Madison River Issue Resolved

The malfunction at Hebgen Dam that caused the Madison River to drop to alarmingly low levels – endangering an entire year-class of new trout – has been fixed, per Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks (FWP). When the dam malfunctioned, flows dropped to around 177 cubic feet per second, leaving much of the upper Madison River dry. An immediate fishing closure was enacted, and volunteers turned up to help FWP personnel move stranded fish back to the main channel.

A major concern was the number of exposed redds where brown trout had finished spawning. It’s likely those redds won’t produce the next year-class of trout, potentially jeopardizing the trout populations on this section of the Madison River.

To learn more about what was done to save the fish, click here.