Lyle Cunningham and Jack had great weather and good fishing on the Blackfoot River. Click on the photo for a larger version. I am also publishing a slide show and you can view all the photos by clicking on “View Album.”
Jack fished yesterday with Marshall Bloom and Mike Connell on a lower stretch of the Blackfoot River. It was a beautiful day, but no photos were taken. The Blackfoot is a great choice this time of year because the water is a little cooler and there are decent hatches happening. As a bonus, you can’t beat the scenery.
Jack is fishing the Blackfoot River next two days with Lyle Cunningham from Arizona. They will be camping tonight and I can’t wait to see photos and hear about the trip. I will be posting photos from the trip soon.
Bob Ratcheson fishes with Jack regularly, and today Jack took him on a stretch of the Blackfoot River Bob had never fished. What a beautiful trout and stretch of the river!
Click the photo for a larger version. It is gorgeous!
You will see some smiling faces as Jack Saunders, Doug Nation, and Jack Mauer
spent a fun day on the Blackfoot River near Ovando, MT.
I am posting my favorite fish and scenery photo to the left. It is Jack Saunders (he caught the cuttbow trout) and Jack Mauer (holding the fish). I am also posting a slide show of 8 photos. Enjoy!
Information from and email by Larry A. Schock, CFM DNRC Water Resources Division
Hello Everyone,
After we make a minor electrical repair at the dam we will be making an additional release of water on Tuesday Afternoon or Wednesday.
The dam has stopped spilling so the expected release should increase the outflows from the dam by approximately 75 cfs. The Painted Rocks Dam outflows after expected to be in the 250-275 cfs range after the adjustment.
A full report will be sent out after the adjustment.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Larry A. Schock, CFM
DNRC Water Resources Division
Missoula Regional Office
(406) 721-4284
mailto:lschock@mt.govA minor clarification: When I say the dam has stopped spilling I mean that water is no longer going over the dam’s spillway, it does not mean that the flows from the dam have stopped. There is currently 181 cfs flowing out of the low level outlet conduit, and it is this flow that will be increased to the 250-275 cfs range. Larry
Click here to go to the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (MT FWP) site for the West Fork of the Bitterroot.
Click here to go to the MT FWP site for Painted Rocks Reservoir, Tributary of the West Fork of the Bitterroot. They have an interactive map link.
Jack hasn’t been with clients the last few days. He is working on a video project with Trout Unlimited. It has been really hot on the Clark Fork and it made me think about the trout trying to surive in the summer water temperatures. We, at Wapiti Waters, are concerned, especially in the Bitterroot as the flows get lower and lower. Clark Fork Coalition has great information at their website. It includes what we can do, even in our homes, to help. See an excerpt below and visit their website at http://www.clarkfork.org/.
Click here for a free download of their new report, “Low Flows, Hot Trout: Climate Change in the Clark Fork Watershed.” Or, order a hard copy online through the River Store for only $5.
Clark Fork Coaliton text:
We hear about climate change on a daily basis — but it’s often from a global, overarching, far-from-home perspective. So what does it all mean for the Clark Fork basin? This report explores what the future holds for inhabitants of this 22,000-square-mile area and the waterways that define its landscape, culture, and economy.
“Low Flows, Hot Trout” delivers a plain-language synthesis of key findings from years of data-gathering in our watershed blended with anecdotal observations from river basin citizens. We gathered perspectives from realtor to rancher, fishing guide to firefighter. Our report is accessible to the public, informative to those whose livelihoods are directly tied to the river, and illuminating to policymakers looking for effective responses. The bottom line is: things can be done in the face of climate change, and everyone can make a difference– from simple at-home fixes that improve energy and water use to large-scale policy changes that stimulate renewable energy production and river-sensitive growth management. This report gives a snapshot of what we can do to protect our hometown creeks, our local economies, and our celebrated way of life in the
changing climate of the Clark Fork watershed.
We hope “Low Flows, Hot Trout,” will also spark discussion at the upcoming Headwaters Summit: “Re-visioning How We Use Water in the Changing Climate of the Northern Rockies,” sponsored by the Clark Fork Coalition, National Wildlife Federation, and Western Progress. The Summit will be held September 15-17 at the University of Montana, beginning with a keynote address by David James Duncan at 7 PM on September 15th in the University Theater.
If you’d like to schedule an in-person presentation of the report and its findings for your group, please contact Brianna Randall at brianna@clarkfork.org.
Montana Trout Unlimited also has a NEW! Global Warming Report.
As long as we are talking about the Clark Fork River, Milltown Dam has been removed and here is a site serving as a public information resource on the remediation, restoration and redevelopment of the Milltown Reservoir Sediments and Clark Fork River Superfund site.
Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee(C-F-R-TAC).
Safety Reminder
DURING THE MILLTOWN CLEANUP, THE CLARK FORK AND BLACKFOOT RIVERS ARE CLOSED TO RIVER RECREATION ABOVE AND BELOW THE PROJECT AREA.
VIOLATORS and TRESPASSERS WILL BE FINED. For more information, contact Montana FWP at 542-5500.
