The information below relates to the new bridge crossing the Bow River just upstream of Policeman's Flats river access. Policeman's is the access for the first reach of the Trophy Stretch down stream of Highway 22X. The great majority of the guiding on the Bow River, with the exception of those times the Bow is blown out, starts at Policeman's and winds it's way downstream for some 50 Kilometers past McKinnon Flats and ends at the manmade weir at Carseland. This reach of the Bow River is known as the "Trophy Stretch".
The placement of this Deerfoot bridge was hotly contested for several years and ultimately resulted in a realignment of the bridge a small distance upstream of the original plan. This preserved very valuable trout habitat found in a back channel.
This new bridge was the last water crossing linking the Deerfoot Trail to Highway 2 south. As mentioned previously, the last leg of the extension was opened in late 2003 and we now have a more direct route from the fly shop to Policeman's access. Although I'm concerned with the expansion of the city and civilization creeping southward, the silver lining is that we now can get to the river faster with less traffic congestion. This gives us more time on the water to fly fish which is a good thing.
