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Old 05-13-2019, 10:09 AM
airbus3001 airbus3001 is offline
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 1
Default New Member Advice

Greeting all.
First off. I知 thankful I found this forum. It痴 already been a great resource.
I currently live in Memphis TN and the White and Norfork rivers in Arkansas are my home waters. The San Juan River in New Mexico is my favorite place to fish.
It looks like my job is going to allow me to travel to Edmonton occasionally with some down time to possibly go fly fish. This weekend was just that. Did a little research brought my gear with me, bought my license and headed out. Stopped into the fly shop in Rocky Mtn House and picked up a map book and bear spray.
Probably overkill but where I usually go mother nature won稚 eat you.
I fished the Clearwater River at the 22/591 junction first. Water seemed high and dirty. My guess is rain/snow melt. But that type of River is what I was looking for, big, wide, riffles and runs. The little store there has great people and great ice cream. Just stayed the night in RMH and the next day fished Prairie Creek some. Same issue it seemed with high water and stained. Later fished the North Raven/Stauffers Creek off of 761. That water seemed clearer.
I had a blast and it was great just to be out exploring. Both of those were a little narrower than I was hoping.

What I rapidly figured out is there is so much fishable water up here I致e got to narrow things down. My goal is to explore some more until I find the type of
river I enjoy. Then take a guided trip or two and then have a place I can go to when I do get up here for work. ( the way work schedules go as soon as I figure it out they will change). This is where I need some advice.
What rivers would people recommend within 3-4 hours of Edmonton that are the bigger, wider, wadable, not crazy deep with runs and riffles with public access. I知 not looking for anyone to give up their honey hole but I知 trying to narrow down the water to what I知 looking for.

Thanks for any advice. RS
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Old 05-13-2019, 10:23 AM
kilgoretrout kilgoretrout is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 407
Default Spring Trout

All the streams mentioned are good streams at the right time.... keep in mind that in Alberta we are just coming out of the deep freeze and the trout will be sluggish until the water temps rise which will not be long now but of course run off will soon be starting so the window is narrow to fish the streams that are mountain streams.... spring creeks are not effected as much. Even in the Bow which has been ice free for a while the trout are just starting to move out of the winter water...when you find one trout now there will be others close by.... run off and spawning is what really gets them distributed throughout the watershed there is plenty of good fishing to look forward to.....
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Old 05-13-2019, 01:41 PM
scel scel is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 521
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Quote:
Originally Posted by airbus3001 View Post
What rivers would people recommend within 3-4 hours of Edmonton that are the bigger, wider, wadable, not crazy deep with runs and riffles with public access. I知 not looking for anyone to give up their honey hole but I知 trying to narrow down the water to what I知 looking for.
It is a very tough time of year to be at trout angler in Alberta. We are entering our run-off period. Runoff is mostly caused by the alpine snow melt. There was less snow this year, so it will not be serious. But starting around now until the 3rd week of June, it will be difficult to find clear wadeable water.

The rivers that are more consistent are tailwaters and spring-fed (like the Bow River and Stauffer). These rivers, however, can be very challenging to fish. In the case of the Bow, there are big well-fed fish that see many flies. In the case of Stauffer, it is a very productive creek with probably some of the spookiest fish in the province.

All the rivers in the province are public access. At least, once you are on the river, as long as you stay within the high-water mark, you can travel freely up and down the river. During runoff, however, it can be hard to stay within the high-water mark.

The rivers you are looking for are in the southwest of the province. They do not open until June 16 and are about 5 hours away. For an Edmontonian, they are are more suited for a weekend camping trip than a day excursion.

Until runoff is over, I would recommend cutting your teeth on the Bow River. It is 3 hours away and will produce fish 365 days per year. From what I can tell, it is probably the river that is the closest in character to the San Juan. Like I said, however, it is not an easy river to learn to fish. Once anyone learns how to catch fish on the Bow River, everywhere else in the province is fly fishing on easy-mode (except Stauffer Creek---man that place can be humbling). The thing about the Bow River is it becomes easier for people on foot to catch fish because the fish stack to the banks as the stoneflies start emerging and baitfish find safety. As long as there is 15-20cm of visibility, big nymphs and streamers are very productive.

There are certainly other rivers that will fit your expectations. Starting in July, arm yourself with a few Backroads Map Books, a print copy of the fishing regulations, camping gear/provisions for a couple days, and bear spray. Follow Highway 40 south---it is called Alberta's Trout Highway. You will likely find some of the water you are looking for.
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Old 05-13-2019, 07:03 PM
Mr Flyguy Mr Flyguy is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,573
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scel View Post
It is a very tough time of year to be a trout angler in Alberta. We are entering our run-off period. Runoff is mostly caused by the alpine snow melt. There was less snow this year, so it will not be serious. But starting around now until the 3rd week of June, it will be difficult to find clear wadeable water.
Well yes, unless one fishes the small stocked trout lakes (some call them pot holes) in the Edmonton area. At this time of year the fishing call be red hot for some good size rainbows and even browns in some. Chironomids and leeches work well.

Shore fishing however is relatively limited and some kind of watercraft is recommended, IMHO, to find the big trout.
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