A typical day on the upper Bow River in Alberta, Canada starts the same as I would imagine lots of places in the world start their day; with coffee. Only after darn near a litre of hot, black percolated coffee has been consumed do you start your ritualistic twelve trips to the car, to ensure nothing has been forgotten.
The mornings on the upper Bow are generally crisp, cool and clear; good fishing weather if you can manage to get out of the warm sleeping bag. These summer mornings you can see trout rising along foam lines, back eddies or behind structure in the river. As the day progresses the rises become less frequent and fish move deeper.
On days like this, many sections of the Bow River can be fished with success. There are a few known ‘local pools’ in the downtown area that will produce good fish year round. A bit further up the highway from Banff the Castle Mountain Viewpoint and Castle junction are two other good spots for hitting the river.
When starting a day of fishing on the Upper Bow River it is recommended to take an inventory of what is occurring around you on the water, in the air and on the banks. What nymphs do you find? Any floating bugs? Big hoppers? If you find anything in particular in abundance, try an imitation of that first. Additionally, the opaque turquoise-blue water that the Upper Bow River is known for, can aid anglers when approaching fishing holes so to not spook your quarry.
Dry flies that have produced fish for me on the Upper Bow River include, but are not limited to:
- Golden Stonefly – Deadly early season
- Green Drake – The upwards pointing wings are the big feature on this fly
- BWO – Similar to the Drake but with a different silhouette
- Hoppers/PMX – Lots of legs, fur and foam
- Caddisflies – The classic, go anywhere dries
Disclaimer; most of the above mentioned flies are of the larger variety (sz.10-14) but gnat clusters, mosquitos and other smaller presentations are equally effective when fished properly.
For Nymphs, I usually stick to a smaller selection of tried and true flies that have produced in the past. Very little innovation happens here:
- Double Gold Bead Stonefly – Big and juicy
- Gold Bead Caddis – Olive or Brown
- Prince Nymph/Copper John – Works everywhere
- Olive/Brown Midges – A winter/early spring must
That about sums up the extent of the nymphs that I throw into the Upper Bow, I’m sure someone, somewhere is screaming that I’m an idiot and have been missing out, but this is what has worked for me.
As far as streamer fishing goes, there are two tips that will help you land more fish than simply fly choice. Tip 1: Get Low. Use a sink-tip, bead head, Lead (where legal), ribbing, fly sink gel and all of the above to try and get the fly as close to the bottom of the river as possible. Tip 2: Shake, Shake, Shake. Use flies that have an excessive amount of movement to them. Flies made with zonker strips, marabou, extra legs and soft hackles will get you more action than more traditional patterns. The Barr’s Meathwhistle and the Bow River Bugger are two good places to start if looking to tie your own Upper Bow flies.
Apart from the fishing, the Upper Bow River from Banff to Lake Louise has some of the most stunning vistas in the country. On a common day you will be able to view deer, elk, bighorn sheep, osprey and maybe even a bear in addition to the rocky mountains and alpine vegetation.
As the day moves on and afternoon progresses into evening, ‘the hatch’ begins and commonly the water begins to swell with trout rising to the surface to snatch an easy meal. At this time of day it is important to size down your tippet and try to closely resemble your fly to the ones the trout are feeding on. With the vast quantity of food available the fish are able to be picky if your fly doesn’t pass the ‘smell test’. When the sun finally begins to set and you can’t see your fly anymore, be sure, there are worse days to be had.
