We’re late to the discussion table on this one (not in any way to suggest it’s not vitally important), though it’s worth throwing out there one more time today.
The Issue: Madison River Reg Changes (Proposed)
Some weeks ago, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks published a 59 page list of proposed fishing regulation changes for 2016; included in that document was a list of proposed changes for the Madison River (page 44).
The issues raised by the proposed changes on the Madison have been hashed and rehashed by several folks much more articulate and intelligent that our team. Here are several links to help flesh out the reg changes and the issues related to said changes that we’ve found most helpful.
Download the Proposed 2016 Fishing Reg Changes here.
Download the Madison River Proposal – Clarification here.
Read Joe Moore’s (Big Sky Anglers) excellent summary here.
The Real Issue: Recover Hebgen Outflows, Then Change the Regs
It’s damned hard to believe that the outflows from Hebgen have been ‘broken’ since 2008; there’s been a lot of ink spilt and pixels posted about the issues with Hebgen dam(n) and the seemingly endless delays in rebuilding part of the aging structure.
Drawing water off the surface of Hebgen has warmed the Madison River by as much as 10 degrees, altering the ecosystem significantly in a very short (relative) time. Insect populations in particular have been impacted, and trout have been clearly more stressed during the highest temperature and lowest flow seasons. This fall when (hopefully) outflows will once again be drawn from mid-lake levels (somewhere in the 30-37 foot depth range), temperatures will cool in the river and begin to induce changes downstream in the system.
We heartily agree with those saying that it’s simply counterintuitive to launch impressive regulation changes until the river system has had a period (call it two years as a nice round number) to revert back to its historical norm in terms of temps and flows.
Other Issues of Note
Historically sections of the Madison have been closed from March 1 to the 3rd Saturday in May for the spawn; we’ve yet to read a single argument that meaningfully counters leaving that rest period for the river in place.
As to the changes allowing anglers to keep 1 fish per day from the entire river, we agree with Craig Matthews and others that there are plenty of places to go and harvest dinner if that’s what floats your boat that day. Catch and release mortality duly noted, the Madison should remain a C&R fishery from where we sit.
Your Comments Count
The comment period on the proposed regulation changes has been extended to 3 October – click through here to the comment page and fire away.
The Madison needs your input.
