The weather is going to be awesome this Mother's Day weekend, so get out there! Water levels are dropping and the river is very fishable above the Highwood. Below the Highwood the water dirties up quite a bit. Hatches of midges and blue winged olives will continue, with Skwalas also making an appearance, so watch for snouts. A "couple" caddis were also spotted.
We have several different nippers for all of your nipping needs.
Focus your nymphing on deep walking pace water. Fish slowly and deeply. Small nymphs have been working well, as have stone fly nymphs, and San Juan worm variations.
Streamer fishing continues to improve. Deep and slow will still be effective, but the fish are now moving and starting to eat in faster water. Higher water will often move fish tight to under cut banks.
Trout spey has been working well. Larger flies and a heavier sink tip have been producing. Once you find your rhythm, spey casting is a very relaxing way to work the water.
Please pinch your barbs. Pinching your barbs will usually make releasing the fish a lot easier. A net, and/or catch and release tool, can also help with this process.
- Minimize air exposure
- Eliminate contact with dry surfaces
- Reduce handling time
If you do carry a net, there are many ways to do it. A Net Holster is one, but choose whatever works best with your system. Attaching your net to yourself using a retractor, or magnetic net release, is also recommended. Having your net float away, or losing it while bushwhacking, is not a great feeling.
Our Level 1 Fly Fishing Course is a full day introduction to fly fishing. The first half of the day is spent in classroom. Here you will learn the basics about equipment, tying knots, how to decipher river structure, insect life life cycles and more. The afternoon half of the class will be spent covering the basics of casting in a dry land setting.
This full day course costs $150, lunch included. Register in-store, by phone, or on-line.
Dates are filling up quickly. The next available date is Sunday June 22. Click here for further course dates and availability.
Bow River Flies to try:
Dries: Doug's Gnatty Boy, Griffith's Gnat, Parachute Midges, Zebra Midges, Double Vision BWO's, Foam Emerger BWO Biot, Doran's Water Walker Skwala, or Micro Chubby.
Pictured flies from top to bottom: Rio's Pocket Rocket, Coffey's CH Sparkle Minnow, Tungsten CH Sparkle Yummy, Skiddish Smolt.
Streamers: Tungsten CH Sparkle Yummy, Karnopp's Space Invader, Tungsten Found Ya Bugger, Bow River Bugger, or Skiddish Smolt.. Leeches: Aaron's Leech, Tungsten Peacock Leech, and black, brown or olive Woolly Buggers.
Nymphs: Jimmy Legs, TJ Hooker, Rubber Legged Squirrel, Wire Worm, Atomic Worm, Will's Chai T, Kaleidoscope, Tungsten Prince, Copper John's, Zebra Midge's (Red, Olive or Black), Tungsten Soft Hackle BWO, Foam Emerger BWO and Trina's Bubbleback Emerger PMD.
Trout Spey: Rio's Pocket Rocket, Aqua Stu's Ostrich Intruder, Jerry's WMD Sculpin, Mini Me Graboid, Mike's Mini Sculpin Black, and AF Mattoli's Spey Bugger.
Our next After Hours Presentation, Nymphing the Bow with Will Spokes, on Thursday, May 16, 2024 in-store, at 7 PM.
FYI:
As per Gov Alberta Website
Alberta River Levels (May 10, 2024)
Alberta’s river monitoring network includes over 450 gauges that report near real-time data via the Alberta River Basins web application and the Alberta Rivers app during the open water season. Most monitoring stations in southern Alberta are back online. Stations in the northern part of the province will come back online in stages over the next couple of weeks.
Measurements as of May 10 at 9 am
- Oldman River near Lethbridge – 31.2 m³/s, which is at the lower end of the normal range for this time of year.
- South Saskatchewan River at Medicine Hat – 116 m³/s, which is within the normal range for this time of year.
- Sheep River at Okotoks – 17.2 m³/s, which is within the normal range for this time of year.
- Bow River at Calgary – 62.3 m³/s, which is at the lower end of the normal range for this time of year.
- Red Deer River at Red Deer – 44.3 m³/s, which is within the normal range for this time of year.
- St. Mary River at the international boundary – 16.1 m³/s, which is below the normal range for this time of year.
- Waterton River near Waterton Park – 19.2 m³/s, which is below the normal range for this time of year.
As per the Alberta River Basins web application
Bow River Level at Calgary - WSC
| Date | Level (m) | Flow (m³/s) |
| 2024-04-05 12:00:00 | 0.870 | 45.70 |
| 2024-04-12 12:00:00 | 0.762 | 34.60 |
| 2024-04-19 12:00:00 | 0.895 | 48.50 |
| 2024-04-26 12:00:00 | 0.957 | 56.90 |
| 2024-05-03 12:00:00 | 1.045 | 67.80 |
| 2024-05-10 12:00:00 | 0.996 | 61.60 |
Things are happening on the river. Get out there and enjoy the nice weather.
Call your Mom!
Tight lines!
FTFS