Freestone · Gravel · Alberta, CA

Red Deer River (upper, near Sundre)

Red Deer River (upper, near Sundre) — Red Deer River [EXPLORED]

The upper Red Deer near Sundre is a broad, productive foothills freestone — long riffles, gravel bars and good holding runs full of wild browns and rainbows, with bull trout and whitefish for company.

Today · About as good as it gets
Sculpin Streamer
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
75% projected
Today's fly
Sculpin Streamer
Sculpin Streamer
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.57 m
Water temp8.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather8°C
WindN 14 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent6.6 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Bull Trout
Ideal
8°C est.ideal 6–12°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Bull Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 10am

12pm(now) — Black Midge

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 60%
Also:Western Blue-Winged Olive49%
Peak emergence window4 food groups active

Peak activity at 10am — Black Midge (Black Midge, Peak emergence window)

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Supporters see what else is on the menu.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
1
Brown DunHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Reach-specific gear/harvest rules; bull trout zero limit
  • Verify current Alberta regs (Zone ES1).
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Fallentimber Creek
6.0 km
Brown trout
North Raven River (Stauffer Creek)
28 km
Brown trout · Brook trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Red Deer River (upper, near Sundre) — Red Deer River [EXPLORED]
    Red Deer River [EXPLORED]
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The upper Red Deer near Sundre is a broad, productive foothills freestone — long riffles, gravel bars and good holding runs full of wild browns and rainbows, with bull trout and whitefish for company. Less pressured than the Calgary-area rivers, it floats and wades well and fishes from summer through a strong autumn brown-trout run. Mind the bull trout: zero limit, always released.

Under the surface

The upper Red Deer around Sundre is a broad foothills freestone of long riffles, gravel bars and good runs, holding wild brown and rainbow trout with bull trout and mountain whitefish, and cutthroat higher in the system. Big enough to float in places and easily waded in others, it's a productive, less-pressured river that fishes well from summer into a fine autumn brown-trout season.

Wading: Strong current in the bigger runs, flashy after storms

  • Gravel
  • Partly confined
  • Pool riffle
  • Large river
Conservation note

Wild brown and rainbow trout; bull trout (char, zero limit) and mountain whitefish present (whitefish prose-only, no engine slug). Cutthroat higher in the system. Whirling disease present in the Red Deer basin — Clean-Drain-Dry.

The full read · show the working · for Bull Trout · confidence 75%
How the 78 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time50 × 13%6.5
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity46 × 12%5.5
Conditions total= 78
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 16 June → 31 October
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts