Montana Stream Access

Thanks to Facebook, I became aware yesterday of a plan gaining fast momentum to rewrite Montana's stream access laws. Republican representative Jeff Welborn, of Dillon, has put forth a bill that would revamp the stream access law in Montana to "make any waterway that receives water diverted from a natural stream off limits to public recreation". Essentially, any water body that gets water diverted into it would be off limits to anglers. Apparently, the way that bill HB 309 is written, the entire Bitteroot River would be reclassified as a "ditch", IE, illegal to access. Many landowners in Montana complain of anglers abusing irrigation ditches, which they cannot legally fish. Welborn says that the bill is only a remedy to a recent Montana Supreme Court ruling on the Mitchell Slough, which was ruled to be a sidechannel of the Bitteroot, and not a ditch. Montana has always had very generous stream access laws that have favored both anglers and landowners; it would be a shame to see this change. Bruce Farling, the Montana Trout Unlimited Director, has said that "The measure is a sneaky attempt to undermine Montana's stream access law that guarantees the public the right to get to streams and rivers." The issue is on the way to the Montana Senate as I write. Whether you are a Montana resident or not, click here to send your comments: Tell the Montana Legislature



Also, check out this article from the Montana Standard to learn a little more:Montana Standard



I'll certainly be paying close attention to this over the next few days. The access laws in Big Sky country make it possible for myself and many others to experience some truly magnificent places and fishing. Stay tuned. Here's a couple of nice shots of accessing some fine Montana water and releasing its resource.