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

[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.

[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.

[Braun]

I love this. I am probably going totry this Tom. Do you actually use weights or makeshift ones like nails or coat hangers? I was told coat hangers are good cause it rides the current well and gives really natural twitches. Are you casting upstream and letting it roll downsteam along the bottom?

[ericlin0122]

Originally Posted by Braun

I love this. I am probably going totry this Tom. Do you actually use weights or makeshift ones like nails or coat hangers? I was told coat hangers are good cause it rides the current well and gives really natural twitches. Are you casting upstream and letting it roll downsteam along the bottom?

coat hanger is the best. if you get a piece of rubber band connect between your line and coat hanger, you will catch them all + snag less!
yes, you are correct. cast upstream let it drift downstream.

[Braun]

Nice! That's exactly wanted to hear with the elastic. Snaggles is a dream. I am the king at losing lures. Even ask my girlfriend. Probably have caught the most log fish out of anyone on the forum.

****. I want to go try this right now.

[ericlin0122]

Originally Posted by Braun

Nice! That's exactly wanted to hear with the elastic. Snaggles is a dream. I am the king at losing lures. Even ask my girlfriend. Probably have caught the most log fish out of anyone on the forum.

****. I want to go try this right now.

lol
btw, i would only use half piece of coat hanger (looks like "^" shape when it's touching the bottom).

[luckyme]

hah!i lol..my buddy did mentioned wire worm that time,but i thought he was referring to an actual worm.

[RedHeadedFisherman]

Originally Posted by ericlin0122

coat hanger is the best. if you get a piece of rubber band connect between your line and coat hanger, you will catch them all + snag less!
yes, you are correct. cast upstream let it drift downstream.

althoug, i have not fished this spot in some years now,because i have not lived in Calgary for some time now.. it has always been productive for me..
go west on Bow trail to Edworthy park.. walk to the river, with ( i use) a 4 foot line, a V shaped coat hanger-heavey elastice-#12 or #14 snelled hook 1 foot up the line, another 1 foot, same..-6" barrel swivel .
cast UPSTREAM and let the current bounce it downstreak.. keeping a somewhat tight line on it( so you can feel the strike).. works great..
hmm thinking about this.. maybe i will go try it again. L)) :

[Braun]

still getting trumped by the whites on the bow. i know my rig and set up is right i guess im just having trouble finding the guys. im using the same rig as you guys have mentioned and i have used wire worms, san juan worms, royal coachmen flies, white fish killer flies on the rig. i know im using the rig properly; cast upstream 45 degree angle or less and let it bounce as it come to you and gently real in the slack as it comes.....blah blah blah. I have been to places that guys have told me they have had success with the whites and still turned nothing.

I'm going to keep on doing what im doing but ive turned no luck

[aulrich]

Are you catching anything? if not there still might be a hitch in your presentation. So two things that are a must

1. In the strike zone (read bottom)
2. The fly should be going about the same speed as the current.

For myself I seem to hook white's more spring and fall than summer time.

[Braun]

From the people I talk to they say the same thing that there is more white action in spring and fall but they are not impossible to catch in the summer. I let the current bring my rig to me so it is the same as the Current.

[fredieC]

i always catch white fish on bow river, i fish in banff area, use something small as their mouths are smaller compare to trout, depends on what season it is, normally nymps are the best options, the best one that works for me are copper john, small egg patters ( PINK, ORANGE, RED ) also i always atch somthing on mosquito pattern....caddis nymph also works somtimes....

there may br few other things but i always catch whitefish on this ones..
anyway good luck....

[spinerfisher]

Originally Posted by Braun

From the people I talk to they say the same thing that there is more white action in spring and fall but they are not impossible to catch in the summer. I let the current bring my rig to me so it is the same as the Current.

If you can, try down by fish creek area, always seem to hook up a few every trip, and they like those shiny beadheads!

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.

Went with my Dad to try for rockies near North Fish Creek Park, with both copper & white wire worm set-up. Long to short caught a stunning 17 inch rocky with a 14 inch girth, truly amazing fight.

On a sorta related theme; the canal coming into MacGregor at Milo was so high on Thursday that the weir was covered and the Lake Whitefish were hitting tiny shrimp like bugs -not mine though- very slow day all around for everyone, but beautiful weather. This will definitely be a Lake MacGregor Rainbow Trout year. my guess is that they will be stacked at the next impassable weir further up,, to those who head out there be careful, the canal is deceptive and full of undertows,, bring a long throw rope and put the kids in lifejackets if going to the 2nd north weir, the shore is crumbly and quite unstable.

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.

[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.

[Gslice]

Can someone please explain to me how to set up this "coat hanger" style rig?
How does a coat hanger and an elastic help prevent snagging?

[Gust]

post #4, swap out pencil lead for a piece of coat hanger cut into an offset V







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[Gslice]

Originally Posted by Gust

post #4, swap out pencil lead for a piece of coat hanger cut into an offset V







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Thanks Gust. I always appreciate your input.
What about when they talk about how to tie the elastic to the coat hanger to prevent snagging? Any light on that information would be greatly helpful too. Thanks!

Mike