Bow River · hatch chart
The city reach fishes all year; the best dry-fly weeks are late June and September
By month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
| Month | Insect | Stage | Size | Time | Intensity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar | Midges (Chironomidae) | Pupa | #18-22 | 11:00-15:00 | |
| May | Blue-Winged Olive (Baetis) | Dun | #18-20 | 12:00-16:00 | |
| Jun | Pale Morning Dun (Ephemerella) | Dun | #16-18 | 10:00-14:00 | |
| Jul | Caddis (Hydropsyche) | Adult, evening | #14-16 | 19:00-22:00 | |
| Aug | Trico (Tricorythodes) | Spinner fall | #22-24 | 08:00-11:00 | |
| Sep | Blue-Winged Olive (Baetis) | Dun and spinner | #18-20 | 13:00-16:30 | |
| Oct | October Caddis (Dicosmoecus) | Adult | #8-10 | 17:30-20:30 | |
| Nov | Midges (Chironomidae) | Adult | #20-22 | 12:00-15:00 |
Flow and visibility
The Bow is regulated by Bearspaw and Glenmore, so the city reach has a stable base flow while the mountain headwaters above Canmore spike violently with June snowmelt and after heavy rain. Visibility in the city reach is usually over a metre; after a big rain upstream it can drop to 20 cm within a day and take three days to clear.
The insect plate
