If you are planning a western trout fishing trip this year to Western Montana or Northwestern Wyoming, you are on the right track. The water that feeds the Northwest Rockies comes mainly from snowpacks and the snowpacks are near normal this year. The Madison is at 100 percent, Bighorn 115 percent, Missouri 110 percent, for example. Obviously, this means that a trip to the Yellowstone will be very good this year. Streams is Idaho, and Utah are also in good shape as well. More information about this year’s snowpacks can be found here.
The state of California is not faring as well. The streams in the middle and southern parts of the state are suffering the worse from a snowpack standpoint. The average snowfall water equivalent for the entire state is only 52 percent of normal.
The California Data Exchange Center has a map that shows you what you need to know for the different areas of the state. As you can see this includes the Trinity, Feather & Truckee Rivers in the northern part; Yuba, Merced & Walker Rivers in the central region; and the San Joaquin & Kern rivers in the southern region. The Klamath basin is doing the best. The upper Sacramento River was only at 35 percent of normal through February. The Sacramento and other central and northwestern parts of the state are improving and should continue to do so.
For a look at the entire nation please go to the drought map where it appears that better conditions exist in the East. By the way, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina have improving conditions this year if the map is correct.
