ESPN Flyfishing Contest Proposed For Spring 2003

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ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games is proposing a fly-fishing competition in the Missoula area April 8-10, contingent on the approval of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.   FWP’s fisheries division is seeking public comment on the proposed contest through Feb. 7.  

The contest will require a waiver because Montana’s fishing contest rules prohibit contests that impact wild trout.   Most rivers in Montana contain wild trout and are not stocked with hatchery fish. FWP would consider granting the waiver, depending on public comment.

The top three competitors from the Missoula-area contest would earn cash prizes from $200-$500 and invitations to the 2003 Great Outdoor Games in Nevada later this year.

The competition would be for the biggest fish caught in three hours of fishing on an assigned stretch of river in the Missoula area.   A maximum of 18 anglers would participate. All fish would be released, including the one measured for the contest.

FWP fisheries biologists say the contest proposed by ESPN will have little impact on the resource and recreational users because:

contest will have a maximum of 18 contestants; contest will be held mid-week to reduce conflicts; each contestant will be assigned a different stretch of water to fish and only nine contestants will be on the water at any time; each contestant will have a maximum of three hours to be on the water and fishing; contest is entirely catch-and-release and taking place during the early spring when the water is cool and when minimal fish mortality would be expected. Applications for fishing contests may be approved, approved with special conditions, or denied by FWP. The public is encouraged to comment on this or any of the other contests proposed for the 2003 open water-fishing season.  

See the FWP web site at www.fwp.state.mt.us for a complete list of proposed open water contests in 2003. Comments may be sent to FWP Fisheries Division, PO Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620 or emailed to kzackheim@state.mt.us .