Montana Requires New License Fees from Madison River Outfitters

Some outfitters are angered by a new 3% “tax” on revenues they will have to pay while guiding clients on the Madison, but others — including the state and many private anglers — are saying the license fee is good medicine for a river that is suffering from ever-increasing pressure and lack of management. While public comment will be taken by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks up until February 15, it looks like the license is a done deal, at least for this year. A story in the Bozeman Chronicle by Daniel Person describes the hubbub and the state response (note: at this time, the link does not seem to work in the lastest version of Internet Explorer, but does work in Firefox). (Thanks to reader John DeVault for bringing this story to our attention.)
Also, we are still trying to figure out what “rouge guides” are. If anyone knows, please clue us in.