Fishing Tips For The Bow River In The Winter Months
Ice has formed on the Bow River and when ice forms it adds new challenges into the fishing equation. Finding the right location to fish becomes ever more challenging. Ice has an affect on oxygen content in the river, sources of food, shelter for the fish and the tactics you use to fish. So where do you find the fish when the river is full of ice? Ice dams form in the river creating cover and shelter for the trout. On one side of the dam or the other, water is still able to flow past the dam. These areas of faster flow channel food particles that drift downriver and into a tight flow of water. Large browns and rainbows can often be found lurking just outside the flowing water eating the food particle s as they pass by. When you spot these channels, it is often productive to fish the slack water below the ice dam. The open water below the dams are usually fairly close to the bottom of the river, so fish a lure that is going to stay fairly close to the riverbed and fish it slow with long pauses. Take note, when ice dams become too large fish will move away as the water flow becomes to fast which makes it hard for them to intercept their food or hold their position in the water.
Another good area to fish seems kind of unlikely but you will hook fish. Ice bergs or better described; large floating chunks of ice present catching opportunities to fishermen. The flow of large ice chunks dislodge invertebrates hiding in the river bed and offer the trout a higher than normal food source. Trout that gather around bases of floating icebergs are perfect targets for the winter fisherman. After the ice berg has passed your location, cast your spinner or crank bait out and drive it down close to the bottom. You can even let your spinner hit the bottom a few times and peel it off the river bed while slowly retrieving. The bottom is clean of weeds and debris so you should not snag up using this technique in the winter months. This tactic only works well if the ice berg is drifting slowly down the river. If the ice is moving quickly or is accompanied by other pieces of broken ice around the berg, the trout will take cover and therefore this tactic should be changed.
Ice shelves are also a good place to find winter trout in the Bow River. Ice shelves protect the trout from over head danger like predatory birds. When snow accumulates on the ice shelve, it acts as an insulator keeping the water below slightly warmer. As stated previously in this post, ice provides a habitat for invertebrates and a perfect food source for fish that seek shelter there. In the Bow River I have seen larva in abundance along these ice shelves. As the water levels rise and fall these larva are washed into the river. Look for trout near the edge of these shelves feeding on this larva. Cast your offering upriver close to the ledge, and keep your lure as close to the ledge as possible. Trout that are seeking cover under the ice will often come out and hammer your lure. When I fish close to the ledge, I keep my lure in the middle of the water or near the top while fishing in these areas. It is also wise to carry a long handled net when fishing these areas so you do not have to venture out to the ledge and perhaps fall in. Nobody wants to get wet when it’s freezing cold out. Don’t let the ice and cooler temperatures deter you from fishing the Bow River in the winter months, this is where you will see HUGE fish that are hungry for your lures.
