Open Water Fishing The Bow River At Last

Bustin loose straight to the Bow River

It has been way, way too long since I was able to cast a lure into the river. I think the last time was November of 2015. That is far too long for long for a complete fishing addict like me to be dry! Moreover, it has been a few years since I was able to hook up with my best friend Tom and fish the Bow. Tom and I grew up together since we were five, and have fished most every river and lake in Southern Alberta together. You know how that goes, life and children get in the way of fishing every week like the good old days when we were out there every week slamming trout, or Walleye, or Pike from a lake or river somewhere off the beaten path in Alberta. I am just both happy and grateful Tom and I could connect for those few hours and fish once again.

For me, coffee always precedes a day on the river, and that usually means we meet at a Tim Horton’s somewhere close to the river. Nothing says “I am Canadian” quite like a meet up at Timmy’s.  I had to rack my brain a little as to where we were going to start our day on the river. Generally I pick slow deep holes in the winter where I feel fish will have spawned or will stay to over winter. My gut told me to bypass these places and head for some water that had weed beds. Weed beds in the winter provide both food and cover for the fish, and is always a great place to target lazy winter trout. I decided on a nice long stretch of deep slow water at first, which is nice and close to the house. If there were no fish holding or feeding in this area, I had a second spot picked out further downstream. We rushed out of the truck and double timed it to the edge of the river. I let Tom fish a spot close to the bridge, fish always seem to hold either in front or behind the bridge pillars. Tom has not had a fish on his line in almost a year, so I gave him the best spot in the river to start out fishing. After all, that’s what friends are for right.

We fished up and down the river in our first location without even a bite. We also noticed that it was weed less in the entire location. Even after raking the lure on the bottom of the river, it was clean. Another tip here is just because you caught fish in a certain spot in the summer, does not mean you are going to catch them in that same locale in the winter. Many anglers fall for this myth, spending way too much time in an unproductive location and coming away from the river empty handed. We chose to pack up and head to another location, no fish in an hour and we have to move.

A short drive down Deerfoot Trail and we walked into a different prime location on the river. I had a feeling that this spot would be productive. We unloaded the back packs off the shoulders and proceeded to cast away. I was chucking a Rapala jointed minnow, and Tom was going old school with a Blue Fox minnow spinner. On every cast, we saw weeds on or hooks. That to me was a great sign that we were fishing productive water. Nothing was biting and no fish on so we walked further down the river in search of trout action. The ice buildup along the islands and banks made for tough fishing. There was just not enough room for open water. We decided the best option was back upriver to the spot where we hit gold or weeds rather. It was not long after I stopped and ditched the back pack that I was into my first fish, a dandy rainbow could not resist the BX Minnow. I always keep my retrieve slow when the water is cold, and I always use long pauses on my retrieve. As soon I hit the stop button, this rainbow pictured smashed my lure. Big thanks to Tom for taking this picture for me.

Tom’s fish came next, shortly after I released my first. The fish looked small in the river coming in, but was a tank when we netted it and snapped a quick picture. The ambient temperature was 8 degrees Celsius, but it is very important to not have a fish out of the water very long. I use the 10 second rule here. Ideally, you could keep the fish in the water and take a picture. We got the fish back in the water quickly and exchanged the old slimy high five. Looking at the picture, you cannot tell just how fat Tom’s fish actually was. The hole came alive with both browns and rainbows. We managed to land five amazing trout here before moving up the river. I did catch a few more upstream before we had to pack it in and call it a day. And what a killer day it sure was.

Good friends and great weather made for an epic day winter fishing the Bow River. Personally, I opt for an open water fishing adventure over and above a day sitting on a bucket, jigging a lure into a hole in the ice. What about you, where do you go to get your winter fishing fix? Feel free to leave a comment and let us know what gets you out of the house on a warm winter’s day.