03/13/2021 – 6:00am update to below: NEWS FLASH! We have two guides that opened up for Sunday. John Robinson and Kam, Donnie has the 16th, 20th – 24th, 27th & 28th. Kam also has the 23rd and 25th…
The water was clearing rapidly in the upper reaches yesterday afternoon and our guides all managed to find fish to play with again. Level remained steady during our floats, but began it’s decline in the evening and is now trending towards a steeper downward curve.
Keep in mind, both of these gauges are located in the top portion of weather that is open to fish in the system. The further down you go the longer that recovery takes… Also, the tree that was obstructing passage in the upper flies has been cut for safe passage, but as always be prepared for something new to fall at anytime, especially during spring thaws and high(er) water.
Please continue to exercise extreme caution while wading or floating, but the river never did bust it’s banks in very many places (At least up high here.) and is recovering quickly in the upper reaches now. Have fun, enjoy the weather, but remain diligent! – Steve
03/12/2021 – 7:45am update to below: There are several boats launched at 37 this morning that are aware of passage issues. In other words, should be resolved today. Also, it looks like the M-37 gauge is remaining leveled off for a few hours now. Keep an eye on it. Who knows, could drop faster than we anticipate…
Earlier this morning below:
Hi guys, just a brief update to John’s report (That you should read for more detail if you haven’t already.) this morning. It looks like a beautiful weekend ahead and while there are certainly areas that can be walked to and fished from the bank (or very near it in places if you know the water) we are recommending extreme caution in these higher water conditions. John R already watched one guy doing the breast stroke briefly yesterday in a normally very shallow area and the river has come up an additional 6″ since..
Floating is still an option in most sections if you are expert on “the sticks”, but again, extreme caution is advised. (I have personally been involved in way more boat recovery missions than I care to have been when someone was caught off guard.) A few boats were able to get under the tree above Mann’s in the Upper Fly water yesterday, but most will not be able to toady with the additional water and as far as I know it’s still there. Always be prepared to portage or cut safe passage in high water conditions is a good rule of thumb. There are no other immediate concerns “that I’m aware of”, but with the winds and higher water that could have changed already.
In short, come on up and enjoy the sunshine if you’d like to get away, but lower your expectations on access area as well as the “catching” and please be safe!!! We had 6 boats out of our shop yesterday and everyone had fish on, a few were even landed in the additional flows and some nice trout were caught as well, but advantage to the guy who floats it on the regular here for sure.
I’m out again this morning and then I’ll be spending the better part of my day in the shop tomorrow before hitting the river again for the next six days if you’d like to stop by and say hi! I’ve been really enjoying my shop time here lately with our great crew and we hope to see you soon!
I’ll try to post another update/report with some fish pics and what not sometime early next week. Till then, be safe, be well and stay positive… – Steve
Fished McDougal’s to Rainbow on Wednesday. Had to limbo under a tree just before the Rainbow take out in my Stealthcraft. That was before Thursday’s rise in water level. Not sure I’d clear it today.