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05-07-2018, 01:24 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 823
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RDR Goldeye On the Dry
One of my goals for the season is to get some of those fun Goldeye on the dry fly out of the Red Deer River close to Drum.
If anyone sees them rising and wants to help a fella get a checkmark off his list I would appreciate the heads up, from what I learned last year, starting much much too late that it typically starts in May and goes through July - August ish.
With such a long time frame it seems a heads up might help decide when is the best time to head out.
Will be heading out from Calgary and it seems north of Drum is the closest / best place for me to focus my efforts.
Thanks for any help.
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05-07-2018, 04:30 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 521
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Quote:
Originally Posted by millsboy79
One of my goals for the season is to get some of those fun Goldeye on the dry fly out of the Red Deer River close to Drum.
If anyone sees them rising and wants to help a fella get a checkmark off his list I would appreciate the heads up, from what I learned last year, starting much much too late that it typically starts in May and goes through July - August ish.
With such a long time frame it seems a heads up might help decide when is the best time to head out.
Will be heading out from Calgary and it seems north of Drum is the closest / best place for me to focus my efforts.
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In the evenings, Goldeye are almost always on if they are in the river. Best success is once the river clears up after runoff (i.e. early july to the end of August), but I had an epic session near Drumheller a couple years ago, right near the end of May (the year we did not really have a a runoff).
Near Drum, the RDR clarity is sensitive rain (with all the sandstone cliffs). A downpour will turn the river into chocomilk for a day or so.
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05-07-2018, 04:33 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 823
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scel
In the evenings, Goldeye are almost always on if they are in the river. Best success is once the river clears up after runoff (i.e. early july to the end of August), but I had an epic session near Drumheller a couple years ago, right near the end of May (the year we did not really have a a runoff).
Near Drum, the RDR clarity is sensitive rain (with all the sandstone cliffs). A downpour will turn the river into chocomilk for a day or so.
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Thanks for the info, I will keep track of the flow with the rivers app (hoping that will help)
Did you have a specific fly that worked best?
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05-07-2018, 04:35 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 11,371
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Best time is in Aug, in the Hat, the river is clear and we have massive hatches of mayflies. The bridges in town literally turn white with spinners attracted to the lights at night. I find the best fly is something that floats like a cork, Elkhair Caddis, Goodard Caddis or something similar, dragged against the current. Make a nice big V with the fly. Sophisticated they are not.
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“One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.”
Thomas Sowell
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05-07-2018, 05:35 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 521
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pikergolf
Sophisticated they are not.
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That pretty much sums up goldeye.
They will hit almost anything, but they do not have big mouths. You will get a ton of strikes with big foam bugs, but I find the hook up ratio to be low. Caddis in sz12 are good. My best days have been with ant patterns, sz12-14, but it probably had nothing to do with the pattern. As pikergolf alluded, you do not really need a drag free drift.
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05-07-2018, 05:43 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 823
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Sounds like a tonne of fun, hope they never get too popular
Thanks again for the info, I am sure I have a number of flies that will work well.
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05-08-2018, 07:33 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 4,444
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You can catch them all day long around Red Deer. Adams, humpy, mosquito, something brown in June. They are definitely not particular. Sometimes they like to really hit on the skate as it swings in down stream. That gives you more fish time on a dry that most trout.
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05-08-2018, 08:04 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 823
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scel
In the evenings, Goldeye are almost always on if they are in the river. Best success is once the river clears up after runoff (i.e. early july to the end of August), but I had an epic session near Drumheller a couple years ago, right near the end of May (the year we did not really have a a runoff).
Near Drum, the RDR clarity is sensitive rain (with all the sandstone cliffs). A downpour will turn the river into chocomilk for a day or so.
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With the clarity in mind, would you suggest trying further upstream, I have heard Tolman and Dry Island mentioned if previous threads. Or even all the way closer to Red Deer like someone else mentioned?
I have to admit I am pretty excited about how much fun they sound for dry fly fishing.
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05-08-2018, 09:09 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Coquitlam, BC
Posts: 156
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Quote:
Originally Posted by millsboy79
Sounds like a tonne of fun, hope they never get too popular
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Threads like this one will not help. Just saying.
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05-08-2018, 09:12 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 823
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Quote:
Originally Posted by professori
Threads like this one will not help. Just saying.
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This is true ... but how else to you get information? Fishermen are a tight lipped bunch, especially in Alberta.
Since they are not a popular fish to eat it seems relatively safe.
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05-08-2018, 11:22 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 4,444
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How dare you ask for information! You are a bad, bad person...
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05-08-2018, 04:22 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,579
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SNAPFisher
How dare you ask for information! You are a bad, bad person...
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Yeah, and don't even think about talking to a stranger while actually out fishing!
__________________
I fish, therefore I am.
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05-08-2018, 08:01 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 11,371
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Flyguy
Yeah, and don't even think about talking to a stranger while actually out fishing!
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Stranger danger is real.
__________________
“One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.”
Thomas Sowell
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05-08-2018, 09:14 PM
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Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,235
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People actually catch those things on purpose?
We catch them all the time when trolling for Walleye with plugs or Lures and also on pickerel rigs with Minnows. They are plentiful and considered to be a pain here in SW Saskatchewan.
Anyone have any good recipes?
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05-08-2018, 09:21 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 4,444
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tool
People actually catch those things on purpose?
We catch them all the time when trolling for Walleye with plugs or Lures and also on pickerel rigs with Minnows. They are plentiful and considered to be a pain here in SW Saskatchewan.
Anyone have any good recipes?
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Yep, smoke them but use wet brine and a good salt. One of the best smoked fish I ever had. More like jerky. I've only been given them smoked but not tried it myself. But it they were all done with a wet brine.
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05-08-2018, 09:26 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 4,444
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05-09-2018, 08:24 AM
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Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 13
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I'm interested in the recipes. We go fishing for these for fun around the Joffree bridge in Red Deer, right in downtown red deer, pretty much anywhere along there. On a hot day it's fun to wade into the river and get out by the center where you'll catch em all the time.
I'm a beginner fly fisher and goldeyes are a great trainer fish. They are definitely not picky about presentation. I've seen goldeyes hit and miss my fly multiple times before finally hooking on. Lots of fun for kids too.
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05-31-2018, 01:38 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: edmonton
Posts: 3,116
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I dont know how people could eat those things. Ive tried to smoke them many times following many different recipes and every time they taste awful.
Although they are fun to catch on a fly rod.
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" Everything in life that I enjoy is either illegal, immoral, fattening or causes cancer!"
"The problem was this little thing called the government and laws."
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06-01-2018, 11:22 AM
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Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 200
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Quote:
Originally Posted by millsboy79
This is true ... but how else to you get information? Fishermen are a tight lipped bunch, especially in Alberta.
Since they are not a popular fish to eat it seems relatively safe.
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I wouldn't be eating too much out of the red deer river especially near drum... the river gets really murky too so if you get out on a clear evening around tolman is a great spot for goldeye, just beside the bridge. good luck
__________________
Genesis 9:3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.
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06-01-2018, 01:00 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 823
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Quote:
Originally Posted by josh_beeks
I wouldn't be eating too much out of the red deer river especially near drum... the river gets really murky too so if you get out on a clear evening around tolman is a great spot for goldeye, just beside the bridge. good luck
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I won't be eating them, just heard they are fun on the fly.
Thanks for the tip I will give it a go when the water clears up a little.
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06-01-2018, 02:06 PM
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Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 13
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There were poeple fishing and catching goldeye at Dry Island a few weekends ago. The river has cleared up pretty good actually! I'm heading down there tonight with my girls to try some fishing, I'll let you know how it goes.
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06-01-2018, 02:38 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 473
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Quote:
Originally Posted by josh_beeks
I wouldn't be eating too much out of the red deer river especially near drum... the river gets really murky too so if you get out on a clear evening around tolman is a great spot for goldeye, just beside the bridge. good luck
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Whats wrong with the river near drum?
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06-01-2018, 05:12 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: 204
Posts: 5,445
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The river was pretty clear last weekend, and the goldeye were abundant.
This rain might make it murky though.
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