info on The athabasca river

[Gbuss]

I'm looking for info on the fishing of the athabasca up by fort assinaboin area. Is their good wallet fishing or is it mainly rainbows and mt. whites. I like to fly fish but also spincast as well. Would it be fun for the kids as well. I'm not looking for honey holes just information on what to expect from the river when i fish it


Gordon

[Dragless]

Would be mostly pike and walleye goldeye aswell whites will go down that far in the fall

[neilsledder]

Fish up there once and awhile. I catch mostly pike and walleye. But I on cast never fly fished. You using a jet boat or just shore fishing? If jet boating unload a the vega ferry and the mouth of the Pembina is good but can get busy. Or if you unload at the boat launch in the Fort you go down steam from there there is some real nice holes along there.


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[Gbuss]

I have a seasonal lot at the freeman river rv park just out side of fort assiniboine so it will be ticking a fishing up river of the bridge were the freeman river meets the athabasca. So just wondering what kind action for rods I should look at getting because I only have a med-light right now. Also a 6wt fly rod

Gordon

[Dragless]

Spin fishing ur guna wan use a plain old jig, spoons work for pike aswell, fly fishing ur guna wana use some clouser minnow whitr and chartreuse, deceiver patterns, latgr streamers for pike. Chartruese has been the best color for me flies or jigs ,

[3blade]

I would not use a 6 wt, there's some large pike in there and they ain't fussy... good chance you could hook into something measured in pounds not inches, plus current, equals splinters. 8 minimum, 9 isn't overkill

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Gbuss

I have a seasonal lot at the freeman river rv park just out side of fort assiniboine so it will be ticking a fishing up river of the bridge were the freeman river meets the athabasca. So just wondering what kind action for rods I should look at getting because I only have a med-light right now. Also a 6wt fly rod

Gordon

There are plenty of grayling in the Freeman further up the freeman, never fished for them that far down but I'd imagine there would be a few still. There are also a few tales of Athabasca bows coming out of there once in awhile, never caught one myself.

For grayling you're med light will work, toss small Len Thompsons and Panther Martins. For fly's I've had decent good luck on Adams and winged ants. Don't overlook any pockets, no matter how small. Many times I've fished a pool that looked nearly ideal with minimum luck, then caught a ridiculous amount of grayling out of some weird little eddy in the middle of a riffle.

For fishing closer to the mouth or out in the Athabasca I'd use a medium or med/ heavy spinning rod. Soak bait, toss jigs and spoons. I like to fish a 1/2 oz 5 of diamonds in spots like that simply because it seems like just about any fish you put it in front of will hit it, from 12" goldeye to 40" pike.

[Dragless]

grayling are in the uppet freeman and a portion of thw population migrates in and out of thr athab to overwinter in the fall when water temp cools the re will br grayling in the athab in the mean time they shoot up the freeman and lots of other tributaries to spawn and feed all summer, if you go way way up the freeman the rainbows get more common, both grayling and the bows are strictly cnr. 6wt is fine the rod weight has nothing to do with the size fish you can catch make sure youre tippet is strong short peice of heavy mono and some steel leader material is wise choice