Bow River Blog – Page 48 – Is Your Fishing Resource For Spin Fishing The Bow River

Jul 28

Bow River Float Fishing Trips For Big Brown Trout

By Mike Robertson in Lower Bow River

Big Bruiser Brown And a Ton of Rainbow’s

This weekend was a great fishing weekend for me. I had two guided fishing trips back to back. A nice couple from Florida was the latest fishing trip. Bob and Betty contacted me from their home in Florida. Bob informed me he wanted to start his holiday out with some Bow River trout. He wanted to fish the day away before they carried on to Banff and Jasper. So MacKinnon to Carseland we went! Before hitting the river we stopped at Tim Horton’s for a coffee. I gave Bob a lesion in Canadian lingo educating him on what I was ordering, two extra large triple-triples. Bob kind of chuckled and stated to me he saw another guy earlier in the morning doing the exact same thing as I. “You guy’s sure do love your coffee out here” he exclaimed with a chuckle. “Yes we do Bob” I replied. “What I do is order two big pails of coffee and down one just to wake up. The other one I leave in my car in the hot sun and drink after the day of fishing. It is still hot by the time we will be finished”. Betty thought that was hilarious.

After I missed my turn to highway 22X, I turned the car around and got back on track. Note to self, don’t talk too much and drive. You WILL miss your turn off! We finally arrived at MacKinnon to an empty parking lot. Perfect I thought to myself, no boats and big fish. I informed Bob that once we floated down river a short distance, there was a fish waiting for him as the water flows into the bank. There is a deep hole just fifty yards from the launch point. Bob was waiting to cast. I instructed him to get his cast as close to the shoreline as possible. He fired away and a big rainbow hit on his third crank. Tip up and steady pressure, Bob landed his first trout just one minute into the trip. As I was releasing his fish, Betty’s camera was shooting the Pelicans that were fishing behind us. Betty piped up, “Gorgeous scenery down here Mike, this is nice”. Indeed it is Betty.

Many fat rainbows were caught during our trip. We pulled the boat off in many prime locations and were able to hook up fish. I was hoping Bob was going to be able to at least hook into something large. What was about to happen blew both our minds. I switched Bob’s Rapala from an OGMD to a silver (S) pattern. I tied the lure for him on our last shoreline pit stop. Bob chucked that crankbait about a foot from shore over his left shoulder. He was using a long pause on his retrieve! All of a sudden his rod tip bent fiercely over practically touching the water. “That’s a big fish Bob”. Don’t loose that beast”. I reached for the net to prepare for the fish to be landed. I figured it was a brown; the rainbows will usually jump out of the water to spit the hook. The browns like to bull dog you. Bob was bringing in this fish perfectly, careful not to lose line tension on the fish. Then I caught my first look at this whopper. My heart started to beat faster and it wasn’t even my fish. The fish caught sight of the boat a darted away peeling line of Bob’s reel like crazy. “Let him do his thing Bob”.

Gaining the line back he lost, Bob coaxed the fish into the net and this baby was in the boat. I snapped several pictures of his prize catch with my new camera. The picture you see above is why many come from all over the world to fish the Bow River. They come for big Brown Trout and powerful hard fighting Rainbow Trout. Shortly after Bob’s monster brown, we were at Carseland weir wondering where the time had gone. Two o’clock and we were back on the road into Calgary talking about the memories of just a few hours ago. What a day fishing the Bow River!

alaska, alaska fishing trips, alberta, alberta fisheries management, awesome fishing trip, bass pro shop, bearhunt, best time for bow river float, best time to go trout fishing in calgary, big trout, black bear, blog, blue fox fishing lures, bow river, bow river fishing hooks, bow river fishing hotspots, bow river fishing report, bow river spinning tackle, bow river trout fishing, bow river winter, bow river winter tactics, british columbia, brook trout, Brown Trout, brown trout fishing lures, brown trout lifecycle, brown trout pictures, bull trout, buzz bomb trout, canada fishing trip, canada trip, canoe, cargary bow river fish, conventional fishing bow river calgary, fish finders, fish on the bow, fisheries management, fishing, fishing alberta, fishing blog, fishing blogs, fishing bow river, fishing bow river shore, fishing calgary, fishing guide, fishing guides, fishing holes on the bow river in calgary, fishing in the bow river, fishing line weight bow river, fishing locations bow valley, fishing reel maintenance, fishing report, Fishing Reports, fishing season on the bow river, fishing tackle for rainbow trout, fishing trip, fishing trip down bow river calgary, fishing wilderness lodge, float fishing the lower bow river, float the bow river, float trips, floating the bow, forsale, good lures for bow river, guide, guided fishing trip, guided trip, how to catch fish on the lower bow river, how to catch trout on the bow river using a spinner, how to fish the bow river, how to spin fish the bow river, hunting and fishing, Ice Fishing, Ice Fishing Hot Spots, IGFA announces new length catagory, IGFA new length catagory, lac seul, lake of the woods, land big fish, Locating Fish, lodges, lower bow river fishing, lower kananaskis lake, Lure Fishing, lure fishing calgary, manitoba, newbrunswick, Night Fishing, Night Fishing the bow river, northern pike, northwest, northwestern, ontario, ontario canada, outfitter, outpost, outposts, photo gallery, photos of brown trout, photos of rainbow trout, quebec, rainbow trout, rainbow trout fishing lures, rapala bow river, rapala fishing lures, salmon, saskatchewan, shore fishing the bow river, spin fishing, spin fishing in alberta, spin fishing tackle, spin fishing techniques, spin fishing tips, spin fishing video, spin rod set up for trout in western canada, spinner casting the bow river, spinner fishing, spinner fishing in calgary, spinning on the bow river, sport fishing, sport fishing blog, streams, Tackle, tackle boxes, tackle organizers, the bow rivers biggest trout, trout blogs, trout fishing, trout fishing articles, trout fishing blog, trout fishing photo gallery, trout fishing tips, vacations, walleye, walleye fishing, walleye photos, what lures to use for lake and stream trout in alberta, when do brown trout spawn bow river, where to fish the bow, where to go fishing along the bow river, wildernes, wilderness lodge

Jul 24

Guided Fishing Trip’s To Float The Bow River

By Mike Robertson in Client Thank You Posts

Summer Fishing Fun!

It was cool in the morning as the sun peeked through the thick mist rising off the river. My clients David, Jeff and I pulled into Policeman’s Flats at around six thirty in the morning. Surprisingly there were several vehicles there and just starting to launch out when we pulled in. As we waited to launch we tied our hooks and prepared for the feeding frenzy. Our turn came to launch and we were off into the mist that had not burned off the river. Another picture perfect moment to begin the day! The shutter closed as I rowed the boat to the opposite bank we launched from. A few moments and the Rapala’s hit the water. The top portion of the float was a little on the slow side, therefore only a few bites and no fish landed. Shortly after we put in, I pulled the boat off the river to do some shore fishing in a nice riffle that came off the point of the north bank. Since David does not own a boat, I wanted him to learn how to fish off the banks. He is a local Calgarian and wanted to learn the secrets of the Bow River.

We were casting the Rapala Countdown upriver and reeling quickly to keep the lure down on the river bed. The water was stained from the rain we received the previous day, thus I wanted the lure to make bottom contact and then be lifted up and reeled back into the bank. I explained to David and Jeff that the trout will usually hit after the turn in the cast. As the lure passes directly in front of you and then makes the turn, that’s when you will hook up. On David’s fifth cast a rainbow did just what I was explaining. This is the fish you see in the picture above, not the biggest fish on the day but the first one to be hooked and released. Then it was Jeff’s turn, he was casting a Rooster Tail in white color and landed a very decent rainbow in the same location David caught his. We then moved down river as you do not want to fish in one spot too long. It’s better to pick the river apart then stand in one spot for to long. I looked over my left shoulder and David was scrapping another sweet male rainbow. Three nice fish and we were back in the boat casting to the next fish.

A short drift around the corner and it was time to pull off the river again. This next hole we fished usually produces monsters. I wanted to see a monster on David or Jeff’s line. No monsters but a few good looking rainbows were landed. “The big fish are in the deep holes” I stated. “Lets try the spinner for this long shallow stretch and then we will use the crankbaits in the next deep hole”. Sure enough when we arrived in the next deep hole there was a big fish hooked. I asked Jeff to cast over a seam and reel the Rapala through. Rod tip down, lift the tip up to make the lure swim erratically. As soon as Jeff lifted the rod tip, a massive brown munched down on his lure. Awesome fish it was! Jeff was happy and it made my day as well. I helped David and Jeff read the river and by the time we were almost finished the trip, both David and Jeff were casting the Rapala exactly where I was looking. No further instruction was required on my part.

Before the end of the trip was near, I pulled the boat into a back bay just before MacKinnon Flats to let them catch “just one more”. I can’t tell ya how many times I have said that while fishing. David rifles his hook into the back beside some big boulders, reels in while pumping the rod and a 23 inch rainbow is locked in.

“Nice fish David, that’s the kind we are here for” as we exchanged a high five. We ended our trip on a great note, a 23 inch note! It was the perfect day for fishing. Nice weather combined with nice fish. I look forward to the next time we fish the Bow River together.

Jul 08

Bow River Fishing Report July 8 2011

By Mike Robertson in Fishing Reports

Bow River Fishing Report July 8, 2011

The Bow River is coming alive now fishing friends. Rapala’s and other such crankbaits are working very well for those who spin fish the river. The water clarity is approximately 4-5 feet which is ideal to fool larger trout the Bow River has to offer. The river is flowing very quickly with some trees and other debris moving down the river. Use caution at all times, keep your eyes peeled for hazards! Bottom bouncing spinners will also prove very effective for fish hanging close to the bottom. The best lures to use are the one’s I supply on my guided fishing trips to float the Bow River. I still have the last weekend of July available for those interested in a guided float fishing trip. The water will still be high and the trout will still be very hungry.

The best fishing spots on the Bow River are from my 16 foot Saturn inflatable which will reach all prime fishing locations along the premier lower stretch of the river. In the next two weeks the river will fish the best. The run off will end in the next 5-10 days and the fishing will be the best we have seen in several years. You won’t want to miss the boat this season in July. Now is the time to fish the Bow River friends. Ten to fifty fish in a six hour float is very possible right now. That is NOT a typo, fifty fish is very possible!

Hope to see you in the boat very soon.

~Mike.

Jul 06

Trout Fishing The Lower Kananaskis Lake

By Mike Robertson in Gone Fishing

The Majestic Mountain Getaway

After a long two weeks of moving and hard work at the collision repair shop, it was time to take off and head west. I needed a little relaxation and the mountains always seem to calm me down and recharge my batteries. Our fishing trip was planed out and we settled on the Monday after Canada day long weekend. As the masses were going home, we were arriving. Todd and I met up at Humpy’s across from Canada Olympic Park and filled up on bacon and eggs before driving onward to the Lower Kananaskis Lake for monster Bull Trout. We finished our breakfast and downed the last drop of coffee to wake up. Then we were on the highway at six am sharp.

As we drove up the highway we talked about many of our fishing adventures past. “Remember that one trip” I’d say and Todd would follow up with “I remember when we…” The stories we shared made me happy and excited to fish the lake once again. I stated to Todd that there may be lots of wildlife on or beside the road and to use caution when driving highway 40. Just as the words left my mouth we spotted our first deer in the ditch munching on the foliage. Todd quickly reached for his camera but the deer bounced back into the dense pine and disappeared without a picture. Then just up the road a little, a moose appeared to our left, again to fast for the camera. I thought we were going to see Elk and low and behold, there were Elk. We saw Bald Eagle, Black Bear and some mountain goats all before we reached the lake. What a great start to the day and we had not even made one cast.

Finally after the hour and a half drive we backed the boat into the lake and parked the truck. I wanted to fish the dam area first as I have had good success there in the past. We made many casts and no trout. We decided it was time to move and Todd hammered the throttle down speeding away. A short jaunt up the lake and we spotted another great looking hole. We shut the motor off and fired our Rapala’s into the shoreline. On Todd’s second cast, a Bull Trout slammed his crankbait. The fight was on! The trout was tough but Todd was poised. Trout number one was landed and carefully handled not to harm the fish. The Bull Trout here are protected and considered to be declining in numbers. It is very important to get a big fish like the one Todd caught back into the water as soon as possible to keep the fish from any undo harm. We released the big boy back into the lake in perfect condition. Boy what a specimen it was indeed. The lake was unusually low for some odd reason so this spot only produced one fish. Again we moved up the lake to find more bruiser Bulls. We fished and fished but nothing!

Across the lake we spotted prime water, a creek flowing into the lake. I asked Todd to move us as close as possible to the flowing water. I figured there was a few trout holding in the current. It was shallow but I was determined. Several casts and nothing hooked. Todd wanted to move on but I pleaded with him for five more minutes. Three more casts and I got action, a monster male was peeling line. He was scrapping to get back to his lie after I hooked him. My reel was screaming and I was concentrating on landing this beauty of a fish. I finally netted him in the rubber mesh. I popped the barbless hook from his yap and asked Todd if he could snap a few pictures of my fish before the release. Captured in our minds and on film was another gorgeous monstrosity.

We fished a few more hours but to no avail. The heat was driving the fish to deeper water and we decided to call it a day after six hours of fun in the sun. Another great day was had and another fishing story was added to our collection of many. What was your weekend of fishing like? Where did you go and what did you catch. I would love to hear about your long weekend fishing adventures. Please feel free to add your story below as a comment. I look forward to hearing from you!

Merry Christmas And Happy New Year 2025

Bow River Winter Fishing Tips

That’s a Wrap on the 2024 Bow River Season

Bagels, Browns And The Bow River

Reporting Poachers- Why it’s Important to Do Our Part

Bow River Float Fishing Trips For Big Brown Trout

Guided Fishing Trip’s To Float The Bow River

Bow River Fishing Report July 8 2011

Trout Fishing The Lower Kananaskis Lake

Archives

Contact Me For Your Guided Bow River Fishing Trip

Blog Pages

Meta

My Fishing Homie's

Categories