Looking a guide
 

A friend and I are interested in doing a guided trip for on the Bow for browns next year. Looking for some recommendation on a top quality guide to get us on some decent fish. Thanks for any help.

Mike Venhuis with fish tales, or really any of their guides... book quick though

Paul at Iron Bow Flyshop

Second this. Good friend of mine and very knowledgeable. He puts in more effort than some of the guides out there to make sure you have a great day.

Browns
 

Other than targeting them on their redds right now a big NO-No!!!! Browns in the Bow are not the most common trout by % ...... That said you can greatly increase your odds by fishing the City sections where they are a lot more common compared to further downstream of Calgary. High water post run-off is also a great time to target them on streamers....... Make sure whoever you fish with is aware of your purpose ie Browns......

One of the best: Dee Chatani (Trout Chasers). Been on the river for decades

Terry Johnson out of Fish Tales fly shop

Fly fishing Bow River Outfitters. Good group of guys.

Any one of the guides from the shops will be good, that said you may want to partner up with a guide that will maximize your fishing style or go with one that will focus on your weak sides.

Myself, my boat is basically reserved for streamer anglers, if guys want to streamer fish we'll be on point all day. If the anglers are new and just want to chase bobbers typically I'll mention I may not be the guide for them.
Some guide just want to throw dries, some want to just go down the mainstem. You can most definitely Taylor your trip to benefit you.

Book early, bookings are flying off the shelf for this next season.

If you’re only interested in browns look for a guide on the upper bow around Canmore where they are the dominant trout species. Don’t know if he still guides or if the shop still exists because it’s been a long time but wapiti sports in Canmore did floats in that area in the past.

It’s been 15years since I fished/lived in the area but caught lots of nice browns back then

Scott Smith with bow River fly fishing company was the best guide I've ever had. Google him you won't be dissapointed

X2 Dave and Nancy run a good operation

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Not all guides are created equal - A plug for the AOGAA
 

As a fly fishing guide in Alberta (FYI, I only guide walk and wades on the Bow, and specialize in guiding in Alpine Lakes and Streams), I would ask that which ever guide you choose (there are many - some are very good - many are not), please be sure to confirm they are a member of the Angling Outfitter and Guides Association of Alberta (AOGAA). The AOGAA is a grass roots effort to legitimize the fishing guide industry in Alberta. Currently there are no requirements (nor licensing) to be a fishing guide in AB so any Tom, Dick or Harry can post an ad up on Kijiji with no certification, insurance nor experience. The AOGAA requires its members to have a minimum of qualifications (Standard First Aid, insurance, etc.) in order to be a member and offers the public some consistency with whom you hire.

Cheers,

Peter

The Alpine Experience - AOGAA Active Member

Bow river 2020
 

I hope that all people who Fish and Guide and enjoy the Mighty Bow Stop and Think and Realize that things have changed, dramatically on this River.
I have had conversations with over 15 people who make a living or a bit from Guiding on the Bow.
2019 will stand as a very Low Point as far as the overall Health of this River is concerned.
Years of Poor Management, Over Fishing from Targeted Professionals and Poaching, Whirling Disease. etc etc etc have led to a River System in Near Crisis.
The Bow is no longer a Blue Ribbon Trout River...
Just think about the Guide Boat Situation. Just say 15 trips per day per section. Never mind the rest of the Public Drift Boat Population,Every 8'of Bank gets pounded. Every Likely Fish Habitat.. Bombed.
When the system was healthy, the system could almost keep up..
I have Fished this River for over 50 years and am now wondering what I can do to help..My thoughts run to just retiring my boat from the Bow and walk and wading to just quit fishing below Glenmore..
Open to thoughts and opinions..

Very honest commentary. I wonder if the other guide shops would be as open or just say nothing because they want to keep in the business. Maybe a lottery system might be effective for a few years to help restoration?

The one thing that was never considered within any of the studies ( nor commentary) is the effect of Transalta screwing with the flow rates!! I think that definitely has a ( negative) impact on the populations!!

Many have heard the numbers of fish are down in the Bow and there are studies to suggest this. As of writing this I have yet to see any studies that at the very least speculate BIOMASS is down.
Maybe I will be proven wrong, perhaps hopefully I will. I am not a scientist, biologist or rocket appliance.
That said I`m on the water almost daily, typically with strong anglers in my boat and this season we have seen less rainbows, and less smaller fish in general.
But, those targeting big browns have never seen fishing like this in the last 15-20 years. If you follow guides on social media go through their pictures, everyone of them is putting up monster browns on an almost daily basis.
Those tanks eat, mainly fish and lots of them. This makes me question, is the biomass still in the ecosystem? I tend to think so.

Should we say nothing is wrong and stick our heads in the snow? No, we can always improve our resource, however here are some points that I think should be discussed before freaking out.

-six years ago the river experienced a serious flood, one in which we have no historical or theoretical recovery data on.

-the rework of the bonneybrook treatment plant lowered the nutrient outflow substantially. Less nutrients=less weeds=less bugs=less fish.

-there a many rivers in North America that have way more rod days without the perceived decline we have. Guides and anglers aren't a MAJOR contributor to said decline. The science is out, Catch and Release works.

-the channelization of the bow via the placement of riprap is a MAJOR problem, our flood mitigation strategies that were enacted directly after the flood did more harm to the ecosystem than we can ever grasp.

In the last 10 years I've drifted the bow, typically upstream of Fish Creek, well over 500 times. The majority of those times its been targeting big browns, this was the best season in 6 years for my boat.

One thing I've noticed is those complaining of low numbers don't typically fish the methods that consistently produce large fish. No Offence but your typical 68 year old isn't throwing a 10' 7 Wt with a full sink, two streamers one being 6" and the other being 3" 3000 times in a day to get that one brown. He wants to toss dries to snouts.

Sorry to the OP that this got derailed, basically go to a shop, book a trip, you'll have a great time.

Jayhad;
I don't know you and would assume nothing about you. My group of associates age from late 30's to early 70's. Some are exclusive streamer heads.
We catch a lot of fish..
However we sure don't pitch 4 to 10 casts a minute as you profess.
My info comes anecdotally from Friends whom I trust and my own handy dandy fish survey books and computer excel sheet going back a long time.
If you think all is fine, it musty be so.. Right?