MONTANA SNOTEL Snow Water Equivalent Update Feb 2013

Snow pack in the Bitterroot is 82% of normal as of today, Feb 25, 2013. Right now, a winter snow storm just blew in and there is a white-out outside my office window. That is GREAT news! Here are the tables showing the data. See the links below the photos for the NRCS site.

http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/cgibin/snowup-graph.pl?state=MT

 
ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/data/water/wcs/gis/maps/mt_swepctnormal_update.pdf

2013 Feb skiing Gash Peak in Montana

The top of the climb

Winter in Montana is a wonderful time to explore the Bitterroots. Mark, Skip and Jack skinned up the Bitterroots in the Gash Creek and Peak area in mid-February. Here are a few photos taken by Mark. Enjoy. Here is the slideshow

FWP hosting a women's ice fishing workshop Feb. 8-10

BIGFORK - If you don't want to wait until spring to start fishing, Fish, Wildlife and Parks is hosting a women's ice fishing workshop Feb. 8-10 at Peterson Lake.
A $100 fee pays for all fishing gear, food and two nights lodging at a camp on the shore of Peterson Lake near Bigfork.
The workshop is sponsored by FWP's Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Program.
Beginner and intermediate anglers are welcome. Activities include learning to use ice fishing rods, tip-ups, ice augurs and sonar fish finders. Participants don't need a fishing license.
For more information, call BOW coordinator Liz Lodman at 406-444-9940 or email llodman@mt.gov.
Click here for an online registration form.

Ice Fishing — February 8-10, 2013

Near Bigfork, MT

Fee: $100

Don't sit inside waiting for the long winter months to pass by. Put on some warm clothes, get outside and try ice fishing. This workshop is at Big Sky Bible Camp with a very short walk to Peterson Lake. You'll learn to use ice fishing rods and tip-ups and other gear like ice augers and sonar fish finders. The workshop is for beginner and intermediate anglers and includes some optional indoor activities and night fishing. The registration fee includes all your fishing equipment, 2 nights lodging dn meals from Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast.

• Beyond BOW Ice Fishing Brochure ( 857 KB)

Late Feb photos of middle Bitterroot River

Here are photos of the Bitterroot near Bell Crossing on February 26, 2012. The cubic feet per second (CFS) was about 570. Temperature was in the low 30 degree range. Beautiful day. We like to give the fish a break in the winter while they are struggling to survive the cold, low water but I do like to chronicle the river in photos. Interesting to look back from year to year and compare winter conditions with spring, summer, and fall fishing observations. We love our rivers and all that lives in and on them. It is exciting to watch them as they change through the seasons.
All the river photos are taken from Bell Crossing Bridge looking north.

MONTANA SNOTEL Snow Water Equivalent Update 2.26.12

Finally after a pretty dry winter, we are getting more snow. Most of Montana was below 100% snow water equivalent, but that has changed and is forecasted to improve. A wet weather pattern is expected for early March. That is GREAT news for our rivers.Click the image for a larger view.

Photos of upper Bitterroot River, Jan 27, 2012

Bitterroot River at Darby Bridge looking north. 252 CFS on Jan 27, 2012 at 5:30 PM

Bitterroot River at Darby Bridge looking south. 252 CFS on Jan 27, 2012 at 5:30 PM

Click on image to see larger view - works for the photos, too.

The river looks beautiful. Jack and I were driving home from a great day at Lost Trail Pass ski area. A few days ago the ski area got 8 inches of new snow. The skiing was wonderful. We wanted to see the upper river up close and personal so we drove in to the old bridge just east of Darby, Montana.