Montana FWP enacts hoot-owl restrictions on Madison, Beaverhead and Sun rivers

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will institute hoot-owl restrictions on stretches of the Madison River and Sun River beginning July 11, 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 midnight each day, and will remain in place until conditions improve.

Hoot-owl restrictions will be in effect on the Lower Beaverhead River from Highway 41 near East Bench Road and Beaverhead Rock to its confluence with the Big Hole River.

On the Sun River, the restrictions are in place from the mouth of Muddy Creek to the Highway 287 Bridge.

For the Upper Madison River, restrictions are in place from Warm Springs Fishing Access Site to the confluence with the Jefferson River, and from the upstream most Yellowstone National Park boundary to Hebgen Reservoir along the main stem of the river.

Yellowstone National Park implemented its own fishing restrictions on the Madison and Firehole rivers earlier this week.

To check for other restrictions, visit the FWP website.

In accordance with the department’s drought policy, FWP institutes angling restrictions when streamflows 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.

The restrictions are designed to protect fish that become more susceptible to disease and mortality when water temperatures warm, and can help reduce catch-and-release mortality by restricting fishing to only cool morning hours.

Catch-and-release anglers can reduce stress on fish by getting them to the net or in hand quickly, keeping them in the water and reviving them prior to releasing them back into the river.

As the summer warms, Montana offers many other angling options with better conditions for fish, including larger lakes or reservoirs, or higher elevation lakes and streams.

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.