Water levels this summer

[mems]

Aloha, my son is a senior in High School this year and I would like to take him trout fishing at the end of the summer. What do you guys think the water levels will be like this year. Last summer it was very high, we did catch fish, but I am hoping the levels will be back to normal this summer. What do you guys think, Mems?

[Scott V]

To early to make a prediction, maybe in about 2 or 3 months we might have a better idea of what it will be like.

[Sammy]

I agree with Scott, but if I HAD to make a prediction I'd say it's going to be a heck of a lot lower this summer compared to last.

[Darian]

Aloha Don,.... Sounds like a great idea for a trip. As Scott suggests, it's still too early to predict what will happen in the way of rainfall. However, if you plan on the basis of a low rainfall year, you'll need to remember that rainfall has been fairly good in the far northern part of the state and reservoirs are still relatively full in this area.

That'll probably translate into some decent river fishing in larger rivers like the Sacramento/Klamath/Trinity area. There's always the McCloud, PIT and Truckee Rivers plus any other tail waters.

Hopefully, some guides with better info will provide an answer to your question.

Maybe some decent rains will occur between now and the end of june and your options will open up a bit.

[Larry S]

Don: Don't forget about the Eastern Sierra; Crowley, Owens River, et al.
Best,
Larry S

[mems]

Hey Guys, thanks for the comments and ideas. I am hoping to get back to Montana and fish Rock Creek and the Bitterroots. I love the Sierras, but have a free place to stay in Montana and the use of a vehicle. I just thought the snow pack was a lot less this year and we should have low water by the end of July start of August. I think we will be able to fish hoppers and wolly buggers for some big fish. I hope the winter stays mild for you guys as well. This will be a nice trip for me and my son before he heads off to college. I am retiring from coaching this season and will have more time to travel and fish next year. I have a couple of more years and then I can retire from teaching all together, then it will be almost all fishing. Looking forward to that. Can't wait to hit a trout stream again. Mean time the ono are starting to run, really early this year. We are heading out sunday to get some of the big boys. Take care, Mems.

[Fly Guy Dave]

Hey mems-

I use this wesbite quite often to get an idea about how much snow is around and make a guess as to when it will all be melted off.

http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/snotelanom/basinpren.html

While we're having a dry winter so far in CA, you can see that back in the Rock Creek/Bitterroot area of MT, they are having a close to normal winter.

I fished both of those streams last summer in mid-July, and while they were both higher than I've seen them in the past, they still fished VERY well.

--F.G. Dave