Morning Flow Report

Good morning all!  Checking in with your flow report – it is down even more to 3400 this morning!!  The tide is going out but warmer temperatures are expected over this coming weekend which should drive it back up.  Stay tuned.

 

 

Patty “Flo” Gallia

 

  

FW: E-11: Annual Lower Sac Tune Up Trip

Virtue is no intended virtue with that fishing group, Group Two Fred “The Guitar” Johnson—btw, be sure to bring your guitar this year as Shane Clouse will be with us with his the Sunday night post your arrival…I sense the making of a duet in Extravaganzaland!!

 

RCR

 

  

 

Good looking group, but I'm not sure of the virtue of these guys.  I'm envious and can't wait to wet a line.  Fred

 

 

 

 

 

E-11: Annual Lower Sac Tune Up Trip

Fellow Extravaganzers:

 

Late each May we send out an expeditionary trip of two boats to fish the Lower Sacramento River (right in downtown Redding) to see what might fare for that year’s Extravaganza.  As shown above, this year we had two representatives from Group One (Brian “Moraine” Shepard and John “SOS” Reimann, leaning left in the first of the above shots) joined by Group Three’s Scott “Crack” [yes, there is an E (non-drug) story there!] McAdams (who just last week was promoted to be Head of Corporate Banking for all of Mechanics Bank—congrats, Crack!!) next to RCR.

 

Based on our non-scientific testing (SOS and Crack drank their way downstream in their SS Parducci), the resultant forecast for E-11 is big fish for Group One (see the sampling above of 20+ inchers the sober boat caught and released) and for Group Three “one after the other” of smaller fish, with plenty in the net to put a smile on everyone’s face.

 

My prediction for E-11:  We will need the second Twenty Inch Club signup board (already ordered and at Headquarters) and, in the aggregate, we will catch (and release) north of 1,800 glorious Montana trout this year [yes, for you math majors out there, that is over 600/group and, on the average, over 25/fisherfolk].

 

Onward we go to E-11, gang!!

 

RCR------<’///><

 

 

 

E-11 wine time (Blog Visitors # 100 & 150 check in!)

Fishing the Upper Sac this past Friday (more on that later) with Group One long-in-the-tooth veteran John “SOS” Reimann yielded his producing a print out confirming that he was visitor #100 to Der Blog and, thereby, a winner of a bottle of Rock Creek Noir, shortly followed by the incoming note below from Group Two rookie Brad “Energizer Bunny” Miller who logs in as visitor #150, bestowing on him a bottle of Rock Creek Merlot.

The meter on the bottom of the right column of Der Blog currently reads 170—a bottle of Rock Creek Red for visitor #200—you know the drill!!

Best to all in anticipation of it all,

RCR

Missoula on my mind

A helpful hint from Group Three’s “Houston Gentleman Jim”:

  

 

Ron, I suspect that you have advised Extravaganzers ("Extravagants"?) of this before, but those with smart phones (WunderRadio app) can get in the spirit early by listening to KMPT AM 930 in Missoula over the Internet.  No worries, mate!
Jim
 

 

FW: E-11: Three Weeks and Counting!

A wise rookie speaks out (obviously, Houston’s “Gentleman Jim” has been following along and excelling in his E-11 homework!):

 

Glad I am in Group 3.  Hate to fall into 50 degree water!

 

James A. Carmody, Attorney & Arbitrator
 

 

E-11: Three Weeks and Counting!

Three weeks from this memorial weekend day the wonderful Ones arrive on the scene to kick off Extravaganza 2011 and, boy, are we ready and rearin’ for that to happen!!

 

Your Hostess With The Mostess assures me from her Montana E-11 Headquarters vantage point this morning that “all is in the ready position” to kick off E-11 and even the wild and wooly rivers’ runoff is starting to shape up for this quickly upcoming opening call.  Today, the runoff has “declined” go a yet-raging 4,000 cfs with this year’s runoff performance starting to take the bell curve overview for which I had originally hoped. 

 

Can you believe the all-time record high runoff peak that we saw this past week?!?  As the rivers’ flow abates a bit (subject to re-accelerating with higher temperatures predicted for next week and, get this, five straight days of predicted rains [yet consistent with this time of year’s wettest Montana months]), we can begin to see safely fishable waters ahead for each of our Groups.  

 

Moreover, along with flow and height (Rock Creek is currently 7.5’ in height, now one half foot below NWS flood stage) we begin to focus on the ambient temperature of the water—the third variable in the runoff’s trifect.  As the height and flow ebb, watch for the temperature of the water to slowly rise.  Right now, with all of the yet-flowing snow melt, Rock Creek’s water temperature is 7.5 degrees Celsius (46 degrees F); as the snow (finally!!) dissipates, the lowering flow and river water heights will slowly see a corresponding rise in the temperature of the water.  When we get temperature into the 50 degrees F range and as the turbidity of the rivers reduces (with increased clarity for all concerned), there will be a nature-driven triggering of the bug “hatching” (see earlier email on Entomology, as posted to Der Blog) that, in turn, will spark a feeding frenzy among the now fully current challenged, nearly blinded fish population of the rivers that we will fish.

 

Our goal is to arrive right after the waters subside, their temperature increases, their bug activity implodes and, thereby, prime-time trout fly fishing ensues on Western Montana’s most famous of famous rivers, the rivers that we will fish:  The Clark Fork of the Columbia River, the Bitterroot River and the Big (“A River Runs Through It”) Blackfoot River.  Our arrival dates (as is the intended schedule of each year’s Extravaganza) are timed to meet with this post-runoff glorious bounty and, by all (nonetheless record) accounts, we are “lookin’ damn good” for E-11, gang!!

 

Enjoy this Memorial Day weekend both packing and remembering what MD is all about---but for those who went before us and currently yet  “put it all on the line” to protect the freedoms that we enjoy, our lines would not be gracing Montana’s blue ribbon streams as they soon will be, now in just three short weeks.

 

Best to all in eager anticipation of it all,

 

Rock Creek Ron

   ----<’///><

 

 

 

 

 

Morning E-11 Runoff Update

Good Morning All!  Today’s flow is now back on the charts, barely though!  It is down to 4,900. I will check in again this afternoon with you all. 

 

Also gang, the Blog-O-Meter is at 142 this morning.  Remember, the 150^th visitor gets a bottle of Rock Creek Merlot!!

 

 

Patty “Flo” Gallia

 

For Blog Visitor #150...

…a bottle of Rock Creek Merlot.  

 

Blog on, gang–the Blog-o-Meter currently reads 115!!

 

RCR----<’///><

 

 

 

E-11 Runoff Update

Gang:

 

Things are yet proceeding at historically high runoff levels in all of the rivers of Western Montana.  Our own Rock Creek (our traditional runoff barometer) is today still flowing at a record high pace, though the flow has subsided a bit from yesterday’s (I believe) all-time record high rate.

 

Right now the flow is at 5,530 cubic feet per second [again, record setting with the prior all-time high for this day being 4,820 cfs—we are now 115% of that number], down a bit from yesterday’s 5,830 (again, and worthy of repeat, I believe all time record setting) flow and the water level is now above flood stage along Rock Creek.  Our house is well positioned on a plateau, safely above Rock Creek [something that we researched and determined 9 years ago when we then purchased our Rock Creek home—yes, I do practice real estate law!] but those situate in the lower part of the creek and closer to its edge should now begin looking over their individual and collective shoulders.  As this flow continues, water is backing up, and the creek continues to rise; the National Weather Service Floodstage for Rock Creek is “8.0 feet in height” (howsoever that might be measured and determined) and, yesterday, we exceeded that level to 8.25 feet; right now the height is a touch above flood levels at 8.06 feet.

 

Weather-wise, Western Montana temperatures have dipped in the last 24 hours and, believe it or not, more snow is predicted to fall in the higher climes.  Your Hostess With The Mostess this morning reports that she has now blanketed her newly bedded plants to protect them from nighttime frost and, over this upcoming Memorial Day Weekend, more rain is predicted in the greater Missoula area (with evening temperatures there dipping at its 3500 ft elevation into the mid-30’s [putting the nighttime temperatures at the higher elevations well below the freezing level, read “more snow there”]).

 

Looking ahead into next week (as you each can follow along with me by toggling over to the weather button on Der Blog), in perfect example of the fickleness of Montana’s weather, temperatures are literally set to nearly double upward come next Friday, with highs then predicted to be in the 80’s and lows in the 50’s.

 

Sooo, with the flow following the daytime highs and lows, (a) you can look to the flow to continue to abate over this weekend but, with more snow then added to the already impressive remaining snowpack, (b) by this time next week, the flow should again soar upwards, perhaps even exceeding yesterday’s (literal) high water mark.

 

All of this yet bodes well for us as we look to greet the Ones three weeks from this Saturday as one thing is certainly clear for this year’s Extravaganza:  we are going to have plenty of water to fish and, to that end, big fish like big water---accordingly, in preparation, I have now ordered a second Twenty Inch Club sign-in board, as I fully expect that both will be needed for E-11.

 

May the flow be with “y’all”!!

 

Rock Creek Ron

   ----<’///><~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

FW: Update: HOLY RUNOFF, BATMAN!!

Now read 5,830 cfs!!!!!!!

 

Do I hear “6,000”, anyone?!?

 

RCR

 

   

FW: Update: HOLY RUNOFF, BATMAN!!

A nice note from Group One rookie beauty Chris Richards:

Ron,

Are you and Kathy going to float away before we get there?   This is exciting... We can do some whitewater rafting while fishing   :)

 

 

 

HOLY RUNOFF, BATMAN!!

Fellow Soggy E-11ers:

 

Well, like no other runoff in Montana history, virtually overnight with rising temperatures and torrential thunderstorms throughout Western Montana, the MT rivers have risen like they never have before.  By way of example, until today, the highest Rock Creek flow rate ever registered this date was in 2009 when the flow hit 5,020 cubic feet per second (“cfs”) [see our sidebar flow chart].  Well, stuff that number in the history books for today the flow rate is 5,610 cfs—a new record high (up 112%).

 

The attached photos taken an hour ago by your Hostess With The Mostess (when compared to the others that we have sent your way taken from the same Log-o-Meter vantage point) really tell the tale.  Moreover, we have literally “gone off the charts” with the current flow’s correct plotting on our flow chart being right dead center and bull’s eyed in the middle of the “0” in the chart’s “2011” upper caption.

 

What does this all mean?, you ask—well, as in 2009, we are in uncharted territory right now with the one thing that I know for certain being that whatever water mass was earlier in the higher climes of Montana’s mountains is rollicking downhill and down stream, cleansing our rivers (just as we wished) and moving the fish downstream from their winter-familiar haunts (just as we wanted) with visions of lights out fishing coming our way in just three short weeks now when the proud Ones grace Montana with their wonderful presence.

 

Indeed, Holy runoff, Batman!!!

 

Stay tuned, stay dry and know that this year we are truly in for something special during E-11, as in “it has never happened before, gang!”

 

RCR----<’///><~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

  

Our #75 Winner Reports In!!

Di sent you an email yesterday here is our scan of being the 75^th person.

 

Kjeld

 

Blog Counter #75 Checks in!!

Congrats to Group Three rookie Diane Wittig who writes (after her winning a bottle of Rock Creek White):

 

Ron,

 

Kjeld is off sailing with Kers, I just opened the Blog to catch up and I'm number 75....when Kjeld  gest home I'll have him scan (I'm scan handicapped) and send off...OMG we're not there yet and I've won something...

 

Diane

 

Now we are looking for # 100, gang!!

 

RCR----<’///><

FW: A Detailed Flow Report Ensues (flows)!

A nice note from veteran Group Tattooer Lori “Fawn Ware!!---RCR---<’///><

 

 I love that the flows have comparisons from our last fishing years...gives me a better idea.

Loving the thoughts of flowing down stream in Gods country soon. Thank you!

Fawn Lori

E-11/MWF: Scott Fly Rod Raffle

Fellow E-11ers:

 

JOIN!!

 

Consistent with my drive to now keep your email inbox full, drive on with me for a chance to win yourself a brand new $700 fishing rod by becoming a member in/donor to the Montana Wildlife Federation (“MWF”) [ www.montanawildlife.com  ](details attached—note the June 4^th cutoff date!).

 

For the past several years I have had the great privilege serving as MWF’s Western Time Zone Regional Director.  In that capacity, I have become intimately involved in the activities of this wonderful now-76 year old organization which is Montana’s largest and most tenured affiliation of 20+ clubs which, collectively through MWF, serves as one of Montana’s most revered and respected wildlife and fishery preservation groups.  Because of the decades of tireless effort of this organization (and other like-minded groups such as the National Wildlife Federation (of which MWF is Montana’s affiliate), Trout Unlimited and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership), we each are going to see the waters of Western Montana in the same pristine conditions as did Lewis & Clark 200+ years ago and enjoy, multiple generations later, the healthy bounty of those waters.

 

As you will hear in person during E-11, for the benefit of both ourselves and our children (and their children) we each need to dig into our pockets to help preserve what we have and, for my money, there is no better beneficiary than the Montana Wildlife Federation.

 

So print off the attached membership drive poster; if you are not a member, fill it out and mail it in with your $100 Legacy check and, if, like most of you veterans our there, you are already a member, spot a c-note or two to join in the raffle.  I will be present at the June 11^th MWF Helena board meeting for the drawing and, if you are the lucky winner, I will have your bounty in hand come your arrival at Extravaganza 2011.

 

If we all give more than we receive, this world will continue to be a better place to be…MWF is a good starting point if you need one or continuation venue!

 

Give me a call if you need more info; better yet, just trust old Rock Creek Ron and JOIN NOW!!!

 

RCR----<’///><

 

     

A Detailed Flow Report Ensues (flows)!

 

 

Fellow Extravaganzers:

 

Mid- May and now mid-runoff, inasmuch as you haven’t had many (?!?) emails from me this week, I thought I would take a moment, mid-flow, to give you a detailed report and my unofficial take on “where we are and where we are heading” runoff-wise this year.

 

Attached are two picture taken my Your Hostess With The Mostess the best tell the tale that “the tide is, indeed, a-risin’” along Rock Creek and its sister Western Montana rivers.  Compare these shots with those taken a week ago on May 12^th and you can see the visual effect that the runoff has had on our home river.  

 

This week has seen cooler weather in the Missoula area (with nightly lows in the 30’s and 40’s) and, resultantly, the attached flow chart shows their slowing impact on the runoff.  Most of the snow that is melting off/to be melted off is at the 6,000-8,000 elevation level.  The current forecast for the Missoula area (see the weather link on Der Blog for up to the minute details) is for temperature highs to be in the mid to high 60’s for the balance of May, with a spike into the 80’s a week from now.  With temperatures declining at the rate of 3 degrees per additional 1,000 feet in elevation, that means that daytime temperatures at the targeted snow levels should consistently be from 51 to 58 degrees, with nighttime lows dipping into the 30’s and rain predicted in Missoula for more than half of the remaining May days, while there may be daytime runoff at the higher climes there may be the addition of new nighttime snow, adding to the runoff burden.

 

As the redline in the flow chart on Der Blog’s right sidebar reflects, the flow is directly tied to the ambient temperatures.  We had a consistent warming spell during the early part of May (which is reflected by the meteoric rising runoff redline between May 5^th and May 16^th) and, then, as temperatures dropped the flow has correspondingly followed the last two days (reflected by the redline drop in the attached chart).  If the weather forecast holds (and that is a mighty large presumption, as the only truly accurate micro-climate-filled MT weather forecast is that which happened to you where you were 15 minutes earlier), we should see a steady rise in our redline barometer. 

 

There still is a lot of snow in the upper climes to melt and come downhill, gang; in fact, graphically, there is twice the amount of snowpack as last year (the green line) such that our 2011 redline has to eventually account for twice the amount of water as last year.  

 

My prediction?  Based on all that I learned about water flow in law school 40 years ago, Rock Creek Ron’s prediction is that we will continue to have a classic healthy 2011 runoff and that a month from today (Group One’s first fishing day) the flow will have peaked the week before and declined to a (very fishable) 1850 cfs come June 19^th.  

 

We shall see what we shall see, however, and, (as you [very seasoned] Group One and Group Two veterans remember from the high water year of 2008), REGARDLESS OF THE WATER CONDITIONS WE WILL FISH EACH AND EVERY DAY OF 1E-11…our back up plan, if necessary, is, just as we did in E-08, to get up a bit earlier and travel over the Continental Divide and fish the marvelous Missouri River and, again as we did that year, load up our Twenty Inch Club roster with a gaggle of gorgeous mega-trout!!

 

May the flow be with you—it will be fun to watch this year’s show unveil itself in the days and weeks ahead.

 

Rock Creek Ron

   ---<’///><

 

  

Der Blog Counter

Gang: 

 

A bit late this year, we just installed our traditional counter on (y)our E-11 blogsite—it is located at the bottom right hand side below our sponsored links. 

 

A bottle of Rock Creek White to the 75^th visitor to the site and a bottle of Rock Creek Noir to the 100^th visitor.   

 

Same rules as in the past:  Print off the opening page of the blog with the correct number, scan and email it back to me and, voila, the vino will be yours!!

 

Blog on, all!!

 

RCR----<’///><

 

 

 

 

E-11: 30 Days and Counting!!

Fellow Extravaganzers:

 

We are now officially in the E-Zone, as, thirty days from today, the wonderful cadre of Group One arrives on the scene of and officially opens Extravaganza 2011!!

What fun just to think about it; what fun is about to unfold!

 

As we all begin our final preparatory stages, I want to let you know that, on this end, all is set at Extravaganza Headquarters for your arrival—the table is set, the yard is in its final prep stages (you Hostess With the Mostess, Koctail Kathy has her special order in for the potted plants that adorn her beautifying yard—ordered from the same nursery that provides the hanging plants for nearby Philipsburg [a la Victoria, BC]), all of our now specially monogrammed E-11 goodies and materials are on location and, blessedly, this year’s runoff is shaping up so far (knock on wood, all!) to be one for the ages.

 

So what does this all now mean, you rookies out there ask??  Well, below is (a) a now more relevant run-down of our schedule upon your arrival(s), (b) a list of things that you now should be (a)tending to with a bit more élan and a highlight of things not to miss and (c) a reminder to print off (y)our last week provided Camp List and to begin assembling those things to go into your bags.  As to the latter, as we have done each of the prior eight years, KK and I reserve the right to treat you extravagantly upon your arrival and we strongly advise the lesson learned by every veteran out there, to wit:  with the special E-11 gifts that we will (extravagantly) be showering you with beginning immediately upon your on scene arrival, you will be bringing home a whole lot more than your bring with you to Extravaganzaland….so, either leave ample space in your bag for some (substantial) additions or, better yet bring an extra bag in your bag (a la the ones we handed out for E-10) so that your to-be new found E-11 treasures can be easily transported home with you in the form of a carry on bag…yes, gang, we have been {very] busy in the Extravaganza off-season!!

 

Your E-11 Schedule

 

As we do each year, upon your arrival at the Missoula airport we will be there to greet you Day One downstairs at ground level Missoula, MT airport (MSO) as you depart your incoming flights.  Yesterday, I reviewed our “Bible” itinerary of incoming and outgoing flights and I thank each of you for being true to our recommended flights as, with ease now, virtually every incoming flight is within a half hour of each other and, as such, upon your collective arrivals we will first gather our bags and then head off the Montana Club (where else, gang—we are not be in Kansas, Dorothy!) for our traditional opening and introductory lunch.  [We will provide all of your needed ground transportation during your five day stay with us (we have five [count ‘em] vehicles that we now own that are dedicated to each year’s Extravaganza) and have participating veterans to serve as our resident drivers.]  

 

After lunch, we will then head up to our now-finished second (actually third) home on the Blackfoot River so you can see what a little bit of patience waiting for the right piece of property to come on the market together with a great design and construction/landscaping team can produce right on one of the world’s most famous rivers (being the setting for Norman McLean’s “A River Runs Through It” which, this year, celebrates its 25^th anniversary, btw!) and, thereafter, continue our in toto 45 minute drive up to our Rock Creek house and E-11’s Headquarters, stopping along the way at the Rock Creek Mercantile, our land provider, to “license up” and do some last minute shopping.   Everything in this store will be 10% off for your, btw, and in Montana (blessedly) there is no sales tax, so fellow Califonicators visualize an effective 20% discount!  

 

As we then arrive at Headquarters you will (finally!) have a chance to some free time to move into your rooms (half of you will be staying at our Rock Creek house and half at the 3,500 “Bunk House” that we rent each year ½ mile up Rock Creek Road), test out the never closing bar [we only have 60 cases of wine on hand for you this year and a full/never empty bar and beer/wine/soft drink cooler] and spend the remaining afternoon casting about on our upper and lower lawns to get ready for the next day’s fishing activities.  For those avidly inclined, Rock Creek abuts our property and we have one of its best runs right in our back yard!

 

Day Two (as with each of Day Three and Day Four), continental self-serve breakfasts will be stocked for your preparation and enjoyment and, around 7:30 a.m. [depending on weather and instructions from our Outfitter] we will caravan back into Missoula to meet up with your three-day-assigned guide and, thereafter, spread out to the rivers for a full day of fishing.  Your (expert) guide, in consultation with you, will determine which river and where on that river you will begin your 8 mile/day average drift—as earlier advertised, we have available for your fishing enjoyment (depending of then clarity and flow conditions) any and all of the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, the Bitterroot River and/or the amazing Blackfoot River—time, temperature, water clarity, “fishiness” and whim will determine which sections of any or each of these rivers you will fish…that’s what the guide is for, gang---it’s kinda like brain surgery:  leave the details to the professional.  More often that not, once on a your chosen section of the river, you will thereafter see few if any other anglers…drifting in the active silence of nature the very same rivers that Lewis & Clark traversed now over 200 years ago [their second winter’s layover, Traveler’s Rest, was located in the town of Lolo, MT (five miles outside of Missoula) right on the Bitterroot River which each of you will fish!

 

Après fishing finds us meeting up (wonderfully) at Hooter’s in Missoula right around 6:00 p.m. (right, veterans?!?—more on that later, rookies!0 from whence, once refreshed, we “head on up back the Creek” to shower, change and then convene (as we do each evening) for h.d.’s at Headquarters and, pre KK-prepared dinners, engage in my favorite activity of each day, the “Report From The Boats” on the back deck at which time each boat will report on its adventures of the day and a monogrammed Yellow Hat will be awarded for the largest trout caught (and released) that day.  Also, any angler who catches and releases a twenty inch trout will there be installed in our coveted Twenty Inch Club—honors each posted daily (and permanently) on Der Blog.

 

The same drill applies to Days Three and Four as it was for Day Two, with the evening of Day Four finding our post- Dinner Closing Ceremony.  We will leisurely arise the morning of Day Five to pack our bags, have a full KK satisfying breakfast and then leave, in caravan, for the MiSO for your late morning departures.  For those of you who are driving or, in the case of Group Two’s Ralph “Red Baron” McLeran with co-pilot Doug “Popeye” Hamilton flying your own plane, we will make sure that you are separately assisted and taken care of.

 

In a word, gang, E-11 is going to be a(nother) blast!

 

Things That You Now Should Be Attending To:

 

1. Print out your Camp List (it is posted and printable for you on Der Blog) and begin packing.
2. Locate and set aside for taking (a) polarized sun glasses, (b) a true rain jacket, (c) a dry bag to take with you on the boats with a change of clothes, (d) a Hawaiian shirt to wear fishing Day One, (e) your guide gag gift (see recent note to you from our Outfitter John “The Great But Propaneless” Gould, yes, posted to Der Blog), and (f) water resistant fishing shoes/sandals for getting into and out of the boats (Simms has great choices in that regard, and, for you late shopper, yes, you will have a limited supply to choose from at the Mercantile upon your arrival).
3. Weaning yourselves to leaving your pda’s, laptops and portable computers home—they are not wanted or required during E-11 and, if necessary, we have dsl-connected computers at Headquarters for those either in withdrawal or in need…this a trip into nature, gang, Ritz Carlton style!
4. Become a student of the Flow Charts that are being sent your way—what is happening in Montana right now will effect every day of E-11.
5. Visualize yourselves on a river for eight uninterrupted hours for three consecutive days catching (and releasing) 100% native trout and then, during the evening hours, laughing and enjoying yourselves more than you have since E-10.

 

Best to all in now serious preparation for it all,

 

Rock Creek Ron

    ----<’///><

 

  

Our Montana Neighbors

 Fellow E-11ers: 

 

During your quickly upcoming stay with us you will have a chance to meet our MT neighbors—one of the larger herds of Bighorn Sheep that are resident in the upper climes of Rock Creek and who, on a daily basis, trek down to the valley floor to dine on and in our neighbors’ yards.  Shown above is an unusual shot of a group of rams that were on our Rock Creek Road earlier this week (they usually don’t come down this a-way until the fall rutting season); also shown above is a not unusual shot of a metaphorical gaggle of sheep clogging traffic on our Rock Creek Road.

 

RCR

FW: Your Very Own E-11 Montana Camp List

 

 

MONTANA CAMP LIST

 

 

Yep, it is beginning to happen folks, so let's get to that packing list.

 

In preface, June is the wettest month in Montana.  The earlier in the month, the wetter it typically is--most often laden with afternoon thunder storms but sometimes the beneficiary of all-day rain.  So the earlier in the month you are (and that's you, One-Of-A Kind Group One, which arrives on June 18th) the greater the probability of temperatures in the 50's to 70's with afternoon showers; and the later in the Extravaganza you are (and that's you, Group Three, which arrives on July 2nd) the greater the probability of no rain and temperatures in the mid 70's to 90's--yes, folks the change is that dramatic in just the few weeks that we fish together.  For each group, however, your packing list is the same--plan on coolish mornings transitioning into mid-day warmth, that will then be subject to afternoon cooling off and rain (when cells pass through the temperature often drops over 20 degrees is fewer than that in minutes), followed by coolish evenings as we sip (guzzle, in the case of Group One) wine, throw horseshoes in the back yard and exchange our tales of the daily blessings that have been bestowed upon us.

 

The list below is broken into "MUST HAVE" and "CAN HAVE" sections.  Regarding the latter first, rods, reels, waders and wading boots are available to our groups, gratis, upon request.  The earlier two groups should have waders available; in the latter two we most often fish in shorts and sandals (with fleeces and rain jackets aboard in all cases).  So, here it is, your Official Extravaganza Camp List: (NOTE:  ALL ITEMS LISTED BELOW CAN BE PURCHASED [WITH YOUR 10% STORE-WIDE DISCOUNT] ON YOUR ARRIVAL IN MT, IF YOU WISH)

 

MUST HAVE:

 

        1. Polarized sunglasses (these are an absolute must; mine are prescription (because I am nearly blind without glasses) and there are very comfortable sets that can overlay your prescriptions--just like skiing goggles but a little more stylish).

 

        2.  A rain jacket (not a water resistant jacket [which really just absorbs water at a slower pace, but a poncho or truly water resistant lightweight/medium weight rain repellant--we have had the weather change from warm blue skies to cold (as in really cold) torrential rain and then back again all within an hour--if you get wet on the river it is not a pleasant experience--See 3, infra).

 

        3.  A dry bag/boat bag for a complete change of clothes for the river (for you veterans, we handed these out as gifts to you last year--bring 'em--if fact, fill 'em and check them as the luggage carriers that they are!!).

 

        4.  Fast drying fishing shirts and pants.  (In the past, the former has been a staple of what we hand out to you as you arrive--history will repeat itself, by the way.  As to pants, I highly recommend the fast drying, zip off pants which serve as long pants in the morning hours and shorts in the afternoon.)

 

        5.  Brimmed fishing hats.  (Yes, history might just repeat itself here again regarding a baseball type hat; for those of you who are sunlight sensitive, I recommend a fully brimmed hat with a tie-string [so that the famous and inevitable MT wind will not decrown you].)

 

        6.  Layered clothing.  (Imagine that you are going to a Niners game in September--you never know what you are going to get at The Stick, so you wear a short sleeved shirt with a long sleeve shirt over it, carrying with you a fleece and a warm jacket/raincoat--voila!!)  We will have washers and dryers available to you if needed, so don't bring the whole wardrobe but certainly pack an extra day's supply (remember that boat bag and its contents-to-be in 3, supra?!?)

 

        7.  Waterproof sandals/fishing shoes.  (90% of our fishing will be in the boats, but you will be getting in and out for entry, potty breaks, lunch and return, and will get wet to your knees as you embark/debark.  Tennis shoes are an alternative if you don't mind changing their color [permanently]  Yes, fishing sandals are an excellent  purchase upon arrival--they have multi-uses and will last forever.)

 

        8.  Sunscreen and Bug-spray.  (Bring sunscreen rated 15 and higher even if you think you don't need it, as you will be on the water, unprotected, for up to 10 hours each day--enough to challenge even the crustiest lawyer's skin!  The bugs are nothing like Minnesota and usually are not a problem at all, but have some on hand and that normally makes the experience totally uneventful.)

 

        9.  Fleeces (long and/or short sleeved).  (These are going to be your best friend, both early in the morning and late in the evening after a fully sating day.  Temperatures during your stay see average highs in the 70's to 80's and evening lows in the 40's and 50's.)

 

        10.  Casual wear.  (This is not a black tie event, folks; shorts and levis are standard fare [even in Missoula's finest restaurants, I might add] both on the boat and at the house.  Our fishing focus is exclusively on the brightness of the color bands in your rainbow trout, the brownness of your brown trout and on the scarletness of your cutthroat's gill plates.)

  

CAN HAVE:

 

        A.  Fly rods and reels (5 and 6 weight rods are the order of the day--again, these are included in the Extravaganza package so only bring yours if you have them and want to fish them) bring those E-07 rods and reels, veterans!!

 

        B.  Waders (more so in Groups One and Two; less so in Group Three).

 

        C.  Expensive digital camera gear that you would like to get wet and destroy (Yes, folks, as in the past, we are going to have 5.0 megapixel digital cameras for your usage in each of your boats (which don't get ruined even even if you drop them in the water.)  As in the past, we will put all pictures by group onto a CD and mail it to each of you.

 

        D.  Booze (We have it all folks, so make your request in advance so e can have a supply on hand and leave it at home--only water and soft drinks on the boats, by the way.)

 

                                                *                *                    *                *                *                *

 

There it is folks, your Official Extravaganza 2011 Camp List.   

 

May the blessings of soon June be upon each of your as we stretch out towards the glories of Montana, shortly ahead for each of us in just a few weeks!!

 

Best,

 

Rock Creek Ron

 

 

 

 

Log-O-Meter

Greetings Fellow Extravaganzers from The Scene of it all—

 

Well, gang, as the attached photos indicate, in supplement to the now bi-weekly flow charts that our Extravaganza Coordinator Extraordinaire Patty “Flo” Gallia is beaming your way, the 2011 runoff is well under way and right on schedule this year!  Each year we use a set of fallen logs that span one of the side channels of our own Rock Creek as the visual indicator of just what a dramatic change the streams of Western Montana experience during the annual snow melt and resultant “runoff” of that liquefied snow as it makes its way downhill, filling thousands of rivulets that, in turn, fill hundreds of creeks which, in successive turn, then fill the major rivers.  A “good run off” bodes well for our E-11 fishing—and this year’s runoff has all of the makings of that, to wit: (a) beginning with a 100% normal upper climes snow pack, combined with (b) increasing temperatures [into the upper 70’s at Missoula’s elevations] and (c) a consistency in those higher temperatures combined with (d) a seasonally normal rainfall during May and June (the typically wettest of Montana’s months).

 

A month ago I took a photo of our Logo-O-Meter when the flowage along Rock Creek was a meager 225 cubic feet per second; that is the first of the above photos.  Compare that visage with the next two shots taken from the same vantage point, the first of which was taken earlier this week when Rock Creek was flowing at 1540 cfs (“cubic feet per second”) and the last of which taken just an hour ago with the Creek flowing at a (nicely increasing) 1840 cfs—a 20% increase in just as few of days.

 

To give you some perspective of where we are potentially headed during this year’s runoff, in 2010 the flow along Rock Creek peaked at 3,750 cfs [twice the current flow] and during 2009 peaked at 4,850 cfs [2.5 times the current flow]. 

 

As we track this year’s runoff, our E-11 goals are as follows: (i) to have a healthy, bell curve runoff, where the rivers get a good flushing; (ii) to have the runoff peak and thereafter begin to decline sometime around the first week of June; and (iii) to have the flow on Rock Creek be somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 cfs [i.e., at today’s current level] come the arrival of Group One on June 18^th, now just 40 [yikes!] days from right now!

 

May the flow be with “y’all”!!

 

RCR-----<’///><

Greetings From Winter's Wonderland!

Fellow Extravaganzers:

 

Well, I can tell you first hand, as shown in the attached pics taken this morning here at Extravaganza Headquarters, that winter has yet to fully leave Montana as, just today, (another) several inches of glistening white snow dispatched itself from the heavens only to further laden the upper clime snowpack in these parts!  In the first of these shots you can seen a snow-covered lower back lawn with the others showing, in order, snowfall from the upper back deck, Ma’am warily walking on snow for the very first time in her now two-year life and a more veteran citizen likewise asking “What-da-heck?” from our upper backyard level.

 

Yesterday, as we completed the 1,126.9 mile (but, hey, who was keeping track?!?) drive from our California bookend to your Hostess With The Mostess, Kocktail Kathy’s summer bookend abode, three things (in addition to the length of the two day drive, that is) were striking:  (a) as soon as the passive beauty of both Nevada and Idaho was in the rear view mirror, the actively open beauty of Montana overwhelmed us—its snow-capped peaks, its glorious country side and oh dem clouds, those beautiful, beautiful Montanaesque clouds (re)took us into their arms; (b) opening our gate and the driving down our driveway, spoke clearly to us that this, the epicenter of the Extravaganza is, indeed, our emotional home; and (c) that there is one heck of a lot of water that yet has to come down the streams of Montana prior to Group One’s arrival on June 18^th!!

 

As to that last item first, as Flo reported to you earlier today, The Runoff has now officially begun and the upper portions of the Clark Fork River that we traversed as well as our own Rock Creek is starting to quickly and firmly swell with the early stages of the snow melt off as water levels have come up from the docile 220 cfs of last month to today’s more robust 1420 cubic feet per second [a 6.45 times increase for those mathematically inclined].  That being said, the name of the game now is to get more water down the river than arrives on a daily basis (witness today’s abundant snowfall as a day when that will not be accomplished) and to have a nice bell curve to the flow, such that The Runoff builds nicely like it is now so doing and then crescendos right around June 1^st, then ebbs downwards in anticipation of your third trimester June arrival(s).

 

As to the first items next, it is always nice to be reminded that, at times, past decisions pave the way for a wonderful future.  That is surely the case with KK and my decision nine years ago to acquire our second residence here in Western Montana.  So many times we each may look back and say, “If only I had…”; returning back here to our emotional home yesterday was a (very, very) pleasant reminder that “Because we had….”  In this case, “because we had…” results in “we will now experience…” for all 2011 Extravaganzers—what a joy that is and will be!

 

Much more coming your way this week from E-11’s official headquarters…stay tuned!!

 

Best to all from the scene of it all,

 

Rock Creek Ron

    ---<’///><