on the ice!!

A Warning Marker was added for Spray Lakes Reservoir
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Can u drive onto the lake?

Here's a little advice for those who are having a difficult time figuring out Spray lakes Reservoir. I admit, I am not a pro but I do get lucky most of the time. Every time I head out, I like to try a spot a little away from the crowds. Today, I fished at least 300M from where I was fishing two days ago near Sparrowhawk. Always fishing between 70 to 100ft of water. Used superstore smelt that I thawed on the drive up. Full or half cut piece of smelt rigged on a single white headed jig was working best for me. Tie a swivel a foot above your jig head to prevent your line from twisting. It will give it a better "life like" presentation as well. Let your line slowly drop to the bottom, pausing now & then as it descents. Once it reaches the bottom wait a couple of minutes. Don't let go of your rod as sometimes hits are rare and few. If you haven't had a hit in a couple of minutes, don't let your line sit there, jig, pause, reel it back up half way, drop it again slowly to the bottom. Repeat five times. Retrieve and check to see if you still have bait on. Haven't caught fish for 20 minutes or so? Try a new location at least 50ft away. Today, I had a dozen or so "hits & misses", including one on a 5" smelt as it was on it's way down. Caught & released 7 borderline keepers today. Hope you all had a great day like I did. Enjoy.

Spent new years day here with my dad. Caught 2 small lakes about 10 inches. Few bites. Using white jig head yellow power bait.

I was out New Year's eve day between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm. Fished in 80 ft of water, just south of Sparrowhawk. One group of five or so was doing pretty well. I must of counted at least 20 times they cheered when they pulled on in. I caught & released 6 smaller lake trout. Weather was a tad better than it has been. Roads are in good winter driving condition.

Out on the lake today. First time in spray and landed two smaller lakers. Maybe 16". Caught on pink tube and buzz bomb. Maybe 70-80' at driftwood. Beautiful day if it wasn't for the wind.

Daix, i usually use a small smelt on a yellow jighead and fish in around 100FT of water, when you are heading up I would go just past the sparrowhawk sign and you will see guys parked at the side of the road, just go out to around the middle of the lake and that should put you at the right depth, good luck NC

What is the best way for ice fishing lakers here? What type of bait ? How much water? Appreciate any info. -daix

Went Sunday from 11:00am till 2:00pm , 400' straight west of the Driftwood launch. Caught five lakers, iced one 2lb , had about ten bites in total. There's a good foot of ice. Lake is mostly covered by 2 inches of snow and some slick icy spots. Spray Lakes road in is great winter driving condition.

Was out last weekend - 13" of ice. Iced a couple 4lb lakers and several 1-2lb

First time at Spray and landed to lakers over 12 inches in less than an hour 10 plus inches of ice! Happy fishing!
View on Map

Ice Report: 10 in
Just off from the dam Canmore side safe ice it appeared in all directions!

Iced 3 small lakers this morning with the nephews, had a few more hits that we missed as well. Ice was 6" near the shore just south of sparrowhawk and 5" further out about 300m where we stopped and setup as I am nervous with any thinner ice so we didn't get quite far out as I would have liked and fished in 50' FOW instead. Ice is clear and hard, two other groups out near us, one braved it further out as well. -Boots

We were out by driftwood probably not even half way out. Ice was 10 inches roughly

If anyone has been out to spray lately and knows how much ice is on the lake please post thickness. Cheers; -Boots

Anyone know how thick the ice is? A report would be greatly appreciated NC

Actually there was 8.5 inches of ice last December 17th, and that was the first time I was there

lol. No way you gonna be on that lake in December. Wait till mid January if you are lucky.

Depends on the year, I usually start around the middle to the end of December just to be safe

when is the earliest you can ice fish here.

Ice fishing Is GREAT here, I would recommend going just past sparrowhawk and parking on the side of the road ( you will see people parked where I'm talking about ) I usually go out far enough to fish in 100 ft of water, use a yellow/orange jig or a white jig and drop it all the way to bottom and reel up a few, tip it with either a half or whole smelt doesn't really matter, you will almost definitely get some fish

is the ice fishing good here? any recommended lures/jugs. thanks.

what to use for white fish?

any other trouts commonly caught besides lake trout? with smelts? what about whitefish?

Mid july through mid august was great. The past 2-3 weeks have slowed up big time. However we did catch a couple last weekend which makes me think this weekend will pick up.

Tried fishing from shore by end if campground side on Sept. 7 used smelts and jigs from about 3-6:30pm and no bites. Next day tried over at the drop off location in the day use area end of the campground past the gates from 3:30-6:30pm used same stuff and only one bite but got away. A father and son leaving the spot where we set up were there for 2 hours caught one laker with smelt.

Alright, finally breaking down and giving away some of my secrets for one of the finest lake trout lakes on all of the Rockies! A boat is must for catching lots. Your not going to slay the lake from shore sorry. 60 ft of water is what your looking for when in ur boat. Glow in the dark jigs are the only thing me and my fellas use. Half smelt, full smelt doesn't really matter. However some days you'll find the tail works better than the head and vice a versa. You decide. If your fishing from sure than a pickerel rig is your best bet, or drag a glow in the dark jig across the bottom. Anywhere along the campground side is going to hold fish for those on shore. The further down the better. I park at the end and walk down. There's nice drop off's there! Enough said. Go fish!!!!

Try using half smelt on small plain hooks all the way on bottom, or yellow/orange jig head with half smelt on bottom, there is not very many big fish in spray but you will probably catch lots of 16 to 18 inches, Hope this helps NC

Heading out there next week what r the bigger size lakers. Also what hooks r working.

Went yesterday no ice at all, BUT water levels are very low, caught one lake trout from shore at driftwood though

Is the ice off yet?

2 of us fished Friday out in the middle at Drfitwood. About 20 to 30' of water has been drained! Slooow day, 1 small hammer handle and about 10 soft bites. Saw a solo angler across from us close to the opposite shore. Ice is solid at Drfitwood and eastward, about 16 plus inches, not honeycombing yet. You can see the river channel near the dam. If your heading out, would do it soon. Tight lines, Buddhameister. P.S. beauuuutiful day out yesterday.

They are calling for 10 to 15cms of snow for Saturday, April 20th. That's just enough snow to hide those hazards such as thin ice near the shoreline. I would advise everyone else thinking of heading out to Spray lakes to take extreme caution before walking on the ice. My fishing buddies and I have pulled the plug on ice fishing Spray lakes reservoir till next year. Be safe.

Please, any ice reports would be greatly appreciated NC

I didn't make it out on the weekend, may try it out the comming sunday if there is any positive ice reports, if not will try some open water fishing just to be safe. Anybody make it out to spray on the weekend to let us know if it still looks good? -Boots

hey boots, did you make it up to the lake today, if so how was the ice? if the ice was good do you think it will be good until next saturday?

Was thinking of checking out sparrowhawk on Sunday, anyone know if ice would still be safe? Was ice on half the lake June 1 last year. -boots

Was up at Spray Lakes today (April 6th) just north of Sparrowhawk. Huge change since Easter Monday. Five days ago, ice was rock hard and 2 1/2 feet thick. Break-up is near. The ice today was saturated, soft, two feet thick and super easy to cut through with a manual auger. Roads are fair/good. Watch for small rocks,potholes and some washboard. Fishing was fair for lake trout(6) and RMW(9).

How is the ice? I'm going Sunday and have to know if the ice is good

about the 5m......read it...it`s in 2012....fish cannot be taken more than 5m away from the lake....

Hows the ice and roads up there this weekend? Heading up tomorrow. Thanks

plan on going out sunday morning, are the roads open? how is the ice? thanks guys

Out at Sparrowhawk had couple soft bites all day but didn't land any. In 70' of water. There was 3 of us fishing and 8 playing around the lake. Good times! Another friend never found us but later found out he was at Driftwood and caught 1-1.5lbs laker & 1-1.0lbs whitey. Awesome day better with fish!

Smith Dorrian road closed as of 730 this AM.

Just contacted F&W office to see if Wally1's comment was related to water depth that fish can be taken from. Fortunately for us, it is not. He does have a good point though about understanding & interpreting the regs. Thanks for the comment. I've asked F&W to post a comment on this topic in the app. Don't know if they will...

Best to check with fish and wildlife. Everyone should read important changes in fishing regs every year almost 12 months since regs came out and no one seems to read the regs and UNDERSTAND them.

Wally1, you've got to be kidding me. That would basically kill all ice fishing for lakers (not only at Spray) but pretty much everywhere. Are you certain?

Wally1: Does that mean that we can only catch and keep a fish that was caught in 5 meters or less of water?

Page 4 important changes under general -in order to reduce harm to fish, the distance that live fish can be taken from a water body has been reduced to 5 meters.

NC: we try whole trough Lower Lake, Kananaskis canoeing or kayaking several times on Summer and Fall, only caught 10" trout, waste of time. Better Upper Lake.

Also, looking for ghost lake advice for lakers...I've caught whites, still can't find em. Any advice? Probably the wrong thread for this, but I figured the "Spray" crowd may have some fishing veterans willing to give up a secret or two.

Guest, I'm glad you did well :-) just pay it forward one day.

That Guy gave me great detailed advice a few weeks ago. I was just about to give up on Spray Lakes. Since then, I haven't been skunked once!

Sat 9 Feb 8am-5pm; road great shape, nice weather, ice thick 24", water 77" deep, 5 of us, others caught 4 lake trout, not my husband and I; trying different baits and fish finder, just few bites. Learned that no matter how sophisticated your fishing equipment :(. Anyway a lot of fun

Was out today, we started fishing around 9am and caught 7 lake trout all over 15 inches. One I think around 20 inches. We kept 3 fish. All fish were caught on a yellow/orange or white Jighead a couple reels off bottom in 100ft of water, we were just past the Sparrowhawk sign, the bite really died down around 10am so we stayed a little longer till around 11am, and then we packed up and headed to lower kananaskis lake but didn't catch anything there.

medicFly the raod is open i was out saturady from 7 am to 7 pm unless it closed after that..

Was out at Driftwood on Saturday, January 27th. Small bites every 15 mins or so from 9:00am till 2:00pm. Caught three. Was out again on Saturday February 2nd. Got two bites from 7:00am to 1:00pm. Managed to catch one just around the noon hour. Roads were in great shape.

Anyone know if the road is open? Rumor is that it is closed

Good ice fishing
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Anyone know if the road is open again

Caught one 15.5 inch lake trout, one 10 inch lake trout, and one 18 inch lake trout, first 2 just past sparrowhawk, and one near the big rock cliff/wall a bit before sparrowhawk, all fish were caught on a yellow/orange jighead with half smelt, we caught all fish in 100ft of water a couple reels off bottom

Thanks for the advice NC. I will be headed back early next week and give Sparrowhawk area a try. The orange jig and half smelt is what I was catching on today

jm_ram, try going just past sparrowhawk next time you are out, fish in 100ft of water with a white or yellow/orange jighead and half of a small smelt, I usually catch ALOT more there than I do near driftwood, make sure you get to the lake EARLY in the morning though around 8ish

New to the Calgary area and found this lake and wanted to give it a try. Went out this morning and the biting was slow. But still managed to ice a couple lakers, each 16 inches. Fished south west of Driftwood. Wish this lake was closer for me. Good day of fishing

Lots of little ones for fun.
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Hall&Oats: Try driftwood. 80-100 yds out from the shoreline. SW in direction. You should see previously drilled holes. Use a 1/4-1/8 white jig head, with just a smelt head. 1 foot off bottom. Sometimes they'll pick it up on the way down. Jig lightly. Pause between jigs. You should get a couple small ones, but it's better than nothing. Let us know how you do. Best of luck!

Good to hear that some of you got fish. The guy next to us on Saturday caught a couple as well. According to his sonar there was plenty of fish below but they weren't biting. We fished in 80' of water. Going back in a few weeks to give it another try. If that doesn't work, we'll start going to fish counselling classes! :)

4 of us fished just east of Sparrowhawk. Landed total of 6 in 6 hours of fishing. Typical smelts and jigs. Some bites but sporadic. Slow, windy day, but better than working!

Slow day...2 lakers...really small. South of Driftwood. I did loose a rather larger one though. Never did see it, but there was some good weight on the end of the line. Lost another small one, and called er a day.

Went out today caught 3 keepers on jigs and smelts, biggest was 16.5 inches, I caught 2 more and released them, visited a group of 3 other guys and they caught 9 keepers and were getting a lot more bites, i think they released some as well, almost all of there's were 16.5 inches and they were using the same setup as me

Went out yesterday and it was chilly for sure, fishing was slow. Between the six of us in six hours only landed three lakers the biggest being 14" but it was a great day regardless. We had a lot of bites but couldn't capitalize on them, smaller hooks next time maybe?

Was out yesterday and had a great time! Quite cool but fish were biting! Tough slug through the fresh snow shoulda brought snow shoes. Oh well next time! Still have a found rod if anybody is missing one.

Hey Chimba, where did you catch the whitefish? I am going out on Saturday and would like to catch some, AND what bait did you use for them? And what depth or how far out we're you when you caught them?

Hey Chimba, what depth did you get the whites at? close to shore? My prettier half and I got two laker keepers out in the middle yesterday morning but it was fairly slow all morning with fewer on camera than last few weeks. Would love to catch some whites up there but don't know were in the lake to fish for them.

chimba, Good to hear you had better luck than us. Amazing to see all of those kite skiers at SparrowHawk. Sure entertaining to see them ripping by at 60kms/hr then getting a ton of air time. Witnessed some pretty nasty wipe-outs. Must of been thirty of them. Maybe that's why we weren't catching anything. We were too busy watching our backs! lol

Sparrow-hawk area: ice 60 cm thick, 4 of us, 8 to 3 pm, different baits, 3 white and 3 trout no more than 40 cm, 50" deep but the fish finder was saying a lot of fish in the area, anyway lots of fun

Was out yesterday for first bite...beautiful day but only two bites and no fish. Must have been a memo to fish yesterday there were lots of us on the ice! Did however find a rod/reel in the snow. Anybody loose one? Email me to identify (barry@dependablerenovations.ca) and I will get it to ya.

Four of us headed out Saturday to the Driftwood day area from 9:20am till 1:00pm. According to the CO that stopped in for a visit at noon, the area gets a lot of fishing pressure and nobody had been having any luck. Packed our gear and moved over to SparrowHawk. Eventhough we got skunked, we still had a great time. Planning to go back in a few weeks.

A few bites but only brought one to the hole in 3 hours on the ice, maybe someone will catch him again when he's bigger. A couple guys next to me caught three between them out of a full day, but another group of guys had no luck. Forgot to measure the ice but I'd guess it was a bit more than a foot thick, at the far north end by the dam. Look at the bottom of page 21 in the regs (and top of page 22) for a detailed definition of bait fish. Smelt and herring are specifically mentioned as OK (i.e., they are not considered to be bait fish by the regs). For the most part, bait fish are fresh water fish like suckers, minnows, etc. that game fish would normally prey on.

I was reading the regs and bait is allowed but smelts is one of the only bait fish allowed. Heading out tomorrow and wondering if anyone has had luck using maggots or worms for whitefish?

Thanks NC, maybe cause smelts are not fresh water fish

I don't know why they aren't considered baitfish, everybody uses them in spray because they are one of the only baits that is allowed

Chimba, no smelts are not considered baitfish I don't know why but everybody uses them in spray

Is smelts considerate bait fish?

Thanks NC. Heading out Saturday.

Thank you NC. Greatly appreciated. We were first introduced to Spray Lakes back in the early 80's. Fished it for years. Four of us old time friends decided it was time for us to revisit it. Everyone is really looking forwards to it.

Was out today, caught five lake trout just past Sparrowhawk, (2 keepers) and got a lot more bites and misses, was in about 75 - 80 feet of water, and was jigging with smelt

Pitstop, I was just out today and there is not much snow on the lake, BUT you could probably shovel enough off the ice to keep your shack up

How much snow is on the lake? Just asking as we have an old style caravan ice fishing tent that requires snow to keep it up.

Steady fish all day
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Got to spray around 8:30. I limited out around 10:00. Couldn't keep the fish off my line today.

Went yesterday. Caught 3 keepers. Released another 3 small ones. Love this lake.

Got up there yesterday before daylight, lake trout biting good, limited out and packed up early and went in close to shore to see if any whitefish around, tried for an hour near shore but didn't see any on camera or any bites. Anyone ever target whitefish in spray and if so any tips on where to find them during hard water season?

Went fishing here today (December 30th) and caught 5 lake trout in about 80 feet of water between two guys in 3.5 hours, ( 3 keepers ) Ice was 11.5 inches thick near Sparrowhawk, we caught all of the fish on a Yellow/Orange Jighead tipped with half a smelt

Hey Boots - did have a couple of bites on jig tipped with shrimp, but only a few... Seem to have the most production when tipped with smelt. I dunno, I use shrimp in any other lake with Rainbows or Cutts. Maybe these guys are just too much like scavengers and are looking for the larger kill when they have a choice?

Fished from 10:30 - 2:00, auger was dull so I axed 1 hole and stuck with it. Used orange/yellow jig head with half smelt. Lots of bites and lost 4 about 8ft from the hole. 50ft of water 300 meters from the boat launch. Good day over all

Was on the ice fishing by 7:30 today, did ok kept 3 caught 5 all lakers, they were not to far from shore maybe 60' and 20' deep.. all on white twister tails no luck with smelts..

They were in about 60' of water or shallower. I tried a couple deeper holes that didn't produce.

what depth That guy?

5 (lakers) keepers between the girlfriend & I. Many more caught & released. Great day of hard water fishing.

Tried out camera at spray yesterday, was able to watch probably 2 dozen fish chech out the jig but only landed 2 and lost 2. The ones flying by quickly were the biters but many more cruising around slowly checking out the jig but not taking a taste. Hey Buddhameister, did you actually get a bite on the shrimp? I Always wondered if they would take shrimp as most of them in spray are full of those tiny opossum shrimp when you chech their gut.

Fished about 400 meters from boat launch near dam, 'bout 65 feet of water. Bites were intermittent but when they came on was lots of action for short intervals of time. Tried shrimp but used mostly half smelts jigging near bottom. Landed 4 on the ice. Nice to see conservation officers out checking.

I was just using a yellow/orange jighead tipped with half a smelt and fished it near bottom in 75-80 feet of water, ya I hope I do get a new rod soon lol

NC thanks for the update glad ya had some luck what were they biting... Hahaha maby you'll get a new rod for x mas

I am back from the first time out on the ice this year! It was fun! I went a couple KM's past sparrowhawk and the ice was 8 1/2 inches thick, it looks pretty good all around the lake though. In an hour and a half between two guys we caught 3 fish and lost 2, biggest was 16 1/2 inches. And a funny story: I thought I had a fish today but it turned out to be some sort of snag and I tried to pull it off but my new fenwick rod snapped along with the line!

I went out Sunday. Two spots I took my auger to was 10 inches thick at the north end out in the center. I didn't have any luck

Atlantic lobster, I am planning on going out tommorow (Wednesday) I will let you know how I do

Any one have any luck at spray on the weekend fill us in

Thank you Atlantic lobster

NC I was at the north end this morning I believe it's called driftwood ice was 6 inches fished 50 feet of water not a bite 2 guys further south I went the worse the ice looked but whole lake was frozen hope this helps let me know how ya make out

Please someone tell me the ice conditions! I would really like to go out

How's the ice

Rj hope ya made it back safe how's it looking out there

Any updates on ice? Second time I have asked lol

Be careful out there Rj, it was totally open at driftwood on the 24th.

I will be heading there today to see if the ice is ready for fishing, i will put an update up when I come back

Any ice updates would be awesome! Had an awesome ice fishing season here last year but need to know that the ice is safe before I go out this year!

Any new ice updates

Was out at spray lakes today, maybe half the lakes frozen but still thin and water seeping through, the rest of the lake is wide open no ice at all

Got up there b4 sunup this morning, got excited seeing nice ice by dam on north end but when I got to driftwood I realized I should have brought the inflatable instead of the ice shelter! Entire big part of lake right across was open at driftwood. Tried open water rod for a while at driftwood but no bites. Checked further at sparrowhawk and it's all fully open there as well. Wind went to zero and I could see ice forming entire way across lake as I fished from shore so it should freeze over soon if the wind stays away. Somebody should check it at Xmas and post thickness.

Anybody check ice yet ? If not might go up Sunday and check will post results

Once lost a 15 laker thier but i bet he is still their in that lake as you read this

Much appreciated if anyone is out at the lake to check and post ice thickness, cheers!

Was there last weekend saturday october 13th, I was fishing off shore at driftwood boat launch caught one 16 inch lake trout in an hour on a yellow and orange jighead tipped with half a smelt and lost what seemed to be a big one. if you go there, go to the left and you will see a big pile of rocks stand there and fish as it is a lot deeper than right at the launch

Always produces lots of action
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Fished all weekend, very slow. Only 2 fish. Biggest was 16"

Fish on

Went out yesterday and got 2 around 15-17 inches and lots of bites.

Fish all day last Friday never got a bite

Ice is totally off.

Is the ice off the lake yet?

A Boat Launch Marker was added for Spray Lakes Reservoir
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We cought 3 on march 30th And that was just in the morning. We got a lot of bits. There was a big storm that came in around 1 so we had to leave. We are heading out there again April 3. That was my first time on that late

High winds today, thick ice 2 - 2.5 foot and only one bite. Anyone have better luck?

About 10-20 cm

Can anyone tell me how deep the snow is on the lake.

Ice is pretty thick around driftwood boat launch. 2-2.5 feet thick.

I thought about going their but needed to know how deep the ice is

Anyone have any suggestions on where the larger trout would be?

4 lakers, biggest one 2 pds. I've heard of larger lakers being pulled but I have no idea where to fish for them...I was in about 50' of water (driftwood)

Two small lakers. 15 feet of water. Close to shore.
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Sparrowhawk bites good. Landed two lakers close to north bank. Ice 2 and half feet

Ice@driftwood is. about a foot. Boxing day fishing was slow for most. Whites were more active @ driftwood. C.O said lakers were being taken past sparrow hawk.

Anyone been out on the ice yet?

Someone post when the ice is off. Cheers

The lake is drained, snow and ice covered.

I fished for 1 hour. No bites, but I do not know the lake. A local had several fish, ways from me. Said he used smelt and a white hook.