Have I mentioned Hoppers? Lot's of Grasshoppers and lot's of big fish being caught. All kinds of bugs; Tricos, Blue Winged Olives, Caddis, Crane Flies, and still a few Golden Stones. The forecast is a mix of sunny and cloudy days next week, which should keep the bugs happening. Go fishing. The time is now!

Staff Picks - Hai

Flies: Left to Right from top to bottom: Will's Chai Tea, Kaleidoscope, Chrome Perdigon, Gabriel Leech, White Complex T Bugger, Black/Red Vampire Leech, Yeti Hopper, Bloom's Parachute Caddis, Morrish Hopper

The dry fly fishing is going great. Lots of caddis still around, as well as Trico's BWO's and Crane Flies. Golden Stoneflies are still hanging around and a lot of Hoppers. A Hopper Dropper rig is a very effective way to fish right now. Prime time for dries though. The only way to catch fish on the dry fly is to fish a dry fly. Just saying.

The right Sink Tip will help you get your flies to the right depth to hook into that monster brown. Try a poly leader to give you sink tip versatility without having to buy a sink tip line, or try a different setup for you spey rod.

Nymphing is a good way to effectively cover water. A double nymph rig is a great setup for fishing the Bow. Tippet off of your leader using a double surgeons, or blood knot, to the length you want to your first fly (between 9-12 feet total length, including leader), then tippet off again (18-24 inches), leaving a longish lower tag end. Do not remove the lower tag end from when you attached the tippet. The fly will be attached at this junction, where it can float freely. You can tippet off again to add weights if necessary. The weight makes it hard to cast, but can be very useful. Weeds will be your biggest obstacle, followed by catching dinks.

The streamer fishing is going great. The fish are fat and aggressive. The strikes are fast and violent. This makes for some exciting fishing.

The Spey fishing continues to produce exciting strikes on the swing. Whether you are skating dry flies, or swinging soft hackles and small streamers, spey fishing is a productive and fun way to work the water effectively. 

Keep all your dropper and nymph rigs together, and ready, using a leader keeper. Save valuable fishing time by doing the majority of your rigging beforehand.

Eastern Slopes Update: 

The Eastern Slopes are still in great shape and fishing well. Water levels and temperature are up, which may keep the fish rising as readily to the dry fly as you would like. There are Caddis, Trico's, Dunns, are hatching regularly, and still a few stoneflies and PMD's around. The Grasshoppers are epic. A single hopper is a great choice, but if times are tough you can use a Hopper Dropper rig to prospect.

Dries: Parachute Adams, Elk Hair Caddis, Yellow & Orange Stimulators, H&L Variant, Royal Wulff, Callibaeti Parachute Extended Body, KK's Henneberry Hopper, White Cloud Hopper, Micro Frank

Nymphs: Traditional Prince, Pheasant Tail, & Hare's Ear Nymphs, Rubber Legged Squirrel, Smethurst's Stone Bomb, San Juan Worms, Will's Chai Tea

Streamers: Pink/White Dali Lama, Black Conrad Sculpin, White Tungsten CH Sparkle Yummy, Galloup's Mini Dungeon, Clouser Minnows

Mag Grab is a revolutionary new way to hold and store your favorite flies, tools, and more for quick access. Magnetizing onto an adhesive backed anti-rust steel plate, this magnetic fly patch is designed to be semi-permanently attached onto any smooth surface such as boats, coolers, vehicles, and more. 

Please pinch your barbs. Pinching your barbs will make releasing the fish a lot easier. A good set of plyers, forceps, or mitten clamps can make the task easier on both of you.

Less handling means less stress.

We ask that you handle your fish with care by:

We carry several book that, although not specifically fishing related, may enhance your outdoor experience. Sharpen your bush craft and survival skills with Steve Rinella's The MeatEater Guide to Wilderness Skills and Survival, and Mors Kochanski's Bush Craft: Outdoor Skills and Survival. Bears Without Fear by Kevin Van Tighem is a comprehensive book that is meant to demystify bears in order to promote a deeper understanding of these powerful yet vulnerable creatures. While Bill Masterman's One Last Call is a literary journey that speaks to outdoor aficionados of all stripes.

Bow River Flies to try:

Dries: Swisher's Dancing Caddis, Peacock Caddis, Purple Haze, Galloup's Double Stack Caddis, Yellow & Orange Rubber Legged Stimulators, RIO's Skater Tot, Chubby Chernobyl, Micro Chubby, Willy's Ant, RIO's Moorish Hopper, KK's Henneberry Hopper, Fat Frank, Bjorn's Hopper, Juicy Hopper.

Streamers: Veil Leech, Bow River Bugger, Sparkle Minnow, Hi Res Bugger, Skittish Smolt. Leeches: Gabriel Leech, Fruit Roll Up, Tungsten Ice Leech.

Nymphs: Jimmy Legs, TJ Hooker, Rubber Legged Squirrel, Will's Chai T, Kaleidoscope, Tungsten Prince, Puparazzi, BH Extended Body Caddis Pupa, and Caddis Sparkle Pupa.

Trout Spey: Rio's Pocket Rocket, Aqua Stu's Ostrich Intruder, Jerry's WMD Sculpin, AF Mattoli's Spey Bugger, Brett's Klamath Skater, McGovney's Skater.

FYI:

As per the Alberta River Basins web application

Bow River Level at Calgary - WSC

Bow River Level at Banff - WSC

Water levels have been fluctuating below Bear's Paw due to irrigation needs. These changes may put the fish off temporarily, but the fish have experienced this before and adapt quickly. Get out there while the getting is good.

Tight lines, and have fun!

FTFS