Snow, precipitation, spring, flows, predictions.

Snowing, windy, cold, snow on the ground, more coming…winter in Craig today and for the weekend.

Yes, more snow and cold on the way as we negotiate the late February time frame here in Craig Montana.

When will it end? July. We think.

A note about what you read on the interet as you personally research and navigate your spring, summer, and fall trip to the Missouri River. Just because you write it or read it on the inter web does not validate the content as truth. You know that…you folks read this blog daily!

The rainfall in Bozeman is not much more. The majority of the rainfall, the precipitation for the state comes in May and June. The average rainfall, the precipitation for the year, is 14 inches. Yes, for the state. I have looked at a number of cities and regions around the state and May and June are the winners.

Snow, precipitation, spring, flows, predictions.

What does this translate  for you the Missouri River Montana angler? It means we will be OK. Not a low water year like last year. While we loved the trout fishing in 2013, we would hope for more water.

John and I have always stated that the weather, the flows, that Mother Montana is hard to predict. It may be impossible. Even the water managers for our drainage have a hard time predicting the future.

So what is in the future for us this spring? Only Mother Nature knows. We do know that if the earth is saturated at the time of run-off, then most of the water goes into the drainage. If the ground is dry, the water goes into the ground, and sometimes away from the drainage.

The ground is wet right now. In two months? Your guess is as good as ours. We do know that the phone lines will be lit up with several calls per day inquiring about the summer flows. Who knows. We will keep you informed here on this very honest, accurate, and informative fly fishing blog.

Thursday night was the State of the Missouri in Helena with the honest word from FWP Biologist Grant Grisak. Report following. Probably Saturday. The Missouri River Water Advisory Committee meets in April and we will keep you up to date on that get together as well. It is the meeting when the FWP, PPL, DNRC, BoR, local Outfitters, shop owners, Core of Engineers, and several other factions in attendance. That is the real water predictions…but at the end of the day they are just guesses, educated at that, as to what we sill see this summer for flows.