The dam was constructed in 1971 by TransAlta.

The rivers of Saskatchewan have long fascinated me. It was on this journey I became obsessed with catching a lake sturgeon — Alberta’s largest and most enigmatic game fish.

[10] The River Valley Alliance, a non-profit organization composed of seven municipalities which border the North Saskatchewan River, is currently working to create a continuous trail network from the town of Devon to the city of Fort Saskatchewan – a total of 100 kilometres (62 mi). I hardly touched the North, and when I did I was confused, disappointed and all but willing to give up on that river. But what about the fish? in length. The Saskatchewan River system is the largest shared between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The province’s largest fish, capable of exceeding five feet in length and 100 pounds in weight, sturgeon are a popular target for fishermen throughout the summer months.

[30], Boating in Edmonton, with a view of the High Level Bridge across the river, The Edmonton Light Rail Transit (LRT) bridge across the river in central Edmonton, Driftwood on the river bank near the Groat Bridge in Edmonton, Dudley B. Menzies Bridge (LRT and pedestrian bridge) over North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, A view of the North Saskatchewan River Valley from the east end of Edmonton, The river covered in a sheet of ice in Edmonton, North Saskatchewan River and Abraham Lake from space, North Saskatchewan River near Myrnam, Alberta, View of the City of North Battleford across the North Saskatchewan River, The North Saskatchewan River drainage basin, Geographic Board of Canada. The thing I love about the two rivers is the variety of species that may very well bite. During the fur trade era, birch bark canoes and York boats travelled up and down the Saskatchewan delivering trade goods and amassing furs for transportation to Europe. On any given day you could tangle with a walleye, sauger, saugeye, goldeye, pike or even a burbot or sucker. I timed it, I could kiss my kids good night and be casting my line into the water 15 minutes later without having to turn a key. Where I am we saw some evidence of the oil, but mostly it is just the knowledge of the contamination that is forefront in our minds. Low-lying, flat areas border the river for much of this section.

The sturgeon hit gently, barely ringing the bell on the end of my rod. Without a single dam after the river leaves the Rocky Mountain it is allowed to respond to nature as it sees fit. In 2012, the largest sturgeon ever caught on Lake Winnebago (a female) was 125 years old, weighed 240 lb., and measured 87.5 in. The Alberta angling record is 47.7 kg and the maximum fork length is 170 cm. The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) purchased a number of steamboats from companies operating on the Red River and trading at Winnipeg/Fort Garry. About 30 kilometres (19 mi) downstream of Prince Albert, the North Saskatchewan River joins the South Saskatchewan River at Saskatchewan River Forks to become the Saskatchewan River. [21] However, due to the expansive North Saskatchewan River Valley and natural sanctuary/parkland that surrounds it, the City of Edmonton had only minor, isolated flooding, with virtually no major property damage as a result. A frantic phone call from Rocky Mountain House alerted local authorities to the flood's arrival. Author Nick Parkes with an incidental catch of a lake sturgeon. [5] The river runs in a well-defined valley with deep cuts in the landscape.The fourth section, from the Vermilion River to Prince Albert is principally prairie with a few small stretches of timber and secondary forest cover.

It took a big run and the 60 lb braided line I was using whined as it peeled from the baitcaster reel. However, as conservationists who are concerned about the future of our fisheries, we know that the responsibility to manage our resources begins with us. I never imagined it being a healthy fishery, but on that day we caught burbot, walleye, sauger, goldeye and two species of sucker fish. Sturgeon were a highly sought after source of food from the 1920’s onward. What effect will the spill have on the fish population and the overall health of this remarkable river system? The first hydroelectric development on the North Saskatchewan was planned in 1910 near the Town of Drayton Valley. Any information that we have now is purely anecdotal and really it is incredibly difficult to assess. Sturgeon are somewhat primitive fish. These two rivers have distinctly different personalities. Its water flows eventually into the Hudson Bay. I tied a leader and baited a single hook with a clew of worms, then sunk it to the river bottom with a slip weight.

The valley is more shallow than the previous sections of the river, and the channel is much better defined.
[11], Fish species include: walleye, sauger, yellow perch, northern pike, goldeye, mooneye, lake sturgeon, mountain whitefish, burbot, longnose sucker, white sucker and shorthead redhorse. The trickiest part of a law such as this is that sturgeon are most often caught utilising the same techniques as one would use to fish for most river species. Knowledge and understanding is the first, vital step. [24], The La Colle Falls hydroelectric project east of Prince Albert was a half-built failure. In subsequent outings as the river has begun to stabilise though I have been happy to catch the same variety of fish as I have been used to. [29] The Bighorn Plant has a generating capacity of 120 megawatts (MW), and has an available water supply that allows it to be the largest producer of hydroelectric electricity in Alberta, with an average of 408,000 megawatt hours (MW.h) each year.

I have spent much of the last decade poised nicely between both the North and the South Saskatchewan, and for the vast majority of that time quite honestly I favoured the South. I receive the cleanup reports daily and I continue to monitor with interest the reports. What was worrying though was that we caught a couple of the palest, sickliest looking walleye I have seen.

[8], The section of the North Saskatchewan river that falls within the Banff National Park boundaries has been designated a Canadian Heritage River in 1989, for its importance in the development of western Canada.[9]. The most common setup is using a pickerel rig with minnows or nightcrawlers as bait. They’re the right depth (about 8–10ft), the flow isn’t too fast and the river bottom is usually sand or hard clay. About 40 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of Saskatoon, near Langham, the river veers to the northeast where it passes through the City of Prince Albert. [19] Thousands of Edmonton residents watched the flood destroy lumber mills along the city's river valley.[19].

Place Names of Alberta (1928). The river peaked at a stage of 9.03 m (29.6 ft) with a peak instantaneous discharge of 2,710 cubic metres per second (96,000 cu ft/s) on June 23 in Edmonton. As the high water began to subside the fishing was expectedly slow but I am happy to say that we did boat a couple healthy looking sturgeon.

The North however settles into a mellow, natural pace. They’ve remained relatively unchanged for 130 million years, which is evident in their smooth skin, shark-like tail and prehistoric appearance. However, based on high water marks and 1D modelling, the actual value may have been closer to 6,300 cubic metres per second (220,000 cu ft/s). On Thursday, Paul Jarvis, and his dad, Don, were on the first day of a three-day father-son fishing trip when Paul hooked into one of the largest white sturgeon ever caught on the Fraser River. But then two years ago, with a career change and a little bit of relocation I found myself staring off my back deck at the very river that had baffled me. That was the first of many and it permanently shaped my perspective about fishing in Edmonton and our city’s relationship with the North Saskatchewan River. The river is a close and valuable resource to us that provides an opportunity for anglers, families and all people to engage with a wide variety of sport fishing species. [28] The plan was later shelved in light of economic and environmental concerns. No singular purpose has dominated dam planning in the basin, indeed, hydroelectric development, flood control, and water diversion schemes have all underpinned proposals to construct dams on the river. Thanks to better management and environmental stewardship, their numbers are rebounding and there are plenty of spots right in the city where you can catch them. At 355 MW, the Brazeau Dam is Alberta's largest hydroelectric facility, and was built in 1965 by TransAlta. It is possible to specifically target sturgeon utilising specific gear, techniques and baits, but it becomes incredibly difficult to monitor and police. Edmonton's North Saskatchewan River valley parks system is the largest system of urban parks in Canada, and covers both sides of the river valley's course through Edmonton. Until that point, I had only known the North Saskatchewan as a big muddy river flowing under the bridges of Edmonton. The North Saskatchewan also witnessed a lively, although short-lived, era of steamboat shipping during the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The plates are sharp on young fish, but smooth out with age.