toolman

C&R angling did not cause the decline in fish populations on the Bow. The 2013 Flood had significant impacts on the rivers Benthos, Riparian area's and Hydrology. Recovery of these natural systems has been slow. The Cumulative Effects of miles and miles of Rip Rap (loss of Riparian areas and disturbance), in-stream construction projects (Bow, Elbow, Highwood, Sheep rivers), harmful flow regimes, (Ghost flood mitigation release of water in May and corresponding high sediment flows), poaching and increased avian predation, have caused further stresses and contributed significantly to the delays of the Bow rivers recovery. Slowly, in the past few seasons, we are seeing these vital, natural systems begin to normalize, with a corresponding recovery of all fish populations, (Rainbows, Browns, Whitefish, Suckers, Ling Cod, Pike, Bait fish species). The Bow is an amazing, resilient river.... ps. Pelicans suck more than bobber's....though bobber's suck a little too, but, fish however you want. Enjoy!

Here is the link to last nights (Nov/03/21), Bow River Fisheries Education Webinar.

A reminder that the Bow River Education Webinar is this evening at 7:00. If you care about our fishery then get involved and attend the Webinar. You need to pre-register at the link below. See you there. https://mywildalberta.ca/fishing/fisheries-management/default.aspx

A 6wt. rod trying to cast a 200 grain line labelled as a 6wt., would have to be as stiff as a wooden broom stick handle. No wonder so many casters are struggling.

Average temps 64 F mid-morning and 66-67 F mid-late afternoons. Some of the fish hooked this past week were leaping 2' out of the water and often multiple jumps. Barry White and I witnessed the highest density of Trico spinners, spanning across the entire river, that we have ever seen. It was mid-morning, below Mac's, on a float too Janssen's last Friday. Not many Hoppers chirping (stridulation) along the bank yet, but a friend did ok with a large Chernobyl pattern and adding a small Pheasant tail dropper will always get some attention. Swinging Wet fly's, Caddis emerger's and Leeches has produced some fish. Not many dry fly targets to shoot at, unfortunately.

Sure buddy, big mass die off going on there.

No, if as you are suggesting that fishing will kill trout, then where are the dead trout. There has been lots of angler traffic, so where are the dead fish? Haven't seen a single one myself. Zero. Nor has anyone that I've spoken to on the river.

You're reading what fits into your own narrative. Nice spin on it. Water temps are seasonally normal this month even though air temps are higher than typical because we have benefited from higher than normal flows, resulting in typical seasonal water temperatures. And where's the evidence such as dead fish to prove otherwise? Making assumptions proves nothing except your bias. I've been out taking temperature readings up and down the Bow for the past couple of weeks. Evidence, facts. I've caught and landed a few trout on drys in the last week. Really killing the fishery eh.

Well Vitalshok, if you're that convinced that the fish are in such eminent danger then maybe you should send off a letter to Minister Nixon and ask him to close down the Irrigation Canal at Calgary that is currently diverting over 20% of the Bow river flow and an additional 25% of flows at Carsland instead of preaching your version of morality to responsible adult anglers who are quite capable of making ethical decisions for themselves. And I wonder how many water temperature readings you have taken on the Bow this week? None? Nice editing btw. At I least I own my words.

There are many other good reasons why a Guide service would be wise to shut down for a few days such as, public perception, very high river traffic through the long weekend (drift boats, kayaks, canoes, jet boats, rafters, shore anglers, long line ups at launches, dog walkers throwing sticks in the water). And, its been mediocre fishing this past week for most anglers because the hatches have been dismal so many of the trout are holding in fast, deep structure making them difficult to catch. During the day, there's not very many active, adult trout holding near the bank, so Hopper/dropper rigs or Streamers stripped back to the boat which are often very productive tactics that many anglers enjoy while drift fishing, have not been very productive. And during peak runoff, most Guide trips are also postponed when fishing conditions are poor or safety is a concern. Clients rely on Guide services to be honest and forthright about fishing conditions and they generally are.

I can appreciate your concern, Jim and I know you have been fishing the Bow for almost 50 years and have the expertise and experience to mitigate your fishing impacts, so my post is meant as general info for the wider fishing community. It's difficult to predict what conditions will be through August, but they certainly won't improve until we get cooler temps as flow rates are sure to decline without some rain. I fished a few times this week and mid day water temp averaged 67 F. I caught a nice healthy Rainbow today, in the city, around 1:00, that put up a good fight and recovered quickly. Thermally stressed fish will retreat to deeper, cooler water with less direct UV exposure and generally won't sit in 16" of slow water, a foot off the bank, eating my #20 Trico. The Bow still has good flow (currently at 110 cms) and the Bearspaw dam is a bottom draw which releases cooler water into the river, averaging 6-7 C, year round and that has certainly helped with keeping water temps down. I Floated Mac too Janssen's yesterday and water temps were 64 F at about 10:00 am. We started early, around 6:30 am. It gets hot every summer in late July/August and this year is no different. Just check water temps through the day where you are fishing. Start early and call it a day if it hits 69-70 F, or sooner if the trout are sluggish and don't recover quickly, which is a sure sign of thermal stress/low dissolved oxygen. And anglers need to cut out the 5 minute grip n grin photo shoot's for their instagram/facebook page. Land them quickly and release them immediately. Keep em' wet!

Thanks for posting this, Brian. Very informative.

To the top....

Just going to give this thread a bump to the top.... Please show your support. The fishies thank you.

No offense, but I prefer to support the Calgary flyshops and local tyers. These folks support our local fishery and are hands on involved in our local conservation efforts.

I've seen a few Sapro infected Rainbows and one Whitefish on the Bow this season. Including a very large female Rainbow that we saw this week that had Sapro covering nearly half of its body. It still had healthy body mass but was behaving disorientated and confused, lingering along the shoreline at my boots. So try not to touch the fish if possible and don't use cloth mesh landing nets. And please read the link below for the facts on Saprolegniosis. Educate yourself and your fellow anglers. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/8df05e4a-ae95-4481-ad68-9442c76e65ca/resource/49f775ff-63f5-469f-97bc-8573091d6a6c/download/saprolegniosisfactsheet-mar-2010.pdf

Great video, Lornce. Thanks for posting it. On rivers, backswimmers mostly hunt in the top foot or two of the water column so fly patterns are generally unweighted or lightly weighted. When feeding, sometimes in large swarms, they will land in moving current, usually starting at the drop off into a pool/glide. They are predacious and feed on the emerging or spent mayflies, midges and caddis in the upper water column. Then, when they run out of air, they resurface and either swim to shore or fly back upriver and repeat. During egg laying flights, the females dive bomb and swim down to deposit their eggs in suitable habitat on the stream bed and oftentimes in nearby ponds and sloughs found along the river. In the Fall, I've seen epic swarms show up on a couple of occasions on the Bow, which has the largest backswimmer species in Alberta, Notonecta borealis.

They managed very poorly. Restocking efforts are finally paying some dividends but it's been a very long road to recovery.

Thanks Jason. We need to consider the grim evidence that we already have concerning the Bow river. The collapse of one - two year old Rainbow stocks. I've seen AEP boats out doing their survey recently, so if this year's numbers show no recovery, it would suggest a worse case scenario, like the lower Crownest and, that we may only have a couple of more years before there are no longer sufficient numbers of adult spawners left in the river to sustain reproduction. I'm expecting the worst...

It was inevitable that it would end up here in southern Alberta, in spite of any attempts to prevent it. It's like trying to stop a common cold virus from spreading. Question is, where to from here?

Thanks for posting this, Don. Not good news for our Alberta fishery.

Turn the waders inside out. Then, go to a dark room like your bathroom and shine a flashlight from inside the legs of the waders. You will see all of the holes, instantly. Use a black marker to draw a small circle around any holes. Apply sealant to the inside of the waders. If the socks leak they will need to be replaced.

I agree, felt for the Bow.

We saw a Whitefish on the Bow near Carsland, with what was likely Whirling disease, in 2010. It swam down the river on the surface, right next to our anchored boat. We tried to scoop him up with the long handled boat net but missed him. His spine/tail was bent in the classic WD shape. There are hardly any RM Whitefish left in the Bow these days.

Can you tell us what stretch of the Bow to keep an eye out?