National Park Week

ENJOY FOR FREE

VERY EARLY MELT

cloudless skies-huh ?

WALLPAPER:  ELK ISLAND, FIREHOLE RIVER

We've snapped this view for the last 14 - 16 years during opening week. We've seen 6' of snow on the ground. We've seen 6" on the ground. We've never seen no snow and green grass. Some change.

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.. Thanks to Dr. Jim we know that there's some meetings to be aware of. Meetings are scheduled for Bozeman, Montana, Cody, Wyoming, West Yellowstone, Montana and Jackson, Wyoming.

".. Yellowstone National Park staff will travel to nearby communities to talk with anglers about the ongoing efforts to restore native fish species, the threat of aquatic invasive species and the park’s fishing regulations."  ...  Billings Gazette

..  The meetings are:

• Monday in Bozeman at Hilton Garden Inn, 2023 Commerce Way.

• Tuesday in West Yellowstone at Holiday Inn, 315 Yellowstone Ave.

• May 3 in Cody, Wyo., at Best Western Premier Ivy Inn, 1800 8th St.

• May 4 in Jackson, Wyo., at Wort Hotel, 50 N. Glenwood St

.. Read the official announcement from Yellowstone National Park - RIGHT HERE.

.. Dr. J also pointed us to the expanded Montana Fisheries Information System. It's a database containing information on fish species distribution, supporting data for distribution, and information related to the management of aquatic resources in Montana.
.. Pick your water and pick your fish - it's probably there. Good information about our resource - AND the catching possibilities. You can find it HERE.

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.. Well it's another year and the National Park Service has missed another opportunity to rearrange the rivers and the roads along their banks.

VIEW THE DIVIDE ON THE MADISON

.. It's National Park Week. Visitors can enjoy the park with no admission fees.
.. We congratulate the NPS for their fiscal responsibility and foresight.
.. Having just a single seasonal employee in the morning at the west entrance station generates a single line of cars all the way back to West Yellowstone: keeping up the real Yellowstone Experience.
.. The rivers are running clear, cold, (mostly,) and surprisingly slow. We've had some color in the Madison River over the last few weeks but the in-water visibility has remained above six feet.

ATTACK OF THE MONSTER FLIES

.. After some funding rigamarole the USGS has found the money to continue monitoring and reporting data on the Firehole River.
.. The early snow melt and warm up this year has the Firehole River spiking to temperatures above 70° F already. Could signal an early closure date.
.. The polyglot fly fishers will be able to explain the appearance of the giant mayflies along the length of the Firehole River.
.. They were in thick swarms, early in the morning, and lovingly splattered themselves into our windshield so we wouldn't miss them. We've heard rumors of accelerated hatches in situations like this. No caddis yet - apparently.

AT YOUR OWN RISK

.. Look for the bridge in Biscuit Basin to soon be closed for repairs.
.. The rotting and broken beams are approaching the life threatening stage.
.. Even at the elevation of Biscuit Basin there is no snow and the grasses are turning green. The river level is just now near bank full stage and it's clear, as is usual for the pre-, or non-,  runoff stage.

INVITATION TO FISH

.. Under these conditions the Firehole River is a most inviting sight and we can see why the anglophiles of yore did salivate at the thought of planting non indigenous fish in the water; poor aquatic micro fauna.
.. Even Nez Perce Creek is running on the warm side. The bear warnings are out and it seems that the quick warm up has done nothing to shoo the bears out of the valleys.
.. Happily the Gibbon River is behaving in a nearly normal fashion. There is a tinge of color and the water is approaching the green grass on it's banks.
.. The color has not affected the color of the Madison River for a very great downstream distance. The discharge of the both the Firehole River and Gibbon River is so low that by Seven Mile Bridge the Madison River is nearly dead still. Reflections show so little distortion that many a lake would be jealous.
.. We're gonna visit again tomorrow. The entrance line need some encouragement.

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WALLPAPER:   MADISON AT THE BRIDGE