Low Flows Prompt Fishing Closure On Upper Big Hole River

DILLON—Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks will close a 19-mile stretch of the upper Big Hole River near the town of Wisdom to all angling beginning the morning of Friday, Aug. 26 due to low instream flow.

The closure encompasses the stretch of the river from Rock Creek Road (approximately five miles south of Wisdom) to the mouth of the North Fork (15 miles north of Wisdom). This stretch includes important habitat for the Big Hole Arctic grayling population, the last remaining native population of fluvial or river-dwelling Arctic grayling in the lower-48 states. The remaining 137 miles of the Big Hole River are still open to angling.  

The closure will remain in effect until flows improve to 40 cubic feet per second for seven consecutive days measured at the USGS Wisdom gauge. Flows have recently dropped below 20 cfs.

“We would like to emphasize that there are still many miles of river open to anglers, including the most popular fishing reaches, despite the closure on the Wisdom-area stretch,” said Bruce Rich, FWP Region 3 Fisheries Manager.

When average daily flows at the USGS Wisdom gauge drop below 20 cfs for three days, FWP implements an angling closure as specified in the Big Hole Drought Management Plan. The Big Hole Watershed Committee, a group of volunteers made up of agriculture, municipal, business, conservation, angling, and government interests, adopted the Drought Management Plan in 2000.

 Drought conditions have persisted in the southwest Montana for the sixth straight year. This year, poor snow pack and a lack of recent precipitation have resulted in declining instream flows. Local irrigators in the Big Hole valley have actively participated in conservation efforts to maintain instream flows throughout the summer.

“Irrigators have played a critical role in maintaining instream flows again this summer,” said Rich. “We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the watershed’s irrigators and anglers for the sacrifices they have made again this year and in past years.”

The remainder of the Big Hole remains open to fishing, including the 35 miles upstream of the closed reach and 102 miles of the popular sport fishery downstream from the North Fork to the mouth of the Big Hole River at Twin Bridges.