Bow River Fishing Report - May 1, 2026

Last week was mixed bag weather wise. The snow followed by warm weather slowed things down for a little while, but things turned around later in the week. The fishing was still a bit tough, but persistent anglers were sometimes rewarded with a pig, or two. Large, dark, streamers produced some very nice fish.  

The weather next week looks promising. If the wind stays down, and cool overnight temperatures persist in the mountains, the fishing should be pretty good. Most of the Rainbows are spawning right now, so avoid disturbing any trout you may find on reds, which appear as clean circular patches of gravel. Lot's of Blue Winged Olives.

Bow River Flies - Staff Picks - Daniel

Left to Right from top: Griffith's Gnat, Micro Chubby, BWO Para Sipper, Double Tungsten Rubberlegs, Vampire Leech, Werminator, CH Bow River Bugger, Galloup's Dungeon, Black Winged Kreelex Minnow

Bow River Fishing

Lot's of Blue Winged Olives. There are large afternoon hatches almost every day. Consistent risers have been difficult to find, with most rising fish found in softer inside seams. The Skwalas seem to be finished now. Caddis will offer the next major dry fly opportunity sometime this month. It is often referred to as the "Mother's Day Caddis Hatch," due to it closeness to Mother's Day, but is more often later in the month.

Nymphing continues to be the most consistently effective technique. Deep and slow is still the ticket. Small BWO imitations, along with stoneflies are producing well, while worms and leeches are almost always effective. Get your flies down and keep them there as long as you can. Let your flies complete their drift and start to swing upward. The upward motion will often provoke a strike, especially with leeches and San Juan Worms. Clic readers are a great help for tying on those smaller flies, or just flies. Tying on flies gets harder every year. I'm pretty certain they are making hook eyes smaller every year. These innovative glasses separate at the front and hang around the neck when not in use.

After the initial snow melt the streamer fishing started to produce some very nice Brown Trout. The lack of Rainbows in the river due to spawning seems to have spurred on the Brown Trout bite. Large flies should be fished through pools, runs and riffles. The fish are on the move and could be in slower deeper pools, as well as the medium paced feeding water. Heads of pools and mid-river bars will often contain a bigger fish, or two.

Swinging wet flies and small streamers with the trout spey has produced lot's of splashy hits and short strikes, but has also caught a decent percentage of these hits. Swinging flies through riffles and runs is great fun. Spey casting takes practice, just like any other aspect of fly fishing, but once you get the hang of it, it's a fun and productive way cover a lot of water. Eventually, you will expend much less energy spey casting than you ever could covering the same water with a single-hand rod.

Pike Fishing

With the ice coming off of most of the local lakes the pike fishing is starting to picking up for those braving the cold and wind. Sunny and calm afternoons in shallow bays, and weed beds, are often your best bet. Lot's of Pike lakes open on May 8. Consult you Alberta Sport Fishing Regulations for closures, or any angling restrictions, before you head out. 

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.

There are still spaces available in our Sunday, May 24 class.

Click here for 2026 Dates, or to register online.

Events

Wednesday, May 6, 2026 - Pike on the Fly with Jean Ducharme. Come to this session to learn pike tactics from someone who fly fishes Alberta pike more than almost anyone else we know. Jean will touch on fly selection, gear, leader, tippets, habitat structure, water temperatures and other key ingredients to help you be successful fly fishing for pike. Whether you're just getting started in fly fishing for pike or wanting to up your game in search of trophy fish this session is worth attending.

Water Not Coal is Corb Lund's Citizens Initiative Petition to protect the Eastern Slopes of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. Please sign the petition!

Books

Coffee table books are a great addition to any coffee table.

Foam for all of your floating creations. Lot's of colours and thicknesses. 

Bow River Flies to try:

Dries: Trina's Hi-Vis Sprout Midge, Jake's Trigger Belly, Micro Frank, Silverman's Crystal Stimi, Harrop's Last Chance Cripple, Ms. Tickle Cripple, Double Vision BWO, Parachute Extended Body Mayfly

Streamers: Conrad Sculpin Articulated, Slum Lord Jig Leech, Tungsten Found Ya Bugger, Galloup's Butt Sump, Skiddish Smolt, Lynch's Mini Drunk and Disorderly, Cheech Leech, Precious Metal, Hot Head Woolly Bugger

Nymphs: Will's Chai T, Perdigon, Smethurst's Stone Bomb, Goldie Hawn Stonefly Nymph, Dirty Hipster Stonefly Jig, Rubber Legged Squirrel, Tungsten Red Tie Pheasant Tail Jig, SP Tungsten Bead Mop Fly, Werminator, Gummy Worm, Wire Worms,

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

Tool kits. All you need for your first , or next adventure. 

Please remember to try to keep fish wet and remember to pinch your barbs. 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:

FYI - As per the Government of Alberta:

This is picture of the Bow below the Highway 24 Bridge. New pumping station, but the road and launch are still accessible. 

Rob