The Red Deer River spans across the whole province of Alberta from The Rocky Mountains to
the Saskatchewan border. It can satisfy just about everyone's fishing tastes. The stretch
below Dickson Dam near Innisfail is gaining a reputation as a first-class fishery for brown
trout. The province experimented in the early 1990's by transplanting several hundred Bow River
brown trout into the Red Deer river, and it seems like this idea was very successful. The Red Deer
river is also known as a big Walleye river. In the upper reaches, walleye fishing is strictly catch
and release. If you're looking for pure fun, tie on an Elk Caddis or small hopper imitation and then settle
down for some great surface action for scrappy goldeye in late summer downstream of Red Deer. Wherever you
fish, be sure to check the regulations first.
Getting there:Drive north of Calgary on Highway 2 to
Innisfail, then head west to Dickson Dam; keep
going north to Red Deer; or turn east onto Highway 72 to Drumheller.
