The fishing restrictions on the Sun and Smith rivers were lifted at 12:01 a.m. Friday, FWP fisheries officials announced.
The closure was lifted after the central Montana rivers had three consecutive days (Aug. 24-27) when the water temperature did not exceed 70 degrees.
The Smith, Sun and Dearborn rivers closed on July 27, 2012 to fishing each day from 2 p.m. to midnight. This closure was put into place because daily water temperatures reached at least 73 degrees for three consecutive days.
Rainbow and brown trout prefere temperatures around 55 to 57 degrees. Temperatures of 77 degrees or higher can be lethal to trout.
On the Dearborn River, afternoon and evening fishing restrictions remain in effect.
Here are the river sections reopened:
- 99 miles of the main stem Smith River from the confluence of the North and South forks downstream to Eden Bridge, east of Great Falls.
- 51 miles of the main stem Sun River from the Highway 287 bridge downstream to the mouth of Muddy Creek, west of Great Falls.
