Forrest Jay, the new president of the Butte-area George Grant Chapter of Trout Unlimited and a freelance guide who sometimes works for Jones, said his chapter feels the same way as Jones.
“There’s not a lot of wading pressure in the spring,” Jay said. “There’s actually not a lot of pressure at all. Usually, it’s mostly float pressure. So closing in spring would really cause a detrimental effect on sportsmen and outfitters, and users and supporters of the river. They haven’t really made the case on why it really is truly necessary.”
A brown trout caught on the Beaverhead River last week.
Other ideas
Speaking on behalf of his chapter, Jay recommended closing sections or even the full length of the Big Hole from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31.
Mike Bias, executive director of the Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana, said his organization also supports closures during the Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 time frame, but at this point only on specific spawning sections rather than whole rivers.
“Although browns do spawn throughout that system,” he said of the Big Hole. “And they’re primarily main stem spawners. But boy, that would have a big effect, not just on outfitters, but on anglers, because there are anglers that specifically target coming to Montana in the fall to fish.”
Bias said the organization also supports catch and release and went a step further to recommend bait fishing be prohibited, and only single hooks be allowed on each fly or lure. This would prohibit treble, or triple hooks, which are commonly used on lures, and fly-fishing streamers containing multiple hooks.
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