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THE BOW AND SOUTHERN ALBERTA RESERVOIRS

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WE LOVE TO FISH
 
We believe that fishing may be the single greatest gift we can have and that any day spent on the water is a good day.  To that end, we spend a lot of time enjoying this "gift", either fly fishing close to home on the beloved waters of the Bow River in Calgary or ranging further afield to fish the lakes and streams of southern Alberta.  Alberta's southern waters are often seen as mainly trout streams or pike waters, but a growing walleye fishery has been developing here in the last 15 years.  Lakes like Crawling Valley, Macgregor, Keho and Travers are producing walleyes to match anything in the province.  We have had some wonderful days on Crawling Valley picking up 3-5 lb walleyes and have also enjoyed some good days on Travers Reservoir.  Occasionally, we get up to Slave Lake and enjoy the walleyes in that part of the province as well.  Check out the link below for a good walleye lake in southern Alberta
 
And check the one below for information on Travers Reservoir and MacGregor Lake, both excellent walleye fisheries
 
 
 
Primarily, however, fly fishing on the Bow tends to dominate our summers, mainly due to time restrictions.  (some much water, so little time).  The Bow has been a tough task master over the years but has always provided the best that fly fishing can offer, wether it be trying to figure out the hatch, or watching the scenery or hooking and landing its trophy fish.  In these "tutorials" much has been learned and the learning curve has often been steep.  Newcomers to the Bow face many of these challenges as well and a knowlegeable guide can go a long ways to shortening your learning curve.
 
A fisherman on the Bow notices its size first.  It is a wide, fast flowing freestoner as it approaches Calgary and its upper and lower sections (basically upstream and downstream of Calgary) can be a challenge to the first time angler.  Nymphing is always a good way to get into fish on the Bow and our preferred method is "short line" nymphing using weight to get the nymph down deep.  This is not everyone's cup of tea however and those who prefer the dry fly can also have success.  The Bow's dry fly hatches are numerous and predictable, with the full spectrum of insects to be found.  Pale morning duns, blue winged olives, parachute adams and elk hair caddis are just some of the dry flies that are effective here.

Stuart releasing a nice Crawling Valley Walleye
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a quick measure before releasing this dude
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another Crawling Valley Walleye

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WHO WE ARE
 
Our company is new and what I refer to as "non-aggressive".  (In other words, we don't do this for a living.) 
 In fact if we didn't get any client trips we'd go fishing anyway but with family and friends. I am a Junior High School Social Studies teacher when I'm not on summer holidays and this fishing business is a nice blend with my passion for fly fishing.  So those of you who are interested are welcome to contact me at hamiltoi@telus.net and we can work out a trip custom made to fit your needs.  It can be as laid back as you need it to be or as "focused" as you want (to a point folks, and then you have to find another guide because I'm not going to have any fun).  I can't guarantee anything but a fine day on the river but the right attitude and the right equipment can go a long way to getting you into fish.
 
WHAT YOU NEED

There is really no such thing as a "typical" day on the Bow, but there are some things you can bring to help your day become memorable:

  1. Bring a hat and some sunscreen.  The sun can be very hot and 8-10 hours on the river can take its toll
  2. Bring a range of clothing from shorts to sweater, as the Bow can bring "all the seasons" at times
  3. If possible, bring a 4 wt dry fly rod and a 5-6 wt nymphing rod, that way you can cover "all the bases.  If you can only bring one rod, something in the 5-6 wt range will probably meet your needs
  4. Bring an open mind, be willing to try different techniques, ideas, this can go a long way to changing the way your day progresses on the river
  5. Bring a sense of humour (that may be difficult for some of us).  It can make all the difference when you're on the water.

T Bone latched onto this nice rainbow
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another Big Bow Rainbow!

Big browns like this are common on the Bow
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Todd and I enjoyed posing with this guy

WHY VISIT THE BOW?
 
The Bow is a river that no fisherman can afford to miss, particularly fly fishermen.  Within the City of Calgary alone, there are Rainbows and Browns that any fisherman would consider "trophy" catches.  Downstream of Calgary, the fishing gets even better, and fishermen who try the Bow once will probably be back again because the fighting qualities of its fish and their size are hard to beat.
 
 
I don't know of any other major city in the world that offers the  world class fly fishing opportunities we have within our Calgary city limits.   Over the years I have caught and released numerous Rainbows and Browns exceeding 20 inches that were caught within the city limits.  In fact, the place on the Bow I call "home" is less than 10 minutes from my house!   Once outside the city limits, going downstream to Carseland, the fishing gets even better and stretches of the Bow downstream have been shown to hold 1500 fish per mile of river.  Many of these are "world class" Rainbows and browns that will provide any fly fisherman all the sport they wish.
 
 
 
 In short, the fishing on the Bow is not to be missed by those who appreciate fine rivers and the fish that populate them. If you haven't yet tried it, it is worth a visit.

BACKCASTER'S FISHING ADVENTURES
 4812 Vanguard Rd NW Calgary Ab, Canada T3A 0R6