The E-19 Runoff is ON!!

 

 

Well, Gang, the reality of our quickly upcoming time together in Montana is before us, for, this week while our computer server was on the fritz, the water status in Montana has transcended from winter into spring.

 

Get this:  On Monday of this week, our Headquarters’ Rock Creek was flowing right at 600 cubic feet per second with a water temperature of 52 degrees but today, with increased ambient temperatures which have accelerated snow melt at the higher elevation, Rock Creek is currently flowing at 2,280 cfs (almost a fourfold increase in volume) and its water temperature has dropped ten degrees from a brisk 52 degrees to an icy 42 degrees, reflective of the fact that, indeed, the annual runoff, indeed, is fully under way.

 

“Where do we fall in relation to other years?”, you may ask; well we are still tracking at 100-106% of annual seasonal averages in both year-to-date precipitation and in snow water equivalency (“swe”)—putting us right where we want to be this time of the year---bravo, bravo, bravo!!

 

Come Monday next we will begin our daily charting of this year’s runoff and overlay what is happening in and along Rock Creek with similar measurements that we have been tracking annually now since 2007.  The one thing that we have learned from now twelve years of charting is that each and every year is different, but we are currently centered in between the years of high flow runoff that we have had (the most epic being last year’s) where water levels come June are high and water temperatures yet cool and those years of lower precipitation and swe where water levels come June were lower and water temperatures were higher.  Our goal is to end up right where we are currently beginning:  Right in the middle.

 

The governing factor in this year’s runoff can and will be measured by outside temperatures which, looking at the long term forecast for the greater Missoula area call for a pattern of perfect daytime highs in the mid-60’s and with night time lows above freezing (you can check out the Missoula weather via the link on  Der Blog), thereby paving the way for the result that we hope for:  Come E-19’s Opening Day on June 9^th, our barometer river Rock Creek flowing between 1,500 and 1,800 cubic feet per second with the flow then dropping as river water temperatures rise as it is that rising water temperature that triggers the “bug hatch” that we will fish extravagantly—more on that later!!

 

So start dreaming of your not-to-far-off arrivals to the primo fishing grounds of western Montana and of the wonderful bounty that awaits!!

 

Best to all amid the flow of it all,

 

Rock Creek Ron

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