December Fishing on The Bow River

Reprieve From The cold of Winter          PHOTO GALLERY

In the middle of winter here in Alberta where the temperatures have been anywhere from ten to fifteen below zero, we welcome something called a Chinook. What the heck is a Chinook you might ask? Another name for the Chinook is “snow eater” since the warm and dry air quickly melts and evaporates snow away that is on the ground. A popular myth is that Chinook means “snow eater”, as a strong Chinook can make snow one foot deep almost vanish in one day. The snow partly melts and partly evaporates in the dry wind. Chinook winds have been observed to raise winter temperature, often from below -20°C (-4°F) to as high as 10°C to 20°C (50°F to 68°F) for a few hours or days, then temperatures will return to their normal levels.

Chinook winds are named because they come from the country of the Chinook Native Americans: the lower Columbia River, west of the Rocky Mountains. The term originated in the local argot of the fur trade. Chinooks are most prevalent over southern Alberta in Canada, especially in a belt from Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass through Lethbridge, which get 30 to 35 Chinook days per year on average. Chinooks become less frequent further south in the United States, and are not as common north of Red Deer, Alberta.

In southern Alberta, most of the winter can be spent with little or no snow on the ground. In Calgary, there is snow about 59% of the time on Christmas, compared to 88% for Edmonton. In Canada, only the West Coast of British Columbia and southern Ontario have fewer white Christmases than southern Alberta. So what does all this mean to a die hard fisherman like me, well quite simply I get to go out and do some open water fishing for a few hours during the Chinook temperatures of plus seven degrees. Last week I did just that, with excellent success fishing for massive Browns.

The ice from the river clears at 12:30 in the afternoon and the fish have only been feeding on insect larva, needless to say these trout are hungry and extremely aggressive. When a large Brown Trout spots a medium sized baitfish moving slowly through his area, he smashes it hard and quickly. The question is where do you find large Browns in the winter months, well I will look for these fish in slow deep holes five to ten feet deep. I also look to find Brown Trout hanging off of seems where the water becomes slower and food slows down and moves toward the fish. One must remember the water temperatures are very cold in winter, fish will move quite slower than they move when the water temperatures are warmer. Slower retrieve speeds and longer pauses between revolutions of your reel will greatly increase your odds of hooking those big Browns. Fishing pressure makes a difference in the winter, I am often the only one out on the river and this factor works in my favor. A Chinook is a warm welcome here and whenever one blows in, you will find me at the side of the river casting colorful minnow imitations and hooking large Brown Trout. Bundle up and do not forget your boots, toque, gloves and that old thermos of hot coffee.