Blackfoot River and tributaries
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Blackfoot River and tributaries, mainstem and all tributaries except the Clearwater River, during the General Season, as the state words them
Missoula County · River · MT
- [Closure] Blackfoot River7/15/26
Synced hourly from Montana FWP's live closures & restrictions data. Open the restrictions page for exact boundaries and dates.
Today's rule hereParsed
- Season
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Gear
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- 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 | 5 daily and in possession. | - | Statewide |
Burbot (Ling) Varies by water: limit 2 daily and in possession. (Western District) | 5 daily and in possession. | - | Statewide |
Channel Catfish Varies by water: limit 10 daily and 20 in possession. (Eastern District) | 10 daily and in possession. | - | Statewide |
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 |
Sauger/Walleye Varies by water: limit 5 daily and 10 in possession. (Eastern District) | 5 daily, only 2 may be sauger. Possession limit is 10, only 4 may be sauger. | - | Statewide |
Shovelnose Sturgeon | 5 daily and in possession, none over 40 inches. | min. none over 40 inches | Statewide |
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 |
Combined trout See Clearwater River Drainage for exception. | 3 daily and in possession | min. Only 1 Rainbow Trout over 14 inches long, any size Brown Trout. | 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.
- Cutthroat TroutThird Saturday in May through November 30Catch-and-release.
- Combined troutDaily limit 3 daily and in possessionSize Only 1 Rainbow Trout over 14 inches long, any size Brown Trout.See Clearwater River Drainage for exception.
- All fishGear Artificial lures only within 100-yard radius of the mouths of Belmont Creek, Copper Creek, Gold Creek, Monture Creek and North Fork Blackfoot River.
- All fishGear Artificial lures and/or maggots only. All other live/dead bait prohibited.Bait Artificial lures and/or maggots only. All other live/dead bait prohibited.
- Brook TroutCatch-and-release. This regulation is a result of Bull Trout being misidentified and harvested as Brook Trout. Brook Trout are very rare in this section of river whereas Bull Trout are common.
- Mountain Whitefish, troutDecember 1 to third Saturday in May (out of season today)Extended season for Mountain Whitefish and catch-and-release for trout open December 1 to third Saturday in May. Tributaries are closed to fishing during the extended season.
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river 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 stretch begins and ends
The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.
Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.
Season at a glanceDerived
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 332 cfs at blackfoot r ab nevada cr nr helmville mt (2026-07-29 01:45)
Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Blackfoot River and tributaries'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.
Receipts
Local services near Blackfoot River and tributaries
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 Blackfoot River and tributaries? Get listed.