North Sask River

[Joholio]

I've been jetboating to Genesee and Devon to Edmonton. Looking for any advice, stories, etc for Drayton and Rocky to the Bighorn. Also Abraham Lake. Sturgeon holes?

 

[skinnybitch]

Take lots of fuel for a long run! The river gets skinnier upriver and definitely once you get past the Brazeau and North Sask forks. There is also a lot of skinny and dead end channels past the forks too. Good to be on top of your game! It can also change very quickly downstream of the Braz too depending on generating of the reservoir and area rainfall. A kicker is pretty much a necessity too!

 

[Joholio]

Take lots of fuel for a long run! The river gets skinnier upriver and definitely once you get past the Brazeau and North Sask forks. There is also a lot of skinny and dead end channels past the forks too. Good to be on top of your game! It can also change very quickly downstream of the Braz too depending on generating of the reservoir and area rainfall. A kicker is pretty much a necessity too!

I think I'm going to hit Devon and maybe Genesee(crappy launch) before I get too frisky on the upper parts. What is it like around Drayton Valley for a rookie? Thanks for any advice in advance!

 

[chadwik74]

I think I'm going to hit Devon and maybe Genesee(crappy launch) before I get too frisky on the upper parts. What is it like around Drayton Valley for a rookie? Thanks for any advice in advance!

Ive been from Devon to DV before...pretty easy. Just watch if they cut the water off. Your lines going up can change coming back down in a hurry. Very nice fun trip.

 

[Joholio]

Anyone been out???

 

[magnet]

Still looking pretty tight around the tomahawk bridge might make it with a canoe but that's about it as of yesterday anyways

 

[skinnybitch]

I think I'm going to hit Devon and maybe Genesee(crappy launch) before I get too frisky on the upper parts. What is it like around Drayton Valley for a rookie? Thanks for any advice in advance!

Anyone been out???

There's been a few out around Ft Sask already! We haven't been downriver from DV so I can't compare it to around Devon or Genesee. Hit me up sometime for a tour upriver from DV. We have a regular river crew and a sweet little redneck launch SW of town!

 

[Chrisco]

Skinny pm me your phone no, I want in on the river crew !!!!!!

 

[K45]

Joholio - Upriver of Drayton Valley to the Bridge south of Nordegg on the truck road is pretty basic, for the most part follow the green/blue ribbon.
I dont know about the kicker tho, pretty shallow in spots. I have lost power before with my old boat - extreeme Duty, you can paddle yourself out of most situations
drifted backwards through a few of the big rollers above Rocky with no issues, sold that boat and had a new Brattjet Bulldog built last year, maybe see you on the water.

Thought I better add that I dont know what type of boat you have or bottom - makes a big difference
Mine has a real heavy duty 8 deg bottom with teflon, hamilton 212 pump and LS3 V8 so makes it easy.

 

[Joholio]

Thanks guys! I bought a 2004 Custom Weld Cobra SE 20', 11deg bottom, with an American Turbine 312 and carbed 350 and 9.9 Honda 4 stroke kicker( comes off easy). It is my first boat.

I have been on the Red Deer River, launched from Chrunik's, several times in friends boats( one was an eagle 17 with 383, other was 21' eagle race hull with 625hp SBC!). I don't know that I will run the Red Deer much until I get some experience.

I have been on the NSR several times as well in a few different boats from 21' Outlaw w/502 to Weldcraft Legacy with 5.7 efi.

Also an elk hunting trip once on the Smoky, put in at Watino bridge. Drove said Weldcraft there, as well as a 240 sportjet.

Not too much for driving experience, but I have been hooked since the first ride! With that being said, I want to get out and play and not expose myself to too much risk.

My boat has a .190 bottom so we will be considering to beef that up. My buddy said to bolt stainless steel under there. It seems that additional aluminum plating would be easiest, but I think steel would resist a dent much better. UMHW doesn't really appeal to me.

Anyway thats my deal, I appreciate the invites and will definitely try my best to join up and tag along! ANY advice or tips will be humbly accepted! Cheers!

 

[174mcx]

I live on the river west of rocky, I have a big boat a custom weld storm and run to the dam several times a year also go down stream to the brazeau quite a bit no problem. If there is any area that is worse than the rest it is from the gap ( upstream of saunders) to the dam this is most influenced by the dam I've seen water levels change 12" in a couple hrs and its spread out up there into lots of channels.

But if your coming up here planning on fishing, I'll tell you I have been here all my life and never heard of a sturgeon up here. The pickrel are very few inbetween rocky and the brazeau and pick up better in the brazeau, jacks down that way to. Above rocky you'll catch 2-3 fish in 6hrs and they will more than likely be bulls. The deepest holes up here are 12' and you can see to the bottom, the water is so clean up here in the late fall its unreal.

 

[Joholio]

174mcx- what engine/pump/bottom is on your boat?

Is it the green boat for sale on Kijiji?

 

[174mcx]

yes it is
zz383
at sd309
190 bottom

 

[174mcx]

Works Great

 

[Joholio]

Sweet boat man. Thanks for the reply. All good info!

 

[Joholio]

How big are your fuel tanks guys? Mine is 38gal... My buddys Weldcraft is 80 gal... I might be packin jerry cans...

 

[K45]

Mine has a 50 gal tank - good for a couple days - LS3 and 212 combo is really good on fuel tho if driven decent.
My Harbercrafts I had held 29 gal and could run from Rocky to bridge on trunk rd and back on a full tank 6.5 to 7 gal/hr fuel use 240SJ and 200 Opti.
My first boat had a 1/2" aluminum keel plate down the center from factory and that helped alot for hits, QT-100 works the best for big hits tho

174mcx - nice elk.

 

[Chrisco]

My storm has a 70 gal cross tank. 174mcx how does that boat perform with the 383?? thinking of doing the same. Id like to come up that way for a rip sometime.

 

[174mcx]

Chrisco
Its quite a difference, easier on gas and jumps out quicker for sure. These boats seem to have a top speed limit though unless you get a trim nozzle but the only one with trim and still a decent reverse is pricey.

Joholio
I believe my tank is around 60-70gal, With jet boats it sure seems like theres no happy medium for sure everything is a trade off. Figure out what your boat burns/hr at cruseing rpm then gps your speed that day and go from there. It changes alot with each river and what your running in, I don't know what speed the river averages down at edmonton but i doubt its the 12-15mph its moving here. I think your boat would be around 10gal/hr and cruise in a lake at 40mph so take that on the river here, you could go 90 miles up river in 3.5hrs and return that 90 miles in 1.5hrs if you wanted to return at 53mph but you'd probably cut your rpm to travel at 30-35 and burn the same amount of gas just over 2.5 to 3hrs.

Sorry that got long winded you probably figured that all out already

 

[DRD]

How'd you hit an elk with a boat??


On a related note, what's the deal with stick steering? Advantages-disadvantages?