08-20-2008, 11:10 AM
The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission has lifted fishing creel limits on Lower Big Hawk Lake, in the South Fork Flathead River drainage, to allow licensed anglers unrestricted harvest of cutthroat trout from the lake through Sept. 20. This lake is located at Township 27 N, Range 18 W and sections 14 and 15. It is also called Big Hawk Lake on the Flathead National Forest map and has two lobes, both of which qualify for unrestricted angling.
The regulation change allows anglers to catch and keep as many of the cutthroat trout in the lake as possible before it is treated with a fish toxicant this fall to remove nonnative and hybrid fish.
The treatment is part of a larger program to remove nonnative trout from a number of lakes to maintain genetic purity of westslope cutthroat in the South Fork Flathead drainage, one of their strongholds in Montana.
Lower Big Hawk Lake currently has populations of westslope and Yellowstone cutthroat hybrid trout. The goal is to repopulate the lake with native, pure westslope cutthroat trout.
There may be additional proposals to lift regulations on other South Fork lakes slated for treatment with fish toxicants through the usual rule setting process, including a 30-day public comment period after meeting with citizen advisory groups.
For more on the South Fork Project, go to the FWP Region 1 web site at http://fwp.mt.gov/r1/default.html For online fishing regulations go to the FWP web page at http://fwp.mt.gov/fishing/regulations/default.html
The regulation change allows anglers to catch and keep as many of the cutthroat trout in the lake as possible before it is treated with a fish toxicant this fall to remove nonnative and hybrid fish.
The treatment is part of a larger program to remove nonnative trout from a number of lakes to maintain genetic purity of westslope cutthroat in the South Fork Flathead drainage, one of their strongholds in Montana.
Lower Big Hawk Lake currently has populations of westslope and Yellowstone cutthroat hybrid trout. The goal is to repopulate the lake with native, pure westslope cutthroat trout.
There may be additional proposals to lift regulations on other South Fork lakes slated for treatment with fish toxicants through the usual rule setting process, including a 30-day public comment period after meeting with citizen advisory groups.
For more on the South Fork Project, go to the FWP Region 1 web site at http://fwp.mt.gov/r1/default.html For online fishing regulations go to the FWP web page at http://fwp.mt.gov/fishing/regulations/default.html