Its mid-April, and the snowiest, coldest winter on record in northern Utah continues with snow in the forecast tonight. The ski areas have had over 800 inches. The lake is still entirely frozen in over a foot of ice. But there's been a flash of another season the past few days, enough to get to the river without cold hands, ice in the guides, and snowshoes on the wading boots. (Like I did that!)
So now its mud and flood season. They'll call 'em spring storms instead of winter storms from now on. I did get hopeful yesterday when I saw the high temperature in Great Falls was 4 degrees higher than Miami! Makes a guy want to load up the trailer and head north. On the home water 30 minutes away though, I've still got a steady, rock-bottom winter flow of 800cfs, and a big stack of firewood ready for the next storm. Places I'm tempted to run off to are starting to get roaring.
It's warm enough down in the river canyon for Norman to come along, have fun, and not shiver. He's ready now. The fish? They look pretty skinny as a whole. They must of had a tough winter like us terrestrials. The bugs? Not many on these warmer sunny days, but the poor fish are grateful for anything coming their way. We've had targets more often than not during bankers hours.
We're supposed to be heading north, for real, in less than two months. Considering I'm an out-of-work fishing guide/bum due to the prolonged frozen pond, I'll live for the moment and not give a shit about the future. Hopefully the runoff in Idaho and Montana is closer to "a little above average" instead of what has started in southern Wyoming and Utah. I fear one of those damn high-water years coming though, so I'll take what I can get now.
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| Adams for most of 'em, Sri Lanka for a follow up, and the Mole for the pickier ones. |
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| 76! Really! |
