Bow River Fishing Report - July 16 2013

Photo, courtesy Jim Kearns

 

Photo, courtesy Jim Kearns

Bow River Fishing Report - July 16 2013

"Thank you to Jim Kearns for sending this my way!" - Michelle, Owner/Operator Bow River Shuttles

Hi Michelle. Here is some info for your excellent e-mail updates to help educate your readers and dispel all the negative press and rumors that the "Bow is dead" after the big flood...not true.

This past week, I was fortunate to be a guest with Calgary architect Tony Williams on one of the first three guided boats allowed back on the Bow July 16.

I was not optimistic and expected only a boat ride through a "war zone."

Surprisingly, our expert guide, Aaron Caldwell, put us into three dozen plus trout, a mix of browns and rainbows and whitefish, in all size categories small to large, and all in excellent robust, healthy condition.

Many of the fish were caught on big surface floating stone-fly patterns and the water clarity and visibility improved all day.

The two other boats we talked to had similar fishing experiences.

One of the boats got into a 27 inch brown.

Water levels are high but dropping rapidly...there was absolutely no floating debris and noticeably no shore-line garbage which I guess by now is probably all in Medicine Hat.

The river is completely safe to float but banks and shorelines look unstable in some areas for walking and wading...use caution.

The river in most places is unrecognizable, as are the launch sites, with new channels and backwater "lakes" but mother nature is looking after the recovery and it will be a brand new river now to explore but the fish are still there but in new places.

One of the pictures attached shows a Merganser who has adopted some presumably displaced Goldeneye ducklings. I'm told that this quite rare.."birds of a feather..."

- Jim Kearns