A Look Back at the 2024 Fly Fishing Season on the Bow River
By Scott Smith, Lead Guide
Reflecting on a Memorable 2024 Fly Fishing Season
The 2024 season has come and gone way too quickly. Thank you to all our guests, guides, and partners for allowing us to avoid real jobs and get on the water every day! Mother Nature kept river flows steady, water temps cooler, and thwarted the drought conditions we were expecting. Healthy, thick, line-ripping trout let us know they also appreciated the stable conditions. Here’s to big snow in the Rockies this winter!
Grateful for Returning Guests and Community Support
I am beyond grateful for all our returning guests! I was kept extremely busy this season, mostly because you came back for more! Several of you came out for multiple guided days in 2024, which means I need new boat jokes. I’m working on new material in the off-season, so be ready!
We have a fantastic guiding community on the Bow River. As an independent outfitter, we often collaborate with other outfitters and guides for group trips or when our staff guides are fully booked. This community spirit was essential, especially during the busy 2024 season. We’re thankful to work in this vibrant fly fishing community!
Most Popular Fly Fishing Trips of 2024
By far, our most popular float trip was the Half Day Beginner Float, which we’ll continue to offer. We love getting people into our sport, and this is a great place to start. A close second is the Bow River Boot Camp. This combination of our introductory lesson package with a half-day float became a real hit during 2024. I had a ton of fun teaching this past season, and it was great to see so many of our guests on the river afterward, practicing skills and enjoying time on the water.
Advice for Beginners: Keep at It!
The best piece of advice I can give anyone starting out in this sport is to keep at it. Grab that fly rod and figure it out. Make a mess. Find out what you can and can’t do, and always return to the fundamentals to correct casting mistakes. You’ll soon learn to move your feet and where to place that fly for the best drift.
Build Your Fly Fishing Skills and Knowledge
Learn your knots so you can quickly change your fly selection or adjust the size of your bug. Soon, you’ll understand why depth matters more than fly selection, and you’ll figure out how and why to fish one rig over another. While there’s plenty of information available, nothing beats getting out the door and onto the water.
Find Your Fly Fishing Community
My second piece of advice is to find your people. I’ve been fortunate to build friendships with great fly fishers and even better people. Some of the best relationships start with, “You Fly Fish?” There are several clubs and groups you can join to connect with like-minded anglers:
For more resources, visit our Fly Fishing Resources page.
Discovering Your Favorite Fishing Spot
Lastly, find your water. When I began taking fly fishing seriously, I had a spot I’d visit as often as possible. Even today, I head there whenever I get the chance. This area has become my testing ground and foundation for learning about river anatomy. This stretch of water features a shallow riffle, transitions into an inside run, and then flows into a flat before hitting a second riffle. The second riffle dives into a deep run and forms a soft pool off a defined point adjacent to a high bank.
Fishing here at different times and in varying weather conditions taught me where fish hold, what the bug life is doing, and how fish react to different presentations. It’s time well spent for learning and often being humbled.
Looking Ahead to the 2025 Fly Fishing Season
We love being part of your fly fishing journey, and we’ve got some exciting opportunities planned for 2025. We hope you’ll join us on the Bow River! Check out our Guided Fly Fishing Trips for the upcoming season.