
FWP widens fishing restrictions as temps soar, water dwindles
Laura Lundquist
(Missoula Current) This year’s low snowpack and recent string of hot days have caused local rivers to dwindle and warm to the point that fish and other aquatic species need some protection.
So Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has extended fishing restrictions to more streams, particularly along the Clark Fork River.
As of Wednesday, no fishing is allowed at any time on the Clark Fork River within a 100-yard radius of the mouths of three feeder streams: Rattlesnake Creek in Missoula, Fish Creek near Tarkio and the St. Regis River near St. Regis.
All three creeks are bull trout streams, and stream temperatures at the mouth of each stream have exceeded 60 degrees, which threatens bull trout. So bull trout need to be protected as they try to escape to the smaller streams to avoid the warmer water in the Clark Fork River.
In contrast with a full closure, hoot-owl restrictions prohibit fishing from 2 p.m. to midnight each day to prevent stressing all fish during the hottest part of the day.
As of Wednesday, biologists have also placed hoot-owl restrictions on sections of Rock Creek, the St. Regis River and the North Fork Flathead River. Rock Creek is affected from Stoney Creek to the confluence of the West and Middle forks of Rock Creek. The St. Regis River is affected from Twelvemile Creek to the Clark Fork River.
For the first time ever, the North Fork Flathead River has had to go under hoot-owl restrictions along its entire length.
Streamflows are significantly below average in many local streams. The flow measured on Clark Fork River above Missoula has dropped from about 1400 cubic feet per second on June 28 to about 500 cubic feet per second on Wednesday, 400 cfs below the average flow for this time.
The Blackfoot River near Bonner is flowing at less than 500 cubic feet per second, far below the average of around 1200 feet per second. The Bitterroot River near Missoula tells a similar story with flows currently around 450 cfs when the median flow over the past 41 years has been up around 1130 cfs.
FWP's drought policy is to initiate 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.
If high temperatures and extremely low flows persist, anglers may want to consider fishing in areas with less stressful conditions, such as larger lakes or reservoirs or higher-elevation waterbodies.
The Westslope Chapter of Trout Unlimited suggests on its Facebook page that now might be a good time to tie a few more flies instead of fishing. 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 while removing the hook, and reviving them prior to releasing them back into the river.
Hoot-owl restrictions are already in place for the Clark Fork River from the mouth of Warm Springs Creek above Deer Lodge to the confluence with the Flathead River. They were put in place on July 10 and July 12 after maximum daily water temperatures exceeded 73 degrees starting on July 7 and were predicted to remain high for the foreseeable future.
Flows in the reach above Rock Creek continue to drop, and are well below median values. Considering historically low fish numbers on parts of the Upper Clark Fork, any angling pressure in the late afternoon could hurt the fishery.
Hoot-owl restrictions also apply to the Blackfoot River between the Cedar Meadow Fishing Access Site and the confluence with the Clark Fork River and the Bitterroot River from the East and West forks to the Clark Fork River.
Maximum temperatures in the Blackfoot River exceeded the Blackfoot River Drought Management Plan trigger of 71 degrees for three consecutive days starting on July 8.