Bow River, Alberta

The Bow River (pronounced 'Bo' River) is Alberta's best trout river. From its infant energies above Bow Lake, high in Banff National Park, to its slow depths at its confluence with the Oldman River to form the South Saskatchewan River, the majority of its length entertains trout fishermen like no other Alberta river. 

The Bow is not just about the trophy trout water in the reach below the city of Calgary. To focus on one reach is to ignore the entire length of the river and miss the beauty within. 

A snapshot of the watershed offers diversity in the types of water, scenery, and trout available to adventurous anglers. Join us as we help you discover the entirety of the Bow River, Alberta's premier trout fishery...

Reaches of the Bow River

From a fly fishing for trout perspective, the Bow is set up in three distinct reaches which are known in the fly fishing community, though what they are named doesn't line up with geography. Each one fishes differently, with different trout species present. Each one has its own quirks, timing requirements, and its own scenery to enjoy. The Bow has many faces for anglers to enjoy. We break them into three reaches based on the availability of reliable trout fishing. From head to toe:

The Upper Bow

Oddly, in the fly fishing community, the Upper Bow is considered the reach from Banff National Park downstream to perhaps the Ghost Reservoir. If this were true then the Bow simply comes out of a fawcet somewhere in Banff townsite. Not quite. No, the real Upper Bow is seen by many but fished by few as millions of people drive through Banff National Park on their way to greater places. The fishing begins on the Bow in Bow Lake at Bow summit on the southern leg of the Icefields Parkway, highway #93. Large Lake trout, bull trout, rocky mountain whitefish, and cutthroat trout are the sought after species in Bow Lake and the beaver ponds of the outflowing waters. Very large lakers cruise the shallows each spring as they move in looking for an easy meal. As the river begins to flow out of the lake, bull and cutthroat trout can be caught in eddies, seams, and pocket water. The highway leaves the river for most of the run down to Lake Louise, however, there are many trails that access the reach. This is a favoured section with kayakers and whitewater canoeists as several chutes and large standing waves remind you that you are in the mountains. Please make sure you research any planned whitewater adventure before taking on this reach. These same play holes for kayaks are home to a light population of cutts and a few mature bull trout. There is the odd lake trout caught in the river in the Lake Louise area, upstream to Bow L. Below Lake Louise the river plays a game of ping pong between the railway on the north side of the valley and the Trans Canada highway on the south, literally bouncing back and forth. From Lake Louise to Castle Junction the river is quite shallow and wintering and holding habitat is low. Few pools and little in stream structure sees few fish reside year round. Below Castle Junction and, especially closer to to Banff townsite, the river slows and deepens. Bull trout and cutthroat trout populations are sparse and brown trout enter the picture.  Below Bow Falls on the east end of Banff townsite, brown trout are the main trout species. The population is not high, but it provides reliable fly fishing for brown trout to 20". There aren't too many larger trout until you reach the Canmore area, though a few hogs are caught periodically.

In the very last issue of the Home Waters Magazine, there was an article about Alberta's bull trout. It mentioned the Bow R near Lake Louise and credited it with having "lots" of bull trout and gave very specific directions to a few pools. The irresponsibility of this article upset several local fishermen. The writer failed to realize that the fish he enjoyed catching were the exact same fish he and a few others caught and released every year at the same time from the same pools. Each spring, when the ice comes off the river, it flows at 1/15 of its summer flow, forcing these predators to occupy the very few pools large and deep enough for them. There might be 1 or 2 such pools per kilometer, on average. There are many kilometers with no wintering pools. In each pool there are one to perhaps a half dozen mature bulls wintering. On average, there are perhaps 4 to 8 bull trout per kilometer. However, because the fish can't go anywhere and it is a catch and release river, the illusion comes into some fishermen's mind that there are "lots" of bull trout. How untrue. The fact that the article went so far as to suggest that we should open the door to harvest bull trout once again is an indication that more people need to be educated on the life cycle and population dynamics of bull trout and how they interact with their low productivity habitats. One good angler keeping every fish caught could literally wipe out the population of bull trout inside of a month of fishing this reach. It was an article that proves that not every article should be printed in magazines, though I know the writer won't be happy to read this. 

Every year a few bull trout and several cutthroat trout are kept despite the catch and release regulations. A problem with the Banff - Lake Louise area is the transient nature of the residents. Many Europeans work in the area and simply do not understand the concept nor the reasons behind the catch and release regulations. 

The Middle Bow

While the fly fishing industry wants you to believe it is the Upper Bow, the reach from Canmore to Calgary is best classified as the middle Bow from a trout fishing perspective. An argument could easily be made for the lower Bow to extend down towards Carseland Wier, but for conformance sake we'll take it to Calgary. The middle reach of the Bow is dominated by two things: the recent fame of the dry fly fishing near Canmore and the dams and Weirs put in place for irrigation and power. 

From the mountain backdrops of the Banff and Canmore region, the Bow River transforms itself to a prairie river lined with high walls, open fields, groves of cottonwoods and towering ridges blown by the winters' Chinook winds. It leaves Banff National Park as a fast paced river with a few whitewater sections immediately downstream of the park. Several standing waves are a hit with the rafting companies. From Canmore to just past Deadman's Flats, the Bow has become very popular with the fly fishing guide industry. It is of close proximity to Banff and its tourist crowd, and flows past several stunning mountain peaks. There is ample in stream structure in form of log jams and undercut banks for the sought after brown trout. As the Bow continues east, it loses favour with the guides due to an increase in whitewater and access restrictions of the Native Reserve towards Seebee. There is small a dam at Seebee. A few miles further downstream the river flows into the Ghost Reservoir at the north east corner of the reserve. 

Immediately below the Ghost Reservoir, the river is once again fast paced, with a few large rolling waves. There are a few islands and several side channels. There are several very deep pools and many excellent eddies and runs. As it rolls into Cochrane, the Bow has etched itself into higher cliffs through the prairie landscape. Gone are the spruce and pine forests east of Cochrane. It continues on down to the Bearspaw Dam before sliding into the city of Calgary. 

The water release of the Ghost Dam has a severe fluctuation due to a daily release of water to produce power for the city of Calgary. If you drive over the bridge in Cochrane at 8 am during spring, the river looks peaceful. Low, clear water with virtually every rock in sight makes the river look very inviting. But the dam release begins by 11 am and by mid afternoon the rocks that were a foot clear of the water are 18" submerged. It is a good volume of water that fluctuates daily. Due to this, the best times to fish the river are when the flow is not raging through. Obviously, the release will impact the reach immediately below the dam right away but the increased flow will not impact the area around Cochrane until early afternoon. When the release slows later in the afternoon, the are immediately below the dam will slow first and by evening the reach near Cochrane again lowers. People looking to float the river would do themselves a huge favour by planning to camp out overnight on one of the many islands, thus enjoying the low water of evening after the flush and again the morning before the flush. Fishing the high water periods is a little tough as fish hunker down in the deep pools and edges of the deeper troughs, meaning that you will have to go deep to catch them. The exception to the rule occurs during hatches of larger insects such as stoneflies and hoppers. Virtually the entire length from the dam to Cochrane is perpetual deflections and edges along shore. 

Read Jim McLennan's article "Alberta's Upper Bow River" @ Fly Fisherman Magazine

The Lower Bow

The City of Calgary has a profound impact on the Bow River. A million people can add a lot of nutrient to the river in a hurry. Two million flushes a day feeds a lot of bugs, which in turn feed a lot of trout. There are 2 million good reasons to practice catch and release. 

The running joke is that any monkey with floating line, 9 feet of leader of any thickness and two heavily weighted San Juan Worms will catch as many, if not more, trout in a year than the best hatch chasers out there. While this is is certainly true, especially in the winter months, how long can anyone stand in thigh deep water, flipping bobbers and worms to fish? There are other ways to catch more trout. 

The Bow has a city and an international community full of adoring fans and intimate friends who have tales and stories of days spent adrift with fish emptying their reels, screaming away from its pursuer. Where there is an accepted standard as a "trophy trout" of 20 inches anywhere else, the same is thought as a common, average daily occurrence. 
If you don't hook into a trout of that size is where the abnormality comes... "what's wrong?" becomes the question. It is a nice problem to have.

The graph to the right shows the long term average flow rates for the Bow River at the city of Calgary. Units of discharge are in cubic meters per second. For folks from the USA, simply times the flow by 27 to get an approximation of cubic feet per second. 

The Bow River's peak runoff is mid June. Some of the best fishing occurs during this time, just as the water begins to clear. If you can get out while the river is still up but has a foot or more of clarity, the big trout will be sitting on the bank, finding refuge from the fast water. 

Obviously, there is a current flow rate available. Please go to the Alberta Government website for flow rates for the entire river length.

There is no other river quite like the Bow: one would be hard pressed to think of anywhere else in the world that you can enjoy a gourmet meal in one of Calgary's many fine restaurants and within an hour be catching some of the finest and wildest trout available anywhere. Calgary is home to a symphony orchestra, countless golf courses, endless bicycling routs through the river valley, fine hotels and restaurants, theaters, cinemas, and, of course, the internationally famous Calgary Stampede.

Insects are here with the furor of a charged up spring creek. The Bow River, famous for its large fish eager to take a well-placed dry fly, offers some outstanding hatches all throughout the season. The caddis, blue winged olive and pale morning dun hatches are unparalleled for producing large trout, and lots of them. The mid season hopper hatch offers some very exhilarating and explosive surface action. One of the most fun ways to fish the Bow is with hopper patterns in late summer. They can be used from a drifting boat or by simply wading and fishing your way upstream. Runs or any water over 6 inches deep right next to the bank will hold trout and drifting a Dave's or Letort Hopper along the grass will quickly erupt in a splashy battle. Depending on the time of year and conditions, you will have the opportunity to fish streamers, nymphs and dry flies all in the same day for large, strong fish.

April fishing can be excellent, but at times somewhat unpredictable. May, on the other hand, is outstanding each year: low water, strong hatches with big rainbow & brown trout surface feeding. The primary angling season on the Bow occurs from mid April to mid October, with a short week or two of mountain run~off waters in early to mid~June. This said, however, excellent fishing can be had in every month of the year as the prevailing winds may bring a Chinook to the prairies, seeing temperatures soar into the high teens on the Centigrade scale.

The traffic on the Bow downstream of Calgary has certainly increased since the publishing of rave reviews internationally, but the question begs to be asked... "is it crowded?" Anglers coming from the more popular Western USA Rivers will likely feel abandoned on the Bow whereas local long time residents will say the river can't support any more fishermen. The truth is that if you float the Bow, you will run into perhaps 6 to 12 other drifters and a shaker of waders, but over the 15 miles of daily drift, there really isn't any density. Successful Bow River fly fishermen aren't closed~minded to new tricks or new methods; adaptability and willingness to change will see dramatically different results: when the fish are rising it is dry flies; when they aren't it's time to chose from an accepted set of nymphs or streamers chosen by guides from their years of experience. A typical float trip will see fishermen needing to fish both streamers and nymphs while either drifting or while walking the shoreline pockets and seams, and spending time watching the slicks & flats, hoping to cast dries to the thick shoulders and heavy snouts along shoreline runs.

The Bow is no longer the big easy river with big trout rising in reckless abandon that it once was. The fish are there in the same sizes and numbers as always, if not bigger, however, a more skilled angler is needed today to have the kind of fishing so publicized. An inexperienced fly fisherman with a guide will probably do better than an experienced fly fisherman going solo, especially if you are not a local.

Unlike any other river or feature river seen at flyfishalberta.com, the Bow River cannot be paraphrased or summarily described to a short quip of "how to's" or "the best of". It is a river that will either need time to get to know, or a guide to show you where and how to fish it if your time is limited. The regulations are being fine~tuned, and the provincial guide to regulations for the Bow is complex. The hatches occur all year and no one is head & shoulders above another, and there are many of them, making a "fly of choice" the fly of the moment, which changes daily. It can be said, however, that the quietest time to fish this river with the greatest chance of solitude with a good chance to land a large trout is September to early November and again April to early June. Prime season for the largest "trophy" trout is in fact during run~off, whem fish are very reactionary to large nymphs, minnows/fry, or other swept forage. This is generally the first 2 weeks of June. Anglers are reminded that the Bow River is a big river with prevailing west winds, factors that make a 6 weight rod a necessity. Lighter rods are recommended in case the evening presents itself with placid skies, midge hatches and calm winds... but if you are to use only one rod on this river, it is recommended it is a 6. If you can, it is recommended that you bring 3 rods to float the Bow River ~ a 9 foot 4 wt for the smaller nymphs; an 8 foot 4 wt for dry flies; and a 9 foot 6 wt. for large streamers or windier conditions. The variety of rods will allow you to cast to the conditions, plus having the lighter rods will allow your arm to relax at some point during the day, which sees much casting.

The rainbows arrived in the Bow River back in the twenties while on their way to Banff National Park. A train wreck kept them from being stocked in Park lakes and rather than letting the stock go to waste, a quick, wise, and eternally impacting decision was made as someone suggested releasing the trout into the river, the Bow River. Not so long ago, the rainbow trout were confirmed as a steelhead stock by Dr. Robert Benke of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Brown Trout were stocked as a result of an accident while Parks Canada were stocking some lakes in the Banff area.  A wagon broke down in Carrot Creek and rather than let the fish die in the tanks, the wagon operator released the load of Browns into Carrot Creek, approx 40,000 fish. This was the only recorded stocking of browns into the Bow River system.  Both stockings can be attributed to the desire of colonial settlement influence, as the fish were introduced to bring a feeling of "home" to the fishermen of mainly European origin. These Rainbows and Browns today are an extreme combination that will have you rockin' & rollin' all day long... 2500 challenging trout per mile. Anglers who spend several days on the river have a realistic opportunity to land trout over 24 inches

By calling the Bow "The Blue Ribbon Bow", we may be infringing on a copyright. You see, the River has touched many a heart to the point where several books have been written, one such named the "Blue Ribbon Bow", and it itself has two versions and several printings. For visitors who are planning to visit her waters, or those who have been captivated by her spell, Jim McLennan's book is one that should make an appearance on your bookshelf soon...  

Read Jim McLennan's article on the Lower Bow R @ Fly Fisherman Magazine right now.

Bow River Hatches

As can be expected, hatches occurring at 6000 feet elevation above Bow Lake can be very different from what occurs on the lower Bow at 2500 feet. 

Also, several insects that hatch are quite different in appearance between reaches. Consider the golden stonefly that hatches early to late July in most reaches.  To the right, notice the difference between the golden stone taken near Banff (left) in July versus the golden stone taken near Janzen's, below Calgary, (right) in early July. There are subtle differences like this in many of the insects listed below. Time and observation on the water will help you.

To be consistent with the reaches listed above, here are the hatch charts for the same, in order of head to toe:

Upper Bow River Hatch Chart

Middle Bow River Hatch Chart

Lower Bow Hatch Chart

 

Bow River Streamer Patterns
Streamer fishing is an effective method to fish the Bow River. 

Woolly Bugger (black-olive-brown)	4-6-8
Gander	4-6-8
Gartside Leech (black-olive)	4-6
Mohair Geek Leech (olive-black-purple)	4-6
White Marabou Leech	4-6
Clouser Minnow (black/white - white/olive)	4-6-8
Zonker (natural-black-olive)	4-6-8
Bead Head Wooly Bugger (black-olive)	4-6-8
Bunny Leech in white, yellow, pink (for bull trout)	2/0 - 6/0
Bow River Bugger (olive-black-purple)	4-6-8
Cone Head Wooly Bugger (black-olive)	4-6-8

Universal Nymphs of the Bow River
Fish these nymphs with or without a bead. Deeper running flies can be fished without a bead, especially when no emergence is occurring. Shallower nymphing with bead heads often is best during hatch.

Hare's Ear	12- 18
Pheasant Tail	14- 18
Squirrel Nymph	6- 12
Soft Hackle	12- 18
Prince Nymph	12- 16
Brook's Black Stonefly	6 - 12
Theo's Red Pheasant Tail	12 - 16
San Juan Worm	6- 10
Brook's Yellowstone	6 - 12
Caddis Pupa	12 - 18

 

Bow River Float Trips

The Bow River is large enough to float a pontoon boat or canoe on from Lake Louise to the Carseland Weir. Below Carseland, the river winds through the Sitsika Indian Reserve which can't be crossed in a day. The Sitsika Band does not welcome non natives. While the Band can't legally do anything to visitors using the water, so long as anglers remain below the high water mark, not all Band members abide by legal methods of communication. So, we'll cut off the Bow River trout float trips at Carseland Weir and simply mention that users below this point best have a jet motor to get themselves back out of the reserve at day's end.

The following float times are estimations. Float times are very dependant upon many things, including:
Water flow rate. Lower flow means a slower go.
Wind. Watch the forecast as east wind can really slow you down. The Bow travels west to east. A west wind is a tail wind and will speed things up.
Wading. The more stops you do the longer the trip will be. 
Rowing - Some folks hold and fish water, others blast through and really just barely hit the best water with one or two casts.
Time of year - with fish stacked into wintering runs, earlier floats mean more time anchored or pulled out and fishing long, deeper choppy trough water. Summer flows can be in excess of 10 times the volume of water, meaning considerably faster flow rates and shorter float times. 

Upper Bow River

The first three floats should only be done in canoe or light pontoon boat due to difficult access and continual sweepers, tight corners, difficult maneuverability. Note that you will also need a National Parks license for the first four floats listed here. Please consult the Provincial and National Park fishing regulations for seasonal closures, bait bans, size limits, etc. The upper reaches through Banff National Park are beautiful, however, don't head out expecting too many trout to be caught in a day. Enjoy your surroundings and take your camera to film the wildlife and scenery.

Lake Louise to Castle Junction - 12+ hours fishing. Sight seeing float with a few bulls and cutthroat
Castle Junction to Red Earth Creek ~ 4 hours fishing. Sight seeing float with a few bulls and cutthroat
Red Earth Creek to the Hwy 1A crossing ~ 8 hours straight float. Some faster, deeper water with more whitefish. A few bulls and cutthroat. 
Bow Falls to Canmore ~ A very "Full day" float. Consider a two day trip. Browns (10 - 18"+), bulls, few cutts, whitefish.

Middle Bow River

Canmore to Deadman's Flats ~ 6 hour float with many sweepers and log jams. Consult locals for current state of the big log jam an hour into the float. Browns, a few bulls, whitefish, few cutts, whitefish
Exshaw to Seebee ~ Fast water with big waves and sweepers. 5 hour float. Use extreme caution and do your homework before floating this section. Browns, few bulls, whitefish. Take out above the Seebee dam
Ghost Dam to Cochrane ~ 6 hour float. A few big rollers. Many island the first 2 hours of float. Good camping reach. Browns and rainbows. Some larger trout begin to show. Tough water is easily avoided. Many deflections for summertime risers. Heavy fluctuation due to Ghost Dam.
Cochrane to the head of Bearspaw Dam ~ 6 hour float. Many deflections, good riffles and runs. Heavy fluctuation due to Ghost Dam. Browns and rainbows. Good hopper water. 

Lower Bow River

Below the Bearspaw Dam, the Bow River is the prime trophy trout reach and there are several float trips available. Any combination of put in and  take out locations is possible. Beware a few hazards, such as the WID Weir! Here is a map that has floated around the internet for several years, the origin unknown at time of loading this page. Note, the map was created prior to the completion of the Deerfoot Trail Extension, which is now located just upstream of Policeman's.

Here is another map that was assembled using the MapQuest function on the Internet by a member of our forum. It shows the road routes to the various float sections and put ins on the Bow River. Again, it is not exact, however, gives a good indication of how to get to the more popular spots.

On the following three floats, it is best to use a light boat such as a pontoon boat, canoe, or raft. As direct river access is limited, these are the best suited boats for:

Bearspaw to Edworthy Park ~ Full day float. Browns and rainbows. Will take you through downtown Calgary. Large trout present. Good fishing
Edworthy Park to Centenary Park ~Not quite a full day float. Again, takes you through downtown Calgary. Large trout present. Some good fishing. Make sure you don't miss your take out!
Wier (Cushing Bridge) to Glenmore Trail (Graves Landing)~ 3 hours fishing. Good brown trout water. Rainbows. Large trout present. Good streamer water. Good evening and night fishing under lights of city. 

Glenmore Trail (Graves Landing) to Hwy 22X (Fish Creek Park)~ 6 hours fishing. Good brown trout water. Float through residential area. As you float under the first pedestrian bridge, pull over and fish the slower choppy water at tail end during winter/spring, or fish the heavy chop water in summer. Good rainbows in riffles.

Directions to Hwy #22X & Fish Creek Park. Access to hwy #22X is via the Deerfoot Trail to Bow Bottom Trail. Follow this through Fish Creek Park and follow to the boat launch signs. Alternatively, for light canoes, pontoons, rafts, etc ~ take hwy 22X to the set of lights on top of the hill on the east side of river. Turn north and in 150 yards take the left to the golf course. Note that you must park outside the Provincial Park gates if you are going to return after dark.

Hwy #22X to Policeman's Flats ~ 3 hours fishing. Good rainbow and brown trout water. A great float to spend a day working seams and riffles. Get out and wade often. Lots of water to cover, many small islands, riffles, seams. Reach becoming more popular since Deerfoot extension completed. Policeman's comes upon you quickly. Be prepared to do a quick bit of rowing if you haven't been there before. The Deerfoot extension bridge is about a mile and a half upstream. There will be a long, relatively straight section with minor bends. At the end of it there will be a downstream left turn and white posts. Get to your river right. You should also see cars parked up top. The launch is blind to you until you pass it so sneak up along shore and float close to it. You will see the take out soon.

Policeman's Flats to McKinnon's ~ 6 to 9+ hours. The most popular reach due to close proximity to city and ample availability of trout water. Excellent browns and rainbow fishing. Continual seams, riffles, runs, pools, eddies, etc.  The take out @ McKinnon is on your river left. You will come around a large, treed island just downstream of a power line, on a long left bend. The two channels will come together (there will likely be people at the inside corner). There's quite a bit of current there as well. A few hundred yards down on your left is the take out.

Driving Directions to McKinnon ~ Directions are easy. Head east on hwy 22x. Follow it out past the big grain elevator. Cross under the powerlines. A little further there will be a sign with a trout on it. Take the next right. Follow south, past the RR X, past the transition to gravel, come to a T. Turn right. Head west about a mile. Follow the sign and turn left (south). Another couple of minutes and you will go through the gates at the top of the hill @ McK. Follow the switchbacks down and park in the parking lot. Quite a large place if you haven't been there before, it'll surprise you.

McKinnon's to Janzens ~ 4 hour straight, up to 8 hours fishing. Much like 22X to Policeman's. Excellent short float allows for many pull outs to wade various shorelines. 
McKinnon to Carseland ~ 7 to 10 hours float. Too much water to cover well. Many small islands, drop offs, seams, riffles, runs, eddies, flats, etc. Good rainbow fishing. Browns lower numbers but still very much here.
Janzens to Carseland ~ See McKinnon to Carseland, but 4 hour float. 
Below Carseland ~ Jet boats only. Section flows through the Siksika Reserve and you best approach the reserve for permission prior to accessing. Good rainbow fishing. Some large browns and bows present.