Freestone · Gravel · Alberta

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.

Marginal · Brown Trout
Chubby Chernobyl · 6-10
Marginallive now
Slow going — pick your moments
River temperature is the limiting factor today, not the flow. Fish dawn or dusk if you go at all, and handle everything with extra care.
80% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.72 mLast reading 12h ago
  • Water temp18.9°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Chubby Chernobyl
Chubby Chernobyl6-10
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.72 m
Last reading 12h ago
Water temp18.9°C
ClarityClear
Weather20°C
WindSW 11 km/h
Pressure1011 hPa
Rain · recent2.7 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Warm — slow
19°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown 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
Water at 18.9°C — above the brown trout caution line (18°C). Fish dawn or dusk only. Land it fast, wet hands, no air shots.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 6 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

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

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

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
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
Water here around 19°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
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 Brown Trout · confidence 80%
How the 34 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature41 × 28%11.5
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity66 × 12%7.9
Conditions total= 69
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–16 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 16 June → 31 October
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts