Bearspaw Whitefish
 

Me and my dad tried out the whitefish fishing right below bearspaw reservoir. action was good, had alot of bites throughout the day, caught and released several and kept a few to try out in the fry pan, anybody know how they taste out of this part of the river?

r u brave to eat the whites from bow in city.

The water just below the bearspaw dam seems to be very clean and doesn't have the same smell as the water in the inner city.

Remember, bearspaw dam IS our drinking water.

I used to smoke them out of the Bow in that area, they were pretty good. If you go down below the railroad bridges you will catch a lot more, or the top end of Bowness Park.

I've had non-stop whitey catching days there. If you go right up to the dam at the big gigantic rock pile, climb up top there for a break to observe the schools of whitefish. Pretty cool stuff.

And yes, the bow is not that dirty there at all. Been fishing it for years, kept a few whites out of there myself and they tasted great.

What were you using for the whities? I've never had great luck up there for some reason, only thing I've ever caught was a burb.

If you can still get there, access the upper part of the reservoir from the Transcanada towards Bearspaw Estates,,,, use the standard whitefish rig and you may also set into a decent Rainbow. Used to icefish just as the water slows,,, not sure if thats legal now. If you want an exact spot I'll PM you.

Ive been smoking the whats from the bow up by bowness. The whites do not taste bad at all. actually the have been my favorite smoked fish sofar. Dont listen to those who say the fish near the city tast bad.

Do Fish Move?
 

Can whitey move from inner or downstream of city up to the Bowness Park area? If so, can whitey be tasted much better because they take a clean bath? Or just psychological things?

Just Curiosity, I am not against taking fish from Bow as long as following the fishing regulations.

Maybe people who have eaten whitey taken both from Bowness Park area and inner/downstream of city are able to tell the truth.

Cheers

I think it is mostly a mind thing, you'll get some contamination from the storm dains since they go straight into the river. And there are still bone heads that dump stuff into back lanes or right into the drains, but there has been improvements in attidude in recent years.

Sewage does not go into the river till after the wier (bonneybrook treatment plant) ironicaly the main reason for the bigger fish on the lower bow. the treatment level keeps the river "cleanish" but loads it up with nutrients. For a river that flows though a major urban center not spotless but it is remarkably clean.

One question are there places further up stream that would work for white fishing and family picnic. SWMBO would prefer a more mountains in the senery.

The foot of ghost dam?

i have also fished that section before and have kept some whites and taste fine to me too. the only thing that concerns me is the regs regarding fishing 25 yards from any dam or structure,(page 19 under additional restrictions) i am not sure if it means starting from the building or cement structures and plus as far as i know no fisherman carries a 25yard measuring device so i often wonder if there are some sort of markers that would inform people where this so called 25 yard border is.any ideas? i often see huge schools like one of the posts says but i am kinda reluctant in risking a fine cause i am not sure if it would be legal.

we weren't right by the dam, probably about 700 yards away.

ah i see i thought you were talking about up by the dam.

Well you can see it off in the distance, but thats it.

We smoked the whitefish and they taste great!