Catch and Release Fly Fishing in Montana

Catch and Release Fly Fishing in MT

Fly fishing around the Bozeman, Montana area is a great way to connect with nature; a way to experience and explore the rivers and streams, bug life, riparian areas, and of course, the fish. As anglers, it is our duty to help contribute to the conservation and health of each fishery and allow nature to continue doing what it does best.

For some anglers visiting Montana, the concept of catch-and-release fishing is foreign. Around the country, many fishermen keep the fish they catch to put on the dinner table later, and this is possible in some areas of Montana.

We practice catch-and-release fishing to ensure sustainable fisheries into the future. The rivers and streams of Montana are managed as wild trout fisheries, meaning that these populations are naturally self-sustained.

Although hatcheries are present in Montana, the fish reared in these facilities are stocked into lakes and reservoirs where populations cannot sustain themselves through natural reproduction.

The primary fish we are after (rainbow, brown, and cutthroat) are all considered sportfish, and catching them is a beloved pastime. One way to ensure healthy populations endure is to practice catch-and-release fishing.

Rely on these best practices tips from our Bozeman fly fishing guides for successful catch and release fly fishing in Montana.

Catch-and-release tips:

1. Choose the right gear. Our guides will help with this, but the right weight rod for the fly, fish, and stream size will help ensure the fish is landed quickly and effectively.
   1. Make sure your terminal tackle (i.e. tippet and/or leader) is strong enough to quickly reel in your catch. This is especially critical as water temperatures warm throughout the summer and early fall.
   2. Be sure to use a rubber-bagged net to reduce harm to the fish’s protective coating, eyes, gills, and scales.
   3. Ensure all hooks are debarbed to make hook removal quick. This also helps remove the hook from you, should you get hooked. A dehooking tool can also be helpful to quickly release a fish.
2. Handle with care. Our guides are experts at helping land and release fish, but they’ll ensure any contact with the fish is minimal and uses proper techniques.
   1. Confirm your hands are dripping wet when touching or holding a fish.
   2. Avoid touching any fish’s eyes or gills.
   3. Support the full weight of the fish by placing one hand under its belly. Never suspend a fish by its lips or mouth.
   4. Minimize air exposure time to 10-20 seconds. If you’d like a picture of your catch, wait until the photographer is ready with the fish in the net in the water, then grasp it gently with one hand around the wrist of the tail (just in front of the tail) and one hand under the belly, lift it, smile, and put the fish back in the water.
   5. If the hook can’t be removed because the fish swallowed it, cut the line as close to the hook as possible so the fish can eventually work the hook out of its body.
   6. Resuscitate a sluggish fish by facing it upstream into the current until it begins to recover and swims away on its own.

With more and more anglers on our Montana waters, it is imperative to return the fish we catch to the waters to sustain the sporting traditions of fishing. Montana’s fish face numerous challenges, but by adopting conservation-minded practices, anglers can make a big difference.

At Fins and Feathers Guide Service, we work closely with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and organizations like Trout Unlimited to keep our rivers and fisheries healthy, and one major way to help is to practice responsible catch-and-release fishing. It will help us preserve Montana’s world-class trout fisheries and make your fishing adventure that much better.

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