Winter fishing the Bow River, Canada

Winter can be the most exciting time to search out the finest specimens the Bow River has to offer. The food source is scarce, leaving the fish hungry like wolves! The past few weeks we have been in Chinook weather conditions here in Calgary. With mid-day temps reaching well above zero, the river has come alive with hungry trout waiting for an easy meal. I had a window of opportunity to fish the river this week taking advantage of both the amazing weather conditions and those hungry trout awaiting me. Picking the location to fish can oftentimes be tricky, especially when I had a long break in between angling opportunities. Knowing the river intimately, I chose to fish two locations which both have deeper, slow water that the fish over-winter. These locations in the river are places where the fish go in the fall and stay all winter long. The water is deep enough here that if, or when the river freezes, there is ample deep water for them to hold in. They move out of their summer lies and into these areas in the fall months. Knowing these locations is the first part in the key to success.

I packed my gear, gathered the winter clothing, and off I went in search of the Bow Rivers finest brown trout. Before leaving the house, I added some lures to my tackle trays. I chose to include more Rapala Countdown series baits in traditional Silver, Brown Trout and Rainbow Trout patterns before making my short journey to the river. In the winter months, the fish hold on the bottom of the river in either weeds or on the muddy bottom. It is imperative that you get your bait down to where the fish are holding, as the water is very cold and often times; the fish will not have the energy to chase your lure. It is very imperative that you present your bait to where the fish are located in the river. Using the Countdown method, (the lure sinks one foot per second), you let the lure sink down to the bottom where these fish are holding. Once the lure sinks down, I slowly twitch the bait making it move in a subtle fashion, then let it sink again repeating this process. Leaving the fish time to grab the lure is the most important part of the process here. If you are reeling to fast, or do not let the lure sink properly, your chances of hook-ups decrease.

I tied my Countdown on where I parked my truck and headed down the steep hill towards the river’s edge. The sun was shining on my face and my heart was beating faster with every step of the way. As I stepped onto the river’s edge, I observed several fish rising for small midges that were carried along the seam of the river. It was good to see active fish upon my arrival, even if they were smaller trout. I made my first cast far into the opposite bank, retrieving slowly with twitches of my lure. It only took approximately ten minutes until my first brown took hold of my silver Countdown. It is always nice to get that first fish out of the way early. After thirty minutes of no action, I switched my lure to an X-Rap 10 (XR-10) live sucker pattern and applied the same retrieval technique techniques. It was not long until I had a monster rainbow on and peeling line. It was such a rush landing both these amazing fish, which happened to be the first fish of the 2020 season in open water conditions.

I had a short window to fish and left the river happy and satisfied. As stated above, the key to success was using the right bait to get down to where the fish are holding. The second key to success was finding the right water and keeping the lure in the strike zone long enough for the fish to take the lure. Reeling to fast in cold water conditions can lead to fewer hook-ups. Keep you bait moving slowly to let lethargic fish catch up. Lastly, don’t be afraid to move to different holding locations on the river. Often, the fish will move up and down the river from deep hole to the next. One day they are here and gone the next. It is important to not spend too much time in one location, as the window of opportunity can be short in the winter. Moving locations in the river and finding the fish on a daily basis can lead to more hookups and success!

2020 is off to a great start so far. Spring is just around the corner which means my jet boat will be out of hibernation and back on the river in no time. I look very forward to another amazing fishing season here on the Bow River. I hope you are all having a great start to the 2020 season, whether that is open water or on the hard deck.