The Weather

[vanslays1]

Will this weather affect the fishing for the rest of the fall? I'm thinking BWO hatches, and the rest of the season for the mountain streams.

 

Merry Christmas, I guess...

[SilverDoctor]

If you are thinking dry fly I haves fished hatches every month of the year in Alberta. BWO's Baetis and PED’s have barely started, and will go on for at least two months. There will be the Glossosoma Caddis, Fall Cinygmula and Trico's. Not to mention Terrestrials like Beetles and spiders (which a lot of people don't fish). Hatches will slow down but not stop. Frost will slow down the hoppers when it hits. Only thing that shuts me down is the regulations that close the streams. Even in winter you can have excellent dry fly fishing with midges and Winter Stones. In my journal on a certain Stream north of us I had a tremendous Yellow Sally hatch on the last day of open season last year, the fish where exploding.

 

Wet flies, Nymphs and Streamers of course are good to go any time of year if the swing is the thing or the tug is the drug.

[WyomingGeorge]

Well said, Shining Physician.

 

Water temps will drop significantly. I float with my handy $2.99 pool thermometer and on Sunday the water averaged about 54 F. I have found that the fish will remain highly active and strong down to around 44, hammering nymphs and chasing streamers. Below that, they generally stop chasing streamers actively, but will still gobble nymphs down to about 38 or so. Below that, they're pretty sluggish and will eat only if something is right in front of them in slow water.

 

So as the water temp drops, you should gradually focus your casting on progressively slower water. Right now fish are still in the fastest riffles, burly currents and even rapids. They will gradually shift to slower water as it gets colder. It doesn't mean you need to change patterns -- just where you fish.

 

Also, don't confuse air with water temperature. I've been out on sub-zero mornings when my guides freeze solid and the fish are having already breakfast at first light.

[Taco]

Besides I get a woody everytime I think about shitty dizzily snowy falls days, damn few people, 6 hr bwo hatches and a river just boilin' with fish.....

[vanslays1]

Guess I shouldn't worry too much about it. Thanks guys.

[WyomingGeorge]

My second biggest fish count ever on the Bow was in late October on a foggy (but calm) day with a high of only +1 and water temperature just above 40. The fish were chowing virtually all day long.

 

Then again, my WORST day...

[bowbonehead]

Besides I get a woody everytime I think about shitty dizzily snowy falls days, damn few people, 6 hr bwo hatches and a river just boilin' with fish.....

Lots of snouts today and not a soul on the river....... pray for snow

[PAD]

Was fishing downtown today at lunchtime and had a bunch of fish in front of me eating something subsurface I think. No fishing rising when I got there, I had passed through a nice run with a streamer - no takers...then all of a sudden fish all through the run were rising. I tied on a small BWO and EHC (with frozen fingers) but had no interest, even the insulting rise right next to your fly but no take. I was even getting bold and dropping it right on their heads - they just kept feeding. Any ideas on what it would be? The run is at the end of a long shallow river rock flat and drops off to a nice deep section but the run is we'll defined - like a funnel.

[SilverDoctor]

Was fishing downtown today at lunchtime and had a bunch of fish in front of me eating something subsurface I think. No fishing rising when I got there, I had passed through a nice run with a streamer - no takers...then all of a sudden fish all through the run were rising. I tied on a small BWO and EHC (with frozen fingers) but had no interest, even the insulting rise right next to your fly but no take. I was even getting bold and dropping it right on their heads - they just kept feeding. Any ideas on what it would be? The run is at the end of a long shallow river rock flat and drops off to a nice deep section but the run is we'll defined - like a funnel.

Just a thought. Could be emergers, at times it looks like they are feeding on the surface but only breaking it. it depends on what the rise forms look like. Or it could just be what you aren't presenting. It could also be the beginning of a hatch, perhaps n the sub film of the surface. Always a tough one.

[bowbonehead]

Was fishing downtown today at lunchtime and had a bunch of fish in front of me eating something subsurface I think. No fishing rising when I got there, I had passed through a nice run with a streamer - no takers...then all of a sudden fish all through the run were rising. I tied on a small BWO and EHC (with frozen fingers) but had no interest, even the insulting rise right next to your fly but no take. I was even getting bold and dropping it right on their heads - they just kept feeding. Any ideas on what it would be? The run is at the end of a long shallow river rock flat and drops off to a nice deep section but the run is we'll defined - like a funnel.

I did come across one pod like this yesterday and after trying 4 different patterns down to a size 20 emergers included which were next to impossible to see, I switched to a little tungsten backswimmmer and took 4 in 4 casts..... sometimes we have to cheat...made me feel dirty.... lol went back to the usual dries after that at the next spot where they were more than willing to eat on the surface

[PAD]

Ya I'm not sure what they were eating...I had a limited selection of flies in my "lunchtime at work emergency fly fishing kit" - had my money on streamers and a couple dries as backup. Nothing visible on the surface or in the air except for snowflakes, some of them did a small splash (you could hear them good) and a few did a slowish head, back and tail rise. Got a good view of some of them and they were good size trout - not small splashy ones, although it sounded like that at times. Seen a definite larger rainbow and a smaller brown (yellowish telltale markings). That's the other question I guess - is that common to have rainbows and browns feeding in the same seam? Hindsight is 20-20 but maybe I should have tried a dry with a trailing emerger or a nymph then. Are there any backswimmers in the Bow downtown/above the weir? I find the Bow downtown less silty and the rocks seem cleaner compared to the lower sections past the wastewater treatment plants. And hey - I wouldn't feel dirty if I were you! - nothing wrong with catching fish like that!