529 USGS stream gauges. Click one for its flow now, and how that compares with the median for today across the station’s whole record — the number that says whether a river is low, normal or high for the date rather than just large or small.
Cut at dams, and at the midpoint between consecutive gauges so each gauge sits inside its own reach. Never across a regulation boundary, so a reach is never part open and part closed.
Live water temperature on the §7.40 reaches that have a gauge standing on them, straight from USGS. Filled by the bands the map paints from, so key and map cannot drift apart.
Every reach is drawn; the pale ones have no current reading — click one to see whether that is because there is no gauge, or because its gauge has stopped. A reading over a week old is treated as no reading at all. The 155 stations that do are shown too, so you can see which one is behind each colour — and which reaches are coloured from a gauge at their very top rather than the middle.
How each river fishes in the month on the date picker, for the species chosen above — from the research workbook.
Each river is rated as a whole, so every reach of it shares one colour. A month the river isn’t rated for is off season. Click a reach for its whole year. Closed water is shown too — this describes how the river fishes, not whether you may fish it.
The river’s standing quality for the species chosen above — from the research workbook.
This one ignores the date: the workbook rates a river once, not once per month. Closed water is shown too. For how a river fishes this month, use Seasonal conditions.
Live discharge judged against each river’s own bands — 500 cfs is a flood on Deer Creek and a drought on the Klamath.
The score peaks in the middle rather than at one end: a river can be too low or too high. Click a reach for its whole ladder. Every reach is drawn — pale means no current reading, or no bands written for that river. A negative reading is tidal, not low. Closed water is shown too.
One number per reach, from water temperature, river flow, seasonal conditions and fishery quality — averaged into a score from 0 (worst) to 4 (best).
Fishery quality and seasonal conditions always count: a river that isn’t rated, or a month that is off season, scores 0 — a good flow is no use where the fish aren’t. Temperature and flow count only where a gauge reports, so an unmeasured reach isn’t marked down for it. Click a reach to see the four numbers behind its score. Only reaches open on the selected date are scored — this is the layer that answers “should I go today”, while the others describe the water whatever its season.
Readings come straight from USGS when you click; nothing is stored. Reports and hatch timing come next.
When fish are in the river, and how it fishes — month by month. Pick a species, then a run.