Christmas Gift Certificates is a post from: Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing
Tag Archives: Bow River
Christmas Gift Certificates
Are you looking for a unique Christmas gift for the fisher in your life? Why not consider a Clearwater Adventures gift certificate for a walk and wade outing or a drift on the Bow River? Give us a call for more details.
Christmas Gift Certificates is a post from: Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing
Bow and Oldman Rivers ~ September 9-11
Hector and Mark, arrived in town from Cincinnati looking forward to spending a couple of days on the Bow River and one on the Oldman. The Bow proved to be very slow on the 9th and 10th, with strong winds wreaking havoc at times. Despite the slow days on the Bow, both Hector and Mark [...]
Bow and Oldman Rivers ~ September 9-11 is a post from: Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing
Fall on the Bow River ~ September 5
Policeman's Flats to McKinnon Flats
Air Temperature: 23° C ~ 73° F
Water Temperature: 16° C ~ 62° F
Water Level: 1.152 m
Water Flow: 82.24 m3/s
We've had several trips to the mountains and the Bow River that I haven't reported on, so it's time to get back to the updates. The Bow River seemed to be a little [...]
Fall on the Bow River ~ September 5 is a post from: Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing
Bow River ~ August 14
Grave's Landing to Policeman's Flats
Air Temperature: 11° C ~ 52° F
Water Temperature: 16° C ~ 62° F
Water Level: 1.297 m
Water Flow: 109.00 m3/s
Kent (Vancouver) was in town to meet with Mark (Airdrie), and made arrangements for a drift on the Bow River for the two of them later in the day. We launched under cloudy skies at 3:00, and by 4:00, a light rain was falling and would continue pretty much for the remainder of the drift. Today was easily the slowest day I've had on the river all season. We threw a variety of nymphs, tried some dries but had success only when we had the streamers out. Samples from three fish nothing in one fish, a single caddis larvae in another and a couple of worms and a few midges in the third. Both Kent and Mark landed their first ever brown trout on fly rods and only one other fish, a rainbow, was landed during the drift. The lack of fish certainly wasn't the fault of Kent or Mark as both were skillful casters and fishers. It was quite dark and raining heavily when we pulled out of the river at 9:30. Despite the slow fishing and the less than ideal conditions, both enjoyed the time on the river and hope to give the Bow another shot next season.
Bow River ~ August 14 is a post from: Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing
Bow River ~ August 12
Policeman's Flats to McKinnon Flats
Water Temperature: 16° C ~ 62° F
Water Level: 1.281 m
Water Flow: 105.80 m3/s
My brother is in town from Yellowknife for a few days with his family, and today we took the opportunity to get out on the Bow River with our friend Quinn. The fish were quite active earlier this morning and we had a lot of hits and several fish on and landed, especially when we got out of the boat to fish some of the runs more thoroughly. The hits slowed down significantly after lunch and fish were few and far between for the rest of the drift. We fished nymphs, dries and threw streamers. Apart from one missed hit, dry flies proved to be ineffective today, while various worm and streamer patterns were attracting attention. Samples from a couple of fish showed they were feeding sparingly on worms and caddis larva.
Bow River ~ August 12 is a post from: Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing
Big Brown Trout on the Bow River Today ~ August 4
Glenmore to Policeman's Flats
Air Temperature: 12° C ~ 54° F
Water Level: 1.363 m
Water Flow: 122.20 m3/s
Jim (Coquitlam) is a repeat customer of sorts. We had made arrangements to get him out on the Bow River last summer, but circumstances led to a cancellation being necessary. Plans were again made to get him out this summer but it looked like nature might conspire to keep him off the Bow once again. Last night, Jim called to let me know that just east of Calgary where he was hunkered down, a huge thunder storm was letting loose. We discussed the conditions on Bow (poor) and the forecast
(rain, rain and more rain) and decided that Jim should think it over for awhile. Jim mulled it over and called back to say that we should probably go ahead since he didn't know when he might have an opportunity fish the Bow again. When we got to the river this morning, it was raining steadily and the river was quite dirty, with visibility at less than a foot, and as luck would have it, the rain continued until about 2 pm. The plan today was to throw streamers at the bank and it proved to be a decent choice. Jim had many hits throughout the day and ended the day with three brown trout and one rainbow. The fish we landed today were all a good size with these two browns easily falling into the "hefty" category!
[tags]trout, brown trout, bow river[/tags]
Big Brown Trout on the Bow River Today ~ August 4 is a post from: Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing
Throwing Streamers on the Bow River ~ August 3
Policeman's Flats to McKinnon Flats
Air Temperature: 18° C ~ 64° F
Water Level: 1.335 m
Water Flow: 120.60 m3/s
A huge storm blew through much of central Alberta last night, with devastating results in some areas. Reports of baseball sized hailstones came in from a community to the north of Calgary and, in the city of Airdrie where I live, a good deal of damage was caused by an intense hail storm. As a result of all the rainfall from Sunday night's storm, the Bow River was very silty with visibility at less than a foot when I launched the boat for a day of fishing with 2 of my friends. Fishing was slow but I did land three nice fish including this rainbow trout that put up a great fight. I also had four or five others that managed to shake the hook before I got them to the net. It seemed that the fish weren't interested in anything but darker streamer patterns today. It was a chilly day on the water and for much of the day, it felt more like an early spring/late fall float rather than a mid-summer day on the Bow... that's just life in Calgary I guess.
[tags]bow river, airdrie[/tags]
Throwing Streamers on the Bow River ~ August 3 is a post from: Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing
Today’s Hot Fly is the Chenille Worm~ July 23
Policeman's Flats to McKinnon Flats
Air Temperature: 28° C ~ 82° F
Water Temperature: 20° C ~ 68°
Water Level: 1.278 m
Water Flow: 105.20 m3/s
Chris and Brian (Maryland) were in town for a family wedding and since they are both avid fishers, they didn't want to pass up the opportunity to get out on the Bow River for a day. After a few fly changes, it was obvious that the fish were really liking a brown chenille worm pattern and a sample from a fish confirmed that worms were definitely on today's menu. Fish were hitting steadily pretty much all day which kept things interesting. Both Chris and Brian were very impressed with the incredible fight of our rainbow trout and the huge jumps that so many of the fish were making today. All fish today, regardless of size really made the guys work to bring them in. Many fish were lost to long distance releases and by the end of the day, one brown was landed and I'm not sure how many rainbows were brought in. The river is in great shape as are the fish which are really starting to thicken up. As water temperatures begin to rise, it will be important to land and release fish quickly.
Today’s Hot Fly is the Chenille Worm~ July 23 is a post from: Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing
Fishing Memories
Memories of Days Gone ByI was in the south end of the city today for a visit to my parent’s house, turkey dinner and all the fixings always entices me. I returned to one of my favourite spots on the Bow River to try my luck and work up an appetite. This particular hole has rewarded me with many monster trout in the past. I remember walking in and tying up a Buzz Bomb or a Panther Martin and hammering trout after trout after trout. It was that good! If the lures were not working I would grab the flies from the tackle box and tie them to a six inch piece of fishing line. I would tie up two flies, usually a bow river bugger and a royal coachman onto my spinning gear. I would use a bell weigh attached to the bottom of the set up and fire that out into the river, bouncing the rig along the bottom and picking it off carefully as to not snag up. That would catch me fish for sure, sometimes very big fish.
I returned today with high hopes and a back pack full of gear. I sat on the bank and watched the water flow by as I tied a hook onto the end of my dull green fishing line. The river had me thinking of all the fish I hooked and landed from that hole. Big browns, fat rainbows, and even some huge rocky mountain whitefish were landed with ease and grace at this location. The area was perfect for trout, a nice gravely bottom with good cover and deep to boot. You knew fish were there and I knew how to catch them. I finally tied up and cast far outwards where the hole began to sink, should be fish in there I thought. Many casts’ later and no fish. Time to switch hooks to spinner bait. The rooster tail went on and outward but still nothing. I sat back and watched the river wondering where the fish were. I never even saw one trout’s snout, or even a dorsal fin for that matter.
I keep it going after the short break and still no luck. I was puzzled and a bit confused at the lack of action. After all this was my hole, I knew it like the back of my hand. After walking up and down the river several times I decided it was time to go get that turkey dinner in me. Back in “the good ol’ days” I would have walked out of my hole with at least four or five fish hooked and landed but not today. The river has changed in this hole, the once prime spawning grounds of the brown trout has vanished into thin air. Actually it was blown out by the nasty flood of 2005. Gone are those days of massive browns from this hole. It’s sad really but that is how nature works. There is little cover left and quite shallow.
The memories will still be with me as long as I live. I will move on and find another fishing hole to call my own. I know other fishermen and women can relate to this article. If you have a favourite fishing hole you would like to share with us than feel free to write a comment and share your story here. I know I would personally like to hear it! Until we meet again on the river, may all your fish be LARGE.
Post from: Bounty Fishing Blog
Winter Fishing The Bow River
Today was a day a trout fisherman could not pass up the opportunity to get the hooks out and the line wet. Soon the weather will turn cold again and we will be watching fishing shows on television. So off to the Bow River we go and catch some of our own trout. There was three days of warm weather here in Calgary so there was a copious amount of water draining off the streets and into the Bow River system. This made the water dirty, and yesterday it was too dirty to fish. But I remained positive and returned to the river today for some trout fishing action. Dean played hooky from work and Tom was on his way as he had the day off. Tom said “I have that fishing itch I just have to scratch”. You know the itch he means, the one where you are cooped up for weeks and no fishing has been done for months.
Spirits were high and the hooks were sharp. Up the icy bank and into the deep hole I walked gingerly, ice cracking half way up the river. I was the first to arrive, and therefore I was able to latch into four nice rainbows before Dean and Tom arrived to meet me. As they say “the early bird gets the worm”, well actually he gets the trout. Dean was walking up the bank and I could see him in the distance as I battled my fifth rainbow within an hour. It looked like it was going to be a day for many rainbows. Then Tom showed up and then the river became quiet, like Mother Nature turned off the switch. A brief period passed with no trout hooked but then as the day started, the river came alive once again.
Tom was into a respectable brown trout that measured out at twenty three inches. The camera shutter snapped a few pictures and then Tom released the fish back into the chilly stained water. As tom released the fish into the Bow River, I held onto his coat just to make sure he did not slip and enter the river. Ice hanging over the rivers edge can be dangerous so when you are walking on it you must check it first for stability, getting wet when the water is this cold will end your day immediately. No one got their boots wet only their hands from releasing the fish we caught back into the river. Catch and release is a great idea to preserve the fishing resource we have here in Alberta.
Today we were predominantly using crank baits such as the Rapala Countdown, the Rapala Husky Jerk and the spinners were working also. I was using the Bang Tail made by Lure Jensen and hooked into two rainbows with it. Dean approached me and asked me what color he should switch his lure to. I suggested he try the green Rapala as I have seen many big fish caught with it. It was approaching three o’clock and this has always been a great time here on the Bow River to catch fish. As the clock struck three, a huge Brown struck dean’s Rapala, the same green hook he just finished tying up. I could see the splashes from just down river where I was casting. I just knew this fish was extra ordinary so I clumsily trotted up the river to capture some video of his monster. This male brute was battling dean to the bitter end with many head shakes and rolls to try and shake his lure free. No way was Dean about to loose this fish. He reeled him slowly into the bank and chose a spot where he could get close enough to grip him. All twenty seven inches came out of the water; this is what we were looking for all day!
As dean’s eyes opened with amazement, I popped the hook from his tooth jaws careful not to harm this beautiful wonder. There was no problems unhooking him and we were able to capture the moment on film for you to see. When landing a fish this big, we are careful not to let the fish lay on the ice at all. It is better to keep the fish off the ice and get it back into the water as soon as possible. This reduces stress on the fish and improves the chances of fish survival. High fives were in order for this trout. I applauded dean for his skills and his presentation of the Rapala as it was necessary to do so. I hope you enjoy the picture of this Bow River fat boy. I know I enjoyed watching dean hook and land this exceptional trout.
Post from: Bounty Fishing Blog
