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

Fishing Reportfair

Bow River Fishing Report

Week of June 26, 2026

By Dan King · Lead Guide, King Trout Outfitters

Bow River fishing conditions for the week of June 26, 2026 are fair. Flow is 226 cubic meters per second and falling. Water temperature is 14°C. No angling restrictions are in effect. Active hatches include Golden Stonefly, Caddis, Pale Morning Dun (PMD), Yellow Sally, Blue-Winged Olive (BWO), Hoppers & Terrestrials.

226

Flow (m³/s) ↓

14°C

Water Temp ↑

fair

Overall Conditions

None

Restrictions

iFlow context: The Bow's running 226 cms. Down off a second runoff bump near 273 in mid-June, and dropping a little each day. Still about two and a half times the 90 cms summer baseline. 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 226 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

Quick update from the water. The river's past the peak. The Bow bumped a second time near 273 around mid-June off some rain. But it's slid down all week, and the last two days it's parked around 226. Still high. That's about two and a half times the summer baseline of 90, so I won't sugarcoat it. The volume pushes fish tight to the banks. The middle's dead water right now. So I'm working the edges, the soft seams, the back-eddies. Big stonefly nymphs and a worm fished deep are doing the damage, with a streamer through the soft stuff. The golden stones are out, but at this water I'm fishing them as a nymph. Pat's Rubber Legs deep is the play. Save the dry for bank seams late in the day. No heat closure right now. The river's too high and cold for that. Check My Wild Alberta before you go. As it drops through 150 and 180 over the next couple weeks, the dry game opens up. Back half of summer's setting up well. Book now while my calendar's open.

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 Golden Stonefly, Caddis, Pale Morning Dun (PMD), Yellow Sally, Blue-Winged Olive (BWO), Hoppers & Terrestrials. That is why our guides are fishing patterns like Pat's Rubber Legs, San Juan Worm, Pheasant Tail 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
Golden Stonefly	#6-10	moderate
Caddis	#14-18	moderate
Pale Morning Dun (PMD)	#16-18	moderate
Yellow Sally	#14-16	light
Blue-Winged Olive (BWO)	#18-22	light
Hoppers & Terrestrials	#8-16	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

Pat's Rubber Legs

#4-8nymph

San Juan Worm

#8-12nymph

Pheasant Tail

#14-16nymph

Olive Woolly Bugger

#4-6streamer

Elk Hair Caddis

#14-16dry

Chubby Chernobyl

#8-10dry

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

Up above Bearspaw, this reach sits below the Ghost reservoir. That dam traps the runoff sediment, so the water clears here first and runs lower than the rest. It's your best shot at wading right now. Cleanest water I'll find this week. I'd work a Pat's Rubber Legs deep along the inside seams. It's a stonefly nymph game until the river drops. Watch the bank seams late for the odd golden stone dry, but don't count on it yet. Midday you might catch a PMD pod on a soft edge. Fish run smaller up here than the city. The clarity's worth it. Bring a wading staff.

City Section

Bearspaw to Carseland

The city stretch from Bearspaw down through town is my bet at 226. Best fish density on the river, browns 16 to 22 inches pinned tight to the banks. The Elbow dumps in downtown and adds a slug of color, so it cleans up the farther you get below Inglewood. I'm floating it. A Chubby Chernobyl with a rubber-legs and a worm dropped underneath, run right along the edges all day. Carburn and Policeman's Flats are fishing. Then switch to an Elk Hair Caddis the last hour of light in the soft water. Skip the middle. It's a freight train.

Lower Bow

South of Calgary

Below town toward McKinnon Flats and down to Carseland is the dirtiest water right now. The Highwood comes in and drops a load of sediment, so this reach holds color longest. That makes it my streamer stretch. I'm throwing a big dark olive Woolly Bugger or a Sculpzilla on a sink-tip, tight to the banks and through the soft inside bends. Don't expect much of a dry game down here yet. Go big, go dark, get it deep. It's the last reach to clear, but it's also where I'd move a big brown this week. Wade careful if you wade at all.