Clearwater Adventures Fly Fishing

Bow River ~ May 7

May 8, 2009 · No Comments

Policeman's Flats to McKinnon Flats
Air Temperature: 13° C ~ 56° F
Water Temperature: 8° C ~ 46° F
Water Level: 1.026 m
Water Flow: 63.93

Carlos, who is in town from Yellowknife, NT, and Angela, an ex-Yellowknifer, joined me for a full day drift today. It seemed to me that we experienced three seasons on the river and not one of them was summer. It was easily, one of the coldest days I have had on the Bow in a very long time. Not too long into the float, a cool drizzle turned into a steady rainfall which, for quite awhile, included very large, unwelcome snowflakes. Thankfully, we had no tangles or lost flies early in the drift because I'm certain my hands would have been too numb to straighten things out. The rain continued until 1:00 or so, and

around noon, the air temperature was still a very cool 4° C. Just before we stopped for a quick lunch break, Carlos landed a nice brown in a well defined seam below an island, and the bite was on. It seemed that once the air temperature rose slightly, the fish got very active. Many fish were taken in similar seams, but we also took several fish in choppy water between seams and we hooked up a few that were hanging out in the middle of the river. By the end of the day, Carlos had landed a dozen fish, including 5 browns and 5 rainbows. Many others were missed or lost as well. The hot fly of the day, a size 16 hares ear, accounted for all but two of the fish that were landed. Despite enduring miserable weather for much of the day, the outing was a memorable one due to good fishing and great company. I look forward to spending a warmer day on the Bow with Carlos and Angela in the future.

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