Bow River Fly Fishing
Calgary Alberta Canada
Float Trips  | Walk and Wade | Lake Trips | Alpine Lakes

Come Fishing with Us

                                                   
The following is a guideline for the hatches on the Upper Bow River around Banff and Canmore, the Lower Bow River from Calgary to Carseland, and the Livingstone River.
The hatches differ from year to year for many reasons such as the length of winter, duration of runoff, and how the bugs feel on any given day.

Bugs such as midges will hatch all year on the river, and when a Chinook comes in, you will always find fishermen out freezing their hands and trying desperately to wake the fish from their deep hibernation pools.  We try to catch a fish every month of the year, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not.  Generally nymphs and streamers fished deep and slowly will work the best in the middle of winter.

 

Date	Insect	Imitation	Size
April 1 - May 15	Blue-winged Olive	Blue-winged Olive, Crystal Blue-winged Olive, Adams	16
May 15 - June 15	March Brown	Quad March Brown, Adams	12, 14
May 15 - August 31	Caddis	Elk Hair Caddis	10 - 20
June 15 - July 31	Pale Morning Dun	Pale Morning Dun Parachute	16 - 18
June 15 - August 15	Golden Stonefly	Yellow Stimulator, Super Stimulator	4 - 10
August 1 - Sept 30	Grasshopper	Daves Hopper, Hoppor-cator, Club Sandwich	6 - 12
August 1 - Sept 30	Trycorithodes	Trico Spinner	18 - 22
August 15 - September15	Fall Caddis	Orange Simulator, Elk Hair Caddis	6 - 10
September 1 - October 15	Blue-winged Olive	Blue-winged Olive, Crystal Blue-winged Olive, Adams	18 - 22

 

Date	Insect	Imitation	Size
April 15 - May 15	Blue-winged Olive	Blue-winged Olive, Crystal Blue-winged Olive, Adams	16
May 15 - June 15	March Brown	Quad March Brown, Adams	12, 14
May 15 - August 31	Caddis	Elk Hair Caddis	10 - 20
May 15 - June 30	Salmonfly	Super Stimulator, Orange Stimulator	2 - 8
June 15 - July 15	Golden Stonefly	Yellow Stimulator, Super Stimulator	4 - 10
June 15 - July 31	Pale Morning Dun	Pale Morning Dun Parachute	16 - 18
June 15 - August 15	Western Green Drake	Green Drake, Crystal Green Drake, Olive Paradrake	8 - 12
July 15 - Sept 15	Grasshopper	Daves Hopper, Hoppor-cator, Club Sandwich	6 - 12
August 15 - September15	Fall Caddis	Orange Simulator, Elk Hair Caddis	6 - 10
September 1 - October 15	Blue-winged Olive	Blue-winged Olive, Crystal Blue-winged Olive, Adams	18 - 22

The best advice that we can give about hatches is to write down when they occur on your streams where you fish.  Look for patterns from year to year, and you will see that there are no rules, only trends and a usual order of hatches.  One of these orders is that on the Bow River, the first bugs of the year will be BWO's, and there will be good hatches, and the fish won't eat them, but we still try, and get frustrated, but also enjoy it, knowing that this marks the beginning of a new season, and a new season means that in a month or two, fish, big fish, will be pounding our golden stones and making our hearts race.  And even though we don't catch much on these first few trips, we always say to each other "Its just good to get out again", and it is, the smell of spring, the beauty of new growth, and a stiff casting arm.
People say don't chase the hatch, don't waste your time.  We say chase away, if you get that hatch you are chasing once every 10 years - its worth it, and when you don't catch it, your still fishing, and that's good.

Come Fishing with Us

Back to top