As we finally get an actual dose of winter weather here in Wolf Creek, the countdown to opening day has begun and April 1st looms large on the horizon.
We’re making steady progress with the launch of Wolf Creek Angler and while we have much to do in eight weeks, we can’t wait to open the doors on that first day of April and show off what we hope will soon become your favorite Missouri River fly shop.
For the time being our dining room table has been transformed into the home version of Wolf Creek Angler. Days are spent ordering merchandise, working on the web site, putting systems in place, drinking coffee and most importantly, corresponding with you. We have been busy booking rooms and guide trips and chatting about our plans for Wolf Creek Angler.
Wolf Creek Angler the home version. The dining room table makes a great fly shop!
Meanwhile….back in Michigan Fred has been busy shoveling snow, plowing snow, shoveling more snow and also finding time to build fly bins as he prepares for his journey west. Fred has also been busy spreading the word about Wolf Creek Angler and it sounds like we are going to have a lot of visitors from Michigan in the seasons to come.
Fred is hard at work building the fly bins.
Many are inquiring about the snowpack and wondering what the conditions will be like on the Missouri when they arrive this spring and summer. I wish I knew! Eight weeks is a lot of winter weather to go, but at this point things seem to be looking good. The snowpack for the Missouri is at over 100 % and the fish numbers look great – beyond that, it’s anybody’s guess what the conditions will be come spring.
MONTANA SNOTEL Year-to-Date Precipitation Update Graph
As of MONDAY: FEBRUARY 3 , 2014
| Basin | Year-to-Date Precipitation Percent of Average |
| KOOTENAI RIVER BASIN |  71% |
| FLATHEAD RIVER BASIN | 88% |
| UPPER CLARK FORK RIVER BASIN | 85% |
| BITTERROOT RIVER BASIN | 85% |
| LOWER CLARK FORK RIVER BASIN | 70% |
| JEFFERSON RIVER BASIN | 88% |
| MADISON RIVER BASIN | 90% |
| GALLATIN RIVER BASIN |  105% |
| MISSOURI HEADWATERS | 91% |
| HEADWATERS MISSOURI MAINSTEM | 101% |
| SMITH, JUDITH, AND MUSSELSHELL RIVER BASINS |  116% |
| SUN, TETON AND MARIAS RIVER BASINS | 84% |
| MISSOURI MAINSTEM RIVER BASIN | 99% |
| ST MARY AND MILK RIVER BASINS | 84% |
| UPPER YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN | 106% |
| WIND RIVER BASIN (WYOMING) | 91% |
| SHOSHONE RIVER BASIN (WYOMING) | 109% |
| BIGHORN RIVER BASIN (WYOMING) | 112% |
| TONGUE RIVER BASIN (WYOMING) | 111% |
| POWDER RIVER BASIN (WYOMING) | 128% |
| LOWER YELLOWSTONE RIVER BASIN | 106% |
| Legend: |  <70% |
70-90% |
91-110% |
111-130% |
 >130% |
* = Data are not available or data may not provide a valid measure of conditions for over half of the sites within the basin.
The river will likely be a lonely place this week as arctic air takes hold. Currently 9 degrees in Wolf Creek and getting colder as the week goes on. High of -2 on Wednesday with a low of -14. It looks like things will start to warm up early next week. Until then…tie some flies, clean your lines, daydream about battling fish after fish as you float down the MO on a warm summer day and call us – we can help make that daydream a reality. Lodging for June and July is rapidly disappearing and the guide calendar is filling fast. If you are thinking about making the trip this season we strongly recommend that you book your dates soon.
We will be back on the water next week as soon as things warm up. If a winter guide trip on the Missouri sounds appealing we can do that as well. We can do winter trips on extremely short notice at an extremely reasonable rate. Call us anytime if you are interested.
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