BOZEMAN – Fisheries staff with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will tag trout in the upper Madison River during annual sampling this month. Staff continue to monitor water temperatures and flow levels to ensure they are adequate for safe sampling and handling of fish.

The fish tagging is a continuation of studies looking at trout recruitment, health and adult mortality in the upper Missouri River Basin. A combined sum of about 8,000 trout were also tagged on the Big Hole, Beaverhead, Ruby and lower Madison rivers this spring. So far, anglers have reported catching more than 1,000 of them.

Anglers who report catching tagged fish are helping biologists study and better understand trout population declines in parts of the basin. As these reports and encounters with tagged fish during long-term monitoring efforts continue, fish managers can use angling and annual sampling as ways to measure how environmental factors like flows and water temperatures are affecting fish populations by species, age class, waterbody and time of year. FWP staff will continue to tag trout in these rivers for at least the next two years.

In addition to helping fish, anglers who report catching tagged fish can be eligible for rewards. Yellow tags are each worth $100, and blue tags are entered into drawings for prizes. So far, Montana Trout Unlimited has held several drawings to give away artwork, fly boxes with hand-tied flies, a guided fishing trip on the Madison River, and other fishing equipment.

At the end of the year, all anglers who submitted reports of blue tags will be entered into a grand-prize drawing, even if they’ve been drawn before.

Each tag has a unique number and is attached to the fish near the dorsal fin. Anglers should use clippers to remove the tag from the fish as close to the skin as possible while minimizing handling time and exposure to air for the fish, then submit a report online for each tagged fish they catch. Click here to submit a report.

Anglers should continue to abide by seasonal closures and restrictions that may be in effect for these waterbodies.

River recreation surveys

Anglers and other river users may also see surveys about recreational use. These surveys are conducted in person by creel clerks, as well as through survey cards left at vehicles at fishing access sites. The surveys are used to better understand all recreational use on rivers. 

Survey respondents are also included in the prize drawings mentioned above.

“We appreciate the public’s overwhelming support in these efforts,” said Mike Duncan, FWP’s fisheries program manager in southwestern Montana. “Participation from the public continues to play a critical role in studying and managing these resources.”

To learn more about fish research and management in the upper Missouri River Basin, click here.