For the first time ever, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is instituting “hoot owl” fishing restrictions on the North Fork of the Flathead River amid a heat wave that continues to bake western Montana. The restrictions were set to begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday and remain in effect until further notice.
While hoot owl restrictions are common in other parts of the state, they have never been instituted in the Flathead River drainage. When the restrictions are in effect, anglers can be fined if they are caught fishing between the hours of 2 p.m. and midnight.
“This is unprecedented for us up here,” said Dillon Tabish, regional communication and education program manager for FWP Region 1.
“This is unprecedented for us up here.”
Dillon Tabish, FWP Region 1
Other new restrictions across western Montana this week included hoot owl warnings on Rock Creek from Stoney Creek to the confluence of the West Fork Rock Creek and Middle Fork Rock Creek and on the St. Regis River from Twelvemile Creek to the confluence with Clark Fork River. Full fishing closures were also being enacted at specific spots along the Clark Fork River at 12:01 a.m. on July 23. Those restrictions included within a 100-yard radius of the mouth of Rattlesnake Creek; within a 100-yard radius of the mouth of the St. Regis River; and within a 100-yard radius of the mouth of Fish Creek.
Previously, hoot owl restrictions were placed on parts of the Beaverhead, Big Hole, Bitterroot, Blackfoot, Clark Fork, East Gallatin, Gallatin, Jefferson, Madison, Rock Creek, Ruby, Silver Bow Creek, Smith and Sun rivers. A full list can be found on FWP’s website.
Kenny Breidinger, fisheries biologist for FWP Region 1 focusing on the west side of the Flathead drainage, said heat-induced stress of westslope cutthroat was the primary concern in the North Fork. A year ago this week, FWP considered instituting hoot owl restrictions on all three forks of the Flathead due to low streamflows. For restrictions to be instituted, streamflow conditions must be deteriorating, fishing pressure (the number of people on the water) must be high, and the temperature for a specific section of the river must hit a certain point for three days in a row. In the case of the North Fork of the Flathead River, that temperature is 66 degrees. Breidinger said it has been above that for over a week, adding that decreasing streamflows finally convinced FWP to institute the restrictions.
As of Wednesday, restrictions had not been placed on the Middle or South forks of the Flathead; however, Breidinger said it was possible if the hot weather continues.
“We’re going to be keeping an eye on temperatures and making those decisions as we need to,” he said.
To reduce stress on fish, FWP encourages anglers to land fish quickly, to keep them in the water as much as possible by limiting or even avoiding taking photos of them, and to remove hooks gently. If people see sick or dead fish, they are encouraged to report them online.
The fishing restrictions come as hot weather continues to impact Montana and much of the West. A heat advisory is in effect through Wednesday night in the Flathead Valley, and temperatures are expected to be in the upper 90s. On Sunday, Kalispell broke a high-temperature record for the second day in a row when the mercury hit 97 degrees.
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