General Information
Sauder Reservoir is
located approximately 24 km (15 miles) west of Medicine Hat, Alberta on secondary 523.
Sauder or Rattlesnake Lake to the locals, has a wide variety of fish species,
plenty of fishable water, structure and decent camping facilities. The North East section
of this reservoir has deeper sections of water to around 22 m (72 feet) with very distinct
edges. The North West section is not as deep with depths to about 8.5 m (28 feet). The
campground is located towards the North end of the reservoir and there is a fee charged
for camping. As the campground and park are a fairly new development the facilities are
not at their full potential, but they do improve every year. There are a few campsites
with power and new for 1999 is the addition of showers. The boat launch is located in the
campground and launch facilities are excellent but can get busy at
times. There is also a
fee for launching $3.00 daily or $30.00 season. Several roads surrounding the lake provide
other access to the lake, or alternative launching for anglers with smaller boats.
Fishing
Walleye, pike, jumbo perch and an
abundance of whitefish can be found almost everywhere in the reservoir, with the North
West portion of the lake being the most productive. Fish can be caught in the North East
portion of the lake, but heavy boat and personal watercraft traffic can make this more of
task during the summer holiday season. Weed growth is not as plentiful, so most weed edges
that are found will produce fish. The weed growth combined with submerged and partially
submerged islands, makes for plenty of places to fish and plenty of fish to catch. Most
walleyes average 2-3 lbs. Anglers have been catching walleye on this reservoir for many
years, so there is a good possibility of hooking one much larger. Large Northern pike are
also not uncommon. The Walleye fishery on Sauder/Rattlesnake is in the
"Vulnerable" category. Anglers are not allowed to keep fish under 50 cm and are
limited to 3 fish/day.
Walleye Stocking History
1974 - 200,000 eyed eggs
1976 - 150,000 eyed eggs
1978 - 75,000 eyed eggs
Note: Sauder reservoir is towards
the end of the St Mary irrigation system and could have had walleye introduced from
upstream reservoirs.
Reservoir History and Data
-Contours
and Reservoir Map-
-Contours and Reservoir Map
(New PDF - 841 KB)
Surface area:
152 hectares - 375 acres - 1.5 square kilometres - 0.59 square miles.
Shoreline Length:
16.4 kilometres - 10.2 miles
Reservoir Length and Width:
Length: 7.1 kilometres - 4.4 miles
Width Max: 0.5 kilometres - 0.3 miles
Mean Width: 0.21 kilometres - 0.13 miles
Maximum Depth:
22 metres - 72 feet
Elevation:
794 metres - 2,604 feet
Date of Impoundment: 1953
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