The Bitterroot Riverhas fairly good access and early in the season has less ice than the Blackfoot or Clark Fork where it is cooler both in and out of the water. The Bitterroot is the river that western Montana and visiting fishermen and recreators first visit to enjoy the spring.Today was clear. That means cold. It was 36 degrees this morning. It warmed to 40 degrees by 2 p.m. and it was 50 degrees by 5:00 p.m. When the sun is out, that is darn nice weather; but if wind comes or you get wet, it is darn cold weather. Fishermen come prepared with waders, gloves, hats, and layers of warmer jackets. They also bring fishing boats and gear.
The video/automatic slideshow above shows the river and visitation of access sites in the middle river today from Veteran’s Bridge Fishing Access Site (FAS) just north of Hamilton, down-river (north) at two other stops, and finally, about 11 miles north of Hamilton at Tucker Crossing.
Below is the breakdown of vehicles spotted at the times of the photos. What one doesn’t know is, were they wading, putting in or going to take out at the FAS.
Veteran’s Bridge, Hamilton, MT – 12 vehicles, from Idaho and western Montana; 8 had boat trailers; one was a father and kids hanging out.
Woodside Crossing FAS, 5 miles north of Hamilton – 14 vehicles from Idaho and western Montana; 9 had boat trailers.
Private access, 7 miles north of Hamilton – 1 vehicle; a friend from the valley was wade-fishing.
Tucker Crossing FAS, 11 miles north of Hamilton – 26 vehicles, in-state and out-of-state; 16 had boat trailers. One was a hurried shuttle driver moving at least one if not two boat/trailer rigs down-stream.
What does this say? It says spring; it says popular river; it says a lot of recreation use on the river.
Today the river levels are about normal, 307 cubic feet per second (CFS), at the gage station about seventeen highway miles up-stream at Darby in the north end of the valley. But at the gage station near Florence, the river is below normal. Today it is 749 CFS when it is normally above 800 and almost 900 CFS. The water was clear.
Soon a lot of the shelf ice you see in the first photos will melt to become river water; snow in the mountains will also melt and flow in. In a few weeks it will look a lot different. The weather is forecasted to remain cool which will help the snow melt in a slow and orderly fashion. That means the river levels won’t surge as much as they would if the weather were unseasonably warm. We can predict, but, one never knows what the weather, the snow, and the river will actually do. Mother Nature has the power, not us.
Note that the photos show river and bank conditions and debris now, before run-off. When high water comes with the spring run-off, it will change dramatically. The power of the water will take trees, root wads, and anything else it can move down-river and deposit it where ever the debris lodges. When floating after high-water, scout the river carefully and use extreme caution.
Billy Burk, our good friend in Colorado sent us these great photos recently. He said I could share them on the blog. All the photos are by Billy. Thanks Billy!
Here is a photo of two Superbowl fish. My neighbor Cody and I went to the river Sun. morning and Had the whole river to ourselves; (it’s been a while, due to increased exposure in the media). After landing a double, he donated his (smaller) fish for a photo op. One monster took me out to the deep, faster current and came unbuttoned, Grrrrrr! There was a good Midge hatch coming off though, and we landed a bunch of stocker’s on size 22-26 Miracle Midge pattern. My Bride and I went to some friends’ for their “Bowl” party in the afternoon had a blast there too! What a great day!
I took a photo of my buddy and neighbor Cody on our trip to the Taylor River Tailwater ( the Hog Trough) catch and release area. Big fish are always possible. Unfortunately they are very well educated and tight-lipped for the most part! We got snowed on most of the day but during a calm moment I saw this photo-op.
Join Missoula and the author for a reading and signing of Anders Halverson’s An Entirely Synthetic Fish. The event will be at Fact & Fiction, 220 N. Higgins Ave, Missoula, Montana on February 10th from 7 pm to 8:20 pm. For more information call the book store at (406) 721-2881. Click here for directions to Fact and Fiction downtown. About the Book
By Anders Halverson
$26.00 – ISBN-13: 9780300140873 Availability: Special Order – Subject to Availability Published: Yale University Press, 3/2010
Anders Halverson provides an in-depth account of the rainbow trout and why it has become the most commonly stocked and controversial freshwater fish in the United States. Rainbow trout have been proudly dubbed “an entirely synthetic fish” by fisheries managers. According to Halverson, his book examines the paradoxes and reveals a range of characters, from nineteenth-century boosters who believed rainbows could be the saviors of democracy to twenty-first-century biologists who now seek to eradicate them from waters around the globe. He discusses how the story of the rainbow trout is the story of our relationship with the natural world—how it has changed and how it startlingly has not.
Anders Halverson is an award winning journalist with a Ph.D. in aquatic ecology from Yale University. With support from the National Science Foundation, he wrote this book as a research associate at the University of Colorado’s Center of the American West.
A lifelong fisherman, he currently lives in Boulder, CO.
For fun, he posted this quiz on GoFishn.com. The winner received his book. The Rainbow Trout Quiz: Question #1 – GoFISHn on GoFISHn In 1996, IdahoDepartment of Fish and Game hatchery managers routinely taught their fish one thing before releasing them into the wild. What was it?
The answer: worms. Candy Craig got it right, and she’s the winner of a copy of the book. The reason the fisheries officials put the fish on a worm diet was to prepare them for the wild. They feared the fish would swim around looking for pellets when they were released, which is their normal fare in the hatchery.
The 2010 fishing season for Wapiti Waters was a wonderful one. Current friends and clients fished with us and we made wonderful new friends. We recently received an email from new friends in Alaska. They fished with Jack in late October and caught trout. Jack also caught a darn big pike. They sent photos in the email and here they are. See the featured photo above and then view the rest in the slideshow below.
Thanks to everyone who fished with us in 2010. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy new year!
Jack and I went steelhead fishing in Idaho last week on Thursday and Saturday. It seems to be true that you cast 1000 times before you get a fish.
We caught steelhead and trout, but only a few. Those few got us “hooked” as the fight they give you is definitely thrilling. Our steelhead were in the 24 to 30 inch range and they were all beautiful.
The scenery is spectacular. And, the Village at North Fork is a one stop, get it all place. They have gas, rooms, cafe, licenses, gear, supplies, and all important shuttles! Give them a call at 888.432.0240 or visit their website at www.thevillageatnorthfork.com.
I forgot to post this. Jack caught a big pike on the Bitterroot earlier this month. He is still on his mission of removing pike from our local coldwater fisheries.
Now that Milltown Dam is removed and the reservoir gone, maybe we can get the pike numbers down. The reservoir was a major rearing area for pike because it was good habitat for young pike. It had warmer, slow water and lots of smaller trout that young pike could eat.
Pike eat a lot of juvenile trout so we don’t mind harvesting these voracious fish.
