Fishing on The Bozeman Daily Bee

PFAS Found in Montana Fish; State Advises Moderation, Fish Advise Relocation

Sat, 02 May 2026 15:00:00 -0600

Montana’s Department of Environmental Quality and Fish, Wildlife & Parks jointly released updated PFAS advisories this week recommending that anglers limit consumption of fish from certain waterbodies, a development that has anglers grappling with an unfamiliar question: what if catching fish was the easy part?

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — sometimes called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment, much like the political opinions of anyone who has lived in Montana for more than ten years — were detected at elevated levels in fish tissue samples from multiple locations across the state.

East Gallatin May Close to Boat Fishing; Fish Reportedly Indifferent

Sat, 02 May 2026 09:30:00 -0600

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.