We are Not Flooding.
Our hearts go out to the communities along the Yellowstone drainage that have experienced catastrophic flooding over the last couple of days. We've received a number of inquiries about the water conditions today on the Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers. Currently the Big Hole is dropping with the salmon fly hatch coming within the next week. Cool temperatures and a delayed runoff stalled the big bugs just as the first few crawled out. The Beaverhead is experiencing low clear flows as the irrigator controlled river is building water in Clark Canyon Reservoir.
Beaverhead River - Low clear flows and 300cfs out of Clark Canyon Reservoir put a lot of anglers searching for a limited amount of fishable water in Montana upon the Beaverhead over the last couple of days. We witnessed a lot of really good people displaying patience and exemplerary fishing ethics as boat after boat passed through throngs of anglers fishing nearly every hole on the river. The river has held up well despiite tremendous pressure, and as anglers spread out over the next week, the fishing should only get better.
Big Hole River - What a 180 degree change from 2021. The Big Hole was on the hard drop to nothing at this point last year. We are now basking in a sea of green grass, snow in the peaks, and salmon flies coming out very soon, wihin days.