Bow River Fishing Report - June 26, 2026

The river is looking good and things have been getting better every day. This weekend, however, the forecast is for showers, and thunder storms, until Monday. Much will depend on how much moisture falls, and how quickly. The forecast for Banff is rain all week, which could bring down the remaining runoff in a hurry.

Lot's of bugs. Caddis, Stoneflies, and Pale Morning Dunn's. Stonefly nymphs and leeches worked well this past week, and that should continue through the high water. Dry fly fishing should start to improve once the river settles down from whatever happens after this weekends rains.

Boat Launch Update

The boat launches inside of the City of Calgary are operational.

The road is fixed, but Policeman's Flats is still closed. Please respect the locked gate. Someone cut the lock and it has now been replaced. Policeman's is private property and the Bow River Trout Foundation is working with the land owner to reopen the launch. Please exercise some patience, and restraint, while this matter is resolved.

McKinnon's Flats is open.

Bow River Flies - Staff Picks - Sasha

Left to Right from top: Galloup's Mini Bangtail, Gallou's Budget Dungeon, Barred Tan Double Bunny, Double Vision PMD, Chubby Chernobyl, Pale Morning Dun, EB Winey Voodoo Leech, TJ Hooker, Roza's Tuned Leech

Bow River Fishing

Dry fly fishing was once again a bust this week. Consistently rising fish were hard to find, and conditions, be it wind and/or rain, did not make things any easier. Some fish were caught by persistent, and observant, anglers. The Caddis were around in large numbers, on the days when the wind was not howling, but still not many risers. Rising fish will become more consistent once the river drops to more fishable levels and runoff is done.

Walking pace water should still be your main focus with your heavily weighted nymphs. Stonefly nymphs, and leeches patterns have been the ticket lately. Use enough weight and/or tippet to sink your flies as deep, and as long, as possible. Your indicator should be located on your leader at about twice the depth of the water, if possible. If you are not ticking the bottom , or hanging up occasionally, you are not getting deep enough. Indicators and split shot are going to be a big part of the successful anglers fishing gear for the remained of the high water.

The trout are chasing the streamers, but are being a little shy about committing. Keep your flies deep, for as long as you can, in pools and buckets, working, or swinging, them across with a variety of retrieves until you figure out what the trout want. Continue to work the banks, and soft seams, which will usually produce well during high water.

In this high, off coloured water, swinging large dark flies through runs, and riffles, is a great tactic. Your heaviest tip will be the most appropriate with the high water conditions, but skating dry flies is coming soon. 

Eastern Slopes

The Eastern Slopes are now open, and fishing well. Many rivers, and streams, are high, but clear. Some rivers and streams, dropped over the last week, but may bump due to the coming rain.

Pike Fishing

The weeds have started to take over most of the prairie pike lakes, making the fishing quite difficult. Persistent anglers have been rewarded with the occasional great fish.  Click to learn about tips and tactics for Northern Pike.

Courses

2026 Level One Fly Fishing Course

This one-day session features both classroom instruction and an afternoon of hands-on fly casting. Students with spend the morning in a classroom environment learning the basics about equipment, lines, knot tying, and more. After lunch, (included with registration), students head outside for a dry-land casting session. By the end of the day students will be able to cast 30 feet of fly line.

Click here for 2026 Dates, or to register online.

Books

BackRoad MapBooks for your trips to the backcountry, or just to take the road less traveled.

Bow River Flies:

Dries: Peacock Caddis, Bloom's Parachute Caddis, Streaking Caddis, Swisher's Dancing Caddis, Chubby Chernobyl, True Golden Stone, Extra Chubby Chernobyl, Skater Tot, Harrop's Last Chance Cripple

Streamers: Conrad Sculpin, Tungsten Found Ya Bugger, Clarke's Rat, Gartside Leech, Jig Slum Lord Mini Leech, Bjorn's Sculpalicious, Coffey's Sparkle Minnow, Galloup's Butt Sump, Galloup's Mini Bangtail, Gallou's Budget Dungeon,

Nymphs: Jimmy Legs, T.J. Hooker, Smethurst's Stone Bomb, Stonefly Jig, Rubber Legged Squirrel, SP Tungsten Bead Mop Fly, Werminator, Gummy Worm, Wire Worms, Hai's Jig Leech Bomb, Egg Sucking Leech, Vampire Leech

Trout Spey: She Ra Tungsten Bead Jig, Soft Hackle Hare's Ear, Tungsten Energizer Squirrel Jig, Jerry's WMD Sculpin Intruder, Stu's Mini Ostrich Intruder, Brett's Klamath Skater, Bead Head Perpetrator

MFC Tungsten Beads. Both, slotted and Cyclopes styles in stock. Now is the time to make those flies sink.

Please try to keep fish wet, and remember to pinch your barbs. Keep fish in the water as much as possible. Pinching your barbs will make releasing the fish a lot easier for both you and the fish.

We ask that you handle your fish with care by:

Rob