On May 9, the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission tentatively approved a proposal to waive the daily and possession bag limits for Lena Lake in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area through Aug. 31 pending public comment. The public comment period will extend from May 10 to May 21. Comments must be provided in writing either through the FWP fishing email address ([email protected]) or addressed to Don Skaar, Fisheries Office, FWP, 1420 East 6th Avenue, Helena, MT 59620. The FWP Commission will evaluate public comments and consider final approval of this proposal at their June 5 meeting.
Lena Lake is 74 acres and located at the headwaters of the Big Salmon Creek drainage. It is moderately popular with backcountry anglers, who have asked for bag limit waivers prior to previous rotenone treatments to allow more harvest of fish that would otherwise be wasted. Lena Lake is scheduled for rotenone treatment In September 2013. This project is part of the South Fork Cutthroat Conservation Plan.
FWP initiated the South Fork Flathead Cutthroat Conservation Plan to replace nonnative fish with pure westslope cutthroat in 21 lakes in the South Fork Flathead drainage to maintain genetic purity. Replacement involves either chemical treatment or genetic swamping (heavy stocking of pure westslope cutthroat to dilute the nonnative genes). A number of lakes have been successfully treated to date. Lakes are restocked after treatment to restore recreational fishing.