Dec 28

Bow River Blog Guided Fishing Tours Inc Wishes You and Your’s a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Rainbow trout caught on the Bow River with lures 2018

With 2018 quickly coming to a close, I would like to take the time to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. I truly hope Santa was good to you this year, stuffing all your stockings with new fishing gear. Once again this year, I was blessed to receive a plethora of goodies under the tree, and for that I am grateful.

Brown trout fishing winter Bow River 2018

I have been taking full advantage of this mild winter weather we have been receiving here in Calgary, Alberta. I have had the chance, on numerous occasions, to shore fish the Bow River the past few weeks. I caught some amazing fish which is normal for winter angling on the Bow River when weather permits. The food source becomes scarce and the big fish are more prone to eat big minnows, or in my case, big Rapala and Live Target minnow imitations. For me, it is always awesome to get out and get some exercise along the banks of the Bow River in the winter months.

Winter fishing the bow river Calgary, AB

I would like to wish all my readers and fellow anglers a happy New Year. I hope 2019 brings you all many blessings, and of course, HUGE FISH. I would also like to let my clients know that you can pre-book your dates for the 2019 fishing season now, I you so choose, that way you get a prime date for the 2019 fishing season.

Blessings to you all and hope to see you on the river in 2019

~Mike

Nov 30

Adios To The 2018 Open Water Fishing Season

Bow River brown trout spin fishing 2018

That’s a wrap for 2018

As the cold winter chill hits the air and snow falls out my window, I awoke today to reflect on a wonderful 2018 open water sport fishing season here in Alberta. Once again, I had visitors from all over Canada, as well as the United States. My guided fishing trips business has grown into something I had never dreamed of, attracting visitors from all over the world into my jet boat and onto the mighty Bow River. The feelings of gratefulness and honor wash over me as I sit at my table and type this Blog post.

I remember when I first had the thought about becoming a guide on the Bow River. In those days, fear and insecurity took over my thoughts and actions, and doubt constantly filled my mind. After all, no one goes into business to fail! It is one thing to catch your own fish, but it’s a total different ball game when people pay good money for you to help them catch theirs, and you fail. The internal pressure in my mind kept my guided fishing trip shop closed. It was like putting your shirt on backwards, it didn’t feel right, so I kept fishing the Bow and learning all I could, unlocking secrets along the journey. After several years, something magical happened as I poured my heart and soul into each and every fish, and eventually, I built my business and they came.

I dedicate this post to the anglers who believe in me and trust me to be their guide, sometimes year after year. I would also love to thank the anglers I have never guided before that took fishing trips with me this season; it was my honor and pleasure to meet each and every one of you. I sincerely hope to see you all back in 2019.

Cheers,

~Mike

Here are some pictures of our catches in the 2018 calendar year as well as a list of gear and tackle we used to catch our quarry.

1. Rapala Walleye series rod’s (6’6 Medium action Spinning)
2. Berkley Trilene XT (8Lb Low Vis Green Mono)
3. Pflueger President 6940 Spinning Reels
4. Ego S2 Slider Nets
5. Eagle Claw Hooks (Size 6 and size 4)
6. Rapala Countdown Series Baits (CD-9)
7. Rapala X-Rap Series Baits (XR-10)
8. Rapala BX Jointed Series Baits (BXJ)
9. Rapala Shadow Rap Shad Series Baits (SRS-09)
10. Live Target Smelts
11. Live Target Trout Parr Jerkbait
12. Berkley Juke
13. Explorer Industries Jet Boat
14. Berkley Series One Spinning Rods

Dino spin fishing the bow river 2018

 

Sport fishing the Bow River Calgary, Alberta

 

Bow River Rainbow Trout 2018

Continue reading

Oct 18

Rocktober and some fall fishing action

 

Bow River brown trout fishingFall fishing is in full swing and the leaves have all morphed from green to golden yellows and maroon red. The water temperatures have cooled down but the fishing action is just getting warmed up. The last couple of guided fishing trips have been very successful, with my clients landing fourteen rainbows and one brown last Saturday. Sunday October the 14th was even more successful, with twenty incredible fish landed including two browns, which happened to be a first for my clients Carla and her son Caylen. It was a great day for fishing the Bow River!

Fall-fishing-the-bow-river-for-brown-trout

I capped of a fantastic 2018 guided fishing season at the end of October with John Martin and Chad fishing last Saturday, and John and his neighbor Edwardo wrapping up the season in style with some incredible brown trout seen here.

Bow-River-brown-trout-spin-fishing

 

spin-fishing-the-bow-river-for-brown-trout

I would like to say that it has been an honor and a blessing to be your fishing guide once again this year on the mighty Bow River. I am always grateful to see each and every one of you on the jet boat. I would sincerely like to thank all my repeat clients for coming back year after year, and I would also like to thank those of you who have never taken a guided fishing trip with me and chose to hire me as your guide this year. We caught and released some amazing trout once again, not to mention all the laughs and memories we created out there on the water.

crank-bait-fishing-the-lower-bow-river-Calgary-Alberta

It is time to put the boat away and close shop for the year. I hope everyone has a wonderful winter and I look forward to seeing all of you again next year. For those of you who want to re-book for the 2019 fishing season, or those of you interested in a guided jet boat fishing trip, please feel free to contact me and we can book a date for you. You can see the description and rates of the trip here  https://www.bowriverblog.com/guided-bow-river-jet-boat-trips/

Stay safe and healthy,

Mike

Sep 21

The State of the Bow River Fishery

What happened to the Rainbow Trout population on the Bow River 2018

What happened to the rainbow trout?

This year has been a fairly good season for trout fishing the Bow River. Early spring and into July, the trout fishing on the lower Bow River (below Policeman’s Flats) had been great. At that time, we were experiencing great rainbow trout fishing with catch numbers around 20-40 fish on a 7 hour jet boat trip. My clients were doing well and were kept very happy with their day and night fishing adventures. As the summer progressed onward, the temperatures skyrocketed into the thirties and the fishing slowed considerably as a result! Mid July was scorching on the water, even the morning bite on the river was slow compared to the last few years previous. It seemed to me that the fish had almost stopped feeding in the day time and had predominantly resorted to feeding at night, where the temperatures were at least a little cooler. Late July the river slowed and the bite was tough during some of the peak times on the river. I started to wonder, what happened to the fish, specifically the rainbows?

Rainbow Trout caught and released on the Bow River July 2018

One topic of major concern is the fact that the province of Alberta has an agreement with TransAlta, who control the hydro-electric dams above the city limits of Calgary, as well as the city itself and the irrigation districts downstream. There are several great articles on the internet to address these concerns with fluctuating water flow levels. A great article I found can be seen here https://bowrivertrout.org/2018/07/20/bow-river-flows-how-are-they-controlled/. The main concern contained within this article is as follows “The 2013 flood had an enormous impact on the City of Calgary and other communities in the Bow River Basin. The hydrology of the Bow River in and downstream of Calgary was changed by the extremely high flows and the subsequent flood mitigation measures. The fishery was devastated but in recent years fish populations appear to have increased somewhat. The Government of Alberta commissioned The Bow River Water Management Project to provide strategic advice on opportunities to reduce future flood damage, improve the reliability of water supply and protect the long-term health of the Bow River Basin. Continue reading