Where do we fly into?
You fly into Calgary International Airport (YYC)
Where do we stay?
Calgary is full of hotels at every price range and you are welcome to stay wherever best suits your needs. We have a preferred guest rate at the Delta Calgary South located on Mcleod Trail South that we can offer you for the duration of your stay. Simply contact us to book your dates and we can assist you with your reservation.
What if I've never fly fished before?
We cater to all experience levels and we estimate about 1/3 of our guests are new to fly fishing. Our guides are all patient and experienced instructors that are always happy to see new people introduced to this great sport.
How long are your guided trips?
We pride ourselves on the fact that we do not count hours on our full day trips. Out Fly Fishing Outfitters believes that it's your holiday, not ours, so you tell us when you're ready to get off the water. Whether it's after 6 hours or 16, it's your day. O.F.F. Half day trips are approximately 5 hours from start to finish.
What if I'm in town for work and don't have a full day?
We are very accustomed to working with the schedules of business travelers or those trying to sneak away for some fishing during a family vacation. We do offer half day trips to take advantage early morning or evening trips if you only have a few hours, however one thing to keep in mind is how many daylight hours we get during the summer. In July it's light enough to fish around 4 am and does not get dark until after 11 pm. You could have meetings until 4:00 pm, get picked up and fish from 5 - 11pm if you'd like. We don’t have any set start time and we work around your schedule.
What type of equipment do we need to bring?
We can supply everything for you, so you don't have to worry about bringing any gear, unless you wish to use some of your personal gear. We have breathable waders, boots, rods, reels, and all the leaders, tippet & flies you require. We've learned over the years that providing the flies makes our guests far less gun shy when it comes to delivering the fly tight to the structure the big fish hang out around. If you have personal waders, a fly rod or flies you’ve tied that you’d like to bring, you're welcome to bring your gear and your guide will help you set it up for here. Please bring layerable clothing appropriate for the time of year.
What form of payments do you accept?
Visa, Mastercard, Amex, cash, certified check, Interac Email Money Transfers, or Paypal
What is the standard guide gratuity there?
This is always one of the more difficult questions for guests to ask, and equally so for guides to answer, so hopefully this will avoid an awkward conversation for you. Typical gratuities on our fisheries range from 12% to 18% for your standard 8 hour day with deli sandwich lunch. Your guide is being paid for his or her time and so gratuities should reflect how hard your guide worked for you - a well prepared shore side lunch, extra shots at productive runs, new techniques learned, personal best fish or any other extra care and attention that made your day special should all be considered.
What is the best time of year to fish?
The blue ribbon stretch of the Bow river is open year round, although the best months for fishing, weather, insect hatches, and consistent fishing are the months of July, August and September.
What fishing techniques will we be utilizing?
It's common for us to have a dry fly rod, nymph rod, and streamer rod rigged and ready for use each day in the boat. We're happy to teach guests new techniques but tend to let our guests dictate what type of technique they'd prefer to fish. There's nothing more enjoyable than rowing a boat for someone who loves to bomb the banks with streamers, or stalking a bank searching for snouts with a guest who wants to hunt that one big fish on a dry. Your favorite technique might not always be the most effective way to catch fish on any given trip, but we're here to let you know that we’ll still make sure your trip is the best holiday and day O.F.F. you could possibly have.
What are the size of fish we should expect to catch?
We are very fortunate to have such trophy fish both in the Bow and in many of our mountain streams. The average trout on the Bow is 17-18" with 20+" fish being daily commonalities. On the Bow most of us consider big fish to be those that exceed 24" and on any given cast you have a legitimate shot at landing a fish of this quality. With 2000-2500 fish per mile we have no shortage of trophy fish. 27-28" fish are the size of some of the larger fish landed each year, yet there are always much larger fish hooked and not landed, which is exactly why they're that large. Our trophy cutthroat streams have legitimate 18-22" cutties that are targeted and hooked daily, with the odd 24+" fish being landed. Often, these extremely large cutthroat have some rainbow in them, the infamous “cutbow”. These rivers are also home to many exceptionally large bull trout. 27-30" fish are common and true trophies in the 32-36" range are commonly targeted and a few lucky anglers are fortunate enough to land a few fish this size each season.
How many guides are available if we have a larger group?
Out Fly Fishing Outfitters is able to accommodate groups from just two anglers to many. We commonly coordinate and guide groups with 10-12 boats and have run trips up to 20 boats. We have multiple guides and boats on the water and available throughout the season. For large group bookings, please call us well in advance to reserve your preferred dates.
How crowded are your rivers?
A busy day on the Bow will look like a very slow day on many Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming rivers. The Bow is a big river and boats spread out quickly. It's very common for us to only see one or two other boats all day, even though there may have been 10 or more boats on that stretch. We typically float stretches of river 8-18 miles long in one day so it's very easy to space boats out. Whenever possible we also coordinate our trips to start at different times compared to most of the fly shops and boat traffic. We haven't found too many fish that feed on a 9-5 schedule so we don’t see the validity in only fishing you at those times, unless of course your schedule dictates that a necessity.
Can we fish in Banff or Waterton?
This is a question we hear a lot – many guests are staying in Banff and Canmore or down in Waterton and want to fish within the national park. Unfortunately, regulations and fishing conditions limit the opportunities to guide in the parks and so for a guided trip with us some travel is required to meet your guide here in Calgary or at a Southern Alberta mountain stream. You are able to fish in the national park on your own with a Parks Canada fishing license, available at the visitor's centers within the parks.
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403-278-6331
orvis@outflyfishingoutfitters.com
bowrivercanada.com