Tailwater · Gravel · Alberta, CA

Bow River — Calgary (Bearspaw to Policeman's Flats)

Bow River — Calgary (Bearspaw to Policeman's Flats) — #5664 Bow River Canada
Tomorrow · Slow going — pick your moments
Sowbug
Forecast · Tomorrow
Slow going — pick your moments
Slow going — pick your moments and do not force it.
45% projected
Today's fly
Sowbug
Sowbug
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
1.05 m
Lifting fast
Water temp11.5°C
ClarityVery coloured
Weather9°C
WindN 9 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent2.8 mm
Rain · ahead8.3 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 — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11h

12h(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 40%
Peak emergence window4 food groups active

Peak activity at 11h — Western Blue-Winged Olive (Western Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

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 gear/harvest rules — largely C&R and bait-restricted
  • Verify current Alberta regs (Zone ES1).
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 4
Bow River — below Calgary (McKinnon Flats to Carseland)
24 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Elbow River
43 km
Cutthroat trout · Bull trout · Rainbow trout
Sheep River
50 km
Cutthroat trout · Bull trout · Rainbow trout
Highwood River
57 km
Cutthroat trout · Bull trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Bow River — Calgary (Bearspaw to Policeman's Flats) — #5664 Bow River Canada
    #5664 Bow River Canada
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Wild, self-sustaining brown and rainbow trout (no stocking) — the value is releasing these fish. Bull trout (a char, zero limit province-wide) and mountain whitefish are present and are not harvest targets. Whirling disease is present in the Bow basin — Clean-Drain-Dry gear.

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 82 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity66 × 12%7.9
Conditions total= 82
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts