As promised, here is some info on our current stream conditions in the White Mountains.

This is going to be a tough spring and early summer. At this point, we are already in what we would call “low summer flows”. To put it in perspective, today the Black River at Fort Apache is flowing at about 38 cfs and a year ago it was at about 1600 cfs.

I hit the East and West Forks of the Black last week and both of these streams were as low as I have ever seen them. I expected the East Fork to be low since it does not originate from Mt. Baldy but I was surprised at how low the West Fork was since there is still a little snow melting. We are so dry, that the water is absorbing into the ground and there is nothing remaining to runoff.

Even with low, clear water, there are some big browns out feeding since they are just coming off of winter. The difficulty is approaching the stream and getting a cast off before they know you are there. It is possible, you just need to bring your “A” game which means wearing clothes with colors that blend into the environment, hanging back as far as possible, approaching with stealth, and getting a cast off quickly. One of the most important but often overlooked things you need to do is to have a sense of urgency. Approach the water ready to make the first cast and you should already know where you want the fly to land. Every time you pick up to re-cast, you put the trout down and spook them out. With this extremely low and clear water, they are very aware of their environment.

With only about 20% of average snowpack, within a few weeks, some of these streams will be so low, that they won’t be fishable. There are a few concerns about us starting spring with no runoff and with things being so dry. One is that low water means it will warm up quicker than normal which could lead to fish kills. We are also concerned about streams drying up. it is only April and we have some springs on Mt. Baldy that have already stopped flowing. These are springs that flow year ’round and have always had water.

Here is what I feel we should expect for the rest of the spring and until monsoons show up.

• Water will continue to drop and eventually will get to temperatures that will be tough for trout to survive. Make sure to carry a stream thermometer so that you aren’t fishing when the water is too warm. Landing trout in water over 68 degrees will be detrimental to them.
• Some of our smaller streams will dry up.
• Water will become too low to fish and they will be stressed out. Once we get to this point, is it important to leave them alone. They will be looking for cover and any cool hiding place they can find.

Arizona Game and Fish has mentioned that they will start stocking after the roads open back up which is scheduled for April 15th. The stocking schedule has been updated, and you can access it here. With our lack of snowpack and the forest being in the dryest condition in recorded history (dryer that when we had both the Wallow and Rodeo-Chediski fires), look for the forest to close by June 1st and if we are lucky, it will be closed by Memorial Day weekend. Don’t worry, there will still be some places to fish but it will be lakes. Personally, I plan on doing very few streams trips this year and will be focusing on lakes, wind permitting.

The monsoon prediction for this area is for above average but unfortunately, we are looking at another summer with record breaking heat. If you are interested in the long-range forecasts, you can find them at The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center.

Yes, we are in a severe drought with the lowest water I have seen in the spring but with the forecasted monsoon, there is hope on the horizon. Fish the streams early and then move to lakes and if you aren’t up on your lake fishing game, schedule a trip and I will help you figure it out. Watch for forest service closures and as always, be careful out there!

See you on the water! -Cinda

Special thanks for Wendy Krueger for recent stream photos.