The Under Rated "GOLDEYE"!!

[thorne]

OK, so you mention Goldeye to most folk and you will usually get the "Whatever" attitude. After all unless prepared properly and from a good body of water, they are not exactly fine table fair....so whats the big deal??

I happen to be a huge fan of Goldeye....using a light weight rod, spinning rig with a #2 Red and White Mepps commet tipped with a real minnow, Goldeye are awsome!! They give a great fight, hit hard and fast, and are a pretty cool looking fish. Goldeye can get a lot bigger then most guys think as well, think the provincial record sits a little over 4lbs, I have caught several around the 3 lb mark in the NSR, and they give a fight way above their weight class. I have enjoyed several hours of great fun targeting these guys and still get pumped when they hit. So if you are boared, head down the river for a few hours and get into the Goldeye. You may not eat em, but they sure are entertaining!!

[huntsfurfish]

Agree, they are Albertas Bass.:)

Ounce for ounce they fight hardest:sHa_shakeshout:

[jkind]

I agree 100%...I target Goldeye in the Red Deer River and catch 100-250 per year on the fly rod.

Here is an article Bob Scammel wrote about the Prairie Tarpon.

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/canada/can176.php

[thorne]

I agree 100%...I target Goldeye in the Red Deer River and catch 100-250 per year on the fly rod.

Here is an article Bob Scammel wrote about the Prairie Tarpon.

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/canada/can176.php

PRAIRIE TARPON!!! Never throught of that one!! Perfect!! Now if they would only get to 20+lbs!!

[BGSH]

Goldeye are a blast, great fights on the ultra light.

[omega50]

Back in the day in Manitoba- many Hardwater Pike anglers would target Goldeye in the summer and freeze them for Pike bait

[50/50]

I was told they are the best smoked. ?

[WhitefishLady]

I agree! Lots of fun on the fly rod! Caught my first this year. Gonna try smoking them. Anyone caught the elusive mooneye?

[jkind]

[QUOTE=WhitefishLady;1991948]I agree! Lots of fun on the fly rod! Caught my first this year. Gonna try smoking them. Anyone caught the elusive mooneye?[/

I find that some of the smaller ones I catch seem to be Mooneyes...but I don't pay much attention as they fight just like Goldeye.

Heading to the river shortly to see if I can pick up my first one of the season!


Jim

[Lornce]

Only caught Goldeye once, must get out and do a trip for them. How close to Calgay can you find them?

[jkind]

Only caught Goldeye once, must get out and do a trip for them. How far down the river do you see them?

I have caught them between Drumheller and Innisfail...my Dad caught them one year on the farm by Eckville in the Medicine River one year when the water was extremely high.

Jim

[aulrich]

Red Deer River, I the closest I think.

[WhitefishLady]

Goldeye are suppposed to be found in the Red Deer River from Dickson Dam down I believe but they are much more common further down towards Drumheller and the SK border. You can also try the lower Bow around Bassano maybe?

Yeah mooneye are smaller, have a less golden colored eye and have different fin positons. I don't know if I would bother IDing them either since they are so similar. I really want to catch a sauger! Would be great on the fly if that is even possible. Maybe the Milk River?

[ULTRAlite]

Love them Prairie Tarpon on the 4 wt :)

[KegRiver]

I'm a Goldeye fan as well.

Easy to catch, fight hard, easy to prepare for the table and I like the taste.
Admittedly the flesh tends to be mushy, but I'm okay with that.

Because they are plentiful and easy to catch they are perfect for teaching kids about fishing. And I think it helps teach the younger generation to not be snobs about the fish they catch.

[jacenbeers]

Only caught Goldeye once, must get out and do a trip for them. How close to Calgay can you find them?

I second the person who mentioned Red Deer River near Drumheller. It is fantastic for GOldeye there. I also think that it is worth it to head to Bassano as well and fish the Bow below the dam. Lots in there too.,

[jkind]

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z249/jkind58/1ofthe8GoldeyeIcaght_zps78db22b2.jpg (http://s195.photobucket.com/user/jkind58/media/1ofthe8GoldeyeIcaght_zps78db22b2.jpg.html)

Here is one of the 8 I caught tonight.

[Michael_Brown]

Not all mooneyes are small.
http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/picture.php?albumid=1546&pictureid=5935

This fish was caught in the Ottawa river and was over two pounds, which at the time probably would have been the Canadian record...if we had not used it for catfish bait. :scared0015:

They look very similar to goldeyes and eye colour would be the easiest way to tell difference (if you care).

They both are a lot of fun on light tackle.

Fish don't have to weigh twenty pounds to be trophies.:)

[KegRiver]

Somewhere out there, there is a school teacher named Diane.

She has a B&W photo of a ten year old hillbilly holding a 4 pound Goldeye.

The photo was taken in the summer of 1964 at Kemp's landing on the Peace River.

[thorne]

I have spent many an afternoon/evening with my kids on the NSR right in town catching bunches of Gold Eye, the fish always showed for the fun and gave us an unlimited source of family entertainment. My kids just had a minnow on a single hook with a weight to keep it down. pitch it in the eddie near the current edge and wait, or a minnow under a bobber floating down the run. I think they are one of the nicest looking fish and just good fun to catch....I am really enjoying other peoples stories about them, and glad lots of people enjoy them like I do!

[WhitefishLady]

Michael Brown, that's a massive mooneye! Definitely different eyes. Nice catch and thanks for posting. Yeah I agree. I like catching different species and don't really care about size.

[Michael_Brown]

Michael Brown, that's a massive mooneye! Definitely different eyes. Nice catch and thanks for posting. Yeah I agree. I like catching different species and don't really care about size.

:)

Thank you. The guy holding it is a fishery biologist and a good friend. So we knew what it was but had no idea it would have been a record and we needed catfish bait....


I know, just another fish story but at least we took a picture. :budo:

[waterninja]

i also enjoy catching goldeye and have caught plenty on the nsr. they are great fighters.

i also think that they are the most fragile of the fish i catch on the river. they seem to bleed more often and you have to be more carefull releasing them.

[Steelhead008]

Does anyone get them to rise for dey flies?

[maverick]

Bring them to the surface all the time on the Red Deer in July and August. The best pattern I found was a deer hair Tom Thumb with yellow or orange body. It is probably imitating a grasshopper. The deer hair holds up better to the teeth then a foam fly grasshopper pattern.

[WhitefishLady]

Mmmmmm smoked goldeye on the BBQ!

http://i1313.photobucket.com/albums/t555/WhitefishLady/image_zps9ac3724f.jpg