Yesterday when I woke up, it was -19C with a wind chill of -27C. Both Bower Ponds and Heritage Ranch Pond were frozen solid. I jogged by both ponds bundled up because of the frigid day. This morning it was way warmer, -10C. I knew that there would be a small window of opportunity in the afternoon to fly fish for walleye below the dam. I pulled in to get set up about 1:30 pm. A chinook arch was forming to the west and the thermometer was hovering around 5C. Geese were kicking up a fuss everywhere. The conditions seemed perfect.
I quickly got my waders on and set up my 10 foot 7 weight with a Candy Corn tied balanced. Before I fished, I took the time to try and find my Maui Jim sun glasses which blew off during a major gust of wind last Thursday. After about 15 minutes of searching I spotted them on the edge of a drop off. I carefully speared them with my fly rod and rescued them. That made my day and I had not even started to fly fish yet!
Well the fly fishing started off slowly. I had a few half hearted takes and no hook ups. Finally I hooked a dandy. A river walleye well over 5 pounds. After catching several 2 and 3 pounders, I tagged a monster that was close to 6 pounds. The take was so soft too. Shortly after that I had a larger monster on. I was able to get the 7 maybe 8 pounder to hand. It regurgitated some small whitefish that it had eaten recently. That was cool. It was great to get out. The trip to the dam is very convenient and is a perfect half day adventure.
Keep in mind that from Glennifer Dam all the way down to RR20 is mostly ice free during the winter thanks to this stretch being below a "tail water." The Red Deer River remains open until the end of February for fishing. Please consult the regulations so you are doing it right. I have seen so many fishers out using illegal bait. Most do not realize they are doing something wrong. Everybody has a responsibility to know the regulations where ever they fish! Today I met a fellow with a 5.5 metre fishing pole trying to connect with a Prusian Carp. He wanted some for supper. I hoped he was successful. Apparently these invasive species are good eating and should not be put back into the river. I encouarged him.
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