Out Like A Lion

March came in like a lion this year, and is going to leave Wyoming in the same manner. The past week around here has been very snowy and windy, with moisture continuing to pile up in the high country. We're seeing some rain fall in the valley tonight with temps still in the 40's. We currently have near record snowpack in the Teton, Gros Ventre and Wind River Mountains. It's been a great ski season with one storm rolling in after another, virtually all winter long. Since the nights are still cold, and the valley still has lots of snow, runoff and dirty water has not been a factor yet for anglers. These slightly warmer days have been cranking up the Midge activity on the Snake and South Fork; the cloudy conditions are creating the icing on the cake for early season dry-fly enthusiasts.

The folks at the Bureau of Reclamation are already looking ahead at what will likely be a high water year. Typically at this time of year, the Snake is running around 400 cfs near Moran (just below Jackson Lake Dam); the South Fork typically rolls along at about 1,100 cfs for early April. Hydrologists are now waking up to the reality of our snowpack. They have begun ramping up the flows on both rivers, to make room for the impending snowmelt. The South Fork has been raised up to 10,000 cfs over the past seven days, and the Snake will be brought up to 1,500 cfs over the next week or so. Although they are higher flows than we would like to see for April fishing, it should help avoid a situation in June or July where we have really high water. Local water experts are very concerned about flooding this year. The Upper Snake River Basin and Upper Green River Basin are both at 120% of normal for snowpack and snow-water equivalency. These are high numbers, considering that April and May can often be very snowy and rainy months that can add even more moisture. Images like these first two will likely be seen again this year...high, muddy water...a riverbed filled bank-to-bank. Once the water does clear this year, it is likely that it will still be higher than normal for awhile. The South Fork of the Snake, in particular, could be running large come Stonefly time in July. This river can be a very demanding piece of water to navigate in these conditions. Losing local guides Phil Blumquist and Rob Merrill last season to the river has made me think a lot more about river safety this year. Don't take rowing your driftboat for granted, it only takes a split second to get into trouble. You don't want to land your driftboat in a situation like these guys...or worse!

I sent a couple of buddies up to visit the Big Hole River this week in South Central, Montana...one of my favorites! It sounds like the nymph fishing was good on the lower river, but no Skwalas yet. It's still been cold and snowy up there too. I often hit the Big Hole this time of year, but I think I'll wait a couple more weeks until things warm up a bit. The river above Divide is apparently still completely under ice, and there's a lot of snow on the ground in Melrose still. More soon!