US EditionHoot-Owl Fishing Restrictions Start Thursday for Southwest Montana Rivers
MONTANA, JUL 10 – Restrictions limit fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight on seven rivers to protect trout during drought and high temperatures, affecting over two-thirds of Montana, officials said.
- Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks announced that hoot-owl fishing restrictions will begin at 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 18, 2024, affecting certain stretches of multiple rivers located in central and southwestern Montana.
- These restrictions are implemented when water temperatures remain at or above 73 degrees for three days in a row and when low stream flows pose a risk to cold-water fish species such as trout.
- Additional measures include a complete shutdown of more stretches of the Madison River beginning at midnight on July 18, alongside hoot-owl restrictions that ban angling during the late afternoon and evening hours daily until conditions improve.
- FWP cautions that trout can die when water temperatures reach 77 degrees or higher and explains that fishing limits are implemented to safeguard fish, which are more vulnerable to illness and death under these warm conditions.
- FWP recommends anglers fish higher-elevation lakes or streams in the morning to reduce stress on fish and preserve wild trout populations during this warmer-than-average summer and ongoing drought.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Hoot-owl restrictions take effect Friday on some rivers in Southwest Montana
Hoot-owl restrictions will take effect at 2 p.m. on Friday, July 11, on several streams and rivers in Southwest Montana.Closure information from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks: Silver Bow Creek in its entirety Upper Bitterroot River from the confluence of the East and West Forks to Veterans Bridge at Hamilton Upper Clark Fork River from the Clark Forks origin at the confluence of Warm Springs Creek and Silver Bow Creek to the mouth of the Blac…
Helena Independent Record
Hoot-owl fishing restrictions start Thursday for southwest Montana rivers
With much of Montana experiencing drought and warm temperatures, hoot-owl fishing restrictions go into place Thursday at 2 p.m. for parts of five popular rivers in southwest Montana.
Daily Montanan
KULR-TVHoot-owl restrictions go into effect on southwest, central Montana rivers
A fisherman briefly shows off a cutthroat trout caught in Montana in early July before it was released. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is instituting new hoot-owl restrictions on rivers in the southwest and central Montana beginning Thursday, in response to warm temperatures and low streamflows across the state. The fishing restrictions prohibit angling on the designated stretches of river from 2 p.m. to …
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