toolman

We are conducting a Citizens Science project to collect daily Water Temperature data from our rivers. If you are out fishing in the ES1 or ES2 Zone, in the next 10 days, please take a water temperature reading and send it to me via forum message or email to: gregats@live.com. Please include your Name, Water Temperature, Name of stream/river/creek with a general location and date/time of day. Spread the word to all of your fishing friends so that we can record as much of this valuable data as possible. Your cooperation and contributions will be greatly appreciated. Greg Allard

These "options" have already been discussed and are being considered by AEP. As mentioned, restrictions on types of tackle for ES1 for next year and they were/are looking at closing several streams, as mentioned in the global news link.

The original press release said restrictions were coming to Zone ES1 which ends at the hwy. #24 bridge below Carsland dam. No mention of extending it down to Bassano. And, as for this closure, it's not based on evidence that water temperatures are actually unsafe. Unlike you, I prefer that Fisheries Policy decisions be based on evidence and science. AEP is telling us when to fish, next year they will be telling you how to fish. And finally, it will be 5 year Closures, "No fishing allowed on the following rivers".... That's the direction our fisheries are heading. It's coming. Read on... https://globalnews.ca/news/4039287/alberta-fishing-ban-stream-closures/

So, with that logic they need to close ES2 as well. Maybe AEP forgot to look at a map. Fallentimber, Little Red, Dogpound and many more... they are all a short distance from Calgary. These closures are nothing more than a Public Relations campaign which costs little and gives the appearance to Joe Public that AEP is protecting our fisheries from the boogie man, C&R anglers. Meanwhile, no Whirling disease research on the Bow's spawning tributaries where the majority of our declining population of Rainbow trout come from. Cheaper to have a boogie man... We're it. In case you haven't read it.... https://idfg.idaho.gov/blog/2022/06/some-perspective-trout-fishing-during-low-water-and-high-temperatures

Fish Creek, the past week, 64F-65F, mid-late afternoons, at about, .5-1m depth, along the edges of the flats. Trout were pulling hard with no symptoms of thermal stress.... 0.

Flows at Calgary today, 97 cms. Then add all of the tributaries flowing into the Bow from the Elbow river, Nose Creek, Fish Creek, Highwood river (and its many tributaries). When we get to Carseland Reservoir, all of the combined Bow flows and tributaries have been reduce to 55 cms. Almost 50% of all the water has been diverted. AEP decides that this will be the place they will monitor water temperatures for all of the ES1 Zone, the stagnant water of the lake section of the Carsland Dam. They enact Hoot Owl restrictions claiming it's in the best interest of the fish. Yet, only 1 km away from where they are doing the water temperature monitoring, downstream at the Hwy 24 bridge, there are no angling restrictions. And, high alpine streams 150-200 km away are under angling restrictions, despite the fact that AEP has no water temperature data. This is absolutely absurd! But it gets worse... A little further downstream, at Bassano Dam, the river flows below the Eastern Irrigation District's, Master diversion Canal, are now at a trickle, 21.85 cms. About 85% of the flows of the entire Bow river Basin below Calgary has been diverted at this point. And again, still no Hoot Owl restrictions or water temperature data released to the public.....These Angling restrictions are nothing more than a targeted, political, Public Relations campaign directed at Joe Public, with no Conservation benefits. There should be water use restrictions, not angling restrictions. Speak up folks, the fish deserve better and are counting on you. Thanks!

https://idfg.idaho.gov/blog/2022/06/some-perspective-trout-fishing-during-low-water-and-high-temperatures

That's unfortunate... Hopefully it turns up.

Excellent discussion about Dry fly fishing.

Monger! "Very inappropriate political comment which is completely false. THINK! These comments do not belong in this forum." The Alberta government makes the fisheries policy decisions and are subject to public criticism. Censorship does not belong in this forum.

Jay, unfortunately due to the City of Calgary's continued flood mitigation strategy, most of the water is going to get flushed through the system. Then they will dramatically reduce flows through the summer and fall to refill the many upstream dams for the winter. And, in tandem with the continued over diversion of the Bow and it's tributaries by commercial interests, it will ensure the Bow river trout fisheries future decline. The government chooses to blame C&R angling (and Guides), in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary. Less Water = Less Fish. Period! The recent online Angling surveys, Guiding regulations surveys, Stakeholders meetings etc.... Smoke and Mirrors. (Hope to see you on the river this season, Jay.)

https://idfg.idaho.gov/blog/2022/06/trout-density-henrys-fork-snake-river

River closures during High temps and low flows, right? Maybe not. Read on.... https://idfg.idaho.gov/blog/2022/06/some-perspective-trout-fishing-during-low-water-and-high-temperatures

Fish are really easy to catch in the dark. Top feeding fish, bright, sunny afternoons in low clear water, much more difficult game.

No, not really. You could try beating the water repeatedly with a hopper pattern (or any fly), to try and replicate your experiment, but you probably won't have consistent success. Worth noting is that your hoppers were dead, damaged and likely sinking into the film and your multiple eats may have been the work of only one small fish, which stopped feeding after eating 6 dead hoppers in a row. The joy and challenge of dry fly fishing is all about matching natural hatches, searching for willing risers, tying your own patterns. It's not about trying to get lucky. That's been my experience. Results may vary....

A comprehensive assessment of more than 100 C&R studies, and yet no mention of any increase in C&R mortality due to the "Cumulative effects" of repeat capture and release, which is the narrative (without evidence), that AEP keeps trying to sell us.

Opps.... You are correct. Yellowstone Cutts.

Yep, Brookies, Rainbows, Browns, Lohontan Cutthroat, Golden trout... Good Bye!

That's a big Rotenone budget....

Some of us wonder if Whirling Disease might be slowly eroding the Rainbow trout populations on the Bow (As it has in many US rivers), but AEP says there is no Whirling problem. I don't have any hard evidence to argue the point. AEP is saying that Rainbow recruitment is not a problem on the lower Bow, so WD is not a likely factor. However, there hasn't been any scientific investigation conducted on the HIghwood river tributaries, where the majority of Bow Rainbows migrate to spawn, and where WD could cause high mortality to eggs and fry. If any WD infected juvenile trout survived their first year in the nursery tributaries, it's unlikely that they would be able to swim back down to the Bow river with the returning adults, post spawn, the following year. And, even if a few infected juveniles did make it back, they would likely succumb to predation very quickly. This might explain why AEP has not found any infected Rainbows in the Lower Bow during their electro-fishing surveys in the Autumn/Fall.

Can't see how angling could be responsible for all the dead 6"-8" trout or minnows. Might be water quality issues (low flow, low oxygen, pollutants, entrainment), or possibly disease. Probably should be reported to AEP for further investigation. Paul Christensen, Senior Fisheries Biologist, p. 403-851-2149

Folks had a good reason to be upset over the river closure. The government had no water temperature data to justify the closure where as the Guides were taking water temps everyday. The Bow is a Tailwater system fed by a cold water source at Bearspaw dam. Hoot Owl fishing restrictions would have been a reasonable measure. This was brought up recently with AEP and they agreed that in the future Hoot Owl restrictions on the Bow will likely be the remedy if the conditions meet the threshold for action. I agree, Brent. One or two fish on the dry is a successful day for me. If I don't find any risers, I don't even make a cast. I spend most of my fishing time observing insects, river conditions, fish movements and lots of endlessly interesting and amazing things the river reveals each outing.

What do you know about it, Brent? You were not involved in these meetings. I think that the experience, knowledge and perspectives of some of the committee members (Jim McLennan), would be highly regarded by most in the angling and scientific community, for good reason. The role of the committee was to question the AEP's data collection methodology, assumptions, conclusions and to raise concerns, give insight, perspective etc. The general consensus was that they were not interested in listening.

Well, as someone who sat on the Stakeholders engagement committee who got to see first hand how fishery managers collected (ESTIMATED) much of the data that they used to come to their conclusions regarding the status of the Bow fish populations, I will say that the majority of the committee's Stakeholders that I have spoken to are far from convinced that the government has got it right. Unlike the AEP fish techs and biologist who spend a few days a year electro fishing 2-3% of the Bow fish population and "guessing" the rest, there are some folks who spend a 100 days or more each year on the river and over the years (decades), have formed a wider angle perspective on the subject. As usual, the government did not seem interested in listening and did most of the talking. Many Stakeholder committee members, myself included, walked away shaking their heads in disbelief. The AEP narrative was apparent in last weeks PR Webinar presentation where they gave the general public a brief summary of their conclusions which was focused on "Recycle Rates", their new buzz word, which they created to sell their case.