Canoeing Up the Bow with Small Outboard
 

Trying to figure out whether this is feasible or even advisable as an option to fish the Bow. This would mainly be a way to fish the Bow solo. Typically you need two vehicles if you want to drift the Bow (park one at the take out and the other to deliver you to the put in). It's not the greatest setup and basically means solo drifting is impossible (unless someone is kind enough to come pick you up at the end of the day).

My idea is to use either a small short leg 2 hp kicker or a 55 lb thrust minn kota attached to my canoe. Then drive it upstream from the put in for an hour or so and drift back down.

The concern is that the Bow being a shallow river I'll either wreck my prop/leg or won't even be able to use it due to the water levels. The other thought I had is will I even make headway in a canoe with a small motor. The canoe I'm using is nearly flat bottom so it has pretty shallow draft.

Ideally a jet drift boat would be the ticket, but that's not in the budget this year.

Has anyone ever tried what I am suggesting? Is it a terrible idea? I haven't been past fish creek so I'm not even sure what the depth and flow of the lower Bow is like.

Nobody has any experience or thoughts on this?

Just FYI that I'm aware you can't use a motor on the Bow within Calgary city limits. Forgot to mention that initially.

I have canoed the bow three times. I have capsized on bow three times! The shallows come up really fast. I guess if you really keep track of your route on the float down (find the deeper waterways) and also be willing to get out and walk it upstream through the shallows then it might be doable.

I've only floated the bow once n a canoe, last year from Glenmore Trail launch. I hit a few pretty shallow patches where I was hitting bottom with the canoe, so... I dunno.

There is also a service that will pick up your car from where you launch and take it down to where you want to get off the water. Might want to check that too.

Lock your canoe to a tree somewhere upstream by the river on a bus route after you drop it off your vehicle. Drive your vehicle downstream. Take your fishing stuff in a backpack on the bus up to your canoe. Float the river. An electric motor will not propel you very far upstream, and a gas motor on a canoe is not adjustable enough for the shallow water in the city. Kind of tough to haul your canoe/life jackets/paddle/safety gear and a motor and a battery and all your fishing stuff up the bike path when you have run out of juice. Likewise with a motor/gas and all the above too. Good luck. When you hit gravel your motor swivels and slams forward right out of the water and face down inside your canoe/boat and good luck reaching the controls when they are out of view; when your motor is on full throttle shooting gravel,spilling fuel and the sudden stop launches you out of the boat hopefully not on to the prop...and the current takes it all back down... not sure about a motor in the city, but great access to buses..

My opinion. Too much trouble and very dangerous with a motor, especially alone.. Just float it and have fun.
D.

Gas motors are not allowed within City limits on the Bow R. Would have to be an electric.

Give it a shot
 

Use a gas motor start at the bottom, McKinnion flats and see how far you can run up stream. When you get as far up as you can go, or the city limits or as far as you want to go. Ship your motor and drift down stream.

Fishing by yourself in the Bow while drifting in a canoe will be very exciting. Let us know.

^This.

Skip the hassle of dealing with a motor. Use a shuttle service:

http://www.calgarybowrivershuttles.com/index.html

Fished the bow with a square stern canoe for years (till someone borrowed it). Using a standard old Merc 5 horse. Never lost a prop but I have a lot of experience with that combo and tilt.

Well I'm going to give this a shot. Maybe in a raft the first time, but the lack of negative feedback makes me think this is at least not completely crazy.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'll post how things go after the trip.

LOL That's usually good enough for most of us here! Good luck!