Montana adopts the 2027–28 fishing rules and a Flathead brown-trout kill order

The vote is in, and it is a 2027 rule, not a change for this weekend. The Flathead Beacon reported that the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission voted Oct. 14, 2026, to approve 44 changes to the fishing regulations and a catch-and-kill order for brown trout in the Flathead drainage. The Daily Inter Lake, in a story dated Oct. 17, said the new regulations go into effect in 2027. This is the outcome of the package the desk already summarized as a proposal. It is not a reprint of that proposal.

The Beacon says the commission voted unanimously to adopt the 2027–28 regulations after two amendments passed. One, from Region 1 Commissioner Ian Wargo, moves the regulation boundary between Hungry Horse Reservoir and the South Fork Flathead River to Peters Creek Campground, prohibits live and dead bait in that South Fork section, and extends the bull-trout catch-and-release season so it starts the third Saturday in May. The commission rejected his try to keep the current kokanee limits on Little Bitterroot Lake and his try to change hook and bait rules on the Flathead River. He withdrew a broader Flathead Lake lake-trout amendment. Commissioner Vern Gagnon’s amendment removed a proposal to reduce the number of setlines on the Yellowstone between the I-90 bridge in Billings and the mouth of the Bighorn. A last-minute Madison River amendment from Commissioner K.C. Walsh failed.

On Flathead Lake, the Daily Inter Lake says daily harvest limits for smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, and northern pike will be lifted. It reports the current daily limits as five rainbow trout, 15 northern pike, and 15 smallmouth bass, and says state managers do not expect many anglers to have been hitting those caps. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes already waive limits for those three species on the south end of the lake. Daily harvest limits stay in place for rainbow trout and smallmouth bass on most other western-district waters, but possession limits for both species go away. Little Bitterroot Lake’s kokanee daily limit drops from 20 to 10. The Inter Lake quotes the fisheries division administrator calling that a conservative move so the lake can serve as a kokanee brood source if Lake Mary Ronan, where northern pike have shown up and fall water has been warmer, cannot supply the eggs.

The brown-trout order also passed unanimously and will be printed in the 2027–28 regulations, the Beacon reports. The rationale it quotes says Fish, Wildlife & Parks has had reports of brown trout in Ashley Lake, the Flathead River, and Church Slough over the past two years, tied to illegal introductions. Anglers would have to immediately kill and report any brown trout caught in Flathead Lake or in waters upstream. Gagnon’s floor amendment, which passed, lets an angler either deliver the whole fish to the department or contact staff to arrange a handoff, rather than making the angler solely responsible for hauling the carcass to an office.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Flathead Beacon — Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission Adopts New Fishing Rules, Orders Anglers to Kill Flathead Brown Trout (Jules Lingenfelter, Oct. 15, 2026). Also: Daily Inter Lake via Hagadone News Network — New Montana fishing regs expand angling for non-native fish (Hailey Smalley, Oct. 17, 2026).