http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

Nearly a dozen rivers in western Montana and some rivers in Yellowstone National Park were under restrictions or closures on July 9 after the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks declared that parts of Upper Rock Creek, the Clark Fork River, the Bitterroot River and all of Silver Bow Creek were closed to fishing after 2 p.m. to protect fish during the hottest hours of the day. The day before, hoot owl restrictions were announced for stretches of the Ruby, Big Hole, Beaverhead and Smith rivers and for the entirety of the Jefferson River. The Sun River and the Madison River, possibly Montana’s most popular angling destination, were placed under hoot owl closures particularly early this year on July 2 for the Sun River and June 19 for the Madison River above Hebgen Lake. Montana Free Press (Helena, Mont.), July 14, 2025 More hoot owl fishing restrictions are being implemented in western Montana as water temperatures rise. Sections of the Ruby, Jefferson, Big Hole, Beaverhead, and Smith Rivers will be off limits for afternoon fishing. The state and Butte-Silver Bow County will begin releasing an additional 32 cubic feet/sec from Silver Lake into Warm Springs Creek, a tributary of the Clark Fork River, for the next 47 days to reduce pressure on fisheries, wildlife, farms, ranches, and other residents amid a multi-year drought. NewsTalk KGVO (Montana) July 9, 2025