2018's Official Flow Chart is Launched!!

Here it is, gang, our initial 2018 edition of our Rock Creek Flow Chart which we created in 2007 to provide a cumulative year-to-year comparison of the runoff based on our Headquarters' home waters together with a photo taken just this morning of our Log-O-Meter in and along Rock Creek.

As we do each year, the current water flow is measured in our red line and you can see that, unlike any of the previous ten years, our initial flowage number is almost three time what it has historically averaged during that time! Also, since we began tracking our very own Log-O-Meter just ten days ago, the water traversing downstream in and along Rock Creek has increased almost four-fold from 758 cubic feet per second on April 20th to today's flow of 2,990 cfs. In a word, things are now rock'n'rollin' as you can see that the flow is now fully mid-level of our horizontal log. This structure is located at the three mile marker along Rock Creek Road with Headquarters upstream another seven miles at the 10 mile marker.

What does all this mean, you ask??

Well, the current snow water equivalent of the snowpack yet in the upper climes is still tracking at 150% of twenty year norms so, visually, the amount of water that needs to find itself downstream is about equal to where we were at this point in time in the high water year of 2011 (the cream colored line on the attached graph). That is the amount of water that needs to move downhill by June 10th for us to be able to safely and successfully fish the local Missoula rivers. So, we have a good start towards that end, but, get this--the current ambient temperature at Headquarters is 45 degrees and it is scheduled to snow in the upper climes later tonight and all day tomorrow, just adding more to what we want less of!

Ah, Mother Nature, what a fickle 2018 runoff hand you are currently dealing to us!!

'Twill be a most interesting year to follow...

RCR---<'///:><

Montana 2018

More 2018 Montana Mo Twenty Inch Monsters courtesy of Group Three's prequelers Brian "Moraine" Shepard and son "Nicholas The Czar"--way to go guys!!!

RCR---<'///:><

Log-O-Meter Update

This is a shot of yesterday's Log-O-Meter showing that the flow of our home waters Rock Creek is, indeed, on the rise, yesterday doubling its flow of a week ago to 1,580 cubic feet per second ("cfs") [and on the rise, btw, as this morning Rock Creek is already flowing at 1,790 cfs and it is forecast to be a high of 81 degrees in Missoula today which will generate even more flowage!].

Showing that age is creeping up on me, apparently, I errantly reported in the first Log-O-Meter report last week that the Rock Creek flow would be at 1,000 cfs when the water touched the bottom of the horizontal Logo-O-Meter. Well, that's not correct as you can see from the attached photo--in fact, when the flow increases to 2,000 cfs you will see the water lap against that crossbar!!

Flo, correctomio!!

RCR---<'///:><

Spring Fishing in Montana!!

Take a gander at the attached three photos just received from returning Group Three veterans Brian "Moraine" and "Nicholas The Czar" Shepard who, as they do each year, ventured to Missoula for their annual Spring Sorrie to fish with our Double Up Outfitter, John "The Great But Propaneless [and, of recent, Grillless] Gould. As I mentioned to you earlier in the week, the runoff is now in full bloom in and around Missoula such that all local rivers are "blown out" (i.e., running too fast to safely drift and now the unfishable color of mocha coffee) so, as we always do in situations like this, the trio trekked over the Continental Divide to fish the Mighty Missouri River just below Holter Dam near Craig, MT (about an hour's drive north of state capitol Helena).

As is almost always is the case (what with the Might Mo averaging 5,000 trout per mile in the 18"+ range), their drive was well worth the effort as depicted, first, in Moraine's 19" gorgeous Mo rainbow and then trumped by son Czar's stunning 22" brown trout followed by his 21" "bigger bow"!

The Mo's "tailwaters" below Holter Dam are nearly always fishable, clear and serene, so long as the "W" Factor does not insert itself (that being the to-be-whispered-only word {never to be mention aloud} of [ssshhh] "wind"]!!

Bravo, bravo, bravo!!

RCR---<'///:><

The 2018 Runoff is Officially Off and Running, Gang!

Warmer weekend temperatures in western Montana have now kickstarted the 2018 runoff, witness our Headquarters’ own Rock Creek which, this time last week, was flowing at 750 cubic feet per second (“cfs”) and which is currently flowing at (a still relatively modest) 1,350 cfs, but, nonetheless, a 75% increase in just one week’s time.  Snow water equivalent in the upper climes is yet 150%+ of twenty year norms, so there is still a ton ( read, literally “tons”!) of snowpack that needs to thaw, melt, and find its way down hill and downstream.

 

But, at least, the process has blessedly begun!!

 

Stay tuned… news at 11:00.

 

RCR---<’///:><

 

 

 

E-18 Logo-O-Meter

Thanks to this morning's photo input from our Extravaganza Caretaker/Kitchen Guru Extraordinaire "Peanut" Tofanelli (so named because she has yet to crack much more than 5 feet in height!), by looking at our historical, self-named "Log-O-Meter" as shown in the attached pic, each year we have the opportunity to give you a symbolic visual look into just what impact the runoff has on the creeks and rivers of western Montana.

Today's shot above is pre-2018 runoff showing our Headquarters' home river Rock Creek now flowing at a relatively modest 750 cubic feet per second ("cfs") Imagine this flow as the equivalent of a garden hose flowing in your front yard. When the runoff gets fully underway, that hose will blossom into and become a comparative fire hose! By way of example, when the Rock Creek runoff increases to 1,000 cfs (which it should do within the next several weeks), Rock Creek's water level will rise to the bottom of our Log-O-Meter; when it rises to 2,000 cfs the water level will flow over the top of our horizontal log and, thereafter, all that you see in this photo will be literally underwater.

Such is the nature of each year's runoff...

May the Log-O-Meter be with y'all!!

RCR---<'///:><

Extravaganza Blessings

It seems that every one of our now sixteen years of Extravaganzas receives blessings in its own special way(s) and E-18 is no exception in that regard. 

 

This year, in addition to being blessed by the presence of Montana’s Governor, Steve Bullock) during Group One (he actually called me a few months ago and asked to be included in this year’s event),  last week, while in Missoula, I had lunch with David Brooks, the new Executive Director of Montana’s Trout Unlimited, who asked if he could present to each of our groups (and now will do so each of our Sunday nights)—this will be an extravagant first for us. 

 

Also, earlier that same Tuesday, I had a Montana Matters meeting with representatives of our dear, extravagant friends at the National Wildlife Federation and the Montana Natural History Center (each of which organizations has been a recipient of Extravaganza donations over the last several years) and, get this, the two organizations (on their own and without any coaching from me) would like to throw an special E-18 après fishing party at the Montana Natural History Center  Monday night for each of our three groups so that you can all see, first hand, just what MNHC does (thanks to [y]our past, present and future Extravaganza funding) for the youth of now all of Montana…what fun!!  On those Mondays, in the morning we will meet our guides at MNHC’s Missoula headquarters and return there post fishing for light h.d’s and beverages du jour before our returning to Headquarters for dinner.

 

Keep you eyes peeled for an incoming invitational postcard from NWF and MNHC in the form attached and don’t worry how you are going to get to/fro this gala event, as that is my extravagant privilege to so do!!

 

Can you feel the closeness of it all, gang?? 

 

Yep, with biblical connotations, E-18 launches in a little more than forty days and forty nights from now…just visualize the equivalent of an intervening fishing-fasting Lent!!

 

Best to all in the advanced preparation stages of it all,

 

Rock Creek Ron

   ---<’///:><