New angling restrictions for the upcoming season will substantially ease catch and possession limits for several non-native fish in western Montana while tightening protections for native bull trout.

The governor-appointed Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved dozens of changes to existing statewide fishing regulations at an Oct. 14 meeting, ranging from minor edits aimed at clarifying confusing language to substantial shifts in the policies that manage the state’s most treasured sport fisheries. Several of the new regulations, which go into effect in 2027, target fisheries within the Flathead River Drainage. 

On Flathead Lake, daily harvest limits for smallmouth bass, rainbow trout and northern pike will be lifted in an effort to simplify regulations on the cooperatively managed waterbody. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, which manage fisheries in the southern portion of Flathead Lake, already waive catch limits for all three non-native species.  

State managers said the changes were unlikely to result in measurable changes to the lake’s fisheries, as few anglers would exceed the current daily harvest limitations of five rainbow trout, 15 northern pike and 15 smallmouth bass.  

Daily harvest limits will remain in place for rainbow trout and smallmouth bass on most other waterbodies in the western district, though the new set of regulations does away with possession limits for both fish. 

On Little Bitterroot Lake, the daily harvest limit for kokanee salmon will decrease from 20 to 10 fish. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Fisheries Division Administrator Adam Srainer described the shift as "truly a conservative approach to kokanee angling in that reservoir" that would accommodate the agency's need for a new kokanee brood source. 

The agency harvests most of the kokanee eggs necessary for hatchery stocking operations from Lake Mary Ronan, but the recent introduction of northern pike to the waterbody and rising autumn water temperatures have put the quantity and quality of kokanee eggs there into jeopardy. Little Bitterroot Lake is the most viable alternative site for kokanee egg collection. 

Region 1 Commissioner Ian Wargo pushed back on the stricter catch limit, arguing that the kokanee population in Little Bitterroot Lake could easily support additional harvest by the wildlife agency. 

"Removing a thousand fish out of this lake for kokanee spawning, I don't think would even be noticeable, and I think it's another one-off regulation that, at this time, it's not necessary, " he said. 

The commission voted against an amendment that Wargo proposed to retain the current kokanee harvest limit on Little Bitterroot Lake. Wargo also failed to generate support for an amendment to remove bait and tackle requirements that aim to protect bull trout on the stretch of the Flathead River between Church Slough and the mouth of Flathead Lake.  

He voluntarily removed a third amendment from consideration by declining to introduce the measure. That proposal, which sought to overhaul management of lake trout and other non-native species in Flathead Lake, sparked robust criticism from state, tribal and federal fisheries managers. 

"[The amendment] violates the spirit of co-management, confuses volumes of previous scientific work, and reverses 26 years of progress toward recovering native fish while improving balance in the fishery of Flathead Lake," wrote the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.  

"I would agree with that statement. This is a pretty radical amendment to say you completely change the way in which we're managing lake trout," Wargo said at the Oct. 14 commission meeting. He added that the purpose of the measure was "to initiate more meaningful discussion around these topics." 

The last of four amendments proposed by Wargo did make it past the discussion phase to become part of the upcoming regulations. The measure redefines the boundary between the South Fork of the Flathead River and Hungry Horse Reservoir, as it relates to anglers, from the Crossover Boat Ramp to Peters Creek Campground.  

In the newly redefined South Fork section, anglers are prohibited from using live or dead bait. The amendment also extends the catch-and-release season for bull trout from the end of May through July.  

In 2024, the commission voted to shorten the season to July 1 through July 31, after fisheries biologists reported record-low redd counts for bull trout. The measure aimed to boost the species by restricting angling pressures during the months that bull trout are migrating upstream to spawn. 

The native trout are considered a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, and the South Fork of the Flathead River is one of the few locations where catch-and-release of the fish is still allowed under a special permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

"Record-low redd counts and tripled angling pressure have brought the Service and [Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks] into ongoing discussions about the fishery, and both agencies have been moving toward more conservative management as a result. That direction is what keeps a permitted fishery viable," warned the federal wildlife agency in a letter opposing Wargo's amendment. "Changes that add handling during the migration, however well intended, make the case for continuing the permit harder to sustain and put this opportunity at risk for the anglers who value it most." 

North of Peters Creek Campground on Hungry Horse Reservoir, anglers may harvest one bull trout 28 inches or more in length between July 1 and Sept. 1. Catch-and-release of bull trout is permitted throughout the year. 

Other changes for the 2027-28 season include expanded restrictions on the use of double or treble hooks to several streams and rivers, including Graves Creek, Canyon Creek, and the West Fork Thompson River and its tributaries as well as prohibitions on the use of dead or artificial bait on Fishtrap, Graves and Canyon creeks, and the West Fork Thompson River and its tributaries. Both measures aim to conserve bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout.   

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.