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Montana Rivers

1K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  Jamie Dow 
#1 ·
The rivers in the Dillon/Butte area are running bank to bank The Big Hole is in the trees, The Beaverhead is a nice shade of brown. Several small creeks are up to the top of the banks. We have had rain off and on for 4 days now. Mostly on. And more coming.

We did have a warm day this week. It hit 85 and then the rains came and stayed.
 
#2 ·
Yep- rivers roaring and turbid north west of Butte, too. Been raining heavily on and off through the weekend and the rain picked up again today. Only insect that seems to be thriving now is the mosquito.
 
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#6 ·
The Blue Ribbon section of the Missouri is from Holter Dam to Cascade.

There are 3 major reservoirs (Canyon Ferry, Hauser, and Holter) and one minor reservoir (Toston) upstream of the Blue Ribbon section.

Canyon Ferry is the largest and is the main one used to regulate flow out of Holter.

It is now full (although it does have an overflow pool) so the outflows will have to match the inflows.

The flows were slowly headed down until last weekend when a low pressure system set up over western Montana and it sucked up the moisture from a hurricane and a tropical storm. The flow below Holter was 11000 cfs on Saturday. Right now, 14,200 cfs and it’ll go up.

The Dearborn River, which dumps into the Missouri below Craig was at 300 cfs last Saturday. It’s now at 8,200 cfs and out of it’s banks.

Obviously, the fishing on the Missouri right now will suck . . .
 
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#11 ·
These high flows on the Missouri will change the system.

During low water years the aquatic grasses flourish and the scuds, particularly the Hyallela, tilt the biomass away from aquatic insects. The reason is the low controlled flows out of Holter don’t scour the silt from the substrate and the Caddis and Mayflies don’t reproduce well. The aquatic grasses don’t get uprooted.

Scuds love aquatic grasses.

Also, when the trout habitat grows larger with more water, the population grows. Less fishing pressure this year creates a smaller mortality.

I predict next year will be gangbusters on the Missouri.
 
#16 ·
I'm drying out at home after a rainy/windy week in Yellowstone Park. Last day, even the Firehole was bank-high and coffee-colored. The Jefferson was worse, and I hear there are emergency road closures.
 
#17 ·
Rock Creek had been down almost to normal runoff levels until the recent rains. Back over 3000 CFS and chocolate when I left yesterday. Fisherman drowned on Sunday just below Harry's Flat when his raft caught in a log jam and flipped. Found him 4 miles downstream.
 
#18 ·
With more rain forecast, doubt anything changes too quickly. Even if you catch a fish with huge wire worms and a half pound of lead shot, you're fighting the current, not the fish.

And by all means,be careful. At these flows, no room for error. Most fishing guides I would guess are not equally skilled in Swiftwater Rescue.
 
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