Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is asking for public comment on a proposal that would bar fishing from boats on the East Gallatin River, a low-flow tributary northwest of Bozeman that many anglers typically fish on foot. The agency’s draft regulation is included in Montana’s 2027-2028 fishing rules now open for comment, and it would effectively shift recreational access toward wade fishing on a river that has drawn anglers seeking quieter water than Montana’s more heavily used mainstems.
FWP Region 3 Fish Manager Mike Duncan told Montana Free Press that the proposal is driven by the river conditions expected ahead, including shrinking streamflows and warming temperatures. He said anglers are increasingly “getting more creative” about how they access smaller streams, and he pointed to frustrations the agency hears on larger rivers such as the Lower Madison and Yellowstone. In that context, Duncan said the agency wants to open a public discussion about whether a boat-fishing restriction would be “worth getting ahead of,” especially if more anglers begin floating the East Gallatin.
Duncan said the East Gallatin provides spawning habitat for fish that travel from larger mainstem rivers north and west. He said while the Gallatin system has generally maintained a robust trout population, area biologists are seeing indications that numbers are starting to slip, including fewer “bigger, adult fish” than anglers and managers previously expected. He argued the change aligns with a broader effort to reduce pressure on tributaries that can have an outsized effect on mainstem fisheries, saying the agency aims to “try to get ahead” of any additional use that could further impact the river.
The agency also linked the proposal to hydrology and topography along the East Gallatin. Duncan said the restriction is intended to preserve the most popular angling style on the river—wade fishing—while minimizing harm to spawning habitat that could occur when boats are dragged across exposed gravel bars during very low flows. He said that kind of egg-trampling risk is less pronounced for anglers fishing from the bank because they can move alongside exposed gravel rather than crossing it with boats.
Not everyone is convinced the boat-access restriction should be the agency’s priority. Alex Leone, executive director of Public Land Water Association, said the state should provide more data supporting the change, arguing that boat traffic is modest and that the window to float the East Gallatin can be short. Leone said the agency’s focus on spawning and resource concerns did not address what he described as a more central issue—water quality—arguing that nutrient pollution poses a larger threat to the river’s slumping brown trout population.
Leone said other actions could better address those threats, including limiting nutrient pollution. Guy Alsentzer, executive director of Upper Missouri Waterkeeper, similarly argued that Montana should reduce sedimentation and nutrient pollution before restricting public access to boat fishing across the entire East Gallatin. He said the criticism is rooted in the fact that multiple parts of government have identified serious pollution problems in primary pollutants that can affect wild trout recruitment, and he called the access restriction “very myopic.”
Alsentzer also urged coordination among agencies managing water quantity, water quality, and fish management, including creating a cold-water fisheries task force. He said nitrogen pollution—attributed to sources such as wastewater, septic systems, and fertilizer runoff—can contribute to algal blooms that reduce oxygen in aquatic systems, and he said such drivers should be addressed before access limits.
Some anglers said they were generally receptive to the regulatory concept when it is grounded in science, while still seeking clarity. Clayton Elliott, Trout Unlimited’s conservation and government affairs director, said he is “generally supportive” of targeted spawning closures grounded in science and noted that the mainstem Gallatin and the Upper Madison are already closed to fishing from boats to prioritize wade fishing and reduce conflicts. Elliott said he has not yet seen how the agency’s stated tool is paired with the specific resource concern and said he wants to talk with the department to understand the rationale.
Elliott said the department is hosting a public meeting in Bozeman on May 19, where it will take public input on the proposed regulation changes. He said he expects “a pretty robust conversation” and also noted that some people have speculated about why the proposal is being advanced. Elliott referenced concerns he has heard from others that the change could be connected to where the governor lives.
The proposal arrives amid a sensitivity around access and local politics. The AP story said Gov. Greg Gianforte owns property on the East Gallatin River, and it recalled that in 2009 he disputed with FWP the location of an easement anglers used to access the river near Cherry Creek. It said the dispute resurfaced during Gianforte’s 2016 run for governor against Democrat Steve Bullock, with access groups using the conflict to describe Gianforte as anti-public access, a characterization Gianforte has resisted.
Bozeman resident Pat Straub said the change is suspicious in part because it was rolled into the regulations the way it was—nested under an “East Gallatin River Pike Harvest” proposal. Straub said the East Gallatin is a “very unique fishery,” that legal access can be difficult, and that limiting the ability to float and fish the river would amount to cutting off access.
Duncan said none of the proposals included in the 2027-2028 regulations came from landowners, and he described the package as an early iteration. He said the department’s process includes additional opportunities for public comment before the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts a final package later this year, and he said the agency is open to hearing concerns during the comment period. The full set of regulations spans 89 pages, and the initial public comment period is open through May 31.