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May 5

Water Level: 1.060m

Water Flow: 64.07 m3/s

Water Temperature: 52

Air Temperature: 16

Bow River: Policeman's Flats to McKinnon Flats

I got out for a day of fishing on the Bow River with my friends, John and Ken. The fishing was pretty slow for us and while we didn't have a lot of action, the fish were more active during the first half of the day than they were the last half. We spoke with several other fishers during the day and they reported slow fishing as well. The fish we landed were taken on wire worms, evil weevils, and prince nymphs. We saw a lot of flies today but the fish certainly were not looking up. I spent some time fishing a parachute adams with an emerger with no success. The catch of the day was this very thick, 36 inch + pike caught on a clouser. I knew it was a big fish the moment it hit and was hoping it was a huge brown. I've caught a lot of pike and have seen a couple of them in the Bow before, but landing this Bow River pike was a new experience for me. John and I are off to Montana next Friday to pick up my new Ro Drift Boat in Bozeman. We plan to spend a couple of days floating the Missouri before returning to Calgary.

April 4

Water Level: 0.943m
Water Flow: Unavailable

Air Temperature: +8

It's been far too long since I've been able to get down to the Bow River so  I took some time after work today and headed downstream of the city for a quick fish. While the ice and snow along the river has certainly receeded, it is still quite thick and, as you can see, there is still plenty of it along some stretches. The water level has also dropped significantly since I was last out and as a result, the run I fished today was much more defined. I'm always amazed at how much the Bow River

changes as the seasons progress and I guess it's the ever changing nature of the river that keeps it so interesting. I started out with streamers and was rewarded with a hit fairly early on. Unfortunately, after a few quick tugs the fish was gone. I had no more action with the streamers so I switched over to a nymph rig. I lost another two but landed a couple of nice, fat rainbows, one on a San Juan worm and the other on a small bead head pheasant tail. The rainbow above was the largest of the two and measured in at 20 inches. It was great to be out on the river again and I'm looking forward to some good spring fishing over the next several weeks as we head toward runoff in June.

February 20

Water Level: 1.529m
Water Flow: Unavailable

Air Temperature: +8

I had several errands to take care of today and didn't manage to get on the water until late this afternoon. I made my way to a stretch of river that I hadn't fished since late fall and spent time fishing a couple of slower, deep runs. The only fish landed was this 21" rainbow trout that took a size 16 pheasant tail nymph. I headed back to my vehicle with the full moon coming up over a rise and I enjoyed watching the start of the a full lunar eclipse as I drove home.

February 19

Water Level: 1.500m
Water Flow: Unavailablle

Air Temperature: +6

Today just never really warmed up like it was forecast to and it was noticably cooler on the river today compared to yesterday. On the other hand, there were just a few fishers out today, as it was a regular workday, so there was a lot more elbow room along the banks of the Bow. The morning got off to a quick start with a whitefish and a couple of brown trout brought to the net and three or four others lost trying to get them there. The fishing really slowed down after noon, and despite trying a variety of flies and fishing at three or four other locations, a small brown and a small rainbow were all that I landed the rest of the day. The fish I landed today were taken on a wire worm, a little black stonefly, a midge and Bow River bugger.

February 18

Water Level: 1.553m
Water Flow: Unavailable

Air Temperature: +11

You can count on fly fishers being out in force when a provincial holiday is combined with temperatures that are well above average, and that was certainly the case today. Despite the crowds, it was a fantastic day to be out after the cold stretch that we have endured. I thought that melt water might result in the Bow being  a little murky, but the river was in great shape. White fish were certainly active but the fish that made my day was this 22+ inch brown trout.

February 16

Water Level: 1.553m
Water Flow: Unavailable

Air Temperature: +8

We have had some bitterly cold weather during the last 2 or 3 weeks. Temperatures reached lows of -30 degrees and colder with the windchill dropping us to -49 degrees. Needless to say, temperatures like these can significantly change the Bow River. This afternoon I had some time so I went to fish a section of river that I had good success on a couple of times earlier this winter. Unfortunately, fishing was impossible as only a narrow channel of running water remained and walking on the ice was quite treacherous. I made a stop at Policeman's Flats but had no luck there either. Despite the lack of fish, it was great to get out again.

January 5

Water Level: 1.463m
Water Flow: Unavailable

Air Temperature: +6

Today was another great day for the first week of January here in Calgary. I had a bit of time in the early afternoon so I managed to get down to the Bow for a  quick fish. The river was noticably lower today than it has been for a couple of weeks. I noticed a lot of ice and slush in the water downtown but the area I fished today had no slush and only the occasional chunk of ice. I landed a couple of good sized whitefish and a rainbow so the results were better for me today. The rainbow I pulled in today was nowhere near as thick as any that Quinn landed yesterday. One of the whitefish took a size 10 wire worm and the other two took a size 16 evil weevil. It looks like its going to cool down a bit over the next few days but I'm hoping we'll be back above freezing by next weekend.

January 4

Water Level: 1.488m

Water Flow: Unavailable

Air Temperature: +4

My good friend Quinn and I headed down to the Bow River today for our first outing of 2008. The weather started out very pleasant but a brisk wind later in the afternoon cooled things down considerably and made for difficult casting at times. Quinn held the hot hand today landing 4 rainbows, a brown and a whitefish on a size 16 evil weevil and losing several others. I had no luck today and only managed to hook one great looking rainbow which I was unable to land. Most of the fish hooked today were holding in slower, deep water.