E-14: The Runoff Begins!!

Well, gang, the long-awaited runoff is now off and literally running, downhill that is!! We will be providing you multiple updates on this important report card in the weeks ahead, the latest installment of which is attached.

As we begin this process which will dial in our E-14 fishing conditions, we begin with roughly the amount of accumulated snow water in our upper elevations as we did during the high water years of 2008 and 2011 (the cream colored years on the attached charts). That is, by E-14's Opening Day of June 14th, in order for our local hometown waters to be safe for fishing, we need to get downstream MORE water than happened in each of those two years and, from the get-go at least, we are headed in the right direction.

We will be updating this chart for you three times a week (Mon, Wed and Fri) so that you can live the experience and see what is actually happening in the western Montana climes. Again, our model river is our own Rock Creek and the measurement is in cubic feet per second (CFS). When your Hostess With The Mostess and I get on site this coming Sunday, we will supplement this graph with our Log-O-Meter--a visual landmark that we use of a fallen log that measures the water flow visually for us.

Looking ahead at Missoula's forecasted weather (which, as you seasoned veterans know, is a true fool's errand), the guesstimators are calling for below average high temperatures for the next 8 days, whereafter temps are projected to soar into the upper 70's for a sustained period of time. Literally, you will be able to trace the high temps with higher runoff flows two days later, remembering that Missoula is based right at 3,000 ft in elevation and that you lose 3 degrees per every additional 1,000 increase in elevation. With most of our runoff snow at the 6,000+ elevation, that means that when it is 60 degrees in Missoula it is only 50 degrees way up there and when temps soar to the upper 70's in town we then get the full runoff impact with higher temps in the upper 60's.

As I mentioned to you earlier, "we shall see what we shall see" and, regardless, are prepared to handle with élan whatsoever Mother Nature may deal us!!

The attached chart is now posted and updated to Der Blog, www.montanaextravaganza2014.blogspot.com ,which you should now post to your favorites as, very soon now, almost all of our E-14 communication and pictures will be via that wonderful vehicle.

Best to all now in the flow of it all,

Rock Creek Ron ----<'///:><