FWP adds fishing restrictions to Bitterroot River

Continued rising air and water temperatures across  western Montana has prompted Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to add additional fishing restrictions and closures along the Bitterroot drainage during the weekend.

Daily hoot-owl restrictions began on Aug. 1, prohibiting fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight. These restrictions are intended to prevent excessive fish mortality due to angling when water temperatures are warm.

Hoot-owl restrictions are in place on the following waterways:

• West Fork Bitterroot River: from Painted Rocks Dam to the confluence with the East Fork of the Bitterroot
• Upper East Fork Bitterroot River: from Star Falls to the Highway 93 crossing at Sula. The section below this to the river’s confluence with the West Fork is already under hoot-owl restrictions.

There are also restrictions in place along other sections of major rivers across the southwest.

For the latest updates on FWP’s fishing restrictions, including a map, visit their website.