Billings anglers react to fishing restrictions on 17 rivers in the state

LAUREL — Due to high temperatures and low water flows, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has issued owl fishing restrictions on 17 rivers in the state, including the Yellowstone River. This means fishing is prohibited in certain parts of those rivers during the hottest hours of the day until conditions improve. It’s something Billings angler Scott Duprey and Greg Strozzi are all about.

“Today was a nice day to get out early,” Duprey said at Riverside Park in Laurel Sunday.

Duprey and Strozzi thought they would beat the heat by going early morning fishing on the Yellowstone River.

“The fishing was good today, but the catching was terrible,” joked Strozzi.

Alina Hauter/MTN News

All kidding aside, it’s not Strozzi’s fishing skills that make getting a bite difficult. High summer temperatures, along with low water flows, have prompted Montana FWP to impose owl restrictions on 17 rivers in the state.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a July this hot and dry with 100-plus degree days, you know,” Strozzi said.

Fishing is prohibited in certain parts of those 17 rivers from 2pm to midnight.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Duprey added.

These restrictions are in place to protect fish in the state’s rivers.

Trout Unlimited

“It’s stress. It’s stress for them and you release them back into a warm water and it stresses them out even more,” Duprey said.

Water temperatures of 77 degrees or higher can kill trout.

“You catch fish in the afternoon when it’s closed. There is not enough oxygen in the water and most of them rise and die. So, yes, I agree,” Strozzi said.

It’s a rule that both Duprey and Strozzi are happy to follow, even if it means getting up a little earlier to go fishing.

“It’s incredibly important. If you favor wildlife in any way, fish are wildlife. And they’re something we have to protect,” Duprey said.