Page 58 - Flathead Beacon // 2.18.15

58 | FEBRUARY 18, 2015 EXPLORE
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
This recent string of warm, sunny days may have sullied the spirits of skiers searching for fresh snow, but other recre- ationists are enjoying the spring-like con- ditions.
The drift boats are out and lines are be- ing cast at the many fishing sites around the valley thanks to favorable weather condi- tions.
While enjoying the sun, anglers should take precaution, though. Spring runoff is still a couple months away but the Flat- head River and other regional streams are already swelling with water following this stretch of unseasonably warm weather. Colder temperatures that are in the fore- cast could calm the waters and make the casting a little more advantageous. The Flathead River at Columbia Falls was above 12,000 cubic feet per second earlier this week, nearly three times as high as normal for this time of year.
The recent weather caused the 10th Annual Ryan Wagner Memorial Ice Fish- ing Derby, scheduled for Feb. 21 at Murphy Lake near Fortine, to be canceled. This is due to unsafe ice conditions resulting from unseasonably warm temperatures and heavy rains, according to state wildlife of- ficials. According to event organizer Duane Cash, he has not seen conditions like this in early February in over 40 years.
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An angler is silhouetted against the early morning sky as he hooks a fish in the Flathead River. BEACON FILE PHOTO
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