Smiling guest holding a Bow River rainbow trout under a bluebird sky on a guided fly fishing trip with King Trout Outfitters near Calgary

Fishing Reportgood

Bow River Fishing Report

Week of August 13, 2026

By Dan King · Lead Guide, King Trout Outfitters

Dan King's on-the-water Bow River report for August 13, 2026, filmed from the city section in Calgary. A cool, overcast 12°C morning with the river running 96 cms, low and clear right on the late-summer baseline. Watch on YouTube →

Bow River fly fishing conditions in Calgary on August 13, 2026: low, clear late-summer water at 96 cms flowing past the downtown Calgary skyline and Centre Street Bridge under a cool, overcast grey sky, prime guided Bow River trout water from King Trout Outfitters — The Bow River through downtown Calgary on August 13, 2026. Low, clear water at 96 cms, holding right on the late-summer baseline, under a cool overcast sky that took the heat off and had the river fishing well. (Timestamp shown is from the camera.) Source: Calgary Live Camera (DELTATECH) on YouTube →

Bow River fishing conditions for the week of August 13, 2026 are good. Flow is 96 cubic meters per second and stable. Water temperature is 19°C. No angling restrictions are in effect. Active hatches include Trico, Terrestrials (Hoppers/Ants/Beetles), Caddis, Pale Morning Dun (PMD).

Flow (m³/s) →

19°C

Water Temp →

good

Overall Conditions

None

Restrictions

iFlow context: Still parked on the bottom, and that's a good thing. The Bow read 96 cms this morning, right on the 90 cms late-summer baseline where it's been sitting for a week now. It bottomed out at 90 last Tuesday, and since then it's just idled there, ticking between the low 90s overnight and around 100 through the day as the dam cycles. No rain, no runoff, no drama. This is the low, clear, settled August river, the most predictable water of the year. Best wading levels you'll see all season, the floats run skinny in a few spots so pick your lines, and at this clarity the fish see everything. Source: Environment Canada

A red FLYPOD drift boat with two anglers on the Bow River near Calgary, ready to launch for a guided fly fishing trip

On the Water

Do You Need a Boat to Fish the Bow River?

You can wade the Bow in spots, but most of the best water sits along banks and seams you can only reach by drift boat. That is why guided trips here run from a boat. It covers miles of productive water in a day and keeps you safer when flows are up, like the 96 cms running this week.

What Are Conditions Like on the Bow River This Week?

“

Dan King

Lead guide at King Trout Outfitters · 15+ years on the Bow River

Dan here, filming this morning from the city section on a cool grey day, about 12 degrees, and the river's looking not too bad at all. The Bow is running 96 cms, right on that 90 cms baseline where it's sat all week, so this is the low, clear, settled river now, no surprises. The cool overcast morning is a gift. It takes some of the heat pressure off the water, and that's why the fishing is genuinely good this week instead of a race against the thermometer. Tricos are peaking on the calm mornings, especially up above Bearspaw where the water stays coolest. In town the hoppers are on tight to the grass banks, and there's still an evening caddis. Down low it's a first-light deal, land them fast and keep them wet. There's no official closure as I write this, but on a hot afternoon temperature still runs the show, so check My Wild Alberta the morning you head out. And September is filling up. Cooler water and fall browns is the best fishing of the year, so if you want a float, grab a date now. Let's keep the good times rolling.

Close-up of a wild brown trout held gently in hand showing distinctive spotted markings

What They're Eating

What Flies Are Working on the Bow River Right Now?

Right now the trout are keyed on Trico, Terrestrials (Hoppers/Ants/Beetles), Caddis, Pale Morning Dun (PMD). That is why our guides are fishing patterns like Trico Spinner, Foam Hopper, Foam Ant/Beetle this week. Match what is hatching, get a clean drag-free drift, and you will move fish. The full fly chart for this week is right below.

What Hatches Are Active on the Bow River?

Insect	Hook Size	Activity
Trico	#20-24	heavy
Terrestrials (Hoppers/Ants/Beetles)	#8-16	moderate
Caddis	#14-18	moderate
Pale Morning Dun (PMD)	#16-18	light

See the full month-by-month Bow River Hatch Chart →

What Flies Are Working This Week?

Close-up of a hand selecting a fly from a well-stocked fly box

Trico Spinner

#20-22dry

Foam Hopper

#8-12dry

Foam Ant/Beetle

#14-16dry

Elk Hair Caddis

#14-16dry

Perdigon

#16-18nymph

Olive Woolly Bugger

#4-6streamer

Pro Tip

No restrictions this week. Fish from dawn to dusk. The best window is mid-morning through late afternoon when the hatches are active and the water has warmed a few degrees.

Where Should You Fish the Bow River This Week?

Upper Bow

Above Bearspaw Dam

Above Bearspaw stays the coolest water on the river, and in August that makes it the safe bet all day long. The Ghost feeds cold water in at the top, so while the rest of the Bow wants the afternoon off, the upper reach keeps fishing. Right now it's Trico time up here, and they're peaking. The spinner fall drops on the calm mornings, an hour or so after the sun hits the water, and when the fish lock on it you're throwing a #20 to #24 spinner on a leader longer and lighter than feels right. Size down as the fall thins. It's the fussiest, best small-fly fishing of the year, and at 96 cms of gin-clear water you get one clean drift before they slide off, so kneel down and pick your fish. When the Tricos taper, a small hopper with a Perdigon a couple feet under gets you through the late morning along the inside seams.

City Section

Bearspaw to Carseland

I filmed this morning's report right in town, and the city water is fishing well. We caught a break on the weather. A cool, grey 12-degree morning like this one takes the heat pressure off and stretches the window that hot bluebird days squeeze shut. Work a foam hopper tight to the grass banks, inches off the edge and not feet, and if a brown flashes it and turns, hang a small ant or beetle behind it to close the deal. That's the whole game along Carburn and down through Policeman's Flats. Evening caddis is still trickling off in the last hour of light, thinner than midsummer but enough to put a few heads up. On a warm afternoon I'd still get off the water through the hottest part of the day, but on a cool one like today you can fish it longer.

Lower Bow

South of Calgary

McKinnon Flats to Carseland is the warmest water on the river, so even with the cooler air it's still a first-light program down here. Launch early, fish the cool hours hard, and read the day. The steadiest thing going has been a hopper-dropper worked tight to the banks in that early cool, and swinging an Olive Woolly Bugger through the deeper runs before the sun lands still turns the biggest fish of the morning. These lower browns are strong and healthy. Land them quick, keep them in the water, pop the hook, and let them swim off with gas in the tank. When the water is this low, fighting a fish into the afternoon warmth can kill it, and no fish is worth that. If the day heats up, you're done down here by early afternoon.