Low Water Fall Ahead
Rolling along slowly, and lowly, at 2810 as I write this blog.
That is low. Lowest in 15 years. The drought years of 2001 thru 2007 looked just like this. Some years a bit higher, but nothing beyond 10K cfs for that long drought.
Let’s hope this is not the start of one of one of those marathons.
One of the few benefits of low water is lower volume water cools faster. Could be a rockstar BWO event. Or not.
Look at the red line above. Even the “Most Probable” bar graph looks bleak. 4K does not reverse the direction we are headed. Nope.
An angler can wander at these flows. Swinging is gonna be real, real good this fall and early winter.
And maybe the Baetis will show too.
8 Comments.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/montana-gallatin-river-big-sky-development_n_60fb0bcfe4b0d2a22d4b1a34
They mention The Missouri River above Craig kinda deep down in this article. Take a look.
LT
Great article – but sad outcomes across Montana regarding fisheries and water protection.
Your governor is clueless and sucking up to big biz to keep his stay in office. Vote him out. Can anyone explain why brown trout numbers are tanking in the Missouri and Big Hole? Comments anyone? Loss of spawing habitat? What’s causing it? Not looking forward to this fall – low water will simply concentrate the weeds and make it that much more difficult. As for wading – pay attention to weed balls coming down river – not fun. Not trying to be negative but river conditions are changing and affecting these incredible fisheries.
Delayed mortality. First your gripped, (while your gripper, grins) and then you die.
The super popular river systems are being pounded to death by a thousand cuts.
Factor in increased predation from eagles and ospreys and the stressors of climate change and you have the trifecta of population demise.
Seeing it here on the Upper Delaware system. The West Branch is just a shell.
A long time ago I worked in a Troutshop in a small town along an incredible river. Guy walks in complains that there is no hot water in the showers. I told him, have you been fishing the river? Do you see it out there? It currently has the best flyfishing of any river, I believe, in the history of flyfishing. If you want hot water fish in Livingston or Bozeman, if you want peak quality flyfishing that comes with cold showers or more often none at all. Anyway, every shower in that town now has hot water.
Trout are low on the totem pole, we’re killing people and most living things, by just being the indelicate species we always were. Want to save trout and the rest of earth ?? Less people, duh !!!!! Oh hell, sorry all you wanna be grandparents, this is for you too.
Yep. No kids in SOL’s household. Just fly rods.
I fished Northern Idaho last week. I was all fired up after taking the summer off due to the high temps. I bailed after 2 days. Too depressing to see the water levels so low…I’m done for the year.
Predation from eagles and osprey are the least of a trout’s worries.