Overnight canoe fishing trip

[Okotokian]

So the oldest son offered to go on an overnight canoe-based fishing trip. I've always wanted to but have never done one. Obviously we will go later in the year after runoff.

Question: What would be a good river and route? Put-in and take-out points? My requirements would be:

1. Leisurely paddle with lots of opportunities to get out on shore and fish or fish from canoe. Willing to paddle some but not into playing voyageur.
2. Put in in the morning and take out late afternoon of the next day.
3. Place to camp on the evening of day 1. Doesn't have to be developed or fancy. Just has to be legal.
4. No rapids that are going to take a lot of skill to navigate. We are both novice to intermediate paddlers. Of course we will have PFD's.
5. Don't want to be dragging bottom half the time (so smaller shallower rivers are out).
6. Let's keep it south of Red Deer, say within 200 km of Calgary.
7. Ideally, some place semi safe to leave the vehicles (at put-in and take-out)

Any suggestions?

[bubba 96]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

So the oldest son offered to go on an overnight canoe-based fishing trip. I've always wanted to but have never done one. Obviously we will go later in the year after runoff.

Question: What would be a good river and route? Put-in and take-out points? My requirements would be:

1. Leisurely paddle with lots of opportunities to get out on shore and fish or fish from canoe. Willing to paddle some but not into playing voyageur.
2. Put in in the morning and take out late afternoon of the next day.
3. Place to camp on the evening of day 1. Doesn't have to be developed or fancy. Just has to be legal.
4. No rapids that are going to take a lot of skill to navigate. We are both novice to intermediate paddlers. Of course we will have PFD's.
5. Don't want to be dragging bottom half the time (so smaller shallower rivers are out).
6. Let's keep it south of Red Deer, say within 200 km of Calgary.
7. Ideally, some place semi safe to leave the vehicles (at put-in and take-out)

Any suggestions?

We have started at McKenzie golf course(22x) and floated down to wyndham carsland campground, not a bad float at all..

[Dewey Cox]

We did the red deer river last year as our first canoe trip. The whole time we kept saying "why have we never done this before?"
We went from content bridge to tolman bridge in two days. (Stoped halfway overnight)
Nice gentle river, nonstop gold eye, and occasional walleye.

[Dewey Cox]

To answer more of those questions in regards to our red deer river trip
Put in at content bridge, you pay the fee to launch, and they let you leave a truck there. We paid for camping the whole time at tolman bridge campground, and left a truck there to canoe to. (Spent that night there too)
Halfway there is makenzie crossing campground, and another private campground nearby. Both are good halfway stopping points.
We went after some big rains, so the river was moving fairly well, and there's only one "rapid" that you can go around (don't be a pansy we said).

[Okotokian]

Thanks guys. Good stuff. I was thinking about the Bow and the Red Deer.

Bubba, did you stay somewhere overnight on your way to Carseland? Or is that where you overnighted and then went further the next day?

[bubba 96]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

Thanks guys. Good stuff. I was thinking about the Bow and the Red Deer.

Bubba, did you stay somewhere overnight on your way to Carseland? Or is that where you overnighted and then went further the next day?

No we just looked for a spot to camp after we passed mikinnion flats, then contuined to carsland..

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by bubba 96

No we just looked for a spot to camp after we passed mikinnion flats, then contuined to carsland..

Thanks. Are there any campgrounds or at least public land along that stretch where one could camp? If not, is there at least significant "low water" land (below normal high water mark) that would be considered Crown land to camp on?

[bubba 96]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

Thanks. Are there any campgrounds or at least public land along that stretch where one could camp? If not, is there at least significant "low water" land (below normal high water mark) that would be considered Crown land to camp on?

we just camped at a spot, could have possibly private or crown, but we are always respectful of the land, we have done this probably a half dozen times and never had any problems..

[schmedlap]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

Thanks. Are there any campgrounds or at least public land along that stretch where one could camp? If not, is there at least significant "low water" land (below normal high water mark) that would be considered Crown land to camp on?

When friends and I did 2 day canoe trips on the Bow (Fish Creek to Carseland) we always just camped on one of several islands. Driftwood fires and no livestock wandering through.

[WayneChristie]

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