Weather

Last night we were talking with some friends about a late Smith River permit they drew (July) and the topic of snowpack came up, Rick recalling a mid-July float several years back in very, very skinny water. Snowpack as of last night, by Montana basin above and West-wide below looks encouragingly decent for Montana and […]

The weather savant’s climate modeling for the Feb-Mar-Apr window has the Northern Rockies region colder and wetter than average. IF this were to come to pass, the snowpack building from Colorado and Utah north should get better (Montana is still dragging along slightly below average for this time of year). Note precip forecast is above, temperature […]

Of course it varies from year to year, but December usually brings Pacific and Gulf of Alaska born storms that begin to build the season’s snowpack – the lifeblood of the water year in the West – and build it in earnest (hopefully anyway). December Has Been Good for Montana’s Snowpack Looking at Montana’s snowpack […]

Vorticity (4K) from Mike Olbinski on Vimeo. Blood. Sweat. Tears. Joy. That’s what this spring was for me. The miles, the grind, the failing, the epic days missed, the lack of sleep, the jubilation, the friendships strengthened, and the time away from my family. And when the chasing was all done…wondering, was worth it all? […]

Given the definitive transition of the seasons upon us (and the people say Amen to that) it’s time to take a final look at Montana and Northern Rockies snowpack and water year to date data. The Montana Snowpack and SWE Numbers An old timer in the Flathead (who was actually an extremely fit and attractive […]

While we’re just now getting to the real snowpack building season for the Northern Rockies, it’s hard to ignore the decent looking numbers for December. Precipitation for Montana’s Water Year to Date by basin (above) looks pretty impressive considering recent years past, the more critical (read meaningful) Snow Water Equivalent numbers by basin (below) even […]

Art of the Storm from Nicolaus Wegner on Vimeo.

Most freestone-river-fishing fly fishers like (if not love) snow – mountain snowpack is the critical source of fishable waters for the bulk of the year. The snowy season also ushers forth a flood of recreation opportunities and we’ve burned many a day on the mountain riding skinny and fat skis up and down the hills. […]

Suggested by friend SS in Anchorage yesterday. Posted without further comment save for adding we’re really not gently teasing our friends in the South.

Friends back home in Montana have consulted the crystal ball they use to predict the weather this morning and found it looking awfully pink. Pink as in winter storm warning pink. Two good friends headed to Craig yesterday to enjoy what they had hoped would be a quiet four days of fishing on the Missouri. […]

Could be better, could be worse. Another system is blowing through part of Montana today with another 5-10 inches due in central and southwestern higher elevations. It’s warm enough to be raining in Bozeman this morning according to Jake, prompting this recent exchange. (It’s somewhat early, hence the limited range of utilized vocabulary.) If Blue […]

Pushing fifty without a cloud in the sky one day. Complete with birds singing and patches of pasture and yard beginning to peep through the winter’s mantle of snow. Comfortable enough to leave the coat hanging in the hallway and drive with the window down, a feat not accomplished since November. Sunny enough to invoke […]

We’re moving into that time of year when shoveling snow and driving snow-packed and icy roads loses the sexy allure it had back in late November and early December. Despite a growing disdain for late winter, fly fishers of the Northern Rockies begin to pay more attention to the snow pack numbers this time of […]