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Bighorn Lake and Afterbay Reservoir
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Bighorn Lake and Afterbay Reservoir, as the state words them
Big Horn County · Lake · MT
Has its own special rules
How to read this page:Official text quoted regulationParsed fields from the ruleDerived calculated from rulesContext conditions, not a ruleAdvice our suggestion
Today's rule hereParsed
- Season
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Gear
- 2 lines with 2 hooks per line on open water and 6 lines with 1 hook per line through the ice.This water
- Bait
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Poles
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Brook Trout Varies by water: limit 10 daily and in possession. (Eastern District) | 20 daily and in possession. | - | Statewide |
Lake Trout Varies by water: limit 20 daily and 40 in possession. (Western District); limit 3 daily and 6 in possession. (Eastern District) | 3 daily and in possession. | - | Statewide |
Bass | 10 daily and 20 in possession. | - | This water |
Burbot (ling) | 3 daily and in possession. | - | This water |
Channel catfish | 6 daily and in possession. | - | This water |
Crappie Varies by water: limit No limit. (Western District) | 15 daily and 30 in possession. | - | Statewide |
Northern Pike Varies by water: limit 15 daily, no possession limit. (Western District); limit 15 daily and in possession. (Western Fishing District standard limits) | 10 daily and in possession. | - | Statewide |
Pallid Sturgeon Varies by water: limit None - this is an endangered species and all fish must be released promptly, with little or no delay. (Eastern District, all waters) | None - this is an endangered species and all fish must be released immediately. | - | Statewide |
Salmon (Kokanee & Chinook) Varies by water: limit 5 daily and 10 in possession. (Eastern District) | 10 daily and in possession. | - | Statewide |
Shovelnose sturgeon | 2 daily and in possession. | - | This water |
Tiger Muskie | 1 daily and in possession, must be over 40 inches. | min. must be over 40 inches | Statewide |
Whitefish | 20 daily and 40 in possession. | - | Statewide |
Cutthroat Trout Varies by water: noneover 12 inches, limit 3 daily and in possession, noneover 12 inches. (Western District, rivers/streams); No size limit. (Western Fishing District standard limits, lakes/reservoirs); None over 12 inches., limit 3 daily and in possession, none over 12 inches. (Western Fishing District standard limits, rivers/streams) | 3 daily and in possession, no sizelimit. | min. no sizelimit | Statewide |
Largemouth Bass Varies by water: Only 1 greater than 12 inches., limit 5 daily and in possession, only 1 greater than 12 inches. (Western Fishing District standard limits); Must be over 22 inches., limit 1 daily and in possession, must be over 22 inches. (Western Fishing District standard limits) | 5 daily and in possession, only 1 greater than 12inches. | min. only 1 greater than 12inches | Statewide |
Smallmouth Bass Varies by water: No size limit all year. (Western Fishing District standard limits) | 15 daily and in possession, no size limit all year. | min. no size limit all year | Statewide |
Kokanee Salmon | 20 daily and 40 in possession. | - | Statewide |
Sturgeon | 0 - All waters are closed to angling for sturgeon. | - | Statewide |
Paddlefish | 1 per season and in possession. | - | Statewide |
Shortnose Gar | 3 per season and in possession. | - | Statewide |
Sauger/walleye | 6 daily (only 3 may be sauger) and 12 in possession (only 3 may be sauger). | - | This water |
The official text, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from MT's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
Whole water
- All fishBait Live bait fish may not be imported into Montana, except by permit for use in Bighorn Lake and Afterbay Reservoir.
- All fishBait Bait fish collected in the Bighorn River drainage of Wyoming may be imported under a permit issued by FWP for use only in Bighorn Lake.For a permit, contact the FWP Fisheries Division at 2300 Lake Elmo Drive, Billings, MT 59105 or call (406) 247-2940.
- All fishBait The non-game fish species listed above may be used as live fish bait only in the following waters
- BassDaily limit 10 daily and 20 in possession.
- Shovelnose sturgeonDaily limit 2 daily and in possession.
- Sauger/walleyeDaily limit 6 daily (only 3 may be sauger) and 12 in possession (only 3 may be sauger).
- Channel catfishDaily limit 6 daily and in possession.
- Burbot (ling)Daily limit 3 daily and in possession.
- All fishGear 2 lines with 2 hooks per line on open water and 6 lines with 1 hook per line through the ice.
- All fishBait Anglers obtaining live bait fish in Montana may use them only in the Montana portion of the lake.
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide lake rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this rule applies
This water is not yet drawn on the map. Its rules are captured and receipted; the geometry ledger records exactly why it is not drawn (an ambiguous name match or a gap in the source data), and it will never ship as a guess. Each rule above describes in the state's own words where it applies, and those written descriptions are the authoritative boundaries.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Bighorn Lake and Afterbay Reservoir's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
You also need (Montana)
- AIS Prevention Pass. Montana's extra mandatory item is not a trout stamp but an Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Pass. Every angler 16 and older must have one; anglers under 16 do not.
- Tribal permits on reservation waters. A Montana state license is not enough on some major waters. Waters inside the Flathead Reservation (which includes the southern half of Flathead Lake) and inside the Fort Peck Reservation require a separate tribal permit. The Bighorn River inside the Crow Reservation is the opposite case: the state license works and no tribal permit is needed.
- Free fishing weekends. Montana has two free fishing weekends a year, Mother's Day and Father's Day weekends, which in 2026 are May 9-10 and June 20-21. Anyone, resident or nonresident, can fish without a license on those days as long as they follow seasons, restrictions and bag limits. Paddlefish and bull trout are excluded and still require the full license set.
- Carry rule and license year. You have to have the fishing license on you while fishing, and a copy on your phone counts. The license year runs March 1 through the end of February, so a season license bought in the fall does not carry through the following summer.
Checked against Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks - 2026 Montana Fishing Regulations (official FWP digest) on Aug. 4, 2026.
Receipts
Statewide rules
StatewideChecked against this official source on July 12, 2026.
Special rules - Bighorn Lake and Afterbay Reservoir
This waterChecked against this official source on July 12, 2026.
Local services near Bighorn Lake and Afterbay Reservoir
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on Bighorn Lake and Afterbay Reservoir? Get listed.