Wow… Hard to believe July is almost over.

The Bow continues to fish well with nymphing being the most consistent method. Try stonefly nymphs like the Jimmy Legs or Rubber Leg Squirrel. Other good choices are San Juan Worms - in a variety of sizes/colors, Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ears, Evil Weevils, and caddis pupae.

If you’re still itching to be dry fly fishing try fishing in the evening. There are plenty of caddis around which means the Peacock Caddis, Swisher’s Dancing Caddis, and X-Caddis are good patterns to try out. If they’re not taking your caddis try a BWO imitation or PMD as we’re hearing many reports of fish targeting these bugs. Stoneflies are still around. They’re just not as plentiful as a couple of weeks ago. That said, large stonefly imitations like Barrett’s Hoppers, Fat Alberts, or Skid Bitches are worth trying. Not a lot of reports of Hopper activity as yet.

As far as streamer fishing…. So far it’s hit and miss with the most success happening at night.

BOW RIVER

If you were in town this weekend you likely noticed the stonefly and caddis hatch getting better and better…to the point where its about time to cash in on those (cough cough) sick days.

Good reports of early morning and late evening fish taken on the dry stone.  Later in the morning and evening the caddis are coming out to play as well.  In between this time, and throughout the day, BIG stonefly nymphs are the ticket, while worms, leeches and caddis continue to bring them in.  Visibility is great at 2-3′ with levels moderate, meaning still dangerous so be careful when wading.  River is taking on a nice colour that allows you to see the contours of the river bed with a nice pair of polarized sunglasses.  Favorite dry patterns include Barrett’s Golden Stone, Skid Bitch, and the Obe Wan Chernobyl.  Great nymphs include Jimmy Legs (orange dirties up quite nicely), peacock leech and brown and red San Juan worms.

MOUNTAIN STREAMS

Headed to Beaver Mines, but ranch work got in the way of fishing.  Running to the river it looks like they are starting to level out and clear up, with the exception of some waters lower down (e.g. Oldman).  Reports have come of Green Drakes starting to come in, but the stones are still in the nymph stage.  Good reports of lots of bulls on the Livingstone as well as a good day of cutties.  Good choices down there would include Extenda-body Green Drakes, PMD’s, and stone nymphs.

The Bow is in prime condition with visibility at 2 1/2 - 3 feet in the city section. Flows are still high so be cautious when wading.

There’s plenty of caddis action in the evenings (as the sun’s going down). Favorite caddis patterns include the Peacock caddis, Swisher’s dancing caddis, Black Elk Hair Caddis. You can have good opportunities throughout the day particularly if you’re willing to try different tactics. Hearing about success with caddis pupae, continued interest in leech patterns like the peacock leach and lots of activity on stonefly imitations like the “Jimmy Legs.” Fish have started keying in on adult stones. Good patterns to try include the Obe-Wan Chernobyl and Barrett’s hopper.

With a break in the rains, I grabbed my rod and dog and headed down the river for some action after work.  The number one thing that surprised me was how much higher the river has risen in the past few days.  There was water in what was a footpath 3 feet above the water just a few weeks ago.  I believe, in speaking with some other folks around the shop, we are officially in runoff.  Looking at the SRD website reports for the Bow River Basin, flows are steady at around 155-160 m3s and levels are around 1.53 m.

I was fortunate enough to run into local resident and long-time angler Peter and fished the end of the night with him.  His night produced a trophy brown, proving that despite off-conditions, the fishing can be fantastic.  Visibility is 0-6″ and the water is high and fast.  Many of those seams you are used to are now full-on currents so you will have to do some sleuthing/exploring to figure out what is going on.  Streamers again were heralded by some, but didn’t produce.  The good ol’ go-to worm and heavy nymph rig brought them in. Try some troughs where slow/fast water meet, which may be a bit hard to find.  Peter and I also sat in awe for a good amount of time at dusk as dozens of well-sized fish were hitting the surface violently, indicating they were capturing food emerging to the surface.  Insects that were out include yellow sulphurs, caddis and the infamous mosquito (don’t forget your cigar or repellent!).

While fishing may produce some great fish this time of year, it is also dangerous.  Be sure to know your water, always let someone know where you’ll be, and if possible-fish with a buddy.  Tight lines!

The good news is, Alberta is receiving some well-needed rain…the bad news is (especially for farmers) that we may be getting a bit too much.  Hit the water for a few hours and first thing that anyone would notice if they made it to the banks is that the river is up considerably from last week (about 2 feet) and visibility is down to about 6″.  While the river is high and fast, it isn’t quite runoff yet.  A bit more rain in the mountains and some warm weather to melt the remaining snow pack, and we’ll get the flush we’ve been waiting for.

Don’t be disheartened by the water color or the level, the fish are still there and feeding.  During this time of year, there are a few favorite methods to try.  The first is “bombing” the banks with streamers, the second is dead-drifting streamers, and the third is nymphing.  Occasionally you will also see see fish rising, so be sure to keep your dry box handy!

Today the fish were found in slack water.  This doesn’t necessarily have to be near the bank, it could be below an island or gravel bar or even the point right before where two seams converge.  There wasn’t much seen hatching on the surface during my time on the water, with the exception of a yellow sally or two, but there were certainly food items below the surface.   All fish were caught on either a worm, caddis larva or prince nymph.  Streamers and large stones were tried to no avail.  However, there have been reports that these have been working.

I fished Police to Mac on Monday June 14th with John and Tim.
We got out a bit early as we had to be back in Calgary by 6pm.
Water conditions are colored but very good for streamers. Two to 2.5 feet of visibility. Water is up but nowhere close to runoff levels. We need a solid push of water to clean things up.
I streamer fished hard from the boat and when we stopped and can honestly say I might have had one bump! I never saw one chase off the bank. Meanwhile the other two guys hooked fish very regularly on their nymph outfits. I am a bit of a hard-headed streamer guy so I stuck with it for several hours but finally enough was enough and I worked the nymph rigs and no surprise started to hook some fish. All I have to say is that it was a worm day! It  pains me to say it but that was the reality of the day. All but one fish was caught on a worm. We all had large browns (over 22 inches) on. John was the only one to land his. He got two beauties. They were a couple of the nicest browns I’ve seen in quite some time. As healthy and good looking fish as you can ask for anywhere in the world. Fish were not on the banks and we did not see any stonefly shucks on the bank. The PMD’s were hatching nicely as well as a few caddis and some very dark mayflies that are likely Western Dark Hendricksons (thanks Greg.) A few small fish were eating these mayflies on the surface. Once the larger stones start to hatch fish will move to the bank but they sure weren’t there on Monday. It was nice to watch a couple of good anglers work nymph outfits (particularly from the bank) otherwise we would have had a VERY slow day. What a great river we live by now if only we could teach these fish that they should eat streamers and dries all the time!!!

The good news is that we’ve received much needed rain this past week, but bad news is this muddied up the river a bit and reduced visibility.  The water levels on the Bow are up about 6″ from last week, but visibility was down to about 1.5′ on Saturday and cleared up to 2′ on Sunday within the city.  The stretch below the Highwood remains even dirtier with less visibility.  In addition, the insect hatches don’t seem as prolific as they were a few weeks ago.  Both days witnessed some caddis, green and yellow sallies, the occasional leftover March brown.  The sieve brought up some green and brown rock worms, aquatic worms, leeches and some pupae of the insects mentioned before.  Despite the lack of visibility and cloud cover, the fish were in the usual haunts looking for a meal or two.  Fish were caught in shallow water (2′), but were concentrated in slightly deeper pockets along runs.

Hot flies of the weekend were flashback beadhead hare’s ear, flashback beadhead pheasant tail, san juan, Jimmy’s rubber legs (stonefly nymph), and caddis pupa. 

Good news was for the first time in a long time, I got to meet more rainbows than browns.  Despite looking a bit pale, they were a healthy weight and fiesty as could be.  It looks as though we’re in for some additional wet weather this week, but just remember, the fish don’t mind and are always looking for a free meal (or imitation!).  Good luck and tight lines….

What a difference a day makes.  As many of you may know, we’ve had some of the best early dry fly action we’ve seen in years these past few days/week.  However, things are changing as the weather changes.  While I can’t speak for changes in the daytime hatch, the evening has seen a shift.  There are still large caddis hatching (size 12-16), but the fish don’t seem to be feeding as hard on the surface.  While they are coming up for caddis, it isn’t as aggresive or intense as the past few days.  They seem to be taking emergers following the dry as well as nymphs.  So, good news is they are still feeding very well, you might just have to do a dry fly/emerger combo.

The fish can still be found in the same spots, nice buckets within runs, seams, dropoffs, etc.  Hot nymphs include all colors of san juan, caddis pupa/larva and beadhead flashback pheasant tail.  If you head out, you will still have loads of fun….just be sure to try various tactics if one isn’t working at the time.  Good luck and tight lines…..

There are a few times a year when I am in awe of how productive the Bow is.  Now is one of those times…..

Whether nymphing or dry-fly fishing, the fish are feeding quite well.  River levels are down about 6″  from Thursday, May 20th, but clarity remains excellent, about 2′.  In the morning and pre-evening fish are feeding quite well on nymphs (bh pheasant tail, caddis larva/pupa, san juan worms, black copper johns).  They can be found close to the banks and further out, but seem to be focused in buckets along runs.  In the afternoon (11-2:30) and evening (7-10) there is a significant caddis hatch and you can find many large fish feeding quite frenzy-like on size 16-12 elk hair caddis, both green and brown.  We’ve received many reports of double-digit days for folks, personal bests, and just plain excitement!  Weather is set to change later in the week which will likely impact the fishing.  So, if you can’t get out much and are looking for an excuse to do so, now is the time to go!  Feel free to drop by the shop or call if you have any questions about the fishing or need to stock up on some flies.  Tight lines!

The big news of the day is the river is rising.  Levels are up about a foot or so since the previous week, which means many of the familiar runs you’ve likely fished in the past are becoming defined again.  The by-product of this new found flow is decreased visibility.  Visibility ranged from about 6″ to 1.5′ in places along the river.  While some folks often view this as a challenge, others see it as an opportunity.  Either way, the fish are still feeding.

I’ve found that fish are returning to runs that they weren’t in previous, due to the low water levels we’ve had.  You’ll find them hiding close to the banks and also further out in runs quite a ways into the river.  Don’t be afraid to try all sorts of water!  The insects observed were blue winged olives and some caddis.  There were fish rising, but not consistently which often indicates they are feeding on emergers.  One tip is, if nymphing, be sure to let your rig fully drift as it will rise toward the end imitating an emerging insect.  Hot flies of the night included the san juan worm (various colors/designs) and the black rubber legged copper john.  Other reports indicate leeches, pheasant tails, and hare’s ears are also working now as well.