May 18

General Info- Bow River

Trout Fishing the Bow River!                     PHOTO GALLERY

With my fishing partner gone on a cross Canada tour to Newfoundland, it looks like I get the Bow River to myself for awhile. I sure am going to miss the great photos that he takes, inside joke there folks. We went out one last time before he left town for a month or so. I opted to use spinner bait exclusively yesterday but why only spinner bait and nothing else. Why not a plug of some sort? Why only spinners? The river has come alive with bugs of all sorts. Grasshoppers are flying into the water by the truck load now. Bugs, bugs and more bugs. So I choose to fish with bug imitations, I think you might see why I was using only the spinner yesterday.

There are so many styles and types of spinners available these days that a guy/girl could spend a ton of money on spinners alone. I personally pack lots of spinners with me wherever I fish. Not the junk you sometimes see on the Wall Mart shelves, but the high quality spinners you find in your local tackle store or by searching the internet perhaps. I use colors hardly anybody I talk to uses, and I guess that’s good for me because when I go shopping for tackle I find what I am looking for almost every time. Ok here is one color a guy should always keep in his box but don’t tell your friends this. Yeah right, like that’s going to happen. White, I know you have never even considered it but Rainbows can’t help themselves on this color.

Yesterday I chose to fish a spinner called Bangtail which has a long body and is dressed, has white hair around the hook. This spinner also has holographic tape on the spinner blade for that added flash and attraction trout of all kinds cannot resist.This spinner has no sonic capabilities added to it but seems to hammer trout none-the-less. Here is one other tip I have for you, cast this lure hard and far upstream and let the current of the river work to your advantage. Let this lure bounce on the bottom a couple of times and then gently pick it up reeling slowly as well. You will be yelling FISH ON more than once a day.

May 14

General Info- Bow River

General Fishing Information                    PHOTO GALLERY

I would like to welcome all the new visitors to the Blog from the Fishing Alberta Television’s website. Scott has been one of my favorite people to watch on T.V the past few years. I fish the Bow River on a weekly basis and in the summer months, a daily basis so all the info you will find on this site is current and accurate. I noticed a comment on Fishing Alberta’s website regarding access points and felt compelled to share my knowledge. Not all Calgarians keep secrets by the way folks. I believe we all need to share some information and help our fellow fisherman.

In regards to accessing this fantastic river system, Fish Creek is a good starting point for any out of town fisherman. Here are two great spots in the river that can be accessed by car or truck and are right beside the river. Both sides of the river in this area offer great fishing with the first spot listed being a little less fished. McKenzie Meadows golf course road is a good way to access the East bank of the Bow River. Take Deerfoot Trail to 22X and make a right or left turn, depending on which way you are traveling onto McKenzie Lake Blvd and turn at the first left onto McKenzie Meadows Dr S.E which is the road that will take you to the golf course. Google Earth will help you here. Keep going straight until you reach the Bow River. I fish just a little upstream of the bridge as the water is deeper and slower in this area.

The West side of the river (Fish Creek Park) is accessed via a neighborhood called Deer Run. Bow Bottom Trail south will take you into Fish Creek Park and will get you within 10 yards of the Bow River. Fishing on this side of the river is iffy at best as this spot is heavily fished. Head downstream of the 22X Bridge as there are some nice deeper holes here. The Alberta fishing regulations state that all trout over 35 cm must be released and the use of bait is prohibited here on the Bow River. I hope this helps anyone who likes to fish but is unfamiliar with the city. Any further questions can be asked under any post of the Blog. Feel free to ask any question pertaining to fishing and I will be happy to answer all your questions. Happy fishing, Mike.

May 12

Gone Fishing- Crawling Valley

Jack off the Rocks                                            PHOTO GALLERY

Fine day weather wise here in sunny Alberta means I have gone fishing somewhere. Today I chose to go back and do some Walleye/Pike fishing with the famous Todd P. We finally had some calm wind and opted not to fish the Bow today. We pulled into the inlet cannel at Crawling Valley and piled or gear down to the shoreline. When I fish here there are usually many people fishing this fine chunk of real estate.

I asked a fellow fisherman how his day was shaping up and if he had caught any fish. A big smile came across his friendly face and kindly replied he had caught three Pike so far. I asked him if he had caught any Walleye and no was his answer. I turned to walk back to where I was sitting and happen to look into the water at his catch and my eye balls surely were about to pop out of their sockets. This was no 20 inch Pike my friends, this Pike was the biggest specimen I have ever laid my blue eyes on. Abbaga was kind enough to pose for this picture for me. His awesome Pike taped out at 47 inches long and weighed in at 27 pounds. Truly an awesome specimen folks. I thanked Abbaga with a handshake, for his time and the photos; and made my way back to my cozy lawn chair.

This fish sure made my juices flow and I could not get my frozen minnows onto my hook fast enough. I calmly threw my bait into the water and sat back in anticipation of the bite. Shortly after my bait was into the water I saw the rod tip dancing and I made my way over to my rod. One thing you need to know is if you try and set the hook too soon you will miss the fish every time here. I waited and turned my reel over one full turn, he then took the bait and I was reeling in a nice Walleye. I was able to land six Walleye today and I saved the best fish for last. He was 22 inches and weighed in at 5 pounds. I sure do love Walleye fishing and I will be back out at Crawling Valley very soon for some more great fishing.

May 11

Gone Fishing- Bow River

Back on the Bow River                                    PHOTO GALLERY

I am happy to report that there are fish starting to return into the Bow River system. I am not saying that all the rivers fish left the Bow but there was a month of slow fishing. We fished all our good holes and came up empty handed each and every time, which seemed to last forever. Today was a new day however and we saw evidence of Rainbows making their way back into the river after their spring spawn.

Todd and I decided to return to a hole along the west bank and try our luck. I had a good feeling as we made our way to the rivers edge. The water was bright blue and had risen about three feet from the last time we fished. However, the hole was still slow enough to fish it properly. Todd selected a Rapala Countdown, and selected the gold Blue Fox Minnow Spinner. On my third cast I was into an 18 inch Brown trout that did everything in its power to escape my hook. Two casts later I battled a heavy fish that managed to shake rattle and roll off my hook. I then landed a nice colored Rainbow and the fishing slowed down.

Moving to another location downstream, I tied up a lime green spinner bait and casted away. It took many casts but I then hooked a 19 inch Rainbow that went airborne seconds after I hooked her. I landed her and released her back into the clear blue water for another lucky angler to catch. Todd then hollers check this out Mike and his rod was seriously bent over. I dropped my rod and started shooting video footage of his 24 inch Rainbow Trout. He played the fish and landed him on the shoreline for me to snap this photo. We carefully revived this brute and let him go. I am sure glad to see these large fish back in the river system. We will now float the river today and see if we can slay the big boys. Stay tuned for the next article and report on how the fishing here progresses.