The flush has ben the hot topic in the area for the last few days. People are chomping at the bit to get out there and throw some junky nymph rigs at pristine trout in some chocolate milk water (just want to clarify, this is NOT sarcasm. It really can be that fun!) That said the flush is currently postponed. Here’s the sitch:
About a week ago, the BOR and WGF announced that the flush would be staring on March 5th. There was some immediate scuttlebutt on March 1st that the river already looked like it was flushing. Alas, this was not accurate. The flush had not started, but the dam needed some work, so we were seeing the by product of some water movement to do so.
Today, the BOR announced that the flush is postponed in order to continue to work on the dam. The flush is a crucial part of a successful spawning season. We appreciate the BOR for making the call to hold of until all systems are operational! We want things to go smoothly as well. That said, it does put us in a weird limbo period. There is no new scheduled date for the flush to take place. The BOR will make an announcement when the repairs are done and when the flush is rescheduled. We will share this information as soon as we have it. Until then, get out and get fishing!
Once the flush is up and running, flows will increase from 500 CFS to 4,000 CFS and back down to 500 CFS each day. The Flows stairstep up and back down, with the maximum flows occurring around 3 AM – 7 AM. This cycle will continue for 10 days straight. These stair stepping flows help clean off the spawning beds so eggs can nestle safely in the gravel below. When the time comes, be mindful that flows will fluctuate heavily when recreating on the river.
