GREAT FALLS – Recent cooler temperatures will allow the hoot-owl fishing restriction to be lifted Tuesday, Sept. 10, on the Sun River from the mouth of Muddy Creek to the Highway 287 bridge.

Hoot-owl restrictions have been in place since July 10 and are designed to protect fish that become more susceptible to disease and mortality when low flows and high water temperatures combine with other stressors, including catch-and-release fishing.

Anglers can reduce stress on fish at all times of the year by getting fish to the net or in hand quickly, keeping them in the water, and reviving them prior to releasing them back into the river.

For a list of current drought-related fishing restrictions and closures, click: fwp.mt.gov/news/current-closures-restrictions/waterbody-closures