Upper bow river ( Canmore area)

[Steve fly guy]

Has anyone been up there recently? What are the water levels like, clarity or anything relevant would be great. Is there ice still in gap, grotto and quarry lake?

[commieboy]

Grotto and Gap are wide open (have been for about a month). Grotto was stocked 2 weeks ago.

[ÜberBanned]

Starting to murk up this past weekend according to my beuudy in lake Louise...

[Jason Bourne]

Quite murky as of this evening. (May20)

[Steve fly guy]

I hope thats not a sign of snow melt, we will be heading that way for this weekend to go camping and of course fish. If the water has colour, is it starting to get high too?
thanks for all the info everyone!!

[Steve fly guy]

I should have asked this too, has the caddis hatch started there yet? or BWO and PMD more abundant?

[chucky]

There was some nice caddis hatches in K country on monday evening. In the ponds the rainbows were loving a caddis emerger fished as a wet fly and slowly retrieved.

[Kokanee9]

Water levels are normal for this time of year. The rain that we had last weekend has put some dirt into the river. Not running chocolate milk by a long shot, but just enough to bring the clarity down to about 2 ft. Majority of it seems to be coming from Baker creek. Bow river above there is still fairly clear. The river clarity has been improving since the rain stopped. Runoff hasn't really started yet with tons of snow left at the higher elevations. Snow in the valleys has melted, making for easy walking by the river. Above Lake Louise, some snow remains (up to 2-3 ft.) along the sides of the river if you go upstream far enough.

Also spotted a large grizz this morning 3 miles downstream from Baker creek and a different one on wednesday evening, approx. 1 mile upstream of Lake Louise.

[Kokanee9]

The river above Canmore is fine for fishing. Riverbanks are in good shape for walking and the water is still low. There are many exposed gravel bars that you can use to get to some decent spots. These will disappear when the runoff happens.

Last week, I spotted 2 cubs and mother black bear just inside the park boundary. I spotted them again later in the week and they had moved further into the park. Haven't seen them since tuesday.

[uglyelk]

Cougar Creek in Canmore was flowing fast and dark at the end of the work day today. Lots of snow melt entering the system, expect things to get murky and flows to increase.

[Kokanee9]

Originally Posted by uglyelk

Cougar Creek in Canmore was flowing fast and dark at the end of the work day today. Lots of snow melt entering the system, expect things to get murky and flows to increase.

On wednesday, it was just a trickle.

I like how the machines all of a sudden came out to do work there a week before it starts flowing. Don't know who is in charge of the work, but why did they wait for so long to start?

[ÜberBanned]

[Steve fly guy]

River is browned out!! I fished every gin clear side channel I could find and nothing. Gave up on the flowing water and hit up the local ponds, fish surfacing on grotto and grayling were hitting in gap lake. Beautiful weather and area.

[Kokanee9]

Originally Posted by Steve fly guy

River is browned out!!

I was by there again on fri evening and I agree. The recent warm temps have also brought the arrival of the flowing chocolate milk water. The odd tree could be seen floating downstream, not only in Calgary but also above Banff. Water levels have come up and will only keep rising for the next couple weeks.

[bergman]

Yep, the river is in full melt right now, big and brown.

And there is this: log jams blocking every channel downstream from Canmore. This is between Canmore and Exshaw, made worse from last years flood.

Not good if anyone is thinking of getting out in a drift boat between Canmore and Exshaw this summer.