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12-10-2014, 09:47 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 10
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Fly Fishing Bow This Weekend in Calgary
Couple of buddies coming up this weekend and want to fly fish the Bow. One is a former guide who knows his junk and asking me to put him in some nice sections of the river. I have the spot with deep holes in Calgary, but don't know enough to tell them what to throw at some big browns fly fishing. ??
Can anyone give some advise?
Thank you very much!
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12-11-2014, 06:40 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Calgary
Posts: 2,672
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Fish Creek stretch.
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Often I have been exhausted on trout streams, uncomfortable, wet, cold, briar scarred, sunburned, mosquito bitten,
but never, with a fly rod in my hand have I been in a place that was less than beautiful.
My blog - casting on the waters
fishing regulations and facts on fish handling
Fishing Regulations
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12-11-2014, 11:35 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Cochrane
Posts: 764
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I think he's asking what flys to use there buddy.
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12-11-2014, 12:39 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Calgary
Posts: 2,672
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Big bow river Buggers have been good along with dark Intruders
__________________
Often I have been exhausted on trout streams, uncomfortable, wet, cold, briar scarred, sunburned, mosquito bitten,
but never, with a fly rod in my hand have I been in a place that was less than beautiful.
My blog - casting on the waters
fishing regulations and facts on fish handling
Fishing Regulations
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12-11-2014, 02:43 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 127
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My usual nymphing setup for the winter bow months is typically a san juan worm with either a hare's ear or a prince nymph trailer.
You should take the advice of some of the more knowledgeable people on this forum though as in the winter I'm mostly only pulling RMW's and rainbows out of the river since I'm not actively targeting "big browns" with this setup.
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12-11-2014, 03:12 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Springbank A.B
Posts: 234
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I haven't caught a "big brown" since the event that shall not be named happened. Many of the big boy rainbows but very, very few browns. Anyone else?
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12-11-2014, 03:55 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Calgary
Posts: 3,857
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__________________
IG: @gibsontilley
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12-11-2014, 06:50 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Prince George, BC
Posts: 1,190
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I know for a fact the top (1st) and bottom pictures (3rd/Last) posted above, are not post flood.
Our big Browns did not survive the flood as well as we hoped. However a few did. Rainbows did fare better then our browns, theres plenty of those to go around. If thats your thing.
Higher up you go on the river meaning 17th ave-glenmore area, the more browns you'll see, the closer you get to the deerfoot extension browns start to drop dramatically, and rainbows take over. Fish creek is a good starting point for winter fishing. Quite a few average wintering holes, but it will also have much more pressure on it, as it is a "hot spot".
Honestly I'd be fishing streamers/big nymphs in Canmore. Much nicer setting, and you'll likely only catch browns, fewer hook ups, but if they're only interested in browns, thats where I'd be taking them fishing.
Last edited by Bhflyfisher; 12-11-2014 at 06:57 PM.
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12-11-2014, 08:03 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 260
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I agree. I haven't caught a Brown over 18 inches since the flood, even though I streamer fish a lot with size 2 and 4 hooks. Before the flood, I could count on catching at least one large (22"+) brown trout per season, and I fish the Bow a lot. The big ones just seemed to disappear.
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12-11-2014, 09:24 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: By the shores of the bow
Posts: 988
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bhflyfisher
I know for a fact the top (1st) and bottom pictures (3rd/Last) posted above, are not post flood.
Our big Browns did not survive the flood as well as we hoped. However a few did. Rainbows did fare better then our browns, theres plenty of those to go around. If thats your thing.
Higher up you go on the river meaning 17th ave-glenmore area, the more browns you'll see, the closer you get to the deerfoot extension browns start to drop dramatically, and rainbows take over. Fish creek is a good starting point for winter fishing. Quite a few average wintering holes, but it will also have much more pressure on it, as it is a "hot spot".
Honestly I'd be fishing streamers/big nymphs in Canmore. Much nicer setting, and you'll likely only catch browns, fewer hook ups, but if they're only interested in browns, thats where I'd be taking them fishing.
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So I'm guessing browns are really common around Sue Higgins and Carburn within the city? I heard there's good whitefish there too, wonder if it's ideal in the winter. I usually fish up north near edworthy 'cause my place is up at the far north, the runs are good for the summertime, but I don't think its good up there in thew winter. However I've seen folks fish nearby the TCH bridge which is perpendicular to shouldice, nice slow stretch of water, that time the water was high so they were all in the water. Up near cochrane there's a chance of a brookie, and upstream of ghost a lot of browns, bh is certainly correct. And yes fish creek has great spots for a nice ''steelhead'' or a white
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12-12-2014, 07:42 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: calgary
Posts: 58
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post flood fall browns. not monsters, but 20"+
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12-12-2014, 08:13 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,020
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Nice fish! That's next on my list for species I've never caught yet. Have to get out for some one day soon.
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12-12-2014, 10:55 AM
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Cochrane
Posts: 24
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Could any one tell me how much ice build up there is on the river? Would I be able to fish from shore?
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12-12-2014, 11:23 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Prince George, BC
Posts: 1,190
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdirt
post flood fall browns. not monsters, but 20"+
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Some nice fish there. They'd make anyones day. Right now is a pretty good time to fish streamers to the tail outs and ledges of wintering pools. Browns are on the tail end of their spawning if not, completely finished, hungry and trying to do SOME fattening up, especially with this warm spell, and still aggressive. Right now, and early spring are great times to get your big brown trout on a streamer the size of a small squirrel. However the periods of time are short. Once this weather snaps back to regular december temps, they'll become dormant-ish.
No streamers do not mean woolly buggers. Think big. Tandem Rig.
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12-12-2014, 03:01 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: calgary
Posts: 58
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Eats wooly buggers for breakfast. Well... maybe the small ones.
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12-12-2014, 08:45 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Saskatoon
Posts: 680
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdirt
Eats wooly buggers for breakfast. Well... maybe the small ones.
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Do you ever have hook up problems with such long tails?
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12-12-2014, 09:55 PM
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: calgary
Posts: 58
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If you look closely you can see a second hook on the black fly.
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12-13-2014, 12:33 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Saskatoon
Posts: 680
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigdirt
If you look closely you can see a second hook on the black fly.
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Whoops!
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12-13-2014, 03:54 AM
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Calgary
Posts: 744
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Big dirt could you pm me the recipe for that fly. That looks like a spring pike slayer. Very cool
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12-13-2014, 08:01 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Edmonton
Posts: 1,481
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Solid looking flies bigdirt!
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