Post by Steve Sutton on Jun 18, 2010 11:41:52 GMT -5
The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission recently adopted a 10-year fisheries management plan for the upper Missouri River and reservoir system that stretches from Toston to Holter Dam.
While the commission approved the 10-year plan, actual changes to regulations for the popular three reservoirs—Canyon Ferry, Hauser, and Holter—will not be tentatively adopted until Aug. 5, with final regulation approval set for Oct. 7. Officials said regulation changes will be proposed for the Missouri River and for Canyon Ferry, Hauser and Holter reservoirs. A public comment period will accompany the regulation-setting process. Any approved regulations would go into effect on March 1, 2011.
The new plan emerged from an 18-member workgroup that recommended revisions to the document that guided the reservoirs' fisheries management since 2000.
George Liknes, FWP fisheries manager in Great Falls, noted that there is often a brief lag time between the adoption of a long-term plan and actual on-the-water regulations. Nonetheless, Liknes expects many anglers to be most interested in Canyon Ferry Reservoir strategies suggested by the commission.
“We’ll follow the public’s and the commissioners’ direction for walleye limits in Canyon Ferry,” he said. “The commission established some sideboards for Canyon Ferry walleye regulations.”
Those sideboards include a daily limit of between 10 and 16 fish, but also provide protection for larger walleye by allowing anglers to keep three to five fish that are greater than 14 to18 inches long, but only one greater than 28 inches long.
“FWP will propose a regulation within these sideboards, and it will consider creel census data and population modeling to determine specific limits,” Liknes said.
The Upper Missouri River and Reservoir Management Plan is available via the FWP website, at fwp.mt.gov. Click “Upper Missouri River Management Plan.
While the commission approved the 10-year plan, actual changes to regulations for the popular three reservoirs—Canyon Ferry, Hauser, and Holter—will not be tentatively adopted until Aug. 5, with final regulation approval set for Oct. 7. Officials said regulation changes will be proposed for the Missouri River and for Canyon Ferry, Hauser and Holter reservoirs. A public comment period will accompany the regulation-setting process. Any approved regulations would go into effect on March 1, 2011.
The new plan emerged from an 18-member workgroup that recommended revisions to the document that guided the reservoirs' fisheries management since 2000.
George Liknes, FWP fisheries manager in Great Falls, noted that there is often a brief lag time between the adoption of a long-term plan and actual on-the-water regulations. Nonetheless, Liknes expects many anglers to be most interested in Canyon Ferry Reservoir strategies suggested by the commission.
“We’ll follow the public’s and the commissioners’ direction for walleye limits in Canyon Ferry,” he said. “The commission established some sideboards for Canyon Ferry walleye regulations.”
Those sideboards include a daily limit of between 10 and 16 fish, but also provide protection for larger walleye by allowing anglers to keep three to five fish that are greater than 14 to18 inches long, but only one greater than 28 inches long.
“FWP will propose a regulation within these sideboards, and it will consider creel census data and population modeling to determine specific limits,” Liknes said.
The Upper Missouri River and Reservoir Management Plan is available via the FWP website, at fwp.mt.gov. Click “Upper Missouri River Management Plan.