Water Levels on Lower Reaches of South Sask and Red Deer Rivers

[knacker]

Hey guys. I haven't posted in a long time but I am wondering if anyone knows the water levels down in the Empress and Hat areas???

I have been watching the trends on rivers.alberta.ca but I have no personal experience on how this compares to the rivers in general. I am hoping to put my boat in at Empress, Sandy Point Campground or Med Hat.

I built a very shallow draft boat(no jet) that can handle 1.5' of water easily. As long as there is no points in the rivers where it is less than 1.5' straight across the entire width I am fine.

I will be fishing for sturgeon, pike, walleye, ect.

I also don't mind if you add info on the North Sask water levels from Drayton Valley to the Sask border.

You can see my boat pics and build at https://www.instagram.com/joel.schroeder.74/.

Thanks for the help!

[pikergolf]

If you are floating the SS in a canoe or inflatable you will be fine. If you are planning on running a prop motor you will not make it far. 1.5ft draft will get you in trouble if you don't know the channels. Being fairly remote, someone who has to ask doesn't know the channels. The only way you would be able to run a prop right now is to launch in the hole you plan to fish.

Cannot comment on the Red Deer.

Edit: If the white boat is the one you are talking about, you won't make it far on the SS, other than get into trouble. You will have to stay in the hole you started in.

[knacker]

Thanks. Being 3 hours from the Hat makes it hard to ever know what the levels are like. The best I can do is ask.

[trigger7mm]

Just fished it last week east of Medicine Hat. River was very low, but we had the advantage of a jet boat. I certainly wouldn’t have even tried with a prop motor. Too many shallow sections for that.

[knacker]

Thank you.

I was just talking with Nick from Lunker Fishing Adventures and he said the NSR is even low right now for his jet boat (which only needs 6" of water). I guess I will just have to plan for spring time.