Whitefish a myth in the bow???

[Braun]

i have been after them for a little while and i am starting to think they are a myth. Not fully true cause i think i saw one jumping a couple weeks back. But has anyone caught any this year and what did you catch it on?

PS. no coat-hanger rig suggestions. lol. i have heard that it is supposed to be deadly for targeting whites but i just haven't taken the time to try it out yet. (that is my next step)

[Guitarplayingfish]

Originally Posted by Braun

i have been after them for a little while and i am starting to think they are a myth. Not fully true cause i think i saw one jumping a couple weeks back. But has anyone caught any this year and what did you catch it on?

PS. no coat-hanger rig suggestions. lol. i have heard that it is supposed to be deadly for targeting whites but i just haven't taken the time to try it out yet. (that is my next step)

Of course there are whitefish in the bow. Keep trying, Use nymphs.

[Braun]

i hooked a rainbow today when trying to catch white. i should also mention i dont flyfish. lol. although it seems like the way to fish the bow

[ericlin0122]

the only thing i caught in bow are whites.... lol
actually believe or not, I caught lake white in NW bow river of the city.
couple days ago, I hook 11, landed 5. 2 of them are lake white fish. it's very rare for me, at least for years I have never caught lake white in bow.
the first one is a 18" lake white


second one is even bigger! 20" taped



look how fat it is.



Most white fish caught on this


this is the rocky white, most you gonna catch in bow



P.S. you don't need fly fishing rod to catch white fish, you can use spin rod too. I catch lots of them this way:

[Braun]

Finally. The man I want to talk to. I have been recomended to use wire worms but didn't know how to go about rigging it. The way you have it it is similar to a pickerell rig minus the wires. How do you tie your knots connecting your hook to your main line? And what kinds of water are you looking for when your looking for whites?

[luckyme]

Most white fish caught on this



eric what are those called??my buddy have some of those he said for white fish but we end up went to a lake instead the bow and didn't catch any.

[Braun]

It's called a wire worm

[ericlin0122]

as for water... they hangs out almost everywhere.
I caught them in deep fast moving water, medium normal water, slow shallow water (above fishes caught at very slow shallow water ~2ft)
the key is to get the flies to the bottom! if you are not bouncing of the bottom, you won't catch them. and if your weight is too heavy, 1) you will snag often, and 2) you won't catch the fish! cuz it just not drifting normal.
pick the right weight is also the key. I can't tell you how much weight you need, cuz it's all depending on how fast the water you fishing at.
normally I would use 3/8 oz, but right now, the water is higher, I would probably go with 1+oz.
I didn't know the name of the knots, I kind of made up my own knot. it doesn't really matter, as long as you get two lines connected.

p.s. not only wire worm works. they take san juan worm, pheasant tail, prince nymph, etc. I have success in almost any popular bow river nymphs.

[walking buffalo]

Nice post and pics ericlin0122. Cool to see those lake whites, I have not caught one in the Bow before.

But I have caught many Huge rockies in the lower Bow, most often in early Sept, gold beadhead hare's ear nymph. They are usually bigger in girth than length. Caught many 4 - 5 lbs. Probably released the Alberta record at some point.

They seem to stack in the head of fast deep runs in late summer/early fall before heading up to spawn.

Originally Posted by Braun

i hooked a rainbow today when trying to catch white. i should also mention i dont flyfish. lol. although it seems like the way to fish the bow

The Horror! You caught a Rainbow while targetting Rockies, a true fishing blasphemy,,, note; sarcasm.

Well it looks like the ice auger can be put away again.

Is it imperative that the Rockies -you catch- come from the Bow?

I've rigged several wireworm/coathanger variations and can lend you a rod/reel and I will promise you a full day of Rockies,, and (god forbid) maybe a trout.

Pumphouse Theatre or Brickburn Bend on the Bow are Rockies Heaven,,, but those Lake Whitefish in the Bow, how long have people been catching them? They can destroy a fishery very quickly.

[Braun]

no i dont care where i go for the rockies. like i said im going through targeting different species of fish so i can learn more and more about each. i know i could go down south a bit and try a couple other rivers there for the whites. i cut the tip off my rod so its shorter now with the stiffer tip. still a little sad about it but it happens. hey. your supposed to be calling me up one day nutter. ill get my hands on those whites, if its the last thing i do.......... ha

[Logan]

I use the exact same rig but with a nail that has a rubber band wrapped around it so if i get snagged, i pull, the band snaps and i lose a $.02 nail and not my fly. Ive never used a SJ worm before but I have hammered the whites with a royal coachmen.

[HappySonny]

Originally Posted by Fishingnutter

The Horror! You caught a Rainbow while targetting Rockies, a true fishing blasphemy,,, note; sarcasm.

Well it looks like the ice auger can be put away again.

Is it imperative that the Rockies -you catch- come from the Bow?

I've rigged several wireworm/coathanger variations and can lend you a rod/reel and I will promise you a full day of Rockies,, and (god forbid) maybe a trout.

Pumphouse Theatre or Brickburn Bend on the Bow are Rockies Heaven,,, but those Lake Whitefish in the Bow, how long have people been catching them? They can destroy a fishery very quickly.

How can the Lake Whitefish destroy a fishery very quickly?

[S.A.S]

I caught 1 and my dad caught a larger 1 on saturday. Using small spinners, Between Southland and Fish creek floating the bow.

Originally Posted by Braun

i hooked a rainbow today when trying to catch white. i should also mention i dont flyfish. lol. although it seems like the way to fish the bow

when we get together, I'll bring my flyrod the line is really old but I have so many memories with it that I don't have the heart to swap it out and it casts just fine anyways,,, I'll teach you the basics and you'll be addicted in no time.

Anyone hit the Highwood lately???? It's looking really prime - in his younger days, I could always get my Dad to pull up to the Highwood on the way back from pike fishing, but napping seems as much as a hobby as fishing for him as of late- so yesterday while driving over it on Hwy2 I noticed two surfacers. Hmmmm, if the rain holds off I think I may try it this eve.