Article By: Joe Seaborne 2021-03-22
Chain Lakes is a small elongated lake in Southern Alberta, approximately 45min S.W. of Nanton. I would say that out of all the lakes I've been to, Chain Lakes is probably number one for amenities and family recreation because you're pretty much covered for everything (as far as family recreation goes); from a small cookhouse beside the lake, a decent playground for the kids, information centre, day-use area, campground, and power loop. Not to mention the whole area is beautiful and makes for a relaxing day, even if you're just sitting around doing nothing.
The simplest way to get to Chain Lakes is to head west on the 533 until you reach Cowboy Trail. Just drive across Cowboy Trail into the front entrance of Chain Lakes Provincial Park. Once you're inside the park just follow the signs to where you want to go.
Chain Lakes is listed in the Alberta Fishing Regulations under es1. Below I've included a link to the Alberta Fishing Regulations for Chain Lakes.
https://albertaregulations.ca/fishingregs/es1.html
Chain Lakes Provincial Park has a day-use area, campground, information centre, picnic tables, male and female washrooms, a cookhouse, a park, and a dumping area.
Yes: There is a concrete boat launch located in the provincial park.
You will find mostly Trout while fishing at Chain Lakes however, I did manage to catch a Pike on one occasion.
The dam on the south end of the lake is convenient because it's close to all the amenities and it's a decent spot to fish from shore. The dam is accessible through the provincial park and has a dirt road/trail that goes along the top of the dam that's open to the public. I've had the best luck fishing from the west side of the dam later in the evening just before sunset.
The north dam is slightly harder to get to and has fewer amenities but the water is quite a bit deeper (20 - 25 feet) and better to fish from. There's a gravel road just off the 22 (Cowboy Trail) that leads to the dam and parking is available beside the entrance.
Chain Lakes is made up of four ponds that are shallowly connected in a long chain (I'm assuming that's why it's called Chain Lakes). The first and deepest pond is located on the south side of the lake and has a maximum depth of around 30 feet. It starts at the south dam and ends somewhere around the middle of Chain Lakes Provincial Park.
The second pond isn't quite as deep as the first pond (approximately 25feet), but it has a more consistent depth and steeper drop from shore. The second pond begins close to the middle of Chain Lakes Provincial Park and ends slightly past the park boundary.
The third pond is a long and shallow section of Chain Lakes that only gets to around 15 feet deep. It starts close to the park boundaries and ends just shy of where Chain Lakes turns S.E.
The fourth pond isn't very big and gets to a maximum depth of around 30 feet. It starts right after the turn and ends at the north dam.
Of the four ponds, I prefer trolling along the edge of the first pond while keeping my lure in the 10-15 foot depth range.
MapSource:Google Maps
Later in the evening just before sunset is always a really good time to catch fish at Chain Lakes. As soon as the sun starts to set, Trout go into a feeding frenzy, opening the gates to fishing prime time!
Chain Lakes is an awesome place to go ice fishing because the roads going into the provincial park are well maintained and the area is well taken care of. I enjoy the fact that Chain Lakes is a popular destination for ice fishing with up-to-date information regarding ice thickness and safety warnings.
Near the middle section of the lake there is some crown land however, it's within proximity to Chain Lakes Provincial Park and also private land, so it's best to be familiar with the area if you are planning on using crown land for anything.