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 September 20, 2026

By Dan King · Lead Guide, King Trout Outfitters

Bow River fly fishing conditions in downtown Calgary on September 20, 2026: low, clear fall water below the skyline and Centre Street Bridge with golden fall colour on the banks, where King Trout Outfitters runs guided Bow River trips. — The Bow running low and clear through downtown Calgary on the morning of Sunday, September 20, 2026, with the banks turning gold under a clear fall sky, looking across to the skyline and the Centre Street Bridge. Point-in-time snapshot from the DELTATECH Calgary live river camera. Source: DELTATECH Calgary Live Camera →

Bow River fishing conditions for the week of September 20, 2026 are good. Flow is 64 cubic meters per second and stable. Water temperature is 9°C. No angling restrictions are in effect. Active hatches include Midges, October Caddis, Blue-Winged Olive (BWO), Caddis.

Flow (m³/s) →

9°C

Water Temp ↓

good

Overall Conditions

None

Restrictions

iFlow context: The Bow read 64 cms this morning, and honestly the gauge has barely moved all week. It's held a tight 62 to 68 band since the last report, no spikes, no drops, just steady fall water day after day. That's two stable weeks in a row now, and it's about as predictable as this river ever gets. Still well under the 90 cms late-summer baseline, so the wading is easy and the fish are concentrated. Water this low and clear means the trout see everything, so keep your tippet fine and your approach quiet. If you've been waiting for a settled window to fish the Bow, this is it. 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 64 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. First official days of fall, and the river is acting like it read the calendar. Flow's parked at 64 cms and it hasn't moved more than a few clicks all week, which is as stable as the Bow ever runs. Water's down to about 9 degrees and still dropping, and that's the number that matters right now. The browns down low know winter's coming and they're feeding like it. Streamers are the play if you want your shot at the biggest fish of the season, and the October Caddis keeps the rod bent between those grabs. Midges are thick morning and evening, and the BWO still shows any afternoon the sun goes away. Hoppers are done, leave them home. No closures on the board as of today, but check My Wild Alberta before you head out like always. So here's the honest read: this is the stretch I wait for all year. Stable water, cold nights, big aggressive browns. My October dates are almost gone. If a fall float's been on your list, stop thinking about it and book it.

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

What They're Eating

What Do Trout Eat in the Bow River?

Bow River trout do most of their feeding underwater, on mayfly and stonefly nymphs, caddis, leeches, and aquatic worms. Through summer they also look up for caddis and terrestrials like hoppers. This week they are keyed on Midges, October Caddis, Blue-Winged Olive (BWO), Caddis, which is why the patterns below are producing.

What Hatches Are Active on the Bow River?

Insect	Hook Size	Activity
Midges	#18-24	heavy
October Caddis	#8-12	heavy
Blue-Winged Olive (BWO)	#18-22	moderate
Caddis	#14-18	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

Olive Woolly Bugger

#4-6streamer

Sculpin / Sparkle Minnow

#4-6streamer

October Caddis Pupa

#10-12nymph

BWO Parachute

#18-20dry

Zebra Midge

#18-22nymph

Pheasant Tail

#16-18nymph

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 consistent. The Ghost keeps this reach cool, and with the water at 9 degrees the bugs are on a tight schedule: midges early, BWOs when the cloud rolls in, and not much in between. Fish a Zebra Midge or a Pheasant Tail deep through the flats until you see noses, then switch to a #18 BWO parachute and pick them off one at a time. The water's so clear up here that your first cast matters more than your fly choice. Wade slow, stay low, and fish the far seam before you step into the near one.

City Section

Bearspaw to Carseland

Town water is in that sweet fall rhythm now. Cold nights, mild afternoons, and fish feeding on a schedule you can set your watch to. October Caddis are still the headline through here, big #8-12 bugs coming off toward evening, and a pupa swung through the riffles at Carburn or Harvie Passage gets grabbed hard. Middle of the day it's a nymph game, October Caddis pupa or a Pheasant Tail under an indicator. And when the light goes flat, midges take over, so keep the small stuff handy for that last hour. No shutdown periods anymore, this reach fishes start to finish.

Lower Bow

South of Calgary

The lower river is the main event right now. McKinnon Flats down to Carseland is where the big browns are staging, and every week of cooling water makes them more aggressive. This is streamer season, full stop. Swing an Olive Woolly Bugger or a Sculpin deep through the buckets and tight to the cutbanks, and expect the grabs to be arm-jarring. Between streamer runs an October Caddis rig keeps the net wet. These fall browns are the biggest fish the Bow produces all year, so handle them fast, keep them wet, and let them get back to their business.