Tailwater · Gravel · Alberta, CA

Bow River — below Calgary (McKinnon Flats to Carseland)

Bow River — below Calgary (McKinnon Flats to Carseland) — Banff, Alberta - rivière Bow river
Prime · Brown Trout
RS2 · 18-22
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.04 mLast reading 47 min ago
  • Water temp11.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
RS2
RS218-22
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.04 m
Last reading 47 min ago
Water temp11.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather12°C
WindN 13 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.4 mm
Rain · ahead0.3 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 9 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Brown Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Reach-specific C&R / bait-restricted rules
  • Verify current Alberta regs (Zone ES1).
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 4
Bow River — Calgary (Bearspaw to Policeman's Flats)
24 km
87
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Sheep River
49 km
Cutthroat trout · Bull trout · Rainbow trout
Highwood River
53 km
Cutthroat trout · Bull trout · Rainbow trout
Elbow River
59 km
Cutthroat trout · Bull trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Bow River — below Calgary (McKinnon Flats to Carseland) — Banff, Alberta - rivière Bow river
    Banff, Alberta - rivière Bow river
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Wild brown and rainbow trout (no stocking). Bull trout (char, zero limit) and mountain whitefish present, not harvest targets. Whirling disease present — Clean-Drain-Dry.

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 87 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity66 × 12%7.9
Conditions total= 87
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts