What swims here, what to know before you go, and the province's rules in its own words.
What swims here
Mountain whitefishnative
Rainbow troutnative
Westslope cutthroat troutnative
Bull troutnative · present, not the draw
Westslope cutthroat trout. Threatened in Alberta. Genetically pure populations survive in only a handful of headwater streams, so check the current closures before you go.
Bull trout. Alberta provincial fish and a threatened species. Zero retention province-wide. No black spots on the dorsal fin: if it has none, put it back.
Where it is
AlbertaOldman River watershedMajor river · Oldman basin
Regulations change. Check the official source before you go.
Reaches, upstream to down
Reading the reaches…
Reading the reports…
Counting the flies and what was on the water…
Threads about The Oldman
Browse discussions
Reading the gauge…
Today MondaySunnylow 7°high 26°
Tue TuesdayMainly sunnylow 7°high 25°
Wed WednesdaySunnylow 4°high 22°
Thu ThursdayA mix of sun and cloudlow 9°high 20°
Fri FridayA mix of sun and cloudlow 3°high 14°
Sat SaturdayA mix of sun and cloudlow 2°high 15°
Sun SundayA mix of sun and cloudno low·high 18°
Environment and Climate Change Canada forecast for Pincher Creek, opens in a new tab, 10 km from this water's pin. A river runs through more weather than one town has.
More on current conditionsthe date's context, the station, flow through the year and the full forecast
The Oldman · Environment and Climate Change Canada hydrometric data, station 05AA024
Flow through the year
September: usually 23.8–32.4 cms, 19.4 to 46.4 in the widest years, median 27.6, over 1995–2024. The latest reading is 23.2 cms.
The band is where the river usually runs in that month, the darker middle the usual half of years, the line the median, and the dot is the latest reading on its date. Move across it, or use the arrow keys, for a month's figures.
Reaches, upstream to down
Show reach readings and boundaries
Above the reservoirdown to Oldman Reservoir
5.72cms flow5.89m gauge heighttypical for the date, above 74% of 1995–2024
The province lists this water, in the Upper Oldman River watershed.
Mainstem - headwater downstream to Racehorse Creek. ES1/PP1
Seasons, bait rule and limits for Mainstem - headwater downstream to Racehorse Creek.
Season
Bait
Limits, per angler
OPEN JUN. 16 - AUG. 31
Bait ban
5 mountain whitefish over 30 cm
0 trout total
OPEN SEPT. 1 - OCT. 31
Bait ban
0 mountain whitefish
0 trout total
Mainstem - Racehorse Creek downstream to Hwy. 22. ES1/PP1
Seasons, bait rule and limits for Mainstem - Racehorse Creek downstream to Hwy. 22.
Season
Bait
Limits, per angler
OPEN JUN. 16 - OCT. 31
Bait ban
0 mountain whitefish
0 trout total
Mainstem - Hwy. 22 downstream to Sec. Rd. 510. ES1/PP1
Seasons, bait rule and limits for Mainstem - Hwy. 22 downstream to Sec. Rd. 510.
Season
Bait
Limits, per angler
OPEN APR. 1 - JUN. 15
Bait ban
0 mountain whitefish
0 trout total
OPEN JUN. 16 - AUG. 31
Bait ban
cutthroat trout over 35 cm
5 mountain whitefish over 30 cm
rainbow trout over 35 cm
2 trout total
OPEN SEPT. 1 - OCT. 31
Bait ban
5 mountain whitefish over 30 cm
0 trout total
Oldman Reservoir dam downstream to Sec. Rd. 509. ES1/PP1
Seasons, bait rule and limits for Oldman Reservoir dam downstream to Sec. Rd. 509.
Season
Bait
Limits, per angler
OPEN APR. 1 - JUN. 15
Bait ban
0 mountain whitefish
3 northern pike
0 trout total
OPEN JUN. 16 - OCT. 31
Bait ban
brown trout over 40 cm
cutthroat trout over 35 cm
5 mountain whitefish over 30 cm
3 northern pike
rainbow trout over 35 cm
2 trout total
OPEN NOV. 1 - MAR. 31
Bait ban
0 mountain whitefish
3 northern pike
0 trout total
Oldman River downstream of Sec. Rd. 510 (Oldman Reservoir). The boundaries are fixed regardless of water level fluctuations. ES1/PP1
Seasons, bait rule and limits for Oldman River downstream of Sec. Rd. 510 (Oldman Reservoir). The boundaries are fixed regardless of water level fluctuations.
Season
Bait
Limits, per angler
OPEN APR. 1 - MAR. 31
Bait ban
5 mountain whitefish over 30 cm
5 trout total
Mainstem from Sec. Rd. 509 downstream to South Saskatchewan River and tributaries. ES1/PP1
Seasons, bait rule and limits for Mainstem from Sec. Rd. 509 downstream to South Saskatchewan River and tributaries.
Season
Bait
Limits, per angler
OPEN MAY 8 - MAR. 15
Bait allowed
10 burbot
10 goldeye
5 mountain whitefish over 30 cm
3 northern pike over 63 cm
3 walleye/sauger (3 in combination; WALL over 50 cm)
A limit of 0 means catch and release. Limits are per angler, in the province's words. Alberta Guide to Sportfishing Regulations, read from the province's regulation service . The province's regulations map, opens in a new tab.
Time-of-day restrictions can apply here. This water is inside the area where the province restricts angling hours between 1 July and 1 September when the Bow River at Carseland runs above 20°C for 3 days and below the 25th flow percentile for 4 days. Whether one is in force is announced on the province's advisories page, opens in a new tab, not here.
