Fishing weather has returned, albeit temporarily, for the weekend and front end of the week.
Although we have been loving the snow. A good feel of winter with snow falling most of the last week. And the week ahead looks like more of the same. More snow on the way.
More snow on the ground this winter means more water in the rivers this coming summer. The entire state, save for the Missouri River, was in really tough shape this last year. Not good at all. We squeaked by with average flows. Nothing high at all. Will we have the high water this coming year? Nobody knows. And if anybody tells you something…well you can believe whatever you want.
All we know is that we always prefer the more water option over the less water option every time. Big water beats the low water hand every time. We won’t know the outcome of the winter until later winter early spring period. Then we can get a handle on the winter precipitation and make some sort of random educated guess.
November and December here in our region, east of the Continental Divide, seem to be consistent in the early winter snows. The last several years we have flirted with real winter until we turn the last page of the calendar.
Then it seems as though winter vanishes. I want a real winter from Santa this year. I’m sure most of us embroiled in the fishing industry and those of you who love to fish Montana would wholeheartedly agree. Hands down.
Leave your note to Santa next to the milk and cookies.
So back to the Sunday Report here on the Headhunters Blog. Decent fishing out there. A break in the weather yesterday and today including Monday. Snow flurries could happen at any moment on any given day.
The boat ramps are pretty safe. Check the end destination before launching. Or check with us. We generally know the condition of the ramps.
The shelf ice is not and at all. There is some out there but not the terrible dangerous shelf ice that can make getting to the water on some occasions difficult.
Water temperatures are holding at 35.5F with water levels at 3330cfs. Cold for sure. Put on your wool socks before you wade into that ice bucket of a river. No slush in the river yet. The air temps have to get in the zero range for some time to make the upper river slushy or even ice-bergy.
Flies for nymphers? Pink. Flies for swingers? On the smaller side in both the natural colors or un-natural color ways. Both pretty effective. The patterns of the winter so far have been on the bugger side of life. Zonkers still on the radar. Leeches not a terrible choice.
See you on the water this week. Shop open daily @ 8am.