Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has proposed closing the East Gallatin River to fishing from boats, a move that has divided the angling community into two camps: those who fish from boats and are upset, and those who fish from the bank and are quietly thrilled but trying not to show it.

The proposal, part of a broader angling management plan currently out for public comment, cites concerns about riverbank erosion, habitat disruption, and what the agency diplomatically describes as “user conflict,” which is the official term for two people who want to fish the same hole and only one of them has a $7,000 drift boat.

“This river isn’t built for boat traffic,” said FWP fisheries biologist Karen Stoltz. “It’s narrow, it’s shallow in places, and the riparian areas are fragile. We’re trying to protect the resource.”

Wade fisherman Pete Caldwell, 58, who has fished the East Gallatin on foot since 1994, received the news with the composed satisfaction of a man who has been waiting thirty years for vindication. “I’m not celebrating,” he said, while visibly celebrating. “I just think it makes sense from a conservation standpoint.”

Drift boat guide Hank Yarbrough, who runs a seasonal operation out of Four Corners, said the closure would cost him roughly a third of his summer bookings. “The East Gallatin is my bread and butter,” he said. “Where am I supposed to take clients? The Madison is a zoo. The Gallatin is shoulder-to-shoulder. The Yellowstone is an hour away. The math doesn’t work.”

The public comment period runs through June 15, after which FWP will review input and make a final decision. Based on previous public comment periods for fisheries management, the agency can expect to receive approximately 400 passionate letters, 200 of which will reference constitutional rights, and 12 of which will include hand-drawn maps.

The fish themselves were unavailable for comment, though a brown trout near the Springhill Road bridge was observed rising to a size-16 caddis with what sources described as “complete disregard for the regulatory process.”