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

Come Fishing with Us

How to Dress in Layers
An important part of fly fishing is keeping dry and warm.  Some days it is warm and your only concern is how long of nap to take on the bank, however some days the clothing we wear can be the difference between a good day, or a very bad and dangerous day.  Whether you are climbing Everest, skiing, or fishing, the same principles apply for how to dress.  It is important to be aware of the forecast and it helps if you are able to read weather using a barometer, however the most seasoned mountain man will tell you that the key to having a good day in the elements is to be prepared.

All layering systems consist of 3 layers.  A base layer to wick moisture away from your skin to keep you dry, an insulation layer to keep you warm, and an outer shell to protect you from the elements.

When your body works it sweats to cool you down by evaporation.  Evaporation requires energy, and this energy comes from your body core, cooling you down.  A good base layer is efficient at transporting water away from your body, thereby allowing the body to retain its heat.  There are different weights of base layers depending on the season;  they range from a very light weight material to very warm thermal base layer.

The next layer is the insulation layer.  This layer may be comprised of more than one piece of clothing.  This way when you start to warm up, you can remove a layer to keep from sweating.  This is a very important point.  The key is to regulate your body temperature to keep you from sweating.  A moisture wicking shirt along with a fleece is a great combination to start your day.  Fleece is excellent  because it retains heating properties when wet (not that we would ever fall in the river when wading), and has an excellent warmth to weight ratio.  Wool is a good insulation layer as well, but can be bulky and heavy, especially when wet.  Cotton is known as the "Death Fabric."  Don't wear it!  It loses all heating properties when wet, and in the case of Jeans can constrict when wet and cause circulation problems.

The outer layer is the shell.  This protects you from the elements and must allow the passage of water vapor.  This is why that old yellow rain coat doesn't cut it.  It protects from the elements, but causes the water inside to stay inside.  That is why fabrics such as GORE-TEX were created.  The pores in this type of fabric are small enough to keep water droplets from getting in, but large enough to let the much smaller water vapor molecules out.  That way, when you sweat, your base layer will pull the moisture off the skin, passing it through your insulation layer, and out your shell.  A jacket made just for fly fishing such as the SST Jacket from Patagonia is great, as it has fly box pockets, oversized fleece lined pockets to warm up wet hands, and watertight cuffs to seal out water when landing or releasing a fish.

The same shell technology has been applied to waders, and they are now fully breathable.  I find breathable waders much warmer than Neoprene waders, as the sweat doesn't collect on the inside.  This keeps me much warmer, and, as my wife tells me, smelling much better.  If you are in a float tube simply put on a pair of heavy fleece pants and a pair of breathable waders and you will be warm and happy all day long.  I like to wear Simms new G3 Guide Waders.  They have 5-ply GORE-TEX in high abrasion areas and are super tough.

Head gear is important.  You need a hat to keep the sun off your head and out of your eyes.  50% of body heat is lost through the head.  When its cold try a WindStopper fleece toque.

Gloves are nice but reduce the feel of the fly line.  If it is really cold, fingerless windproof fleece gloves work great, even when they get a little wet.  Try the Patagonia Windzone Fingerless Golves.

Wading boots, are important for grip and support.  The felt soles prevent slipping on the slimy rocks, and the high boot gives your ankle support to prevent rolling as you step from one uneven surface to the other while wading.  The new Aquastealth sole from Simms has changed the face of wading boots!  The sole is great on slippery rocks and continues to last and last.  We use the L2 Wading Boot -Aquastealth for all of our walk and wade guiding.  Walk up and down slippery slopes without slipping, and winter walk and wade without all of that snow sticking to the felt.  The best part about these boots is that you can use them instead of buying flats boots.  They last longer than flats boots and have the support needed for putting a lot of miles on the coral.

The final thing that is very important to wear is a pair of quality polarized glasses.  Good quality sunglasses keep your eyes from burning, and becoming fatigued or damaged from a day on the river.  Upgrading to polarized glasses will allow you the benefit of spotting fish in the water, as polarized lenses greatly reduce the glare from the top of the water.  My favorite polarized glasses are made by Dragon Optical.  They have great quality lenses, and have great looking frames.  My wife is no longer embarrassed when I wear my fishing glasses around, in fact, they are my everyday sunglasses.

While we are talking about how to dress in layers we thought we would mention our favorite couple of things for on top of those layers - Our Favorite Gear.  We don't like to wear fishing vests, but prefer to wear a hip/chest pack.  The Waterdance Guide Pack from Fishpond is awesome - buy it for use anywhere from the salt water flats to your favorite rivers and lakes!  If you are heading to the mountains where weather can change instantly, the Double Haul from Patagonia is a must.  It's a small backpack and a chest pack all in one.  It holds a hydration bladder, a rain jacket and has straps to lash your fly rod tube in the back, and has a front compartment for all of your fly boxes and tippets.
Our favorite fly boxes are C&F designs from 3M Scientific Anglers.  The boxes are well constructed with great replaceable foam and storage compartments.  Great!  You will give all of your old fly boxes away!

Tippet
It is important to use the right size tippet for whatever fly you are fishing.  The line has to fit through the eye of your hook, and must not spook the fish when you cast.  A simple rule for what X designation of tippet to use is to take the size of the fly and divide by 4.
 

When the fish are not taking your offering and they should be, try going one size smaller with your tippet.  If this doesn't work, try going to a smaller fly.

When casting dry flies, your tippet should adhere to the smaller end of the scale.  When nymphing you can go a little thicker as the line is underwater and less visible.  For streamers use a short leader of 15 pound test.  This enables you to can crash the banks, get hung up, and pull it off without breaking.  Don't go much higher than 15 pound because if you get a bad snag, you won't be able to break it off.

Fluorocarbon, is great.  Use it for nymphs as it is nearly invisible in the water, allowing you to use larger diameter line for more strength without scaring fish.  Do not use it when fishing dry flies - it sinks.

We suggest using RIO tippet and leaders.  We always try new stuff, and keep coming back to RIO.  We break off much fewer fish using these lines.

Knots
Improved Clinch Knot - this knot is very strong and is your basic bread and butter fishing knot.  Use it for Steamers, Nymphs and Dries.

Double Uni Knot - this is used to tie to pieces of tippet together.  We tie this often.  It is very easy to tie and is very strong.

Double Surgeon's Knot - another knot to tie when attaching tippet.

Nail knot - This knot is used to attach the fly line to the leader.  It is difficult to tie with a nail.  Buy a pair of nippers with a file and a nail knot tying tool.  We are fly fishermen.  We have lots of gear.  This will make your life happy.

Loop Systems - I don't like them.  They make attaching a new leader easy, but get caught in the guides. I prefer a well tied nail knot.

Albright Knot - this knot is difficult to tie but is necessary for tying with wire.  Great when making your own pike leaders.

Wading
Safe wading is something that many people don't think about until the water is an inch below the top of their waders, moving fast, and there is no turning back and no going forward.  Know your limits.  Always pick a spot down stream and wade at a 45 degree angle downstream.  This way the current can help you along, and the water won't build up as much on the upstream side of your waders as it does if you try to wade downstream.  Use a wading staff if you have a problem with your footing.  Use felt soles for grip.  Your rod is expensive, but not worth your life, drop it and swim.  Some people wear an inflatable life jacket, its not bulky and inflates with the pull of a rip cord.  If you are fishing alone, don't push your wading limits.  Do not wade across a river directly upstream of a log jam.

When the Fish Don't Bite
●When the fish don't bite, try the following:
●a smaller sized fly
●smaller diameter tippet
●longer tippet
●a different fly
●take a nap
●eat
●watch birds
☻stand on your head
☻balance your rod on your nose
☻flap your arms and quack like a duck
☻say "here fishy fishy fishy fishy"
☻phone Bow River Fly Fishing Adventures and book a trip (maybe I should have said that first)

Rod Choice
Upper Bow - 4wt or 5wt - Dry flies
                   - 5wt or 6wt - Nymphs and Streamers

Lower Bow - 5wt - Dry flies
                   - 6wt - Nymphs and small to average Streamers
                   - 7 or 8 weight - dual heavy Streamers with a heavy sink tip.

Livingstone - 3wt or 4wt - Dry flies 
                  - 4wt or 5wt - Nymphs and Streamers

Come Fishing with Us

Back to top