FISHING NEWSLETTER 2020/2021 Table of Contents FWP Administrative Regions and Hatchery Locations
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FISHING NEWSLETTER 2020/2021 Table of Contents FWP Administrative Regions and Hatchery Locations .........................................................................................3 Region 1 Reports: Northwest Montana ..........................................................................................................5 Region 2 Reports: West Central Montana .....................................................................................................17 Region 3 Reports: Southwest Montana ........................................................................................................34 Region 4 Reports: North Central Montana ...................................................................................................44 Region 5 Reports: South Central Montana ...................................................................................................65 Region 6 Reports: Northeast Montana ........................................................................................................73 Region 7 Reports: Southeast Montana .........................................................................................................86 Montana Fish Hatchery Reports: .......................................................................................................................92 Murray Springs Trout Hatchery ...................................................................................................................92 Washoe Park Trout Hatchery .......................................................................................................................93 Yellowstone River Trout Hatchery ...............................................................................................................94 Fort Peck Fish Hatchery ...............................................................................................................................95 Sekokini Springs Experimental Hatchery .....................................................................................................96 Jocko River Trout Hatchery ..........................................................................................................................97 Bluewater Springs Trout Hatchery ...............................................................................................................99 Giant Springs Fish Hatchery .......................................................................................................................100 Miles City State Fish Hatchery ...................................................................................................................101 Flathead Lake Salmon Hatchery ................................................................................................................102 Big Springs Trout Hatchery ........................................................................................................................103 Aquatic Invasive Species Report ......................................................................................................................104 Montana Fish Records .....................................................................................................................................106 This agency receives federal financial assistance and complies with all non-discrimination regulations. Please see full regulation booklet for additional information. Front cover: “Cutthroat with Fly” photo credit: Jason Blakney - 2 - FISHING NEWSLETTER 2020/2021 FWP Administrative Regions and Hatcheries FWP Regional Offices Headquarters Region 4 Butte Area Office 1420 E. 6th Avenue 4600 Giant Springs Road 1820 Meadowlark Lane Helena, MT 59601 Great Falls, MT 59405 Butte, MT 59701 406-444-2449 406-454-5840 406-494-1953 Region 1 Region 5 Havre Area Office 490 North Meridan Road 2300 Lake Elmo Drive 2165 Hwy 2 East Kalispell, MT 59901 Billings, MT 59105 Havre, MT 59501 406-752-5501 406-247-2940 406-265-6177 Region 2 Region 6 Helena Area Office 3201 Spurgin Road 1 Airport Road 930 Custer Avenue West Missoula, MT 59804 Glasgow, MT 59230 Helena, MT 59602 406-542-5500 406-228-3700 406-495-3260 Region 3 Region 7 Lewistown Area Office 1400 South 19th Avenue 352 I-94 Business Loop 333 Airport Road, Ste. 1 Bozeman, MT 59718z Miles City, MT 59301 Lewistown, MT 59457 406-577-7900 406-234-0900 406-538-4658 Hatcheries Big Springs Trout Hatchery Giant Springs Trout Sekokini Springs Hatchery 2051 Fish Hatchery Road Hatchery 490 North Meridian Road Lewistown, MT 59457 4801 Giant Springs Rd Kalispell, MT 59901 (406) 538-5588 Great Falls, MT 59405 (406) 857-3744 (406) 452-5734 Bluewater Springs Jocko River Trout Hatchery Washoe Park Trout Hatchery 206 Hatchery Lane Trout Hatchery 700 Bluewater Road Arlee, MT 59821 600 W Pennsylvania St Bridger, MT 59014 (406) 726-3344 Anaconda, MT 59711 (406) 668-7443 (406) 563-2531 Flathead Lake Salmon & Miles City Fish Hatchery Yellowstone River Rose Creek Hatchery 107 Fish Hatchery Road Trout Hatchery 100 Spring Creek Road Miles City, MT 59301 17 Fairgrounds Somers, MT 59932 (406) 234-4753 Big Timber, MT 59011 (406) 857-3744 (406) 932-4434 Fort Peck Hatchery Murray Springs 277 Highway 117 Trout Hatchery Fort Peck, MT 59223 5475 Sophie Lake Road (406) 526-3689 Eureka, MT 59917 (406) 889-3489 - 3 - FISHING NEWSLETTER 2020/2021 - 4 - FISHING NEWSLETTER 2020/2021 a “roving creel design” – where surveyors attempt Region 1 to interview anglers at common access points after they’ve completed their fishing trips. We also con- Northwest Montana ducted flights to count river users throughout the year, describing them along the way (for example: boater, Angler Use and Characteristics in the Upper Flat- shore angler, non-fishing boaters, etc.). By combing head River System this large body of information, we could make com- Amber Steed, Fisheries Biologist parisons over time and across areas in the drainage. Anglers are one of the most valuable sources of infor- So, what did we find? For starters, we connected mation that fisheries professionals have. So naturally, with nearly 1,400 anglers across all seasons and angler surveys are a critical tool for gathering useful have them to thank for the information we gained. and interesting information about our fisheries and We also performed 189 flights of the river to count their user groups, guiding management while con- users, helping us to estimate fishing pressure. As necting the public with resource managers. Often referred to as “creel” surveys, these stud- ies describe a wide range of fishery character- istics such as angling pressure, catch rates, har- vest rates, species composition, and the users themselves. However, collecting this information can be expensive and time-consuming, mak- ing frequent large-scale efforts impractical. Yet, it was recently time to revisit our understand- ing of the Flathead River’s fisheries, allowing for adaptive management (regulation chang- es, for example) based on data-driven work. Within the upper Flathead River system, large- scale angler surveys have been performed about once per decade since the early 1980s. For example, a “fisherman census” of the Main- stem and North Fork Flathead rivers was con- ducted during spring-fall 1982. Later, a “Flathead River Creel Report” was produced for one year during 1992-1993, expanding to the North and Middle forks as well as the Mainstem Flathead River. Then, during 2002-2003, an angler survey focused on just the Mainstem, surveying anglers during all seasons. Most recently during 2015- 2016, we repeated this last survey to update our understanding of how the Flathead River Figure 1.—Study area of the Flathead River system targeted by an angler survey was used by both anglers and non-anglers alike. conducted from March 2015 through February 2016. An additional Section 5 included the lower Flathead River sloughs, as in Deleray (2004). Angler access Prior angler surveys documented the fisheries points used by surveyors are shown by name and location, where FAS = Fishing changes associated with the establishment of Access Site. Mysis shrimp in Flathead Lake, which dramatically impacted native and non-native species and the fisher- you may imagine, that pressure increased since the ies they support. As in the past, our most recent angler early 2000s – by 80%! While that growth represents survey in 2015-2016 described fishing pressure, catch a big jump in use, it may not surprise residents and rates, harvest rates, species composition, and addi- longtime visitors to the area. We have seen a steady tional user information. Since the Flathead system is climb in local and statewide outdoor recreation large and accessible from many locations, we used - 5 - FISHING NEWSLETTER 2020/2021 ond (e.g., Northern Pikeminnow, Pea- mouth Chub, etc., often used as bait). Rounding out in third was Northern Pike. As in prior surveys, gear types and lure use varied across seasons and river sections to suit the fisheries they targeted. For example, fly-fishing and guided angling was most prevalent in the uppermost river sections from Blankenship Bridge downstream to Pressentine Bar FAS, while spin-casting ruled in the lower river near Sportsmans Bridge. Predictably, summer was the most popular season for both overall use and visitation by non-resident anglers. And when it came to boating, just over half (53%) of all users were not anglers – but only during summer months. Figure 2—Estimates of angler fishing pressure (hours) in the Flathead River, by section, during 2015-2016. River