Boating in rivers questions

[AK47]

So I am looking into upgrading to jet boat for fishing rivers ( mainly looking at Red Deer River below Tolman bridge, South SR, Oldman river, lower Bow River and have a few questions. Is it legal to go anywhere on the rivers where boat can go or there are some locations where it is illegal to use motorized boats? How about if river goes through native reservation land - can I go through that or this is a big no? Where can I find info on boat launches in above mentioned rivers? Is it legal to fish from the boat in the river at night? Any other tips for starting exploring and fishing these rivers from the boat? Thanks in advance!

[Dale S]

Make sure you have the right boat for what you want to do. Lots of designs to choose from. Day trips, overnight trips or weekend trips, makes a difference what kind of boat you need. If your going to do the SSR & the Oldman, full teflon is a must. Almost all rock bottom in theses rivers. I ran a 16ft Outlaw with a 175 merc. and full teflon on it. It was a great day trip boat for shallow water on the Oldman. And you will be hitting rocks on the Oldman. Jet boats are heart pumping fun, in the shallow water.

[roper1]

Almost all rivers in Alberta are 'navigable waters'. Inside parks & a few cities might be a no-no otherwise if it floats go for it.

[Sundancefisher]

Almost all rivers in Alberta are 'navigable waters'. Inside parks & a few cities might be a no-no otherwise if it floats go for it.

Isn’t part of the Lower Bow below Carsland FN owned and one can’t fish there? I thought I heard that somewhere.

[Dale S]

You do need written permission to boat on First Nation's land. The Bow and the Oldman go threw some F.N. land. Shore line access is another touchy subject. It's NOT 100 yards up from the high water mark. It is where the river bottom changes to vegetation. Nothing to do with high water marks.

[lannie]

If you float the old man through Brocket you are going to find difficulty navigating the Brocket stretch without those citizens okay$.

[roper1]

Yes, reserves, military bases, & a couple others I believe. I guess I assumed which I shouldn't have.

[AK47]

Thank you all for your answers. Still looking for some info on boat launches in those rivers?

[npauls]

Thank you all for your answers. Still looking for some info on boat launches in those rivers?

The Old man river has a launch up near the dam but you are limited to where you can go because of the reserve not too far down stream. There is also a launch in the city of Lethbridge down near the weir. I also know that there is a launch just north of Taber on the north side of the river. The other launch I know of on that river system is right at the forks. I have heard of guys launching in or near Medicine hat as well so there must be somewhere to launch around there.

[Jayhad]

Where can I find info on boat launches in above mentioned rivers? Is it legal to fish from the boat in the river at night?!

Backroads Mapbooks

Yes.