How's the fishing in Drumheller?

[canadiantdi]

We're heading down to Drumheller tomorrow for a few days. Staying in a campground along the Red Deer river. Just wondering how the fishing has been.. What can I expect to catch in town? Walleye and pike?

Thanks!!

[pickrel pat]

We're heading down to Drumheller tomorrow for a few days. Staying in a campground along the Red Deer river. Just wondering how the fishing has been.. What can I expect to catch in town? Walleye and pike?

Thanks!!

I camped there a while back. Caught all goldeye.

[stickflicker]

I camped there a while back. Caught all goldeye.

What do you use to catch goldeye? They're tiny fish aren't they? Do you eat them?
I'm camping there later this week too and would like to get my 4 year old his first catch.

[pickrel pat]

What do you use to catch goldeye? They're tiny fish aren't they? Do you eat them?
I'm camping there later this week too and would like to get my 4 year old his first catch.

Small spinners and flys and spinners but pickrel rigs work best imo. They are a pound or 2 in weight generally.

[Gslice]

Was there last week. Caught about 20 goldeye, 3 red tail suckers, and 10 chubs all in a day with pick rigs and fat worms (the really fat ones bought from tackle shops and not the skinny ones you dig out in your back yard. Tried both and the skinny ones did not produce any results). Throw your rig right in the center of the river, the deeper the better. Find slow moving water as those tend to be the deepest spots. Was catching one after another.

One important thing about goldeye is that 90% of the time, they will bite light. I find that you can't delay when you detect a strike. Hookset must be immediate. From all my goldeye catches, they tend not to fight when you hook them, but will go berserk when you start reeling them near the shore. So right after the initial hookset, you might not even know you have a fish on. Just keep reeling and you'll start seeing them flip out of the water. Use size 6-8 hooks.

One more thing: When baiting the worms, don't be too generous with how much crawler you thread on. I usually use 1/3 crawler per hook. Goldeye have very sharp teeth (even teeth on their tongue) and they will take small bites out of your crawler and rip them to pieces without so much as touching your hook. I have missed many hooksets because of this.

Anymore questions, let me know!

Good luck!!

Mike

[the local angler]

also if you are fishing with bait on the bottom bring a few extra pickeral rigs cause some spots are snag city and some strong line.

[trainerdave]

And Goldeye are not very good to eat unless smoked. Very boney but fun to catch. Anderson dam is pretty close to Drumheller on the South west side, and Michichi is pretty close on the North east side of town. Both pretty good spots for small stocked edible fish. And the Red deer river has Mercury advisories (especially for women and children)...More for piscivores like walleye and pike but just something to muse about FYI.

[Gslice]

Kept 4 out of the river. I don't like spending my evenings gutting fish... :rolleye2: