What Montana anglers should know about hoot owl fishing restrictions

According to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), under these restrictions anglers are not able to fish after 2:00 p.m. until midnight. 

FWP asks anglers to fish in the cooler morning hours, check stream conditions before heading out and watch for closures on drought-hit waters. The agency also asked people to report fish kills to a local FWP office.

Catch-and-release anglers can reduce harm by using barbless hooks, landing fish quickly and keeping fish in the water as much as possible. Officials ask anglers to avoid catch-and-release on streams facing extreme drought and high water temperatures.

An extreme heat watch is in place for parts of the Treasure State, bringing potentially record-breaking temperatures by the weekend. 

Hoot owl restrictions can be put in place for many environmental factors, including:

• Water temperatures reaching above a certain degree depending on the fish species. 

• Stream flows fall to or below the 5th percentile of daily mean values based on records.

• Water conditions are met as stated in a drought management plan. 

The term “hoot owl” originates from logging practices in the early 1900s, where workers stopped working in the hottest part of the day to lower fire risk. Working in the early morning, they would encounter owls and their calls led to the name.

You can check for restrictions and closures on Montana’s waters on the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks website here or you can check on specific waterbodies and FWP fishing access sites here.