News and Fishing Reports

Sunday,April 20,2008
Current Snow Pack

Historically we no longer expect to add to snow pack levels after the 15th of April.  What we have by mid-April is all we should expect to get.  However, as I write this report a huge storm is coming across the border from Canada, it is expected to arrive sometime during the next 24 to 36 hours, and they are predicting snow accumulations of from one to two feet.  Day time high temperatures over the next four or five days are predicted to be in the twenties and night time lows in the single digits.  So, in fact, we may still be adding to an already above average snow season.  

April 15th snow surveys from around the immediate area reported anywhere from slightly above to well above average snow packs.  A recent report published by the governmental water experts predicts that rivers and streams in our region will flow above average at least through the first week of July.  This may represent a slight inconvience for some early season anglers but it bodes well for fish and fishermen in the long run.  Higher flows, even for one season, usually produces great benefits for our fisheries - if not during the season at hand, certainly for seasons to come. 
 
How the above average snow packs and higher than normal stream flows will affect the fishing is hard to say with certainty.  However, I predict we will experience more normal hatch dates for our stream bred insects and the hatches will be of a longer duration.  The warmer and drier seasons we have been having over the past several years have caused hatches to occur earlier than normal and over a shorter period of time.  Water temperature, all other things remaining equal, is the primary factor influencing insect development.  Warmer water, due to low flows and higher air temperatures, causes, at the very least, accelerated development and maturity (hatching).  Therefore, cooler water temps that usually accompany higher flows should help our aquatic environments a good deal.    

-Rick Smith


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Stream Flows
  • HENRY'S FORK below I.P. Reservoir
  • Flow (cfs): 976
  • HENRY'S FORK below Ashton Dam
  • Flow (cfs): 2010
  • HENRY'S FORK at St. Anthony
  • Flow (cfs): 2570
  • MADISON below Hebgen Lake
  • Flow (cfs): 1160