Ecological flow is the basis of protecting and maintaining river health. In the changing environment of global change and rapid socio-economic development, there are many uncertainties in the calculation and implementation effect of ecological flow. This paper introduces the concept of adaptive management, and discusses the framework of adaptive management of ecological flow combined with the needs of ecological flow management. Taking Shaying River as a case study, the ecological flow adaptive management scheme from the determination of ecological protection objectives, implementation of ecological scheduling scheme, and effect of monitoring and adjusting ecological flow scheme are discussed. The research results show that the adaptive management method has practical significance to promote the coordinated development of social economy and ecological environment, and promote the improvement and innovation of river management mode in China.