State wildlife officials propose changes to fishing regulations

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is recommending 48 changes to fishing regulations this year ahead of the Fish and Wildlife Commission’s fall meeting. While most of the changes are aimed at simplifying regulations, there are a few significant changes anglers could see in the 2024-25 season.

Those changes include a one-hook limit on the Flathead River, the removal of the standard northern pike limit in the Western District and the ability to fillet the fish on the water. The agency will hold an informational meeting in Kalispell on Sept. 11 for interested anglers.

The state Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to vote on whether to accept, amend or reject the changes at its Oct. 10 meeting. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is accepting public comments on the proposal in anticipation of the meeting.

“The overarching goal of these rule changes, especially this year, is to simplify them. They have to be realistic; they have to be useful,” said Dillon Tabish, regional communications and education program manager for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Most of the proposed changes won’t raise any eyebrows, according to Tabish. But agency officials expect there will be pushback against changing the hook.

A 2020 rule change restricted anglers to using only single-bladed hooks on three arms of the Flathead River, above the Teakettle Fishing Access Site. Officials are recommending extending that restriction to the length of the Flathead River and Flathead Lake. Another proposal calls for the same restriction on the Kootenai River from Libby Dam to the Montana 37 Bridge.

“Currently, you can fish with a triple hook, a double hook, but this regulation would limit you to only using a single-point hook. Not barbless, single-point,” Tabish said. “It would basically extend the existing regulations to the entire stretch of the Flathead River when the season is open.”

According to the state wildlife agency, native species of concern, such as bull trout and western slope rainbow trout, are sometimes caught unintentionally. Single-blade hooks make it easier — and less dangerous to fish — to catch and release these species, increasing their chances of survival.

“This one proposal, which the commission obviously hasn’t made a decision on yet, is a very important one. There are people who support it, a lot who oppose it,” said Kenny Breidinger, Region 1 fisheries biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Both Tabish and Breidinger acknowledged that anglers may be frustrated by the change, whether it means changing gear or giving up their lucky bait in the Flathead River. But it makes sense given efforts to protect natural fishing grounds in the area, they said.

Seventeen comments were received regarding restrictions on fishing gear on the Flathead River, with three in favor and the remainder opposing or questioning the necessity of the proposal.

“PROPOSED “The changes in the regulations don’t really have anything that would affect my business,” said Mark Fuller, a fishing tour operator and owner of Wild Montana Anglers. “But as an angler outside of my industry, I support some of these regulations as well.”

Fuller pointed to a change in pike regulations so anglers can catch the species year-round in the Flathead. The current seasonal restriction was originally put in place to protect bull trout, but the seasonal closure has not had the desired effect on the bull trout population, according to state wildlife officials.

“There is no place for trying to protect invasive species that many people believe are harming our native species,” Fuller said.

The trout exception on Whitefish Lake is also up for grabs. Officials are recommending that the state lift a rule that limits anglers to 20 fish per day on the lake, with only one larger fish, over 36 inches, allowed in their possession. The move would also eliminate other size limits on fish caught, where anglers currently must release fish between 30 and 36 inches.

“This regulation would simplify the regulations by removing the exception. The slot limit does not appear to be effective in increasing the numbers of large lake trout,” the proposal states.

To further protect native species, the agency is proposing a move to catch-and-release only for Westslope brown trout in the West Fork Thompson, Vermillion, Bull and Fishtrap Creeks. Currently, anglers can keep three fish from those streams.

LOCAL ANGLERS and state medical equipment suppliers have expressed some concerns ahead of the October meeting, mainly about the process of submitting these proposals to the commission.

“It’s just a tedious process that we’re trying to change,” Fuller said, referring to the difficulties anglers face when trying to submit a proposal or comment to the agency.

Montana has a “great system,” said Thomas Baumeister, vice president of the Montana chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, “because it is largely based on the premise that fish and wildlife belong to the state’s residents.

But Baumeister sees room for improvement. He said the state wildlife agency should take more careful steps in scoping before a final proposal is created to better accommodate anglers and citizens.

In the spring, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks held an online consultation session that allowed the agency to develop proposals.

The Sept. 11 meeting at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks office in Kalispell will be at 6 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is not to collect public comment but rather to be an informational session where government officials and experts will be available to answer questions.

The agency is accepting comments for the commission’s consideration until September 19. Proposals and instructions for submitting public comments are posted on the October 10 commission meeting page on the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks website at https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/commission/october-2024-meeting.

The agency is also moving from a four-year review cycle to a two-year one, with a new set of rules being published in odd-numbered years.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at [email protected] or 758-4459.