Hoot-owl restrictions placed on additional rivers in southwest Montana

HELENA – A full angling closure and two new hoot-owl restrictions will go into effect on additional sections of the Madison River in southwest Montana. The full closure will go into effect at midnight tonight. The hoot-owl restrictions go into effect at 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 18.

Hoot-owl restrictions prohibit fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight each day. These closures and restrictions, which are due to warming temperatures and low flows, will stay in effect until conditions improve.

• Full closure takes effect at midnight tonight on the Madison River:

  • From Madison Dam at Ennis Reservoir on the lower Madison to the footbridge at NorthWestern Energy powerhouse​ 

• Hoot-owl restrictions take effect Thursday, July 18, include:

  • From the footbridge at NorthWestern Energy powerhouse to the confluence with the Jefferson River

  • From the Yellowstone National Park boundary to Hebgen Reservoir

​​Hoot-owl restrictions remain in effect for portions of the Beaverhead, Big Hole, Blackfoot, Clark Fork, East Gallatin, Gallatin, Madison, Ruby and Sun rivers, as well as the Bitterroot, Jefferson and Silver Bow Creek in their entirety. To view a full list of restrictions, click here.

FWP's drought policy provides for angling restrictions when flows drop below critical levels for fish, when water quality is diminished or when maximum daily water temperatures reach at least 73 degrees for three consecutive days. Water temperatures of 77 degrees or more can be lethal to trout.

These restrictions are designed to protect fish that become more susceptible to disease and mortality when conditions like this exist. One short-term strategy to address heat-induced stress in Montana's wild trout is to reduce catch-and-release mortality by alerting anglers to fish only in the morning. 

Anglers can reduce stress on fish at all times of the year by getting fish to the net or in hand quickly, keeping them in the water and reviving them prior to releasing them back into the river.  

If high temperatures and extremely low flows persist, anglers may want to consider fishing areas with less stressful temperatures and conditions, such as larger lakes or reservoirs, or higher elevation waterbodies.

Along with monitoring stream temperatures, FWP also monitors stream flows and in some streams holds instream flow water rights. FWP’s water program can issue a call on junior water users, when appropriate, to contribute to stream flows through the late summer and early fall. For more information on FWP water rights, click here.