FWP Survey Shows Fishing License Sales Remain Strong While The Number Of Days Spent Angling Is Down

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Consecutive years of drought may help explain why Montana fishing license sales remain strong, while days spent angling are down, said Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials.

Anglers spent 2.7 million days fishing in Montana in 2003, down from an all time high in 1999 of 3.18 million days. In 2003, 37,218 more licenses were sold than in 1999.

"The continuing drought, including voluntary and involuntary fishing restrictions, is one likely reason for a decline, though there may be others as well," said Ken McDonald, FWP fisheries division management bureau chief. "Resident angling days have gradually declined over the past several years, while nonresident angling days dropped notably in 2001 and then rebounded."  

The survey shows nonresidents reported 800,723 angler days or 29.2 percent of the angling pressure in 2003. Residents accounted for 70.8 percent of the total angling pressure.   

In total, 227,562 residents and 200,647 nonresidents held Montana fishing licenses in 2003.  

Montana’s biannual angling surveys are funded in part by the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program and are conducted by FWP. The first survey was done in 1958, when 1.42 million angler days were recorded. An "angler day" is one angler fishing one body of water for any length of time in a given day.  

Nearly 80 percent of the angling in 2003 was for cold water species such as rainbow trout and about 20 percent was for warm water species such as walleye or bass.  

July continues to see the most angling action with 539,401 angler days, or 19.7 percent of the year’s activity. June and August each saw 16.2 percent of the total year’s angling pressure. Only 2 percent the year’s angling occurred in November.   

Most fishing activity, ove r 29 percent, took place in FWP Region 3 in south central Montana, including waters near Livingston, Bozeman, Dillon, Helena, and Butte. Waters most heavily fished in FWP Region 3 included the Madison River, Canyon Ferry Reservoir, the Upper Yellowstone River, Hebgen Reservoir, the Gallatin River and the Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers.  

About 15 percent of the angling in 2003, or 424,703 angler days, occurred in the rivers and reservoirs of the Upper Yellowstone River drainage upstream of and including the Big Horn River. The least angling occurred in the Little Missouri River drainage in the far southeastern part of the state.  

River crowding was also measured by the survey. The 10 most crowded waters, based on the estimated number of recreationists anglers saw while fishing, are: the Bighorn River from the afterbay down to the Bighorn Fishing Access Site; the Missouri River from Holter Reservoir to Cascade; Tongue River Reservoir; Cooney Reservoir; Holter Lake; the Beaverhead River; the Madison River from Ennis Reservoir to Quake Lake; Seeley Lake; the Clark Fork River from the headwaters down to the Little Blackfoot River; and the the Big Hole River from Divide down to the mouth.  

The 10 waters where anglers said they had the most satisfying experiences in 2003 are: Armstrong Spring Creek near Livingston; Rock Creek from the headwaters to Hogback Creek near Missoula; the West Fork of the Bitterroot River; the South Fork of the Flathead River; the Bighorn River from Afterbay to the Bighorn FAS; Frank Lake in Lincoln County; the East Gallatin River; the Beaverhead River; the Clark Fork River from the headwaters to the Little Blackfoot River and the Ruby River from the headwaters to Ruby Reservoir.  

Montana’s Statewide Angling Pressure Survey is a survey mailed to a statistically random sample of resident and nonresident licensed anglers.