Well as many of you know, the water continues to get lower…lets keep our fingers crossed for a wet spring!

The nymph fishing has gone slow lately and the dry fly action has turned on.  Prolific amounts of bugs have been swarming around, including midges, bwo’s and the occasional caddis.  Reports have come in of hundreds of hoppers in the fields south of the city but not sure if they’ve made their way to the banks yet.  Early morning and late evening have been the best times to stalk fish.  Try small sized bwo’s gnats and adams.  If the fish are coming hard out of the water, it is likely emergers.  For this, try either a hopper/dropper combo with a pheasant tail or AP nymph or even swing a wet down dry fly without an indicator.

While nymph fishing has gone slow the last week or so, it feels like it will be turning on again.  However, try small items rather than big leeches, etc.  Pheasant tails, hare’s ear and tung studs seem to be the ticket size 14 and smaller (down to 20).  Fish seem to be in all parts of the river, shallow (1-2′) and deep (whatever is left of the deep holes!), as well as fast and slow.  The key to fishing this time of year will be to hit short stretches hard.  Try all the points in the river at a spot and throw everything you got at them, you’re bound to hook up and get a tight line or two!

If you’ve been to any stretch of any river lately  you’ll notice one common thing:  low water.  Water levels are extremely low right now which means drifting can be a bit more dangerous (watch out for those rocks!) and the fish may be moving into different holes to find better water.  However, it also means that you’ll be able to wade to new spots as well as see parts of the river you’ve never seen so be sure to enjoy the moment and take the opportunity to learn as much about the terrain as you can!

The other observation many folks might have made lately is the plethora of insect activity happening under and above the water.  In the system right now are black leeches, worms, backswimmers, and a number of larvae and pupae (midge, caddis, mayflies.)   Above the surface is a plethora of hatches including midges during the day and blue winged olives later on in the day/evening.   The weather and water have even impacted insects as there have been sightings of hoppers down at McKinnon Flats!  Catching sipping snouts has become the trend lately, so be sure to take your dry flies!

The inner city section of the river was a bit muddy lately, due to some construction at the weir.  Not to worry, fishing has already begun to stabilize and visibility today was about 2′.  While lots of rainbows have moved or are moving to spawn, there are still a number in the main stretch of the river.  Be sure to watch out for redds (spawning beds that are composed of “washed” looking rocks/gravel) and to be extra delicate with any ladies you may catch.  Fish were taken in some of the textbook locations today (e.g. seams, pockets), but also out in the middle flats of the river.  San Juans, blood worms, black copper johns and pheasant tails have been working below surface while bwo’s, adams, and gnats have been working on the surface. 

Water temperatures have remained cool but with warmer temperatures continuing we should to see the fish get more and more active. 

Tight lines!

Caution, wind!!!  Wind was the name of the game today.  It started off fairly tame, but when sundown rolled around it was similar to casting into a brick wall.  However, if you were one of the folks who braved the w-word, then you were hopefully well rewarded!  The river level seemed the lowest of the year, but clarity was excellent with visibility at around 3′.  In the areas I explored, the fish were in and around seams today, both in the middle and tops of runs as well as dropoffs.  There were lots of midges that made their way to shore, as well as a few backswimmers.  I’ve also heard reports of stones  remaining in the system, some rock worms, and an as yet-to-be-identified hatch that could either be march browns or blue winged olives.  The number one fly today was again a #14 prince nymph which brought in two of the nicest browns I’ve seen all year, both around the 23″ mark and healthy girth.  A red copper john was also key, bringing in a few more.  Some observations from the last few weeks are:
1:  Depth -  Remember to keep playing around with depth.  9′ to your first fly and 7′ to your first fly is a big difference and could mean the difference between a good day and a great day.
2:  Water -  Although my reports are discussing the water I am exploring, all water is different.  This time of year I find you can catch fish in all types of water, slow, fast, seams, dropoffs, pools, etc.  Explore, explore, explore.  Try all the areas of the water you are fishing, you never know where that next “big one” is! 

Tight lines!

With daylight savings here, anglers will now have more sunlight to take advantage of after work!  The colder weather over the past few days caused some ice and slush conditions on the water if you were out in the earlier part of the morning.  Fortunately, the sun takes care of this by about noon.  If you are planning on heading out this coming week, the warmer weather in the forecast should prevent any icing up but keep the possibility of icing up in mind for the upcoming weekend when temperatures will drop a bit.

The water was a bit more colored than week’s past, but still great visibility at about 2′.  Fish were feeding below the surface all day. Nymphs and streamers were both working.  Prince was king of the day, with most fish taken on a size 14 prince (variety of colors) as well as the san juan worm and black streamers (woolly buggers and leech patterns).  The streamers were effective stripped and dead drifted.  While a minor midge hatch did occur at about 1:30, there were no fish seen rising and feeding on the surface.  Most fish were caught in similar waters as past weeks, with the majority in slower, medium depth water and a few of the bigger fish in the seams and faster water.

Well, the warm weather has not only seen the fish become more active, but has coaxed many fisherman from their wintering habitats.  The river was quite active, from inside the city down to Policeman’s Flats.  It was nice to see drift boats and a few pontoons on the water, a sure sign that summer is right around the corner.  Hopefully everyone who was fortunate to make it out had a good weekend.  The visibility was surprisingly clear at 2-3′, which meant nymphing was productive.  Most fish caught were in slow to medium water, with a few on the seams.  It’s good to see fish in various parts of the river, but for the most part you will find fish still holding up in certain locations.  Various flies were productive, including worms (both brown and red), prince nymphs, red copper johns and black copper johns.  There was a nice midge hatch in the afternoon, but alas no risers.  Streamers tricked a few rainbows, with black being the magic color.    Remember, with the warmer weather and the increased number of fisherman on the river, its always good to talk with the angler who is fishing in your area.  Not only is this courtesy and etiquette (e.g. find out which way they’re headed), but often times a friendly hello can help turn you on to the “fly of the day.”

Sunday was a great day for Team Canada and for any angler who was able to squeak in some time on the river.  Conditions continue to improve, and the fish are taking notice.  Air temperatures were a balmy 8 degrees and visibility was about 2-3′.  According to the hydrometrics chart, the water levels were at about 1.18m, but no report on the flow.  The sun didn’t keep any of the browns or bows from eating.  They, along with their cousin the whitefish, were all found in various types of water.  The majority of fish were taken from choppy water that provided the seam between the faster and slower water.  However, a number of fish were also taken from slack water and a few from the fast stuff.  The depths these fish were hunting in were about 2-5′.  The gold medal fly was the worm, both blood and red San Juan.  However, leeches, prince nymphs tied for silver while the flashback pheasant tail took bronze.  Fishing should continue to improve from now until runoff, but be careful as ice shelves continue to break up and float down the river.  Always keep one eye on your line and another keeping a lookout!

Feb. 14: If you were lucky enough to head to the river once the weather warmed up, you were hopefully rewarded with a tight line or two!  Weather began clearing in the afternoon, providing sunshine with temperatures a few degrees above zero.  There was minimal wind and the water clarity was phenomenal, at about 4+ visibility.  Today was spent exploring conditions within city limits.  Fortunately, much of the ice shelves have dissipated making for much safer fishing conditions.  However, always be sure to let someone know where you’re fishing and take any necessary precautions depending on the conditions of the area you are fishing.  Fishing was fairly slow for the middle part of the afternoon, despite a nice midge hatch around 1:00.  Later in the afternoon, the fish became more active feeding on prince nymphs, san-juan worms, yellow and copper copper-johns, and green caddis larvae/pupae.  All fish were taken on flies ranging from size 12-16.  Despite there still being snow on the ground, fish were not simply in their “winter” holdouts.  The largest fish, a healthy mid-twenty brown, was taken about 5′ from shore in medium depth water and a number of other fish were taken on the seams of medium paced/slower water.  I’m happy to report, all fish looked quite healthy with only a few looking thin from a hungry winter.

Feb. 15:  Weather continued to improve, with partial clouds throughout the day.  Clarity lessened a bit from the previous day, likely due to melt from the warmer temperatures.  Visibility was about 2-3′.  Unlike the previous day, fish were consistently active throughoutt the afternoon taking all the similar variations and sizes of flies from the previous day.  The one surprising part of the day was three healthy, vibrant and active low-twenty rainbows taken from fast water.  This illustrates that with the warmer temperatures fish will begin moving from their winter holdouts to various types of water, so be sure to cover not simply your winter holes, but all types of water!

Nymphs are the go-to method for the most consistent fishing experiences. Continue fishing the San Juan Worm with a small BH pheasant tail, red copper john, evil weevil, or other small nymph pattern trailing behind it. Some reports of success with a hopper/dropper rig. Use hopper’s like Barrett’s Golden Stone, or stonefly imitations on top with a small beadhead dropper in behind.

Lots of caddis around early in the evening and as the sun is going down. Favorite patterns like the peacock caddis, CDC and elk caddis, or Swisher’s caddis continue to produce in 16’s and 18’s.

The hotter temperatures and bright sky mean nymphing should be your go-to method on the Bow for now. Try fishing a two-fly set-up with a heavy fly on the top to get both flies down. Small beadheads size 14,16 (prince nymphs, red copper johns, tungstuds, beadhead pheasant tail, and hare’s ear).

Hopper/dropper combination is also worth trying with one of the nymphs suggested above used as the dropper. Try a “Trina’s flexi girdle bug’ or a ‘barrett’s golden stone’ size 8 or 10 as your hopper.

Morning fishing with tricos is still going stong - lasting until about noon. Evening fishing with small peacock caddis, parachute caddis or CDC and elk caddis is also effective.

Reports on smaller streams in Southern Alberta are good but the water is still high. Try attractor patterns like the lime trude or ‘yeger’s 409.’

Cold weather has brought great fishing to the Bow! Water temperatures have dropped and levels are at a great level for productive fly fishing. All sections are fishing well now that the Highwood has cleared, allowing for great visibility from the city down to Carsland. Recently, some patterns that have been producting especially well are:

 Nymphs: San Juan Worm #6,8; Evil Weevil #14,16; Pheasant Tail #14,16.

Streamers: Black Bow River Bugger #6; Kiwi Muddler #6,8.

Dry Flies: Swishers Dancing Caddis #14,16,18; Hi Vis Para BWO #18; Skid Bitch #6,8.

Remember, don’t be afraid to take off those indicators and look for rising fish tight to the banks on nice overcast days. Identify the hatching flies, make an upstream presentation, and set the hook!