Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials in northwest Montana are considering instituting “hoot owl” fishing restrictions for the first time on the Flathead River, as well as others, as warm weather and low streamflows threaten the region’s trout, particularly westslope cutthroat, and bull trout.

A thin snowpack followed by a warm spring has resulted in historically low water flows throughout northwest Montana. According to FWP, the water flows in the North, South and Middle forks of the Flathead River are all roughly a third of what they would normally be this time of year.

LINK (via Montana Free Press)