Saftey valves, backups, indicators, and the weather, are all the things you have to think about when you want to fish. Fishable water was out there Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, if you were passionate enough to find it. I talked to many anglers this weekend who were disappointed to find thier favorite waters blowing mud this weekend. These anglers went home without wetting a line, or fished the muddy water with such a lack of conviction they were defeated before they started. There were a few anglers however, that went the extra mile, literally. The water a little further to the east was perfect. These were in some cases smaller streams like Gilbert, Lost, Eau Galle, or East Beaver in Mn. The point is, If you really want to fish, there are streams out there that are fishable almost all the time. Go explore other water, not only on your favorite streams,but in other watersheds. We need to spread out. These streams will make you better anglers and you will be suprised at the fish. These same spots can be your saftey valves and backup spots. When streams are off color, take a drive. By seeing numerous pieces of water in a day you can get a indication of what streams are cleaner and what streams are dirty. The water clarity information can be remembered, and used at a later date to save you the driving time. Use a streams clarity as an indicator for how other streams will look. Lastly, always pay attention to the weather around the area you want to fish, not over your head, a couple of days before you plan to fish. These things will always help you formulate plan B. The waters you fish most are beginning to clear. There is still snow on the north slopes and today it will be warm. Hope temps drop below freezing at night to slow down this runoff. If anyone’s out today give me a report.