Data attribution — USGS
Flow and water-temperature data on this site come from the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Data API (https://waterdata.usgs.gov). USGS data is provisional and subject to revision; the most recent values you see may be corrected by USGS in subsequent updates. We cite USGS as our data source on every page in keeping with USGS's data citation policy (waterdata.usgs.gov/citation).
We are an independent publisher and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by USGS.
Fly source attribution
Fly recommendations on each river page are derived from public fishing reports published by fly shops, outfitters, and retailers (including but not limited to Orvis and regional Madison-area fly shops). We retain short, attributed excerpts with the source URL and the date we retrieved the report; the full provenance for every recommendation is visible in the "Sources" panel at the bottom of each river page.
Facts about fly patterns and hatch timing are not copyrightable; the original expression in each source remains the property of its author. We display short excerpts under fair-use principles and link back to the original source. If you publish a report and would prefer we not surface excerpts from your page, contact us and we will honor the request.
No warranty / no fitness for purpose
The information on this site is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, express or implied. We make no representations about the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the verdict pills, condition strips, fly recommendations, or any other content. USGS data is provisional; fly recommendations are interpretive and date-limited. Always assess on-site before fishing or wading.
Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable state law, RiverUpdate and its operators are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of this site or reliance on any information it presents. This includes — without limitation — decisions to fish, wade, or travel based on the verdict pill, condition strip, or fly recommendations. Nothing in these terms is legal advice. See also the safety page for a more detailed discussion of on-water risks.
Affiliate disclosures
RiverUpdate earns a commission when you buy through links on this site. We participate in the Amazon Associates program: clicking a "Buy from Amazon" button takes you to Amazon with an Associates tag that credits this site for the referral. The price you pay is the same whether you click through us or navigate to Amazon directly. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We choose which flies to recommend based on what regional fly-shop reports are saying — not on which patterns a retailer sells. If a recommended pattern is not available on Amazon, the card renders without a Buy button rather than substituting a different fly. See the privacy policy for what we log when you click an affiliate link.