Montana Fishing News

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.

The South Fork Flathead Westslope Cutthroat Trout Conservation Program continues this fall with rotenone treatments of Graves Creek and Lower Big Hawk Lake. The following trail and road closures will be in effect during these projects:

First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, formerly known as Ulm Pishkun State Park, will host the annual First Nations Education Series of programs. The series runs weekends through September and features programs on various aspects of Native American culture and history.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on tentative changes to the fishing regulations that would go into effect on March 1, 2009.

Tentative changes in Region 3 include:

· The regulation stipulating that fishing closures be posted on springs entering Clark Canyon Reservoir would be deleted.

This is a brief synopsis of fishing conditions and reports from select waters across the state. For more detailed information, contact a fly shop, bait store, or boat marina for the particular water. For detailed information on river flows, visit: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mt/nwis/current?type=flow

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission has lifted fishing creel limits on Lower Big Hawk Lake, in the South Fork Flathead River drainage, to allow licensed anglers unrestricted harvest of cutthroat trout from the lake through Sept. 20. This lake is located at Township 27 N, Range 18 W and sections 14 and 15. It is also called Big Hawk Lake on the Flathead National Forest map and has two lobes, both of which qualify for unrestricted angling.