A drift boat resting on the Bow River near Calgary with the far bank and a bridge in the distance

Fishing Reportgood

Bow River Fishing Report

Week of July 27, 2026

By Dan King · Lead Guide, King Trout Outfitters

Bow River fly fishing conditions in Calgary on July 27, 2026: clean, clear blue-green summer water running low at 173 cms through downtown Calgary past the skyline, Calgary Tower and Centre Street Bridge, prime guided Bow River trout water from King Trout Outfitters — The Bow River through downtown Calgary on July 27, 2026. Clean, low summer water down to 173 cms, the clearest it's run all season. Clear skies, and the river's in prime shape for guided Bow River fly fishing. (Timestamp shown is from the camera.) Source: Calgary Live Camera (DELTATECH) on YouTube →

Bow River fishing conditions for the week of July 27, 2026 are good. Flow is 173 cubic meters per second and falling. Water temperature is 19°C. No angling restrictions are in effect. Active hatches include Terrestrials (Hoppers/Ants/Beetles), Caddis, Trico, Pale Morning Dun (PMD), Yellow Sally.

173

Flow (m³/s) ↓

19°C

Water Temp ↑

good

Overall Conditions

None

Restrictions

iFlow context: The Bow keeps dropping and it just keeps getting better. We're down to 173 cms now, off last week's 181 and lower than it's been all summer, sliding clean from the low 200s a week ago with no rain to bump it. This is the clearest, most settled the river has run since the June 30 flood near 558, and it's locked right into that prime late-summer window. Still a touch above the 90 cms baseline, but at 173 the wading is easy, the floats are clean, and the fish are sitting exactly where you'd want them. This is peak Bow River water and it's here. 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 173 cms running this week.

What Are Conditions Like on the Bow River This Week?

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Dan King

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

The river just keeps getting better. We're down to 173 cms, lower than it's been all summer, and it fell clean again this week with no rain to knock it around. This is the clearest and most settled the Bow's run since the flood and it's fishing like a dream. I'm calling it good and it's been good for a couple weeks straight now. This is peak hopper season, right in the heart of it. Tie on a big foam bug and throw it tight to the grassy banks on a warm windy afternoon and wait for that bank-eat. It's the most fun you'll have on this river all year. Evening caddis is still the best bite going, thick in the last two hours of light, and there's PMDs midday and Tricos on the calm mornings for the small-fly crowd. I'm running hopper-dropper most of the day and only nymphing deep in the heavy runs. Here's the one to keep watching. Water temp's up around 19 and climbing with this heat. No closure on the Bow as I write this, but late July into August is prime time for heat restrictions, so check My Wild Alberta the morning you head out and fish early on the hot days. We release every fish, so let's fish them right. August is wide open and it's shaping up as the best stretch of the whole year. Let's get you on the water.

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 Terrestrials (Hoppers/Ants/Beetles), Caddis, Trico, Pale Morning Dun (PMD), Yellow Sally. That is why our guides are fishing patterns like Foam Hopper, Chubby Chernobyl, Elk Hair Caddis 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
Terrestrials (Hoppers/Ants/Beetles)	#8-16	heavy
Caddis	#14-18	heavy
Trico	#20-24	moderate
Pale Morning Dun (PMD)	#16-18	moderate
Yellow Sally	#14-16	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

Foam Hopper

#8-12dry

Chubby Chernobyl

#8-10dry

Elk Hair Caddis

#14-16dry

Pheasant Tail

#14-16nymph

PMD Nymph

#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 is still the crown jewel this week. The Ghost keeps this reach cold and gin-clear, and now that the whole river's down at 173 the wading up here is flat-out easy. Hopper-dropper is the program all day. Float a foam hopper or a Chubby with a Pheasant Tail or a PMD nymph a foot or two under it, and work the inside seams and the grassy edges. The fish are looking up hard. PMDs come off midday and the Tricos ride the calm mornings, so get up here early and fish that spinner fall on light tippet with a #20 or #22. It's the most technical, most rewarding fishing on the river right now. Long leaders, clean drifts, and stay off them in this low clear water.

City Section

Bearspaw to Carseland

The city stretch is dialed. The water's dropped in tight and cleared right up, the fish are pinned to the seams and the bucket water, and the dry game is wide open. This is dead-center hopper time. Throw a big foam bug tight to the grassy banks, best on a warm afternoon with a bit of wind pushing terrestrials onto the water, and hold on for that bank-eat. That's where the good July browns come from. Hang a Pheasant Tail off the back if they want a second look. Evenings are still the headline, though. The caddis come off thick in the last two hours of light and the soft water from Carburn down through Policeman's Flats has noses up. On the hot days, fish the morning and the evening and duck out of the midday heat.

Lower Bow

South of Calgary

Below town toward McKinnon Flats and Carseland is fishing clean. Full visibility, low settled water, and the big browns that rode out the June high are out in the open eating now. Hopper-dropper tight to the banks is the ticket, and I'm swinging an Olive Woolly Bugger early and late for the heavier fish holding in the deeper runs. The evening caddis is thick through the lower reaches. One caution stays on the board: the lower river runs warmer than the city, and with water temps up around 19 now, fish it early and rest the fish through the heat of the afternoon.