Jan 14

Winter Fishing on the Bow River

Is it possible? Is the water not completely frozen over? How many fish can you catch when the water is that cold, if any? These are all good questions which I will address within this article. Many people believe that the river is totally frozen over and unfishable. I drove over the Memorial Drive Bridge today and looked over at the Bow River, ice covered from one bank to the next, and if I did not know any better I would have come to this conclusion; no fishing for the next three months around here. Yeah this is true, no fishing around the weir at Memorial Dr unless you have an ice auger, but not downstream of it. Why is there open water that is fish-able further down the river?

The city of Calgary has a water treatment plant called the Bonny Brook water treatment plant which is located directly beside the Bow River. They treat the solid waste here and purify the water at this facility. Once the water has been treated and cleaned up they dispel some of this water into the river system. As a result of this and some other factors, the water is warmer from here on down the Bow River system. This provides many anglers with some open water fishing opportunities from the Glenmore Trail Bridge all the way downstream well past Policeman’s Flats. Good news for those of you who think there is no fishing until June!

I packed up my fishing gear, put on some warm clothes and ventured down to the river this past weekend to try my luck. January fishing the Bow River can be a month when you can catch the biggest and fattest trout that live in these cold waters. I looked for some slower moving water and settled in for three hours of fun. I choose minnow imitations in the winter and fired out and three inch long gold lure. It does not usually take long to latch into some massive Brown’s or Rainbows at this time of year. Ice on the water for weeks straight combined with a low food source is a recipe for success. Big hog Brown’s and some really decent Rainbows was the catch of the day.

My best fish taped out at 26 inches long and was one of the fattest, most clean looking Browns I have ever laid eyes on. This fish was a big male and to say he was hungry is a huge understatement. These fish do not love tap your hook, they hammer it. To most of you this is not new news but for those of you that do not know that the winter months provide awesome fishing, get dressed, get your winter boots on and bolt straight for the river. After all what do you have to loose, a couple hours of your time. What do you have to gain……monster Browns! That’s what.

Jan 03

Fishing Trips Gone Bad

Fishing Trips Gone Bad. Story By Ari My Fishing Friend.

The story goes like this. I would just like to give you an update of latest fishing nightmare on Dec 24th, 2007 as you might appreciate this one. I drove to my local lake through a huge and unforeseen blizzard, we arrived at the lake three hours later only to find most of it was under ice, especially the areas where we normally put in our boat. We then went off driving up the mountain in search of open water and a better place to launch our boat.

Well here is where things go from bad to worse, we slid off the road in the middle of nowhere and had to walk three miles to borrow some shovels to dig out our vehicle. After tracking down the shovels, we spent the following three hours digging our car out. I did not go through this not to fish, even if just for a few hours, so we found an area where we walked all gear ( 2 batteries, zodiac, electric motor, food, tackle etc..) 150 yards down a steep slope in deep snow to open water.

It was then I suddenly realized that there was leak in one of the chambers of our inflatable and needed to be repaired fast. I was lucky enough to have repair kit but this took another 30 minutes before we could put the boat into the water. Once in the water the winds suddenly picked up to gale force and before we could get all the gear in the boat there was a good 10 inches of water (from the breaking waves) in the boat. We were sinking on shoreline! A massive wave then hit the boat throwing my buddy over the side into the water, not deep, but very cold! It was only then that logic prevailed and I looked at my buddy soaking wet in the water and said “Today is not a good day to die! Let’s go home and cut our losses!”

With that we packed up all the gear, walked all the way back up the Sisyphean hill with all the gear, and drove the long cold ride home. It was the toughest day of fishing without even wetting a line…….The crap we do for our browns! I am going to re-attempt to fish again tomorrow because it was just NOT meant to be today.

If you have a fishing story gone BAD then send it here to me and I will publish your story here at the Bow River Blog. I will share one of my fishing trips gone bad with all of you in my next post. Stay tuned for my horror story.

Dec 23

December Fishing on The Bow River

Reprieve From The cold of Winter          PHOTO GALLERY

In the middle of winter here in Alberta where the temperatures have been anywhere from ten to fifteen below zero, we welcome something called a Chinook. What the heck is a Chinook you might ask? Another name for the Chinook is “snow eater” since the warm and dry air quickly melts and evaporates snow away that is on the ground. A popular myth is that Chinook means “snow eater”, as a strong Chinook can make snow one foot deep almost vanish in one day. The snow partly melts and partly evaporates in the dry wind. Chinook winds have been observed to raise winter temperature, often from below -20°C (-4°F) to as high as 10°C to 20°C (50°F to 68°F) for a few hours or days, then temperatures will return to their normal levels.

Chinook winds are named because they come from the country of the Chinook Native Americans: the lower Columbia River, west of the Rocky Mountains. The term originated in the local argot of the fur trade. Chinooks are most prevalent over southern Alberta in Canada, especially in a belt from Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass through Lethbridge, which get 30 to 35 Chinook days per year on average. Chinooks become less frequent further south in the United States, and are not as common north of Red Deer, Alberta.

In southern Alberta, most of the winter can be spent with little or no snow on the ground. In Calgary, there is snow about 59% of the time on Christmas, compared to 88% for Edmonton. In Canada, only the West Coast of British Columbia and southern Ontario have fewer white Christmases than southern Alberta. So what does all this mean to a die hard fisherman like me, well quite simply I get to go out and do some open water fishing for a few hours during the Chinook temperatures of plus seven degrees. Last week I did just that, with excellent success fishing for massive Browns.

The ice from the river clears at 12:30 in the afternoon and the fish have only been feeding on insect larva, needless to say these trout are hungry and extremely aggressive. When a large Brown Trout spots a medium sized baitfish moving slowly through his area, he smashes it hard and quickly. The question is where do you find large Browns in the winter months, well I will look for these fish in slow deep holes five to ten feet deep. I also look to find Brown Trout hanging off of seems where the water becomes slower and food slows down and moves toward the fish. One must remember the water temperatures are very cold in winter, fish will move quite slower than they move when the water temperatures are warmer. Slower retrieve speeds and longer pauses between revolutions of your reel will greatly increase your odds of hooking those big Browns. Fishing pressure makes a difference in the winter, I am often the only one out on the river and this factor works in my favor. A Chinook is a warm welcome here and whenever one blows in, you will find me at the side of the river casting colorful minnow imitations and hooking large Brown Trout. Bundle up and do not forget your boots, toque, gloves and that old thermos of hot coffee.

Dec 04

Ice Fishing

Getting Ready For Ice. (Continued)                     

The Gadgets

There is a plethora of neat gadgets that you can purchase to keep you comfortable and warm while out in the cold. The outdoor industry is full of useful gadgets to keep us warm and comfortable, when it’s cold outside. Here are some additions for you to add to your outdoor arsenal. There are so many gadgets I may miss something here, so feel free to add your favorites by posting a comment.

Heated socks might seem like a gimmick, but these wired tubes can help keep your feet toasty and warm in cold weather temperatures. They are particularly handy when out for long-periods with little movement, and can be turned on whenever feet start to get cold.
Like heated socks, air-activated heat packs like hot shots are a lightweight accessory that can be utilized to keep hands and feet warm when standing or sitting for long periods of time.

I keep a headlamp in my outdoor gear year round. It’s particularly useful when walking trails in low light. It’s also useful when I’m trying to quickly pack up my car in the dark, in the cold of a winter evening. I use this headlamp for night fishing in the summer and never take it out of my backpack. These headlamps are fairly cheep and come in very handy at all times and all seasons.

Sunglasses are often forgotten when ice fishing in the winter, but that’s a big mistake and often means either going to the nearest store to buy some, or packing up and leaving. Glare from snow and ice as well as stinging, cold wind can leave you squinting all day and reduce your visibility. High quality sunglasses will protect your eyes from harmful UV rays and blowing wind and ice. Keep a check list of items you will need and tick them off one by one before you leave the house, this way you will be ready for anything mother nature throws at you.