Fishing Seasons and Limits
General Fishing Season
| District | Rivers and Streams | Lakes and Reservoirs |
|---|---|---|
Western District | Open third Saturday in May through Nov. 30, unless otherwise specified in Exceptions to Standard Regulations. | Open all year. |
Central District | Open all year unless otherwise specified in Exceptions to Standard Regulations. | |
Eastern District | Open all year unless otherwise specified in Exceptions to Standard Regulations. | |
Fishing is allowed at all hours during open fishing seasons unless otherwise specified in District Exceptions to Standard Regulations. | ||
If you don’t find the water you are looking for listed in the district exceptions, use the standard regulations for the district you are fishing in. | ||
Western District Standard Daily and Possession Limits
Each angler may take all of the limits listed in the chart, unless otherwise noted in the Western District Exceptions. For species not listed, thereare no limits on the number of fish that may be taken or possessed. Check for exceptions to the standard regulations in the following pages.
Anglers who move from one fishing water to another may possess the limit of fish allowed only for the water on which they are currently fishing.
Species | Daily and Possession Limits | |
Trout | Brook Trout | 20 daily and in possession. |
Bull Trout | All waters are closed to angling for bull trout and all fish must be released promptly, with little or no delayunless otherwise authorized in the Western District Exceptions. See bull trout on page 13. Note: Federalrules prohibit the attempted take of bull trout unless specifically authorized by state or tribal regulation. | |
Combined Trout includes brown trout, rainbow trout, golden trout, and arctic grayling | Lakes/Reservoirs: 5 daily and 10 in possession, only 1 over 22 inches daily and in possession. Rivers/Streams: 3 daily and inpossession, only 1 over 14 inches. | |
Cutthroat Trout (see page 89 for IDkey) | Lakes/Reservoirs: 3 daily and in possession, no sizelimit. Rivers/Streams: 3 daily and in possession, noneover 12 inches. | |
Lake Trout | 20 daily and 40 in possession. | |
Largemouth Bass | 5 daily and in possession, only 1 greater than 12inches. Third Saturday in May through June 30: 1 daily and in possession, must be over 22 inches. | |
Smallmouth Bass | 15 daily and in possession, no size limit all year. | |
Burbot (Ling) | 2 daily and in possession. | |
Crappie | No limit. | |
Kokanee Salmon | 20 daily and 40 in possession. | |
Northern Pike | 15 daily, no possession limit. All waters open for spearing through the ice or as otherwise noted in District Exceptions. | |
Sturgeon | 0 - All waters are closed to angling for sturgeon. Captured sturgeon must be released immediately. | |
Whitefish | 20 daily and 40 in possession. | |
Walleye | All walleye caught must be killed immediately, kept and the entire fish presented to FWP. Anglers who catch walleye in the Western Fishing District are required to report the catch to FWP within 24 hours (406-752- 5501). Anglers will be asked to provide location, date, and time of capture and may be asked to provide theirfull name, ALS number, and phone number. Anglers are required to present the whole Walleye to a FWP officewithin 10 days of capture (frozen is allowed) during regular business hours. Edible portions of the fish are returned to the angler upon request. Does not includeClark Fork Reservoirs downstream of Thompson Falls Dam, see Exceptions for the Clark Fork River (page 29). | |
Central District Standard Daily and Possession Limits
Each angler may take all of the limits listed in the chart, unless otherwise noted in the Central District Exceptions. For species not listed, there are nolimits on the number of fish that may be taken or possessed.
Anglers who move from one fishing water to another may possess the limit of fish allowed only for the water on which they are currently fishing.
Species | Daily and Possession Limits | |
Trout | Brook Trout | 20 daily and in possession. |
Combined Trout includes brown trout, rainbow trout, golden trout, cutthroat trout, and arctic grayling | Lakes/Reservoirs: 5 daily and 10 in possession, includes cutthroat trout. Rivers/Streams: 3 daily and in possession, only 1 over 18 inches, only 1 can be a cutthroat trout. All arctic grayling must be released immediately. | |
Lake Trout | 3 daily and in possession. | |
Bass | 5 daily and in possession. | |
Burbot (Ling) | 5 daily and in possession. | |
Channel Catfish | 10 daily and in possession. | |
Crappie | 15 daily and 30 in possession. | |
Northern Pike | 10 daily and in possession. | |
Pallid Sturgeon | None - this is an endangered species and all fish must be released immediately. All waters are closed to fishing for pallid stur- geon. | |
Salmon (Kokanee & Chinook) | 10 daily and in possession. | |
Sauger/Walleye | 5 daily, only 2 may be sauger. Possession limit is 10, only 4 may be sauger. | |
Shovelnose Sturgeon | 5 daily and in possession, none over 40 inches. | |
Tiger Muskie | 1 daily and in possession, must be over 40 inches. | |
Whitefish | 20 daily and 40 in possession. | |
Eastern District Standard Daily and Possession Limits
Each angler may take all of the limits listed in the chart, unless otherwise noted in the Eastern District Exceptions. For species not listed, there are no limits on the number of fish that may be taken or possessed.
Anglers who move from one fishing water to another may possess the limit of fish allowed only for the water on which they are currently fishing.
Species | Daily and Possession Limits | |
Trout | Brook Trout | 10 daily and in possession. |
Combined Trout includes brown trout, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, golden trout, and arctic grayling | Lakes/Reservoirs: 5 daily and 10 in possession. Rivers/Streams: 5 daily and in possession. | |
Lake Trout | 3 daily and 6 in possession. | |
Bass | 5 daily and in possession. | |
Burbot (Ling) | 5 daily and in possession. | |
Channel Catfish | 10 daily and 20 in possession. | |
Crappie | 15 daily and 30 in possession. | |
Northern Pike | 10 daily and in possession. | |
Paddlefish | 1 per season and in possession. Tag required. | |
Pallid Sturgeon | None - this is an endangered species and all fish must be released promptly, with little or no delay. All waters are closed to fishing for pallid sturgeon. Any pallid sturgeon and all sturgeon over 40 inches must remain partially immersed in water at all times and released immediately! | |
Salmon (Kokanee & Chinook) | 5 daily and 10 in possession. | |
Sauger/Walleye | 5 daily and 10 in possession. | |
Shortnose Gar | 3 per season and in possession. When bowfishing for shortnose gar each angler must have in pos- session a valid shortnose gar Catch Card. CatchCards are available at the FWP Region 6 Office in Glasgow. | |
Shovelnose Sturgeon | 5 daily and in possession, none over 40 inches. All sturgeon over 40 inches must remain partially immersed in water at all times and released immediately. | |
Tiger Muskie | 1 daily and in possession, must be over 40 inches. | |
Whitefish | 20 daily and 40 in possession. | |
Paddlefish Season Summary by River and River Section
River | River Section | Color | Season Dates | Harvest Days | C&R Days |
Missouri River | Ft Peck Dam to Ft Benton | white | May 1 - Jun 15 | all | all |
Ft Peck Dredge Cuts - no snagging | blue | July 1 - Aug 31 | all - bow & arrow harvest only | none | |
Ft Peck Dam to ND Line | green | May 15 - Jun 15 | all | none | |
Yellowstone River | Tongue R. to Sullivan Cr. nearCalypso Bridge | yellow | May 15 - Jun 15 | Tue,Wed,Fri,Sat | Sun,Mon,Thur |
Glendive Black Bridge to ND Line | yellow | May 15 - Jun 15 | Tue,Wed,Fri,Sat | Sun,Mon,Thur | |
FAS = Fishing Access Site C&R = Catch-and-Release | |||||
