Rock Creek Discharge Report

We finally have the first runoff flow report from Rock Creek for the 2014 Extravaganza: as of this morning, Rock Creek was flowing at 798 cubic feet per second--faster than all but the start of 2009 and 2012.

Click here to see 2014 graph

E-14 Update

Greetings, Fellow Extravaganzers!

 

I am on the eve of leaving for Washington, DC to attend the annual meetings of the National Wildlife Federation and, in addition to the individual messages that I have sent out to each group separately, want to give you this update on where things stand for this year’s blessed event.

 

Well, just when we were looking for the snow in the upper mountain climes to recede, a contraire, the snow it keeps on a-comin’ such that, as of today, the snow water content of our targeted Bitterroot Mountain Range is now boasting 184% of 20 year median, meaning that, for at least Groups One and, possibly, Two that the Mighty Missouri River more likely than not will be in our E-14 offing.  In fact, earlier today, I contacted Beach Transportation and reserved (on a tentative basis) a 50 person motor coach for each of our Group One and Group Two fishing days and confirmed that Commander Cliff (our long-time friend and driver) is on standby to be our land guide.

 

We will begin tracking the flow this week and, soon, you will begin receiving a graph that depicts this year’s runoff as compared to the last seven that we have been tracking.  As in the past, our sampled river is our own Rock Creek, as the runoff for it is indicative of the runoff of our primary targeted rivers, the Big Blackfoot, the Clark Fork of the Columbia and the Bitterroot Rivers. 

 

If, again, “it’s to the Mo we go”, that is not a bad thing, unless you are particularly fond of your sleep (something highly overrated at any Extravaganza!).  What it means is that we will arise around 5:30 a.m., meet Cliff and Der Motor Coach at the foot of our Rock Creek Road, and proceed over the Continental Divide through Helena, the state’s capitol, and head northward for a 9:00 a.m. arrival at Craig , MT.  There, as we have done in the past, we will be based out of the Headhunters and meet our E-14 already enlisted guides (who will have travelled over the night before to be on the scene before we arrive).  From there we will launch on the Missouri River right below Holter Dam, and fish just as if we were near Missoula.  The Mo boasts, however, over 5,000 trout to the river mile and average over 18” in length.  As you veterans know, we track and have a sign-in board for 20”+ trout, and, in the course of our 2011 Mo-ventures, we caught and released 111 twenty inchers, almost ten times the number of a “normal” Extravaganza year.

 

Again, we shall see what we shall see, but all signs are looking towards a(nother) Motor Coach year, particularly for Group One and more than likely for Group Two.  In every event it will be a(nother) banner year for us and we have more surprises in store for you (again!) than you can imagine!!  Keep your eyes peeled on the upcoming flow reports, as that will be the tale of the Tale of E-14, and a whale of a tale that will be.

 

I will reach out to you next Monday upon my return with a report on all that I saw and learned in my new capacity as a NWF director as well as date you down on Missoula-based developments.

 

Best to all in awe of it all,

 

Rock Creek Ron    ---<’///:><

 

 

E-14: 60 Days and Counting!

Fellow Extravaganzers:

 

Here we sit pre-runoff and inside 60 days and counting until the curtain rises on Extravaganza 2014 and I thought I would give you a global overview of E-14 and what lies in store for us this wonderful fishing year. 

 

As you can see, year after year for the past seven years we have developed our own tracking chart to give you an idea in advance as well as mid-runoff where we might be headed water-level-wise.  During this time period we have had demurely low water level years (witness both last year and in 2007) as well as wildly high water level years (as in 2008 and 2011—each of which years we trekked over the Continental Divide to find safe and bountiful fishing waters on the Holter Dam-controlled Missouri River, just outside Craig, MT—an hour north of Helena).

 

In preface, the runoff can be and often is our best bountiful fishing-generating event.  The “runoff” occurs when warmer May weather melts the accumulate snow mass in the upper mountain climes and sends that melt downhill into thousands of streams and rivulets that (a) gathers silt on its downhill journey and (b) amasses into our major Montana rivers and streams.  Imagine if you would a hundred thousand individuals streaming into a prime-time sporting event—individual travelers are innocent enough in their impact and presence but the stadium collection of those individuals creates a force to be reckoned with (as in “home field advantage”—right Group Two veteran Seahawks 11^th man fan Brad “Maven” Miller?!?).  This amalgamation and downstream flow of the soon-to-be melted accumulated snow mass is the “runoff” which serves to scour and clean out our fishery rivers but at the same time to silt them over such as to become unfishable (the fish simply can’t see through the runoff’s mocha coffee colored water to ingest food).  Also, post runoff, bugs on the now cleaned out rivers literally comes to life, as their annual mating and reproduction cycles begin as the waters warm up from their snowmelt induced ice bath.

 

Our goal is to be onsite to fish immediately after the runoff when these now food deprived fish are ready to make up for lost opportunities—and that is why the Extravaganza for each of its now 12 years occurs when it does—we want to be on Montana’s prime fishing waters at prime time, fishing with the best guides available at the time of “bugamania” on those rivers.  That’s why we do what we do when we do it, gang.

 

As you can see from the attached chart which reflect water flows on our home’s Rock Creek, each year is a different experience, as each year Mother Nature deals us a different runoff hand.  What we would like to see as we begin tracking this year’s runoff in two weeks (we will be sending an updated chart out to you frequently with the current year posted in an easily readable red color) is a bell shaped curve where, like in 2009—one of our best fishing years, the runoff starts out slow, builds a nice even head of steam and then, for Rock Creek, ends up right around 1750 cubic feet per second come Father’s Day, June 15^th, our first E-14 fishing day.  During the high water years of 2008 and 2011, that water flow level was two to three times that mark, correspondingly making each our local targeted rivers (the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, the Big (“A River Runs Through It”) Blackfoot River and the Bitterroot River) torrentially unsafe; during the low water years of 2007 and 2013 we (successfully) scrambled to find good fishing waters and, in the case of 2007, found ourselves arising well before the crack of dawn to get on the waters by 7:00 a.m. before the afternoon temperatures soared overheating the very low waters.

 

What will this year hold for us, you ask?? 

 

Well, as I have earlier reported to you, we start out the runoff with very high amounts of snow water content in the upper climes mountains.  Right now, the Bitterroot Range (our primary targeted E-14 fishing watershed) is boasting 163% of twenty year median snow water content…that means that, as compared to last year—when at this time things were tracking right at “normal”--one and one half times of “normal” water needs to flow downhill between now and E-14. 

 

What happened last year with low fishing water levels, you further ask??

 

Well, the other variable is heat…and last year, even with a “normal” snow pack, Montana witnessed an unusually dry and warm May such that the snow pack literally evaporated—as you can see from the redline on the attached chart, it simply never made its way downhill.

 

So, as we stand in line for the upcoming runoff movie, we will be carefully tracking temperatures, precipitation and water flows with the knowledge that, at some point in time, all the water is going to traverse downhill…it is just a question of when!  Regardless of when that blessed event occurs, just as we have doen for every prior Extravaganza, we WILL fish every E-14 fishing day!! 

 

Stay tuned…

 

Best to all in anticipation of it all,

 

Rock Creek Ron

    ----<’///:><

 

 

 

YOUR E-14 MONTANA CAMP LIST

 

MONTANA CAMP LIST

Yep, it is beginning to happen folks, so, as promised, here is your Extravaganza 2014 packing list:

In preface, June is the wettest month in Montana.  The earlier in the month, the wetter it typically is--most often laden with afternoon thunder storms but sometimes the beneficiary of all-day rain.  So the earlier in the month you are (and that's you, One-Of-A Kind Group One, which arrives on June 14th) the greater the probability of temperatures in the 50's to 70's with afternoon showers; and the later in the Extravaganza you are (and that's you, Group Three, which arrives on June 28th) the greater the probability of no rain and temperatures in the mid 70's to 90's--yes, folks the change is that dramatic in just the few weeks that we fish together.  For each group, however, your packing list is the same--plan on coolish mornings transitioning into mid-day warmth, that will then be subject to afternoon cooling off and rain (when cells pass through the temperature often drops over 20 degrees is fewer than that in minutes), followed by coolish evenings as we sip (guzzle, in the case of Group One) wine, throw horseshoes in the back yard and exchange our tales of the daily blessings that have been bestowed upon us.

 The list below is broken into "MUST HAVE" and "CAN HAVE" sections.  Regarding the latter first, through our outfitter extraordinaire, Double-Up Outfitters, rods and reels are available to our groups, gratis.  Feel free to bring your own gear if you have it [see below in that regard].   Regarding the need for waders and wading boots, if you have them, bring them, but we most often fish in shorts and sandals (with fleeces and rain jackets aboard in all cases). 

 So, here it is, your Official Extravaganza 2014 Camp List: (NOTE:  MOST ALL ITEMS LISTED BELOW CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE ROCK CREEK MERCANTILE [WITH YOUR 10% STORE-WIDE DISCOUNT] ON YOUR ARRIVAL IN MT., IF YOU WISH)

MUST HAVE:

1.      Polarized sunglasses (these are an absolute must); mine are prescription (because I am nearly blind without glasses) and the Merc has not only a great selection of regular polarized sun wear but also very comfortable sets that can overlay your prescription glasses--just like skiing goggles, but a little more chic/stylish.

2.      A rain jacket not a water resistant jacket [which really just absorbs water at a slower pace], but a poncho or truly water resistant lightweight/medium weight rain repellant--we have had the weather change from warm blue skies to cold (as in really cold) torrential rain and then back again all within an hour--if you get wet on the river it is not a pleasant experience--See 3, infra.

3.      A dry bag/boat bag for a complete change of clothes for the river.

4.      Fast drying fishing shirts and pants.  In the past, the former has been a staple of what we hand out to you as you arrive--history will repeat itself, by the way.  As to pants, I highly recommend the fast drying, zip off pants which serve as long pants in the morning hours and shorts in the afternoon.

5.      Brimmed fishing hats.  Yes, history might just repeat itself here again regarding a baseball type hat; for those of you who are sunlight sensitive, I recommend a fully brimmed hat with a tie-string [so that the famous and inevitable MT wind will not decrown you].

6.      Layered clothing.  Imagine that you are going to a Niners game in September--you never know what you are going to get at The Stick, so you wear a short sleeved shirt with a long sleeve shirt over it, carrying with you a fleece and a warm jacket/raincoat--voila!!)  We have washers and dryers available to you if needed, so don't bring the whole wardrobe but certainly pack an extra day's supply (remember that boat bag and its contents-to-be in 3, infra?!?).

7.      Waterproof sandals/fishing shoes.  90% of our fishing will be in the boats, but you will be getting in and out for entry, potty breaks, lunch and return, and will get wet to your knees as you embark/debark.  Tennis shoes are an alternative if you don't mind changing their color [permanently]  Yes, fishing sandals are an excellent Merc purchase upon arrival--they have multi-uses and will last forever.

8.      Sunscreen and bug-spray.  Bring sunscreen rated 15 and higher even if you think you don't need it, as you will be on the water, unprotected, for up to 10 hours each day--enough to challenge even the crustiest lawyer's skin!  The bugs are nothing like Minnesota and usually are not a problem at all, but have some on hand and that normally makes the experience totally uneventful.

9.      Fleeces (long and/or short sleeved).  These are going to be your best friend, both early in the morning and late in the evening after a fully sating day.  Temperatures during your stay see average highs in the 70's to 80's and evening lows in the 40's and 50's.

10.  Casual wear.  This is not a black tie event, folks; shorts and levis are standard fare [even in Missoula's finest restaurants, I might add] both on the boat and at the house].  Our fishing focus is exclusively on the brightness of the color bands in your rainbow trout, the brownness of your brown trout and on the scarletness of your cutthroat's gill plates.

CAN HAVE:

 A.    Fly rods and reels (5 and 6 weight rods are the order of the day--again, these are included in the Extravaganza package so only bring yours if you have them and want to fish them).

 B.     Waders (more so in Group One; less so in Groups Two and Three).

 C.     Expensive digital camera gear that you would like to get wet and destroy (Yes, folks, upgraded this year, we are going to have 16.0 megapixel digital cameras for your usage in each of your boats. As in the past, we will assemble all pictures taken by your group and post them to the cloud for your post E-14 permanent viewing and storage).

 D.    Booze (We have it all folks, so make your request in advance so we can have a supply on hand and leave it at home--only water and soft drinks on the boats, by the way.)

                                                  *                *                    *                *                *                *

 There it is folks, your Official Extravaganza 2014 Camp List. May the blessings of spring be upon each of you as we stretch out towards the glories of Montana, shortly ahead for each of us in just two months now!! 

 Call me directly if you have any questions or concerns.

 Best to all in preparation for it all,

 Rock Creek Ron

E-14 Ladies In a Row

Say hello, gang, to our fleet of brand spanking  new 16 megapixel fancy-dancy Canon Photoshot A1400 Extravaganza cameras which are now here in Point Richmond getting loaded with 8GB chips and synchronized so that their automatic numbering systems do no overlap with each other (each camera automatically starts numbering with #1 and our staff is now taking traunches of 75-shot photos on each to separate the numbers so that your fish pics do not overlap with one another).  Hmm, with 15 cameras that means with camera #15 we have pre-taken 1,125 photos…evidencing that no task is either too great or too small for E-14!!

 

For you rookies out there, we provide these cameras on each of our 10+ fishing boats/day with which to take your fish pics, which we will then process and load up to a  perpetually retrievable cloud site for your personal post E-14 usage.  Cool, huh?!?

 

We are now rapidly approaching 60 days until the grand entrance and arrival of Dem Ones, so things are beginning to get very, very close, all…very, very close!!

 

RCR---<’///:><

 

 

E-14: Rock Creek Confluence Restoration Begins

 

 

Gang: 

 

Literally one decade ago, as many of you know, three of us as residents of Rock Creek began a crusade to stop the would-be-errant development of the confluence of Rock Creek and the Clark Fork of the Columbia River into a 36 unit subdivision, a proposal that would impose an equal number of septic systems at the confluence and permanently change an otherwise pristine game pathway and fly way into a version of some ugly portion of Los Angeles (listen to the lyrics of Bob Wire’s “Dirty Little Paradise”!).  

 

Our efforts, which were legendary in their proportions for Montana (including a fully coordinated and organized multi-thousands of dollars and volunteer hours campaign of lawsuits, governmental protest filings, petitions, bumper stickers, lawn signs, and resultant unanimous successful ruling from the Missoula County Planning Commission denying the application for subdivision and unsolicited editorials supporting our efforts in that regard) resulted in the first major subdivision application (in a state where personal property rights are king) ever being rejected.  This ten year battle culminated with the Five Valleys Land Trust acquiring the 157 acre parcel this past December.  

 

Local heroes in that trio include my close friends John Menson and Roy O’Connor, whose collective infatigable decade of efforts are well reflected below by Five Valleys Land Trust Executive Director Grant Kier’s announcement that the “spite berm” is now being taken down and the developer’s pond being restored to its pre-excavation condition.

 

This is a true win for the good guys, namely the flora and fauna of that great backyard of ours known as Montana…bueno, bueno, bueno!!

 

Rock Creek Ron

    ---<’///:><

 

 

 

Missoula college began moving dirt today, thanks to great design work from Trout Unlimited. The earthen berm along Rock Creek Road will go back into the pond and the site will be restored to a bird friendly wetland that takes no water from Rock Creek. Development of a nature and birding trail on the Clark Fork River will begin Saturday with help from many volunteers, UM Forestry, and Audubon. You have all been a part of this from the moment we dreamed it up. Thank you for making the dream a reality! 

 

More soon.

 

Best,

 

Grant

 

 

 

 

 

E-14 Puget Sound Warm-up!

A nice shot of the backside of Seattle-resident, Group Two veteran Brad
"Maven" Miller both "worming and warming up with his pole"!

RCR

E-14 Prelude: Delta Stripers

A great pre-E-14 Sacramento River Delta report by Group Three veteran and master fisherman Chuck “Heleena” Ballweg…”only 9..”, aww!

Fished the Delta with guide Mike Costello and JB Walker on Friday.  Caught only 9 but quality was good.  Top 4 weighed 11, 9, 9,and 8 pounds.

Chuck Ballweg