Having just taken a gander down Rock Creek Road to talk with the folks in
the know--our great friends at the Rock Creek Mercantile--and having done my
own reconnoitering, I am now in a more than informed position to give you
this detailed flow report right from the scene of it all.
As you can see from the attached and updated up-to-today Flow Chart, the
2012 runoff, indeed, has a fingerprint of its own.
Here's the skinny:
When we began this process, for comparison purposes, we had about the same
snowpack in the hills as we did in 2009 (the black line on Der Chart). As
such, with this chart measuring cubic feet per second, at the end of the
process we will have experienced the same volume of water as we did in
2009--this year, however, things got an early start with an extraordinarily
warm late April and a good deal of that water volume was by us by the time
we began our charting.
The two pictures above (taken just an hour or so ago) really tell our
wonderful story for 2012.
The first of these is taken right behind Headquarters and depicts a very
mild Rock Creek flowing right at 1500 cfs (the very volume point at which we
want to end the runoff process--see where the black line ended up come
6/18). In that shot you can see that, unlike during the last few years when
the runoff was high in its volume, this year the water is relatively clear
[near the shoreline you can even see dem rocks that give Rock Creek its
well-rocked name] the volume level has been very consistently low yielding
rivers that are not "mudded up" with the turbidity that a high water runoff
yields. In a high runoff year the water at this point in time would be the
color of a nicely frothed mocha coffee--not so this year.
The second of these shots show our famous Log-O-Meter which, as you veterans
know, we have used year after year to demonstrably show the water level and
flow rates. This time last year when the flow rate was over 5,000 cfs [it
was flowing so hard and fast then it actually broke the Forest Service's
in-river meter!] the water level was OVER the logs in Der Meter and the
unyielding flow left behind most all of the debris that looks so elegant
this year where water is currently flowing at less than one-third of last
year's record runoff volume.
What does all this mean, you ask?
Well, I just got an update email from our Double Up Outfitter (who usually
is home tying flies this time of the year) who currently reports "big fish
on the Bitterroot"--yes, the 2012 rivers are so user friendly that boats are
on the water and fish are responding to their offerings.
Bottom Line: We are in for one hell of a great Extravaganza 2012, gang, so
you better get serious and break out that Camp List, find that outrageous
Hawaiian shirt and gag up on your guide gifting!!!
Bueno, bueno, bueno from the very extravagant scene of what is soon to be
just so!!
Rock Creek Ron-----<'///><-----<'///><------<'///><
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