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Red Deer Tactics
Red Deer trout find a micro niche and often live in the same ten yards of water-except to spawn-for years. For the past five years I've watched one trout grow from 17 to 24 inches, never (or rarely) moving from the same shoreline undercut. Knowing these places allows you to consistently catch large trout. Fishing with an experienced guide is a good idea on many waters but on the Red Deer it is almost a requirement since there are only 50 to 200 trout per kilometer.

Knowing what areas to concentrate on takes experience on the water. The best starting places are log jams and shoreline deadfalls, undercut banks, and other places that provide a break from the current and overhead cover.
The Red Deer has a small population of very large trout that tend to haunt the same areas year after year. Knowing where these trout live is a big part of the game.

The Red Deer is best fished from a boat. Foot anglers may have to cover a lot of territory before finding a rising trout and they simply cannot reach some trout tucked away in the deep troughs and logjams of undercut banks. To walk all day and find a few large trout creates a high-pressure situation where mistakes are costly. You don't want to blow a fish you just found because your next chance may be a mile upriver. It's not unlike New Zealand where the trout are few and far between but usually large. If you don't mind long, hot walks in waders, one or two 20-inch or better trout per day is a reasonable expectation.

The Red Deer is most difficult to wade in its prime upper water because deadfall and trees line the shore. Near the city of Red Deer, the banks are more generous to wading anglers with grassy banks and open casting. However, trout are not as abundant in the lower river.

In low-water years the Red Deer can be too shallow for hard boats downstream of the Medicine River. I use a 14-foot inflatable raft with a rowing frame because it displaces less water and is less prone to rock damage. I can also portage short distances into rough, private access points without a proper boat launch.