Missouri River June Water Forecast
Looking good for the month ahead for the Missouri River June Water Forecast. Yes, normal is what we should expect as we heading the first of the two peak dry fly months fishing he Missouri River near Craig this summer.
Just spoke with Stephanie Micek of Montana Bureau of Reclamation and got the skinny on the month ahead.
A bit of history first about the run-off here on the Mo. We have 3 dams above us here in Craig and we are thankful for that. Normal and consistent water flows is what is generated from the dam structures. Not water temps in this case. While many true tailwater dams pull water from the bottom nd release from the bottom, here at Holter Dam the water is pulled near the surface and released near the bottom. Therefore the dam structure does not keep the water cooler as it does on a true tailwater dam system.
Our water temperatures fluctuate with the air temps. When the lake gets warmer, so do our waters here on the river proper. Currently at 54F. Good water temps for the bugs hatching now. And that of course is due to the water temps. Water temps dictate which bug is hatching and the timing of said bug too.
The water managers are trying to fill Canyon Ferry Lake near the 4 week of June. So all of the projections for success of that fill, 97% fill, are centered around that one goal. They want just the right amount of water up there. Not over 100%. That is bad. But not below 97%. The top 3% is owned by the Core of Engineers.
As we move deeper into this month we will see the lake filling along with hopefully great dry fly flows.
June Water Forecast
6000cfs-8000cfs. That is what Stephanie Micek said could happen as we move through this week. She mentioned it was all based on how warm it gets through the week and weekend ahead. If we see warmer temps, we will see more water earlier come through the system. And maybe less later. Or if it gets a bit cooler? But she said if it stays the current course of water coming off of the hills, we may see stability. Trout like stability. So do humans!
I like 6K flow rate dry fly bite. Some like a bit more. And wade anglers like flows below 6K. That ensures the most access for that angler.
6K gives us more rising fish habitat. And anglers like that.
Will we see flows above that? Doubtful. But Mother Nature makes all the rules during this event.
So there it is. We believe the flows this month ahead will be just right. Bring on the PMD’s and the Caddis flies. We are ready.
How about you?
Dearborn River
Flows blow 800 cfs today. Will it come down further this week? It looks like it may continue to dip through the week? We will be fishing it this week and beyond as long as the water holds up. Below 250 she is too skinny for me. Dragging the boat around the river does not appeal to this angler.