Rod/reel/line Wt. For Fishing The Bow

[carroll]

Hello all. I am new to Calgary. I usually fish trout with a 4/6 wt. setup. I see these big bulls and some very large trout and wanted to know what wt. setup people use around this area. I don't want to end up snapping my current rods.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Carroll.

[Muffin]

Carrol I have used two rods on the Bow. A very entry level Reddington rod just to make sure I was into fly fishing before I spent too much money. This was a 9 ft, 6 wt, 2 piece rod. I am currently using a Sage 9 ft, 6 wt, 3 piece rod with a Galvan 6/7 reel. I have never had any issues on the bow so far. I have not had the fortune to tie into an 18 inch+ brown like some people have so I can't speak to that. I did catch one ~15inch rainbow and he got right into some heavy current and felt like a real tank. I landed him without too much difficulty though once I got him out of the current. In my experience with the tippet I have used I feel that is the limiting factor more so then the rod.

 

I find I am able to cast a good size streamer, nymph setup, hopper dropper and even dry flies with this setup. Granted on very calm water with a very small dry I would prefer something smaller. This is an option I am currently exploring. I think a 6wt is a very good setup to allow for versatility on the bow and should be able to handle pretty much any size fish that gets thrown at it.

[Jayhad]

If I am in the boat regardless of guiding or personally fishing I like to have 3 rods ready to go all the time for each angler. I have a 4/5 wt for dries, a 6 wt for nymphs and a 7 wt to toss sink tips and double streamer rigs.

 

If I am wade and walking I take the rod I have decided to fish with. ie, if I am chasing snouts... dry rod, if I am nymphing, 6wt and if I am out streamer fishing 7wt. I do sometime take two rods with me.

 

If I only had one rod to use I would fish a 6 wt with a Rio Gold line, you can fish drys, switch up to nymphs and loop to loop connections for sink tips to toss streamers.

 

I am personally inclined to fish longer rods (10') as I find it makes spey casting and mending simpler, that being said I find the longer rods don't present dries as well, but that is probably my casting more than anything.. For dries I fish a 8'6".

 

Now for bulls if you are sensitive to your rod you can fish a 6wt... I prefer a 7wt just to toss the heavy streamers needed.

[fishinglibin]

Like others I always have at least 2 rods ready, and most common 6 wt 4 pce 9 ft, and 5 wt 4 pce 9 ft. Very partial to 4pce rods but have 2 2 pce as well.I see several members use longer rods, and if I expand on my collection, I see a 9'6" or 10 ft in the future. FFC and the Spruce Meadows show will load you up with great info.It will not take you long to be addicted to the beautiful Bow.One of the members has a couple of great books on the Bow and Alberta waters. (Take it Jim)! I do not have room often in my boat, but since we are practically neighbors and I can reach you via FFC, maybe we will float some day. As you have already seen, this is a friendly welcoming group, and your time on the Bow will be improved by picking these folks brain. Nothing like a 24 inch Rainbow whistling your line through the water. At times they are in complete control, and Browns that will blow you away. I am not a pro, just offering my 2 cents worth.

[darrinhurst]

Like most have already said, I also fish two or three different rods depending on what I'm doing. I have a 8'6" 5wt for dries, a 9'6" 6wt for nymphs and a 10'0" 7wt for chucking streamers.

 

Your 6wt would likely be just fine for whatever fishing you are doing.

[carroll]

Thanks everyone for the good advice. This is a great site with great members. I can tell I will be spending a lot of time here.

 

Cheers.

[scel]

I have 4 rods: 4wt Orvis Access, 5wt Sage Flight, 6wt Orvis Access, and 6wt Sage VXP.

 

The best advice that I was ever given for fishing the Bow is: be adaptable.

 

If I could only grab 1 rod for a day on the Bow, I would grab my 6wt Orvis Access---light enough to cast dries, enough backbone for stonefly rigs and steamers. You can certainly catch fish using all 3 techniques in a single day. I definitely prefer my 4wt for casting dries, but when you lock into a 20"+ fish on a size 18 BWO, it is nice to have a little extra rod wt.

[Guest Grinr]

I wouldn't worry about any Bow River fish "snapping rods",that's what drags are for.

If I had to choose only one,which I often do walk/wading,it's my 5wt,but maybe that's just me?It's a pretty good compromise that will do anything I need it to do on a typical day,from dries,to indi-rigs,to light streamers on sink tips.

That said,if one owns a closet full of rods and fishes from a boat,it's a nice luxury to be able to choose the most appropriate setup for various conditions and methods.For instance,my bud loves to battle 20"+ browns tossing dries with a 3wt in the glassy back channels.At the other end of the spectrum,I've noticed the indi-crowd around here tend to lean more toward 6&7 WTs.Personally,I feel from a "sporty" perspective,7wt and even 6wt is a bit of overkill for most Bow R. fish,especially if you get into alot of <16" fish, but I'm not much of a nymph fisher,and a 6wt seems to be the most recommended rod for nymphing?Another somewhat valid argument for going with a 6wt is if you hook into bigger fish(20"+) i heavy water,it's nice to have the backbone to land them in a reasonable timeframe rather than excessively playing them 3/4 to death.

To each their own I spose,but I would say you'll be just fine with your current rods from 4-6,and you'll get the most enjoyment by choosing the rod that best suits the conditions/methods of the day.Think 4wt for snout stalking,6wt for nymphing and streamer work,and 5wt for all day walk/wades?

[vhawk12]

It's a tough call. I have a 6wt and a 4wt and traditionally have used the 6 for all methods on the Bow and the 4wt for smaller mountain streams. This summer I took both rods to the Bow, I had a nymph rig set up on my 6wt and was dry fly fishing with foam hoppers on my 4wt. I found a great spot where I actually hooked up 4 times in the exact same spot on the riffle within 20mins, I've never experienced that on the Bow before, thought the fish were way more wiley than that, especially because the day as a whole was slow. I only landed one because the pool lead into some rapids and the 4wt didn't have the backbone to pull them our of there. The one I did land didn't make a break for the faster water and probably measured 16-18", of course the others felt way bigger