HELENA – If you are interested in angling in Montana, your input is needed to help craft new fishing regulations for the next two years.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public input on 41 preliminary fishing regulation proposals for the 2027–2028 fishing regulations. FWP is also interested in hearing from anglers on additional ideas for regulation changes.
"We hear from anglers all the time about regulations. We use this ongoing input to help jump start this process. The purpose of this scoping period is to get feedback on our ideas, as well as to hear about any new ideas anglers might have for regulations changes," said Adam Strainer, FWP fisheries division administrator.
FWP will host public meetings in each region to present the 2027–2028 fishing regulation proposals, answer questions, and collect input. Meeting details listed in the scoping document include:
| Region | Date | Location |
| 1 | May 14, 5:30 p.m. | Kalispell, 490 North Meridian Road |
| 2 | May 21, 6:30 p.m. | Missoula, 3201 Spurgin Road |
| 3 | May 19, 6 p.m. | Bozeman, 1400 South 19th Street |
| 4 | May 13, 6 p.m. | Great Falls, 4600 Giant Springs Road |
| 5 | May 11, 6 p.m. | Billings, 510 North Broadway |
| 6 | May 6, 6 p.m. | Glasgow, 1 Airport Road |
| 7 | May 7, 6 p.m. | Miles City, 352 I-94 Business Loop |
| Statewide Virtual Meetings | May 26, 12 p.m. May 26, 6 p.m. | (link provided on website) |
FWP uses a two-year cycle for fishing regulations and booklets are printed on odd-numbered years. In the interim, changes will be posted online and shared via other outreach like FWP newsletters and social media.
Public input from this initial round of public meetings and comment will be used to develop a regulation proposal package for the Fish and Wildlife Commission. This proposal package will go out for public comment in August before going to the Commission for final consideration at its fall 2026 meeting.
Proposals
Each of the 41 proposals include information on biological rationale, regulation type, and references to the Statewide Fisheries Management Plan.
Proposals include changes to statewide and district standard regulations, as well as site-specific regulations in the Western, Central, and Eastern fishing districts. These include clarifying definitions of hook, live bait and artificial bait; adjusting smallmouth bass harvest limits in the Central and Eastern districts; modifying live fish transportation rules in the Eastern District; and refining harvest limits, seasons and gear or bait restrictions on specific rivers, creeks, reservoirs and ponds.
The preliminary proposals are grounded in the Statewide Fisheries Management Plan, which calls for regulations that are effective but as simple as possible to support public understanding and angler compliance. Many of the proposed changes aim to reduce confusion by clarifying definitions, aligning district standards and reducing the need for numerous waterbody-specific exceptions.
The public will also see several proposals focused on conserving native and wild trout by liberalizing harvest on non-native predators in key areas and by seasonally protecting important spawning and rearing habitats.
How to comment
The full set of preliminary proposals are available online, where people can also easily comment. Comments on individual proposals, as well as new regulation ideas from the public, can be submitted through the FWP website, or by mail to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620. Comments for this initial scoping effort will be collected through May.
Process
Regulations are set by the Fish and Wildlife Commission, which is a seven-member board appointed by Gov. Greg Gianforte and independent from FWP. The commissioners will review public comments and feedback and, prior to the final meeting in the fall, propose any amendments they feel are necessary. Commissioners may also make changes to the regulation proposals during the final meeting.