Calgary Bow River Weir Project (harvie Passage)

[bigbowtrout]

http://www.parksfdn.com/Weir.htm

 

With the project ahead of schedule and water running over drops 3 and 4 it looks like the Trout will have an easier go at making it past the weir to the Bearspaw dam.

Now this got me thinking that once this project is done are they going to change the regulations since right now the Weir is used to separate a section of the river from another?

 

 

from Bearspaw Dam downstream to Western Headworks Diversion (W.H.D.) Weir (including the Elbow River below Glenmore Reservoir).

CLOSED Apr. 1 to May 31 and Oct. 1 to Nov. 30

June 1 to Sept. 30 and Dec. 1 to Mar. 31 – Trout limit 1 under 35 cm; All Trout over 35 cm must be released; Mountain Whitefish limit 5 over 30 cm; Maggots are the only bait allowed and only in the river from Aug. 16 to Sept. 30.

from the Western Headworks Diversion (W.H.D.) Weir downstream to the Carseland Weir (includes 500 m of the Highwood River) but excluding all waters in the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary (see Inglewood Bird Sanctuary) – Open all year.

Apr. 1 to Mar. 31 – Trout limit 1 under 35 cm; All Trout over 35 cm must be released; Mountain Whitefish limit 5 over 30 cm; Bait Ban.

[jdangler]

I saw that on the news last night, so I was windering also if anyone has taken a drift boat thru yet? The water looks ok, but I saw some gates that I was unsure if you need to go thru or around. Also they dont want you using quite yet, but just wondering for some day in the future. I opens a whole new stretch of river.

[acct421]

I see a problem with being able to raft over the weir.

 

Yes the fish can make they way up but I think we will see rafting on the bow skyrocket. Previously you had to start way up near Bearspaw to get a decent time on the river. Now that you can get past the weir I foresee a lot of the Elbow river drunkards are going to relocate to the bow as it provides a much longer drift and the waters are generally calm. And all of you know what that has done to the Elbow river. 10 years ago I used to go down to the Talisman center bridge and look at all the suckers/whities/bows/browns and even pike swimming around. I have not seen a single fish under the dam the last few summers.

 

Just a thought.

[dude1125]

I saw that on the news last night, so I was windering also if anyone has taken a drift boat thru yet? The water looks ok, but I saw some gates that I was unsure if you need to go thru or around. Also they dont want you using quite yet, but just wondering for some day in the future. I opens a whole new stretch of river.

 

It won't be open for public use until spring 2011. It looked like the fire dept. was training on it this afternoon.

[dude1125]

Here's a link to 3 vids from a couple of days ago

 

http://bowwaterscanoeclub.blogspot.com/201...ie-passage.html

 

Here's a thread from the paddling community with some good pics

 

http://www.calpaddle.com/calpaddle/forums/...79&posts=11

 

 

[Jayhad]

The weir is still in place to run it you would have to shoot the small bypass on the east side of the river.... I think thats a no go.

 

It would suck if rafters "wreck" the fishing opportunitys in the city section of the bow, although I don't think rafters are the sole source or main source of declining trout #s in the elbow.

Regardless, rafters have the same right to the water as us anglers, we got to live together.

The wier being removed could increase trout #s above the wier and anglers may just have to move a little more we may even see less people launching from bears paw.

Either way I'm excited to drift through that water, everytime I have driven by this week I just imagine.

[BadSal]

I saw some guys kayaking of the river right at the rock pile nearest to deerfoot yesterday evening. There was about eight of them all suited up but only one or two kayaks. I think they were taking turns doing the rapid. Wether they were safety experts from the fire department or members of the public, I don't know.

 

Wether or not drunkard rafters will ruin the river, I suspect that if they do begin to litter and abuse alcohol professional fishing guides will lobby the local authorities to more strictly enforce safety and public nuissance issues. Remember that bow river fishing brings in a lot of money in revenue to this city, and rafting drunkards do not. Also, the increase in length of navigable water within the city might warrant the addition of resources to the patrol team (one or two more patrol boats).

 

Does anyone have an idea just HOW MUCH revenue guided fishing on the bow river generates ???

 

 

[Jayhad]

Does anyone have an idea just HOW MUCH revenue guided fishing on the bow river generates ???

 

i would suggest it's not nearly as large as you think, I would estimate around $3-4 million annually. I came up with these #s like this. Let's assume there is 80 guides on the bow, assume everyone of them gets 60 days on the river (which is probaly above the average) each guide charges on average $450. (80x60)450= $2,160,000.00. Now if you double that for tackle, food and hotels $4,000,000 is a fair number. Plus I feel the numbers I used were fairly high. No one is getting rich guiding.

 

ON top of that you aren't going to see many rafters downstream of police and upstream of Bearspaw, there is tonnes of awesome river to fish.

[headscan]

Wether or not drunkard rafters will ruin the river, I suspect that if they do begin to litter and abuse alcohol professional fishing guides will lobby the local authorities to more strictly enforce safety and public nuissance issues. Remember that bow river fishing brings in a lot of money in revenue to this city, and rafting drunkards do not. Also, the increase in length of navigable water within the city might warrant the addition of resources to the patrol team (one or two more patrol boats).

The peak months for rafters tend to be June-August. Worst case would be that they float from Bearspaw to 22x or maybe even a bit below that. During those months how many guides actually drift the Glenmore to 22x stretch? I think they're much more likely to be drifting 22x and below. The Bow is a pretty big river and you can easily get away from the perceived nuisance of the rafters.

[BadSal]

i would suggest it's not nearly as large as you think, I would estimate around $3-4 million annually. I came up with these #s like this. Let's assume there is 80 guides on the bow, assume everyone of them gets 60 days on the river (which is probaly above the average) each guide charges on average $450. (80x60)450= $2,160,000.00. Now if you double that for tackle, food and hotels $4,000,000 is a fair number. Plus I feel the numbers I used were fairly high. No one is getting rich guiding.

 

ON top of that you aren't going to see many rafters downstream of police and upstream of Bearspaw, there is tonnes of awesome river to fish.

 

Actually, I thought it would have been about 2million.

[dude1125]

Either way I'm excited to drift through that water, everytime I have driven by this week I just imagine.

 

 

I can't wait to drift through too! It looks like you could slide a boat down the bank at the zoo parking lot on the bow. Other than that I not too sure where you could put in. Are there any plans for a boat launch upstream of the weir?

 

I worry about hitting a kayaker in the chutes area. I'm guessing there will be some conflict between the different user groups and people of different skill levels.

 

 

 

 

[trailhead]

I went to a couple of presentations on this project and from what I was told there will be options for the river runners through that section of the river. From challenging for the whitewater kayak types, to easy for the rafters. That being said, I don't think you'd want to be hosed out of your gourd in a inner tube trying to go down it. So I would say it will increase the numbers of river traffic, but I would think that it will only effect the portion of the river down to Fish Creek. By the way when will someone smarten up and put a gate in by the access at Lafarge? User traffic should be an indication that something there is needed.

[cgyguy]

I recall a number of years ago, that the only place to launch a drift boat in the city section is around Bowness, however, there was no way to pick it up in the city (that I am aware of) other than by dragging it out at the Zoo (which would be a lot of work). Last time I launch a 12 ft alum boat and it was a struggle pulling it to the car. Is anyone aware of any put ins on the upper section of the Bow for a drift boat?

[canadensis]

The Bow is a pretty big river and you can easily get away from the perceived nuisance of the rafters.

 

Do you fish the City during the Summer? I would not call rafters a "preceived nuisance". The majority are drunken litterbugs with no respect for the environment or any of the other river users.