Bow River . Without a doubt, the Bow is a ''Blue Ribbon'' river, especially the 55 kilometer stretch from Calgary down to the Carseland wier. This portion of the river has put the Bow River on the map in the fly fishing world.

Known by locals, for many years, as the best piece of water the Bow has to offer, and now expanded to the world. This stretch of water has been quoted as ''possibly the best dry fly fishing river in the world,'' and for good reason.The Bow offers all types of water in this 55 km's, from long flats where Blue-winged Olive hatches occur in April and May, and again later in September and October, with swarms of Caddis flies blanketing the top of the river in late May through August, to plenty of riffles and holes for the nymph and streamer fisherman. Nymph and streamer fishing is year round on the Bow with great success due to the many bends and riffles this river offers. The lower Bow averages 100 to 150 feet in width, with a very slow decline in elevation on its path to the eastern Alberta border. It has been estimated to hold anywhere from 1800 to 2500 fish per mile through this section of the river, with fish averaging 17-18 inches in length. With Southern Alberta Fly Fishing Outfitters, you will be catching fish of this caliber as the norm with extreme possibilities of rainbows and browns in the 20 to 26 inch class, knowing that 28 to 30 inchers exist in this river as well.

May and June are definitely the 2 best months in the year to consistently catch huge browns over 20'''s. With the run of rainbows leaving the river up the tributaries to spawn the Bow becomes a heaven for large browns to feed freely without competition. These are also 2 months that the river has the least amount of pressure from anglers due to higher and cloudy waters which is prime conditions for big shy browns. If your looking for a trophy of a lifetime you should consider May or June on the Bow but if you can't make it then they will still be around for the rest of the season thru October!



The Bow offers basically 3 species of fish for anglers to cast to: Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, and Rocky Mountain Whitefish, with the very odd Cutthroat and Bull Trout lingering along the banks. The rainbows in this river are a very special type of trout known for their fight, flight, and strength.They have been compared to Steelhead by some worldly fly fishermen over the years, along with some of the local oldtimers who believe the genes were there when they transplanted rainbows into the Bow in the 1930's. The Brown Trout in this river are your typical brown's when it comes to caginess, where they differ is in size. Bow River brown's can grow to sizes upwards of 30 inches, lurking in the shadows of fallen debris and undercut banks to the long flats of the Bow on cloudy days where they can be found rising to small dry flies. Rocky Mountain Whitefish are a fish that are in abundance in most of Alberta's rivers and streams. They keep things interesting between trout hookups.

Southern Alberta Fly Fishing Outfitters fishes the lower Bow with 16 foot McKenzie style drift boats, due to the lack of public access to the river. The land along this section is privately owned, many posted ''no trespassing,'' thus giving the drift boat fishing perfect opportunity to experience undisturbed waters. Our boats have ample dry storage for your extra gear to ensure your comfort on these 10 to 12 hour floats, of course the days can be made shorter due to weather conditions or upon your request.A typical day on the Bow consists of pickup at the hotel, after an early breakfast, followed by a short drive to the river or, if you have chosen to stay on the acreage with us, a short half hour drive. Once launched, we will spend the day drifting and wading throught the many riffles, flats and holes along the river. Lunch will be served on shore with lots of non-alcoholic beverages available for those hot sunny days. The day will finish with delivery back to your destination. Our guides have many years of experience in fishing and dealing with the public, along with lots of knowledge to share with you to make your stay with us as successful and enjoyable as possible.Our Season starts April 1 through the end of October, weather permitting. The end of May into the first 2 weeks of June is usually our spring run off caused by warm weather melting snow in the mountains several miles to the west. Once the river has settled down many various types of hatches proceed along with a great season of fishing.