Montana Fishing News

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on a new rule that would require vessels launched on Montana waters to be inspected at designated aquatic invasive species inspection stations.

OSAGE BEACH, Mo. - The MidAmerica Nazarene College team of Brandon Owen and Jacob Johnson won the National Guard FLW College Fishing Central Division event on Lake of the Ozarks Saturday with five bass weighing 11 pounds, 13 ounces. The victory earned the team $10,000 to be split between the university and the university's bass fishing club - $7,500 for the bass club and $2,500 for their school. The win also helped them advance to the Central Division Regional Championship.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking comments from anglers and others on issues that could result in future changes or improvements to Montana's fishing regulations.

"We are looking to anglers for their thoughts on what issues should be addressed when we propose the 2012-2015 fishing regulation changes to the FWP Commission this August," said Don Skaar, FWP fish management section supervisor.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks may have found signs of exotic mussels in a routine plankton sample taken in July from the northern end of Flathead Lake near Woods Bay.

Eileen Ryce, FWP's aquatic invasive species coordinator, said microscopic larvae suspected to be from exotic mussels may be contained in four of 17 plankton samples collected from the 200-square-mile lake between May and August. Samples were sent to three out-of-state laboratories for testing last week.

Montana's Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission will meet Jan. 14 at the FWP Helena Headquarters, 1420 East 6 th Ave beginning at 1 p.m.

The FWP Commission will make final decisions on:

* acquiring bighorn sheep habitat near Anaconda and a right-of-way for a fishing access site 24 miles west of Bozeman on the Madison River;

DENVER-A new poll released Thursday by Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development (SFRED) shows hunters and anglers in the Rocky Mountain West are not willing to sacrifice fish and game resources to unchecked oil and gas extraction in their state.

State fisheries crews will be working nights starting Oct. 1 to gather brown trout population estimates on the Missouri River.

Twice a year – spring and fall – members of the fisheries division of Fish, Wildlife and Parks electro-fish three sections of the Missouri: downstream of Holter Dam and near the towns of Craig and Cascade.

Region 7, Wildlife Program Manager, John Ensign has announced a public meeting at Savage public school on Thursday evening, October 9, 2008. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and anyone interested in the proposed land purchase is welcome to attend.

A major construction project is occurring on the dam at Ackley Lake State Park this fall and winter, but shoreline fishing and camping are still available throughout the project.

The west side of the park is open to visitors, where they can camp at one of the nine campsites free of charge. Visitors can also fish from the shore of the lake.

A group of cooperating agencies is conducting a depletion population estimate for lake trout in Swan Lake. The sampling began on September 9 and will continue through September 23. A depletion population estimate requires multiple days of netting while removing all lake trout sampled during this period. As fish are removed from the lake, the average catch rate will decline. Biologists can use the rate of decline in catch to determine what number of fish existed prior to the action.