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05-08-2011, 03:12 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 80
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Good fishing spots on the Bow
Hey everybody,
Any suggestions on good spots on the bow river (in city limits) ?
I have tried a few spots by inglewood, end of heritage drive and by the treatment plant.
I have been skunked every time.
Thanks,
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05-08-2011, 06:46 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 50
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBatman
Hey everybody,
Any suggestions on good spots on the bow river (in city limits) ?
I have tried a few spots by inglewood, end of heritage drive and by the treatment plant.
I have been skunked every time.
Thanks,
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Any of those places should have got you a fish...or not. Its all a game Batman, arre you chucking tin or pitchin flies? Whichever way you fish change things up once in awhile. Once you get one of those bullets hooked you,ll feel a litle more confident the next time. I go fishing expecting to catch fish but after 20+ years on the bow I still egt skunked now and again. Good luck-keep at it.
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05-09-2011, 07:18 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,111
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Any place where there is a bridge, also get yourself a city bike path map it will show access points as well. and watch out runnoff is due to start in a couple of weeks, June can be some tough fishing on the bow with the water being high and dirty.
The bow can be daunting for a new comer (bin there done that), but it's worth the work. I had an advantage when I was going though that first stage the guy I fished with always caught fish so I knew I was doing it wrong, but then one day I turned the corner.
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05-09-2011, 08:40 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 80
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Thanks for the quick replies. This is my second year fly fishing. Last year I taught myself how to fly fish in the Upper Kananaskis lake. Which was just casting out a dry fly and teasing the fish. River fishing is completely a new feel.
I think maybe I need to work on my technique. I have tried a short leader (3 feet) to a long leader (6-8 feet). I was told to use nymphs such as a san juan worm and cast up stream and let it float back around to you.
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05-09-2011, 09:16 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,111
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I run no shorter than 9' typically 9-12 under a corky and floating line.
My big mistake early was mending I would end up pulling the nymph out of the strike zone, bottom foot. When I started to execute clean drag free drifts I started catching fish.
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05-09-2011, 10:43 AM
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Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 483
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Last year was my first successful year on the bow. I started out with spinning gear until I had found a few good spots (one located by the Douglass dale driving range lots of people fish there), then I switched to my fly gear.
Success with the fly gear came slowly I watched a lot of how to nymphing videos on you-tube and finally some one gave me a San Juan worm made of wire and since then I have hade as much luck on the fly as casting. The nymph had to be bounding off the bottom for it to work and I had caught most of my fish in the afternoon on sunny days before thunderstorms blew through.
I am sure the more experienced bow river fishermen have better methods and can catch them all day but the above is what worked for me last year.
Good Luck it is a lot of fun and there are a lot of big fish in that river.
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05-09-2011, 11:28 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,207
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I Agree with the comments for a longer leader. If I'm not feeling the nymphs bouncing on bottom, a longer leader and/or more weight is added. To be in the zone, my leader length and weight changes for each run depending on water depth and current speed.
Plus, the vast majority of trout are upstream right now. Spawning rainbows are mostly upstream, along with the browns feeding on eggs and little fish eating the eggs. They will be coming back downstream very soon.
Persevere, and you will figure it out.
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05-09-2011, 11:36 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,111
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upstream? does that mean up the elbow and fish creek, etc or with the wier out does that mean they are all the way up to bearspaw.
It's sort of embarasing not knowing where spawning territory is and more about the timing than rainbows in spring and browns in fall.
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05-09-2011, 11:54 AM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,111
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I also run a double fly a SanJuan + something else
before run off
prince
phesanttail
hares ear
copper john
After runoff add a stonefly.
I was taught get 5-10 clean drifts take 5 steps down stream until you catch fish then stop till it makes sense to keep going. Each move is a little less than the distance your drift is in the strike zone.
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05-09-2011, 12:30 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 10,207
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aulrich
upstream? does that mean up the elbow and fish creek, etc or with the wier out does that mean they are all the way up to bearspaw.
It's sort of embarasing not knowing where spawning territory is and more about the timing than rainbows in spring and browns in fall.
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Yes to all, and don't forget the Highwood and all the tribs.....
Most of the rainbows come back downstream during the spring runoff.
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05-09-2011, 12:44 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 209
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aulrich
upstream? does that mean up the elbow and fish creek, etc or with the wier out does that mean they are all the way up to bearspaw.
It's sort of embarasing not knowing where spawning territory is and more about the timing than rainbows in spring and browns in fall.
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I think sometimes people get their upstream and downstream terms mixed up. Upstream is against the current.. towards the headwaters. Downstream is with the current, towards the 'drainage' location.
A lot of Bow River rainbow trout spawn downstream of Calgary, usually in and around the Highwood River. So the Bow/Highwood confluence is always good to 'take care' around in the spring time.
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05-09-2011, 01:11 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 80
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Thanks for the Tips and advice. To clarify "up stream" Is when I cast up agaist the current and let it float by me. I am going out again tonight to try my luck
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05-09-2011, 01:13 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: North of Cochrane
Posts: 6,649
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Remember mending the line.
This takes practice, that is for sure. If you know that your nymph is near the bottom, bouncing like they say, you may be getting very subtle takes and not know it.
This IMO is the hardest form of fly fishing but the most productive.
Trout laying near the bottom try everything that comes within easy range that looks like food, if it is not, it is spit out and the day goes on.
Your job is to strike then the fish has the fly in his mouth, before it is rejected.
Some of these members are very good at it. You can learn too. Keep at it, the river is full of fish and they feed all the time.
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05-09-2011, 01:46 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,111
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Like the Facts of Fishing guy says "hook sets are free" so if your indicator does anything funny set the hook.
The first few strikes I actually got I ended up letting go because to me the first second or so a fish is on can feel like a snag until the fish figures out it's hooked. So my natural instinct is to give slack right away when I feel a "snag" counter productive to say the least.
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