Red Deer River/dickson Dam

[cdock]

Anyone know if this area is fishable? I wanna try for some Walleye on the fly. I read an article about it awhile ago and want to give it a go.

[Mudflap]

Anyone know if this area is fishable? I wanna try for some Walleye on the fly. I read an article about it awhile ago and want to give it a go.

Yes ; Most bright colored streamers will work ....deep and slow. Red Deer River Clouser is one. Try right at the dam up to 500 m down stream.

[NormanMcLean]

What does a Red Deer River Clouser look like?

[Christofficer]

Something like a clouser I'm assuming.....

 

 

but yeah, right below the damn dam is where you'll catch lots of species.....I heard even goldeye before, but I don't think that they go that far up. If you go deep and slow with a clouser use a wire leader, chances are you'll be catching more pike than walleye. If you can stay for a late evening hatch, you won't be sorry.

[maxwell]

like otehrs asid big streamers down deep will get ya the pike ,walleye and theres some big broonies in there too. dotn eb scared too chuck bully or saltwater flies them pike love jstu abotu anything..walleye ive had luck clousers and woolly buggers right ont eh bottom slowly stripped. you could nymph it but you will get mostly whitties ide imagine...sometimes in the evenings you can find the broonies rising in the tailouts too caddis

[MMAX]

You can find the browns rising almost every evening but catching them is a different story....good luck.

[cdock]

So I made it out. However I forgot the fly rod. I took the wife so I gathered up all the spinning gear for her and I forgot to throw in the fly rod. Anyhoo, she managed to get a nice pike. I managed a walleye and a rainbow. The rainbow was awesome. Big time jumper. I saw a few fish jumping clear out of the water in the middle so I figured I'd try a small spinner under the surface and it slammed it third cast. I'm so upset I forgot my fly rod but hey, there's always next time. All fish were barely handled and released very quickly and easily without a net and without bashing their heads on the rocks. I like this no net idea.

 

I saw a few fellow fly fishers out and watched them for a bit. The water was boiling with risers (there was a great caddis hatch) but I didn't see a single take. MMax said it...good luck. I assume they were browns and very selective. I'll be back to target those guys next time I think. Popular spot though, lots of competition for the good spots.

[MMAX]

Cdock; the section right below the dam is hard to fish. I've tried and tried but had zero luck for the risers. They seem to delight in rising just beyond your farthest cast. There's really no sense in casting for them unless you see a fish rise a few times in the same spot. They're cruisers so blind casting is usually futile. I'm suprised to hear you caught a rainbow. In Barry Mitchell's book he says they were planted below the dam back in the mid 80's but didn't think they survived. How big was it?

[cdock]

MMAX - it was about 18". Really colorful, nice and thick and healthy. Spunky as I mentioned before. Jumped a ton and really high. I never knew they were scarce, I just assumed they were further down from the dam. Man if I knew that I would have taken a picture. I wanted to realease it quick and my wife was too far away to wait for her to get the camera so I just let it go. Man I wish I knew that.

[cdock]

Something like a clouser I'm assuming.....

but yeah, right below the damn dam is where you'll catch lots of species.....I heard even goldeye before, but I don't think that they go that far up. If you go deep and slow with a clouser use a wire leader, chances are you'll be catching more pike than walleye. If you can stay for a late evening hatch, you won't be sorry.

 

What part of the river holds the goldeye? I've always wanted to catch one.

[OneMoreLastCast]

What part of the river holds the goldeye? I've always wanted to catch one.

 

Top to bottom I think. Downstream and above the highway 11 bridge, right through Red Deer is easy pickins' in a few weeks. Just cast out dries and you'll catch as many as you want. Great time to take kids fishing too.

 

Speaking of not having your Fly Rod...The last time I was home, I took my Daughter and Nephew down to pick Saskatoons on the river bank of the Red Deer and while the kids were playing around, I couldn't help sneak up the bank to see if I could see anything. I don't know why I did this to myself, but now I know never to go without the rod.

 

I watched what I thought was a decent size Brown or tow feeding like crazy for a good 10 minutes, just sipping off the surface never really showing itself. I caught a grasshopper and snuck upstream and threw it onto the water and went down to watch. I had the camera ready and by luck, I caught a picture of the aggressive take. I took some pictures of the fish feeding as well, but after I was done watching them feed and the kids wanted to go home, I decided I would risk spooking the one or two fish I had been watching.

I snuck up the bank in the long grass and poked my head over the edge to see 6 really big Browns feeding like crazy. The smallest I would estimate at around 25" and the biggest was easily over 30".

 

If the Browns in the Red Deer continue to thrive, it will definitely take some pressure off of the other rivers. I know I will be spending more time in the future on it after seeing those fish. Plus, it's a half an hour away from my house.

 

I now know where they live and plan a return trip.

 

Here are the pictures of them feeding. It's hard to see because they were sipping, but the last one is easy to see the one take the Hopper.

 

[Mudflap]

I have floated / fished this river hard for the last 10 years, what you saw is not rare but also tough to witness, do not expect action every time you go out. The other day I lost count at about 40 goldeye they were taking streamers, dries, nymphs whatever you threw. The next day I floated the same area same conditions and caught nada. Goldeye are out now.

 

I have not heard of too many big brown being caught since the flood, my numbers have been down somewhat and so have the sizes. I curious how Jenzen is fairing this year, I have only seen him once.

Before the flood we were averaging 22" to 24" with none being under 20". Now I have not caught one over 20" this is a good thing I believe though.

 

Im at the dam most Thursday and Sunday nights 9 or so to catch the late hatch and yes I know of the bruisers you speak of, I have caught a couple over the years but its about a 25% catch ratio. Ive hooked them several times but 5X Fluro carbon is not match for a +25" reddeer brown. They seem to be a lot more wary then the bow river fish.

 

I have witnessed the catch of one nice rainbow at the dam and only one. They are there but you will not find this to be a regular catch.

 

The only tip I can give people at the dam...DO NOT GO IN THE WATER.... you will spook them for the night even if you think you are being cat-like. I remember a couple guys standing up to their chests and after getting skunked watching us catch fish they still didnt believe us.

They were from Calgary and fished it like the bow.

[MMAX]

After reading Cdock's post I had to go yesterday night. I started my wife fly fishing this year (actually she had never fished before in her life) but knowing how difficult this water is to fly fish, I threw a spinning rod in the truck for her. We started a couple of hundred yards downstream of the powerhouse and while showing her how to cast a pike slashed at the spoon right as i pulled it out of the water. I handed my wife the rod and she made a few casts and the pike did the same thing to her. She was pretty startled so she moved over and let me cast my 7wt with a big black egg sucking leech. About 3 casts and the little guy took and I landed a 16" pike. Nothing after that so we moved to the other side of the dam. At the boat launch my wife landed another small pike. Not too many risers but a ton of bugs -caddis, PMDs, hoppers and a pile of mosquitos. I forgot how much fun it is to catch pike on a fly rod.