The Bow River: A Tough River That's Hard Not to Love

Depending on the weather, late fall in Alberta can be a bit of a down season for anglers. Most of the streams close on the last day of October and early snow and cold weather, along with depleted fish populations in the numerous put-and-take ponds, tends to keep us off of the spots we fish in the spring and summer. Also, it may look like winter outside but I am certainly not ready to trust any of the early season ice that has formed on some of the higher-elevation lakes.

Still, hope is not lost. In my experience, cold dreary weather can mean successful days on one of Alberta's most famous fisheries, the legendary Bow River.

The Bow River WITHIN Calgary

The Blue Ribbon rated Bow is a phenomenal trout river with most of the best fishing either directly in, or right below the city of Calgary. The river has self-sustaining populations of rainbow and brown trout with fish into the 10 pound range. There are also some large pike and bull trout lurking in the deeper holes. Best of all, warm water expelled from Calgary's water treatment facilities keep lower stretches of the Bow fishable all year long.

Amazing as it is, the Bow is a hard river to fish. It's a large river so it can be difficult to find fish-holding water and even if you know where the spots are, it can be hard to reach them without a lot of walking or by drift-boat. Adding to the challenge, the fish in the Bow are also quite big and therefore experienced, making them wise and weary of the thousands of artificial baits they see day after day.

My personal relationship with the Bow is a tumultuous one. Relatively speaking, I haven't been fishing the river for long as I only moved to Calgary 6 years ago and I have been skunked many times on the Bow. In fact, I wouldn't even bother fishing this river if it didn't offer me a decent trout once or twice a year. If you caught me in a worse mood I may even tell you that the Bow is a grumpy old bag, who makes you want to hate her and when you're almost ready to give up on her, she gives you a fish to remind you who gets to have the last word.

And these fish are almost always beauties. 

My first Bow River Brown. This one had no spots!

Like I mentioned above, the Bow has offered most of these fish to me on dark, dreary, cold days. When it's dark and grey I typically tie on a dark coloured lure, such as a Mepps Black Fury spinner or a split-shot rigged black Wooly Bugger streamer. Also, even though I still haven't bit the bullet and bought a fly rod, I like to dead drift nymphs under floats with my spinning gear.

A typical Bow River brown

A Bow rainbow that fell for a wooly bugger

A Bow brown I caught when I should've been writing report cards

A big brown I caught when everyone else was watching the Super Bowl

A better picture of the Super Bowl brown

Not all of the fish are huge but they are pretty!

With no other angling options until the lakes freeze solid, it may be time to see if the Bow is ready to reaffirm my love for her by giving up another hog.

Well, not all the fish are pretty. A Bow River burbot.

Run and Gun Spinner Fishing in the Southern Alberta Foothills

Even when the fish aren't biting, people who fish are generally luckier than many who don't. We're lucky because the sport that we love happens to take place in some of the most beautiful places in the world. This is especially true for anglers who are logistically and physically able to walk and wade the Eastern Slope foothill streams in Southwestern Alberta.

Last Saturday my friend Terry R. and I decided to try the canyon stretch of the Highwood River a few kilometers west from the town of Longview. Despite paralleling Highway 40, with river access gates right off the road, the steep climb down to the river keeps the fishing pressure on this stretch of the river relatively light, allowing anglers to fish the numerous deep pools and productive runs undisturbed. 

We scrambled precariously down the steep cliff, aided for some of the way by a rope someone left tied to a tree. We both tied on #1 red and white Mepps Aglia Spinners with a couple split shot about a foot above to help the lures stay down in fast water and sink deep down into the deeper pools.

The Highwood River

We fished for about an hour with limited success. The water temperature was quite cold and the fish were docile. I did manage to catch a medium cutthroat trout and a slightly smaller rainbow.

A pretty little Highwood River rainbow

A Highwood Cutthroat

Terry was wet wading (Terry's an old maniac who grew up in the area. After so many years wading mountain streams, I don't think he feels temperature in his legs the same way as most people) and when we came to a point in the river where we'd have to cross, we considered our options and decided it just wasn't worth it.

We decided to get back in the car and try Trap Creek. Trap Creek is a Highwood tributary that enters the Highwood just east of the Kananaskis Country Gate off Highway 40.

As soon as we got to the small stream, I cast my spinner into a tiny little pool near where we parked. A small cutthroat darted out and hit it immediately. This was proof that you can catch trout "no matter how fickle the trickle."

Trap Creek

Trap Creek

Trap Creek is a small stream with a few rapids and decent pools. Perfect for run and gun fishing. With the abrasive and fast moving presentation of a spinner, we were generally able to get one fish out of each hole before having to reel in and move on.

Terry and I spent the next 2 hours leap-frogging up the creek. I hooked and landed 3 cutthroat trout. I lost a couple as well. Terry caught the nicest fish of the day when he pulled a chunky 15 inch cutthroat out of one of the deeper pools in the little stream.

Terry's nice cutthroat. It was bigger than it looks.

A Trap Creek cutthroat

Another Trap Creek cutthroat

With the season drawing to a close I'm glad I got out for at least one last reminder of how lucky we are to be anglers in a country with as much opportunity and beauty.