Bitterroot air temperatures have been in the high 80’s for the last three days and the snow melt is increasing the river flows. The air temperatures are supposed to drop in the next few days and rain is predicted next week. This will be interesting.
Here are some photos at Victor Crossing taken the afternoon of May 16.
Victor Crossing is about 5 miles upriver from the USGS water data gauge
at Bell Crossing and about 40 road miles down river (north) of the USGS
water data gauge at Darby. Below are photos of the river at Victor
Bridge, the charts for both gauges, and a snow pack map.
The Bitterroot had clarity on May 7 and still on May 8 – also terrific caddis hatches! But now the weather has been much warmer and the flows are stepping up. See the charts below.
Bitterroot River on May 7 north of Angler’s Roost
Darby gauge station is upriver from Angler’s Roost – on May 7 flows at Darby were about 1900 CFS
Bell Crossing gauge station is downriver from Angler’s Roost. On May 7 flows were about 3,000 CFS
Still snow in the mountains!!! Bitterroot is 89 % of normal.
Links to snowpack and USGS river flow gauge stations are in the right side bar.
Photos taken from Angler’s Roost to Main Street Bridge in Hamilton. The Darby USGS water flow gauge reported 1900 CFS on this day. Clarity was good, caddis hatches prolific but not many feeding trout. Gorgeous day, though.
Air temperatures were in the 70 degree range beginning about April 20. These photos were taken April 24. Look at the graphs and you can see how the rivers have been rising. The last two days the Bitterroot Valley air temperatures have been over 80 degrees. These photos were taken when Bell Crossing flows were at about 4,700 cubic feet per second (cfs) – 2 pm. Right now it is 6:30 pm and the flows at Bell Crossing are at 5,480 cfs. That is a big jump. The gauge downriver (north) near Missoula measured 8,190 cfs at 8:45 am and now at 6:30 pm it is measuring 9,280 cfs – closing in on 10,000 cfs!!!
The snowpack in the Bitterroot River Basin earlier this month was over 100%. Today it is 89%.
The photos are all taken from Bell Crossing starting upriver looking southwest and rotating counter-clockwise to the east, then south, finally southwest into the parking lot. As I was there, a LOT of large woody debris was moving down the river.
We have had a number of boats out during these first few weeks but are waiting for some of the photos to come in. Some days fished very well, some not as well. Skwalas were out some days, Mayflies on other days…you just have to get out and give it a go. Every day is a little different due to temperatures, weather, and flow levels (all interrelated). Here are a few teaser photos taken today.
Rachel has been fishing with Wapiti Waters since she was a little girl. We love it when she and her family are at their Bitterroot home. It is great to see them and share time on the river with them all. Thanks Rachel.
