Yesterday remained cold. Anglers had to bust through the ice at Birchdale to get to the open water. (shown here) Some anglers that broke the trail yesterday told us it took a long time but the fishing was pretty good once they got through, other anglers did "ok". Reports from many anglers on the river is it not muddy and as you can see from the recent photos how blue the water is. If it were you could tell just by looking at it from the shore even. Water temp only in the lower 30's could be what's hindering the bite. Today temps are near thirty and tomorrow through the end of the week will be near 40 degrees or more. Could this be the week? Usually there is one super week of fishing during prespawn and guessing which one it will be is the hard part, exspecially with such a strange year. Temps near 40 degrees and sun will warm the water and also move the ice but not so fast to cause a muddy river. Also no rain is expected this week, also a good thing. Last week felt like January not April! I seen the Little Fork yesterday and it continues to have ice but more open water shows now. Water levels remain low and steady.