And what it means:Free-flowing rivers:The
Selway,
Salmon and
Yampa should be fine; snowpacks in the 80 to 90 percent range provide plenty of water. We'll probably start flying in on the Middle Fork on July 26th, but spring conditions will impact that. On the Yampa, July 10th is pretty much out of the question, but we can't complain because up until about 2 weeks ago we were worried about our late June Yampa trips. The
Illinois is happening right now, (literally); we're hoping to get one more trip this week, then we'll wait for next spring. The
Merced will have a short season, like May.
Dam-controlled rivers:The
Rogue and
Green are fine; there are big reservoirs upstream and there will be good (and warmer) flows all summer - excellent family conditions! The
South Fork American should have 5 or 6 days of water per week through Labor Day (avoid Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and the
Middle Fork American should have 7 days of water per week in June, July and August. The
Tuolumne is in great shape with some higher flows in May (GO NOW!) and normal controlled flows from early June through Labor Day.