I snagged a beaver once. We’ve been married for 35 years...

My observations for the year: Numbers of fish is probably at an all time low. I saw very few small fish this year upstream of the Highwood. The condition factor of the rainbows was improved from last year when they were extremely thin. Many of the rainbows are still not as heavy as they should be. The amount of good, clean gravel/cobble that provides quality invertebrate habitat has been vastly decreased due to the amount of sediment added to the river from bank destabilization post-flood. There is a huge amount of sediment that is continually been added from disturbed banks and we are presently 6 years after the big flood. The amount of hooking injuries and fish with no maxillae is getting very significant. A single hook rule should be added. The spinning rod crowd can still get fish with single hooks like the folks in BC I think it is time for a limit to be set for "guide days". The amount of "professional" boats on the river is huge and the fish are not an unlimited resource. The "professionals", with their continuous presence and higher skill sets are probably facilitating the greatest amount of fish handling (acceptable or poor depending on the boat). The amount of pharmaceuticals and run-off chemicals entering the river continues to grow with the population of the cities along the river. These chemicals are not removed by the sewage plants. The foreign chemicals are adding significant stressors to a system that is already under pressure. The populations of pelicans and cormorants continues to grow. I don't think this will ever be addressed, but they are a factor.

I for one had been in denial since the report(s) came out and up until last year before I really notified the obvious decline in rainbow population. Year prior was a little better. If I remember correctly when the stats or report came out it was a sampling from a small section of river and perhaps not not entirely accurate. my understanding. My network of buddies , guides etc. goes pretty deep, we all talked about poor fishing , decline etc, floods , birds, rip rap, pressure, drought, heat, rain, cold, climate change, water up and down all the time and on and on. Im a little slower than others when it comes to realizing the full picture but point is I get it and am concerned. Whatever the process lets do it. Reflection period is over. This is a crisis I'm all ears.

Specifically the Bow river. My experience, no longer the blue ribbon Bow, boasting 2000 fish per mile.. A depleted fish population for sure with RELENTLESS angling pressure. A common occurrence for me was finding a willing fish and discovering that it had been hooked several times before. Did I hear that another fish count was/is underway ? I do not see the volume of juvenile trout rising, especially on lower bow that I'm used too. My season had a few select highlights but overall very disappointing and I'm concerned.

The overriding opinion by just about everyone I have spoken to, including local AEP staff is that the fish populations continue to decline. Although there are a multitude of possible reason for the decline, all probably valid, I believe there are limited actions that AEP can take to to stop the decline and hopefully see some improvement. My opinion is that the fishing community needs to recognize the Bow River water supply management is controlled by government policy to protect cities against flooding and agricultural needs downstream. This will not change. But we can expect to see improvements in the daily operations of water release to enhance fishing opportunities. Although the Calgary waste water treatment plants put less biomass into the Bow River nowadays, far less than 20 years ago, it still exists, but in less quantity. The result is that there is less fish habitat and a change in invertebrate life. We just don't see consistent caddis and mayfly hatches through the day and year. Other food sources such as stoneflies and grasshoppers change from year to year depending on life cycle and weather conditions. So what are we left with? Subsurface invertebrates in lower numbers and a limited dry fly hatch that is not always fishable due to environmental and daylight conditions. Our only consistent accessible dry fly fishery will probably be limited to the fall Blue Winged-Olive hatch. Therefore the dream of year-round dry fly fishing is a thing of the past on the Bow River. If the desire is to catch fish consistently throughout the day, nymphing is the only option. I personally have a problem accepting this, therefore have to face the reality I either change fishing techniques, move to other rivers, or quit altogether! This is what we are faced with - a depleted invertebrate population, lower fish numbers, far more fishing pressure and advance fishing techniques that consistently catch more fish. There is only one way for the fishery to go without fishery management change and that is downward!

Plenty of interesting comments/observations in this thread. I don't fish the Bow much at all, but I might add a few questions/comments to the discussion: When comparing the Bow to how it was "x" years ago, one thing that doesn't seem to be discussed much is the fact that Calgary has grown so much over those past "x" years, to now a city of well over 1 million. As the city has grown, how has water quality been affected - more concrete/pavement (and runoff from same, washing in who knows what), more treated sewage water volume, more developments along the riverbanks, altering the banks and sedimentation, etc. Also, it seems to me that when we talk about the health of the fishery, we focus primarily on the trout (for obvious reasons) - but isn't it the entire riverine ecosystem that we should be examining? Maybe we are - but what about the health of invertebrates in the river (trout food), and other fish species like whitefish, suckers (competitors for trout food)?

Lol, such a typical troll response. Attack, vilify and criticize. Nothing in the way of constructive input or suggested solutions. Keyboard warrior of the day...

Unfortunately flood mitigation trumps fisheries/recreational concerns. I'm not generally a conspiracy theorist but add to that the likelihood of power generation profiteering under the guise of flow management just may explain the weird flows we've seen the last few seasons. I would like to see the fall city closure again. Close the mouth of the Highwood/Fishcreek for Rainbows in the spring. Social media has made an Instragram gong show of those locations. Fertilize the Bow below the water intake like they do in BC to restore steelhead/salmon stream. Yes, we have world class sewage treatment but lack of nutrients may slow/stall recovery. Keep in mind that this is a tailwater fishery that otherwise has little to no downstream recruitment of nutrients nor spawning gravel. This would kick start the recovery of invertebrates etc. lost due to the 2013 flood. Licence and manage the guiding biz that exploits our shared natural resource for free. Rod days or some such mechanism. If anyone knows any of the Tran Alta shareholders that fly fish, I recommend you try to educate them to the current dire state of our fishery.

I’ve got agree that it stems from the flood ? wipe out a few classes of fish, less fish to reproduce and add more pressure, habitat loss and here we are. Not sure if patience is the best solution .

Last year a researcher at the University of Calgary did a retrospective statistical analysis from 20 years of Bow River Fish Population Surveys. Although the focus was on Rainbow Trout, that showed a 40 to 50% drop in there population from 2003 to 2013, AEP confirmed that all sports fish in the Bow River continue to decline. If that is the case, the Rainbow Trout population could be at 25 to 30% of 2003 data. Or possibly reaching a non-sustainable level. There is hope that Alberta Environment & Parks will take the lead to develop a policy for fish recovery in the Bow River. But recent attempts to close fisheries have not been implemented. Many within the fishing community believe single barbless hook, special angling licenses, enhancement to fish habitat and water flow management will help. Fishing pressure continues to increase and without government intervention the fishing community needs to take responsibility to support good fish handling techniques - possible reduce the current fish counting obsession as a successful day's fishing and cut back the number of fish caught by reducing the days fished. If not we can say goodbye to the Bow River trout fishery in future years.

Although the Angling Outfitters & Guide Association of Alberta attempts to generate professional standards within the Bow river guiding community, they have little power to enforce policy. What is needed in Alberta is for the government to license guides in the same way as Montana. In that state a guide has to work under and outfitter license for a registered number of trips before thy can apply for an outfitter license and sell their services to the public. Why this has not happened here is difficult to understand. There are just too many anglers with a boat hanging up a shingle on social media and offering guiding services. It needs to change and once we recognize that the guiding industry in what ever form it exists on the Bow River will have to change to support AEP initiatives to preserve a depleted trout population, we will see restrictions put in place. This will only improve the experience a client receives from an outfitter. For now it is a free-for all!

Try Amazon or an aftermarket truck shop. Hyde could care less about Canadians or their orders. I've tried to order in the past and it is one screw up after another. Damn Republicans!

So, I am fishing the Bow at dark last night. It is not uncommon to encounter beavers. They ruin the fishing, so when the beaver starts getting slap happy, it is time to move on. This beaver continues to follow me down the river ruining every run. So, I walk down a couple runs, then sit for 15 minutes. I start swinging my streamer. Sure enough, beaver shows up and starts slapping, so I angrily start stripping in my line to pack up and leave, then I hook up. I thought this was a monstrous fish, but it turns out that it was the beaver. I am using 20# fluoro, so breaking the line will not be an easy task, so I start reeling it in. The line eventually just snaps in the tippet section. The beaver then swims to shore about 4m away from me, looks around, takes a breather, then leaves. I admit that I dislike beavers. But not the beaver specifically, I just dislike that they ruin the fishing. My first instinct was 'you deserved it', but that is just being an a$$hole. The beaver is just doing beaver things. I am certain there is no part of the beaver manual that includes 'how to treat fly anglers'. I do not think the beaver linked me with what happened or it would not have swum to shore so close to me, so there was no lesson learned either. I feel badly because this beaver has an articulated streamer impaled into it, and really, it did not deserve it. Or it is tangled in line, which I think is actually scenario It is debarbed, so it could be removed by simply pulling it out, if the beaver has the wherewithal to do it. A beaver is more than capable of cutting fluorocarbon line if it is tangled. Is there anything I could do or is this simply one of those 'mother nature is kind of cruel' moments?

The following link to report from AEP's 2006 Water for Life Bow River Benthic Invertebrate and Epillthic Algae Monitoring shed some light on sample sites from Cochrane to where it joins the Oldman River. The data was collected in October 2006 and compared to data collected before waste water treatment plant upgrades. Although there was some improvement in water quality as compiled by the data sets, the nutrient enrichment of the river was higher close to Calgary. I had the opportunity to look at a more recent data set from 2014 and did a limited comparison to the 2006 data. What became evident from the discussion with AEP's scientific staff was that there is danger in comparison of the monitoring data to establish a trend in invertebrate population throughout the year. A more detailed study is needed to establish seasonal variations and water flow differences. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/6b2fe6a8-d5bc-494c-adf1-4a60e0ebcf70/resource/4acd9651-70b4-4202-b432-cb3c38d37df1/download/8141.pdf There is also a need to recognize that year to year variations in invertebrate colonies do take place. I came to the conclusion that a review of the published literature would need to be done before a fishery related Bow River invertebrate monitoring project should take place. Even if the research was conducted, it has little impact on water management policy change since the water quality would more than likely improve over time.

Willy, Have you thought about reporting this to the Environmental Hotline? Sounds like it's worth the attention of AEP and maybe DFO. 1-800-222-6514 : AEP 24-hour Environmental Response Line ("for spills, releases, or other emergencies that could damage the environment")

So far this season has been the best I've had since I started floating the Bow in '85. Some phenominal days and some average days.

My season on the Bow was my worst ever in terms of effort/ # of trout caught. Where I live in the Nw stretch, above Crowchild trail, the numbers of fish are significantly down. And this stretch already has considerably less fish than below Calgary. Small rainbow trout numbers have really crashed. The browns are about the same as last season, but hardly impressive catch rates. Only have taken 3 whitefish, despite protection for this species. I used to have days I could catch multiple numbers in a single evening of this vanishing species. Most of my bigger rainbows were taken in May, prime spawning time. It should have remained closed during the spring season. Now that it is open all year, I see guys hitting the redds hard a lot of days. The river is in trouble, and yet, as mentioned, there seems to be an all time high in numbers of mergansers and ospreys in this stretch. But angling pressure has increased substantially. More fishermen fishing for less, highly educated trout leads to a very mediocre fishing experience these days.

Wow this is complicated Fishing closures Gear restrictions possible restocking fertilizing ( for aquatic growth ?) special licencing Predator cull dams government awareness Habitat enhancement Global warming Low land runoff User pressure Whirling disease Agree 100% tecks point, River so clean now compared to 15 years ago. Could walk across weeds at glenmore. 15 years ago pods of 3 fish to 50 fish found rising.(honest) * Can you add some nutrients @ water treatment plant to give river a boost ? * Is it a bad idea to restock at this point ? * Enforce a system or complete angling closure giving River time to reboot ? * Haven't paid a ton of attention to flow rates this season but seemed way better than prior bunch. Problem addressed and solved ? Ive noticed tons of changes on the Bow, other streams too over the years, at this point doesn't matter. ( Well it does if we counter past mistakes) This is our River, what we have now. The guys with the big brains get the plan together that well manages what we have and please do ask for help when the time comes.

You're a confusing man. I would suspect that stocking is a bit of a non-starter, at least for rainbow trout as they are trying to get away from introducing additional rainbows to areas with WSCT. Furthermore, if we are truly having an invertebrate problem, then why would adding more fish to the mix help? We'd likely have a lot more little guys, so it would be a question of quality over quantity.. The relentless angling pressure that was described in the OP is definitely starting to have a toll from a 'quality' perspective. I think this will be the most important piece of the presentation, see where the government actually sees this river going. Are they just looking at keeping it at current levels and have people just realise this is the new norm, or will there be an attempt to actually get it 'back' to the way it was. Considering Bull Trout just got listed on SARA, and the current government's tendency to not fund, I'm not sure how much focus the Bow will be getting from the limited resources out there. Maybe someone needs to take Nixon and Kenney for a float..

Alberta Environment & Parks has indicated that a Bow River Fish Population Cumulative Effect Computer Modelling Program is being developed. It will include all the possible reasons for the decline in trout populations. It is clear that no single reason for the decline has been identified, but there is evidence that combination of effects can contribute to a greater influence on fish population declines. For example the combination of less organic content in water water + variable flows could have a greater cumulative effect impact than for example whirling disease + loss of spawning habitat. But maybe vise-versa Another example could well be the impact of less organic content in the river that results in less weeds in combination with a year round open fishing season will increase catch rates far more than if the organic content was higher. The weeds are the issue here - more weeds - less fishable water. It is my understanding that the concept of Cumulative Effect Computer Modelling will be presented at the Bow River Trout Fall Fishing Festival. But lets hope the complete data set of information is made public by AEP at the same time.

Where is the report that indicates this?

There is one obvious FACT that has eluded some people in this discussion... The decline in Bow river trout and aquatic invertebrate populations are uniform from Banff too the Bassano dam, regardless of the degree of fishing pressure. And how we interpret statistical data can be subject to flaws in perception. For example, lets say we analyzed the anual fish eating, avian predator counts for the past 20 years. Pelican's, Cormorants, Osprey, Eagles. We could come to the conclusion that since their numbers on the Bow have increased significantly, then there must be more fish! Which we know is not the case. The rise in these Avian predators is mostly due to the fact that we have been stocking lakes and ponds all over southern Alberta and in many community lakes in the Calgary area. Storm ponds are full of Goldfish, Prussian Carp, and we have numerous stocked put and take public lakes, private ponds, (golf courses), Irrigation Canals full of thousands of trapped fish and so forth in the area. We have been doing this for many decades. It has become a fish eating Paradise for these birds.

Come on everyone - don't live in a state of denial. The Bow River trout population will never revert to what it once was in the '90 and early part of this century. Too much man made intervention has changed and is irreversible!: Calgary Waste Water Treatment Plants have cleaned up the river - I can remember when the weeds were so thick you could almost walk across the river. The cleanup of the river has seen a demise of invertebrate habitat for much of the year and therefore the spectrum of bug life has changed. A drop in caddis and mayflies lava and an increase in stone-flies. This will hopefully continue, but no guarantees. The historical water management model put in place by the governments of both Canada and Alberta many years ago gave us reasonable stable flows outside of spring runoff. Now we are faced with the GOA intervention in these norms to protect the City of Calgary against future flooding. Don't blame TransAlta for this - its a GOA directive. After the disaster of water management in the early part of the modifies water management operations from April to July 2018, Transalta have recognized the importance of stable flows to the fishing community and have done there best to meet projected demands from AEP while stabilizing variants in flows as best they can for the past 2 years. What we have seen this year is the impact of rainfall over the Calgary. Some days the flows increased by as much as 100 cms over less than an hour when the rain gods dumped water across our city. Don't blame Transalta but pray to the rain gods to respect the fishing community. Although the Bow River modified water management operations each spring will not change for 10 to 15 years. Distasteful as they may be, the proposed addition to dams on the upper Bow River could well improve and stabilize flows through and downstream of Calgary. See a post I put up on the web a few days ago. Go to one of the information meetings later this month to get a better understanding of the proposals. The future of our fishery is in your hands. Will or should we see a cull of pelicans, cormorants and other fish loving predators? Probably not. Angling, even with CnR may well contribute more fish loss that predators! So what left? Angling pressure and habitat enhancement. I put my money of river closure and fishing gear restrictions. Yes, the Bow River is still a good recreation fishery and with some help can be maintained for future generations - but it will never return to what some of us old guys knew 20 plus years ago as a world class Blue Ribbon Fishery

Lol, such a typical response. the stats must be wrong, everything’s fine, the bow will recover.if there’s one sure way to get us to the bottom, it’s to do nothing

Does Trans Alta have some of the blame as well?

There are some important man made issues that are having a negative impact that we need to address. Flow stability, city development, the relentless expansion of rip rap walls (the city stretch is quickly turning the Bow into an aqueduct), organic pollution from storm drain catch basins/outfalls, ongoing and heavy use of agricultural pesticides and fertilizers, to name a few.

In the UK guides are licensed and they must hold certificates of competency and first aid training. Here in AB we are a bit stuck in the good ‘ol boy system. A bit retrograde.

I love spooky, picky fish. 5x fluro tippet, #20 -22 emergers in the film, 15' leaders.... That's exactly what September fishing should be....

Survey says..??

Years ago I ordered a knee brace, it was almost $1000 to get it here, their shipping rates were crazy. I won't buy anything from them. Walk the halls of bass pro's boat section and they have a few aftermarket cup holders.

I have had some problems getting anything from Hyde and yes, shipping is very expensive. Even the on line ordering is a pain, and they don't seem to care about it. Maybe there making enough American money and they don't like ours!

They have till the 15th to be in river unless they have an extension under the water act. I believe the work is also for increasing spawning habitat by relocating gravels that don’t get through the dam soooo prob not one to hate on

With more pressure comes more need for technical and careful tactics. I've had more luck with emergers and more exacting patterns.

Been south of Campbell River a couple of times, just wading off the beach. They can get pretty large so heavy gear is needed. Taking a 9wt this time, previously used my 7 with floating line. Did the job but thinking the 9 is better. Be prepared for long casts. Clousers seemed to work best, 4 to 5 inches long. Chartreuse and white or pink and white. If you're getting consistent hookups on things like sculpins, you're retrieving too slow. Ideally you can find passing schools and cast out ahead of them. Give your fly time to hit bottom and strip quickly, you're trying to imitate a baitfish trying to escape. Right off the top of my head I don't recall the effect of tides, we fished incoming, outgoing and in between without favouring any one condition. Did seem like we got best results early morning and late afternoon and evening.

I carried a camera on my vest for years, but had to jettison it because my back is so bad that even that little bit of weight makes a difference (terrible getting old:). Same goes for the bear spray.... hope I never need it. I have sent pictures in before, and even had a quadder who was tearing up the blackstone confronted by officers (he eventually got off with just a warning despite my pictures and report). These ones on the Fallentimber are very easy to find and there are quadders camped right there. If the government did even a half ass job they would periodically patrol and investigate these areas, stop and talk to quadders about what is proper behaviour, and hand out a few fines where appropriate. It's not rocket science. It would only take an afternoon every week or so and I've voiced these suggestions to many iterations of government in the past.

Tons of logging trucks on that road as they are pulling logs out of fire zones 7 days a week, tread carefully in the tight spots, and watch the corners. Enjoy! Bigger isn't necessarily better when choosing your fly in this area.

You might try talking to Steve Baumner at Spirit West. He might be able to help you out there although I suspect you may be able to purchase a pair of Hodgmans or Redingtons cheaper than “macgyvering” your existing pair

Hey Trailhead, best wishes on a full and speedy recovery. I hope you got the idiot drivers plate number and passed it on to the RCMP.

That's horrible Hoping you get well,

That sounds awful and painful. Hope you recover to a level where the pain is manageable

I caught a bunch at Blood Indian on a smaller Chironomid and Prince Nymph

Just got off the NW section myself an hour ago. I’m determined to figure it out. It will take some time. 3 on the streamer today although only one to the hand. I would say in a fast drift it would be chaotic to land a fish. It hasn’t happened yet to me. For the most part I use it to drift from spot to spot. I’ve only had my fish cat scout for a year. Great boat.

If you have the d-rings on the front of your pontoons. Run a bungee cord between the pontoons. Whenever you stand up, your boat won’t get away from you. I prefer to float between the spots I wish to fish rather than trying to fish while drifting.

I think I wouldn't attempt removing the fly yourself. imagine fighting a 40lb water rat that uses his teeth to bring down trees, just to save him. If you call ASRD I'm sure they'll say "thanks, we'll look into it." and then nothing. If not ASRD who would you call? Nature has a way of figuring things out. I've seen 3 legged, 1 eyed mammals many times thriving in the wild. The hook will most likely fall out in a few days, or the beaver will suffer adverse effects and feed a hungry coyote. I personally feel bad for you Scel, a double articulated streamer gone.... ouch

A good set of fins is essential and the hard plastic ones do not work well. I suggest getting a set of force fins which did me well. When you hook a fish, kick into shore and fight it. If faster currents, float down with the fish until you can find a place to kick in. A long net helps as well, as you need to put a pretty big bend in your rod to get it in between your legs.

https://www.whooshh.com/ Don

Hey everyone, BBT bailed out for NW Bow drift for Friday 9/8/2019. Streamers will be thrown, browns will be caught. Do you want to Join? Do you have big streamers and a heavy sink tip? If you know how to row even better. I'll need 1000 words on your Fly fishing pedigree, and your justifications for even looking at me drifter, in cursive, or fire me a message. Leaving shouldice @ 6:00 The HMS Barbara is an inclusive vessel that is 420 friendly.

I second that and agree with everything you said to many people to many guides and not enough government support.Worst year I have seen in my life .

THE LATEST NEWS FROM CPAWS SOUTHERN ALBERTA VIEW AS A WEB PAGE WHAT WE DO TAKE ACTION DONATE Albertans like you have fought hard to protect important landscapes across Southern Alberta. Your voice has protected the Castle. You helped shape common-sense management plans for the Porcupine Hills and the Livingstone Range. Now, the government is considering rolling back decades of progress to appease a vocal minority. This small user group wants increased motorized recreation in the region at the expense of wildlife, water and other types of recreation. The Minister of Environment and Parks must hear from Albertans who support the existing plans. Write the Minister and your MLA and tell them you support conservation and responsible land management. The government must uphold the existing Castle Parks and Porcupine Hills-Livingstone Plans. WRITE YOUR LETTER HERE Read more about the government backing out of the Castle Management plan: “The Alberta government has quietly paused a planned phase-out of off-highway vehicle trails use in the Castle Parks area while the government meets with stakeholders” Help us protect the Castle and other important places by donating today! Your support will help keep Alberta wild! Sincerely, Katie Morrison, Conservation Director CPAWS Southern Alberta UNSUBSCRIBE | WEBSITE | CONTACT US | PRIVACY POLICY | DONATE © 2016 Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - Southern Alberta :: 88 Canada Olympic Rd S.W., Calgary, AB T3B 5R5

Unfortunately even though there were plenty of people around, no one thought to chase after the red SUV pulling a blue and white speedboat. They all remembered to take pictures of the bones sticking out of my arm.