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06-04-2013, 12:35 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: edmonton
Posts: 1,087
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The Under Rated "GOLDEYE"!!
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!!
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NO BAD WEATHER, JUST BAD GEAR!!
Remember 99.8% of fishin gear is ment to catch fishermen....not fish!!
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06-04-2013, 12:44 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Southern Alberta
Posts: 7,350
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Agree, they are Albertas Bass.
Ounce for ounce they fight hardest
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06-04-2013, 01:22 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Red Deer, Alberta Canada
Posts: 217
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Prairie Tarpon
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/feat...ada/can176.php
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2022
Pike 25
Walleye 5
Lake Whitefish 6
Suckers 1
Lake Trout 22
Tiger Trout 5
Rainbow Trout 26
20 days fished
18 days fished from my Hobie
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06-04-2013, 01:49 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: edmonton
Posts: 1,087
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jkind
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PRAIRIE TARPON!!! Never throught of that one!! Perfect!! Now if they would only get to 20+lbs!!
__________________
NO BAD WEATHER, JUST BAD GEAR!!
Remember 99.8% of fishin gear is ment to catch fishermen....not fish!!
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06-04-2013, 02:19 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Alberta
Posts: 5,385
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Goldeye are a blast, great fights on the ultra light.
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06-04-2013, 02:28 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 8,497
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Back in the day in Manitoba- many Hardwater Pike anglers would target Goldeye in the summer and freeze them for Pike bait
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You're only as good as your last haircut
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06-04-2013, 02:46 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Peace River
Posts: 291
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I was told they are the best smoked. ?
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06-04-2013, 02:51 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 310
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I agree! Lots of fun on the fly rod! Caught my first this year. Gonna try smoking them. Anyone caught the elusive mooneye?
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06-04-2013, 03:47 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Red Deer, Alberta Canada
Posts: 217
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[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
__________________
2022
Pike 25
Walleye 5
Lake Whitefish 6
Suckers 1
Lake Trout 22
Tiger Trout 5
Rainbow Trout 26
20 days fished
18 days fished from my Hobie
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06-04-2013, 03:56 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Calgary
Posts: 2,672
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Only caught Goldeye once, must get out and do a trip for them. How close to Calgay can you find them?
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Often I have been exhausted on trout streams, uncomfortable, wet, cold, briar scarred, sunburned, mosquito bitten,
but never, with a fly rod in my hand have I been in a place that was less than beautiful.
My blog - casting on the waters
fishing regulations and facts on fish handling
Fishing Regulations
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06-04-2013, 04:02 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Red Deer, Alberta Canada
Posts: 217
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lornce
Only caught Goldeye once, must get out and do a trip for them. How far down the river do you see them?
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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
__________________
2022
Pike 25
Walleye 5
Lake Whitefish 6
Suckers 1
Lake Trout 22
Tiger Trout 5
Rainbow Trout 26
20 days fished
18 days fished from my Hobie
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06-04-2013, 04:03 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,112
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Red Deer River, I the closest I think.
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06-04-2013, 04:13 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 310
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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?
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06-04-2013, 05:15 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: South Central AB
Posts: 1,215
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Love them Prairie Tarpon on the 4 wt
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06-04-2013, 08:29 PM
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Gone Hunting
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North of Peace River
Posts: 11,346
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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.
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Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.
George Bernard Shaw
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06-04-2013, 08:36 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Calgary
Posts: 2,154
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lornce
Only caught Goldeye once, must get out and do a trip for them. How close to Calgay can you find them?
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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.,
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The trap I set for you seems to have caught my leg instead.
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06-04-2013, 08:39 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Red Deer, Alberta Canada
Posts: 217
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Here is one of the 8 I caught tonight.
__________________
2022
Pike 25
Walleye 5
Lake Whitefish 6
Suckers 1
Lake Trout 22
Tiger Trout 5
Rainbow Trout 26
20 days fished
18 days fished from my Hobie
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06-04-2013, 09:10 PM
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Spruce Grove
Posts: 168
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Not all mooneyes are small.
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.
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.
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Do something you will always be remembered for. Take a kid hunting or fishing.
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06-04-2013, 09:32 PM
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Gone Hunting
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: North of Peace River
Posts: 11,346
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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.
__________________
Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.
George Bernard Shaw
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06-04-2013, 10:12 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: edmonton
Posts: 1,087
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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!
__________________
NO BAD WEATHER, JUST BAD GEAR!!
Remember 99.8% of fishin gear is ment to catch fishermen....not fish!!
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06-06-2013, 06:01 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 310
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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.
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06-06-2013, 09:41 PM
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Spruce Grove
Posts: 168
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
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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.
__________________
Do something you will always be remembered for. Take a kid hunting or fishing.
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06-06-2013, 09:47 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: edmonton
Posts: 11,434
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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.
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06-06-2013, 11:10 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 33
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Does anyone get them to rise for dey flies?
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06-07-2013, 10:03 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Calgary
Posts: 197
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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.
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06-07-2013, 08:39 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 310
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Mmmmmm smoked goldeye on the BBQ!
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