New angling regs aimed at protecting bull trout
New angling regulations 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
