Winter has begun to loosen its grip. We are at a point in the season marked by high stream flow, winter run off.
Now, in the past few years snow pack was below historical levels and by mid-April our streams were fishing . . . not this year.
This year Oregon ‘enjoyed’ above average snow pack. I say enjoyed because that means reservoirs will still have water well into the fall.
A below average winter run off would fail to fill reservoirs, the result would be low river levels at the end of season and to fish that is a much worse scenario.
Since the runoff started, the Lower Deschutes, John Day and Crooked River have been running at record high levels. Snow melt will do that, but not to this extent . . . the Crooked River is running at 300 percent of normal flow.
Snow has disappeared at lower elevations, replaced with a fresh carpet of spring colors taking over the high desert.
What’s not as typical is how much snow is still covering the Cascade Range peaks. Which means we have a while before river levels return to normal spring flows.
I would like to be fishing, but for the next few weeks we’ll take in spring fresh growth, migratory birding and open roads. There will be plenty of time to wet a line later.
