Local anglers and guides generally support the unprecedented fishing restriction placed on the North Fork of the Flathead River this week due to record warm water temperatures. Protecting native fisheries trumps the inconvenience of reduced fishing hours under hoot owl rules, they said.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Wednesday placed restrictions on the North Fork near Glacier National Park following weeks of dry heat in Northwest Montana. Hoot owl rules prohibit fishing during the hottest times of the day — 2 p.m. to midnight — until conditions improve.  

“Boy, the North Fork is toasty,” said Jim Vashro, president of Flathead Wildlife, Inc. and an avid angler, after the measures were put in place Wednesday. 

The state has never implemented hoot owl restrictions in the Flathead drainage. 

On Wednesday, July 24, the North Fork’s water temperature reached 68 degrees. Days prior it hit 68.36 degrees. Both new records. 

The mean temperature of the North Fork for July 24, based on 27 years of data, is roughly 60 degrees. The previously recorded high for the same date was 67.1 degrees in 2007. 

“It’s not just the past couple weeks. In recent years, increasingly hot air temperatures are leading to warmer water throughout the Flathead system,” said Hilary Hutcheson, an outfitter at Glacier Anglers and owner of Lary’s Fly and Supply in Columbia Falls.  

“Hoot owls are the short-term tangible impacts that we see, but it's all part of these overarching ecological impacts of climate change,” she continued. 

Warmer waters negatively affect native westslope cutthroat trout, specifically anything at or above 66 degrees, according to Kenny Breidinger, a fisheries biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. After three days of temperatures exceeding that mark, state biologists can restrict angling to protect the native species. 

Westslope cutthroat trout are considered a “species of greatest conservation need” which means that they are at risk due to limited and declining population numbers and habitat. 

“These are cold water species ... angling, hooking and catching a fish and handling that fish, is a really stressful event. These warmer temperatures really add to that stress,” Breidinger explained. 

The accumulative stressors, Breidinger said, can be deadly. 

“Trout are super interesting because a few degrees makes a big difference for them,” said Josh Gesler, shop manager at True Water Fly Shop in Kalispell. 

Many outfitters, including Hutcheson, were following voluntary hoot owl restrictions prior to the official call by the state wildlife agency. Fishing earlier in the day on the North Fork, or not at all, and encouraging good fishing habits — such as handling fish with wet hands, releasing the fish quickly and removing the hook gently — are important to not add extra stress.  

“Handle the fish correctly, make sure to get them back in the water, and you know, just be nice to the fish,” said Landen Lanier, a guide at Bigfork Anglers. 

Last July, state wildlife officials considered placing hoot owl restrictions on the Flathead River due to low flows after a severe drought in the Flathead Basin, leading to a below-average snowpack, early runoff and extreme heat. However, restrictions were never implemented. 

There were concerns about what water levels would look like this summer, but a wet and cool spring helped keep water flows high throughout much of early summer. Yet, after weeks of temperatures reaching the high 90s, the situation has changed.  

“The river sustained pretty well, only for it to turn right on its head,” said John Clausen, the river operations manager at Glacier Raft Co. and Glacier Anglers.  “We’re accustomed to adaptation though. In order to operate in this environment, you have got to be flexible.” 

Bull trout, a federally threatened species found in the North Fork, also require cool water for survival. Protecting the fisheries where the native trout still exist is of upmost concern for state biologists, said Dillon Tabish with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. 

“We are prioritizing conservation of our native trout,” Tabish said about the hoot owl rules. 

The same sentiment rings true for outfitters and guides who support the measures, even if they might wield an economic impact. 

“It’s important for our industry to continue to go, but looking at the long-term, we don’t want to hurt our fish populations. Every fish matters to us,” said Gesler with at True Water Fly Shop. “We want to continue to sell flies and rods, but we also want to continue to be a good steward so we can continue to that year after year.”

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will continue monitoring water temperatures in the North Fork and other surrounding bodies of water and will update restrictions as conditions change. In the meantime, officials encourage anglers to handle fish properly and respect the restrictions that are in place.  

“[The cutthroat] is our state fish here, and we have relatively low abundance in the North Fork of the Flathead River,” said fisheries biologist Breidinger. “We only see a few hundred fish per mile in this area, so they’re an important fish to protect. I just encourage everybody to handle the fish in the best way, be as easy on the fish as you can be.”  

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.