Boating & Fishing
Boating & Fishing
Fishing Canyon Ferry
Canyon Ferry is home to a variety of fish including large-mouth and small-mouth bass, crappie, walleye, catfish, white bass and lake trout. For fishing conditions, check out
Montana Outdoor. Be sure to stay up-to-date with
Fishing and Boating Regulations.
Fishing License
A valid fishing license is required for all types of fishing on state waters. To fish in Montana, most anglers need two licenses: a Conservation License and a Fishing License.
A Conservation License is needed before you can buy any fishing or hunting license that Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) issues. Conservation license applicants are required to provide their social security number in addition to the information usually requested. A valid driver's license or a valid photo ID is required to purchase a license.
A fishing license allows a person to fish for and possess any fish or aquatic invertebrate authorized by the state's fishing regulations. It is nontransferable and nonrefundable. The license enables one to fish from March 1 through the end of February of the following year.
Aquatic Invasive Species
Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are plants, animals, or pathogens that are not native to Montana and can cause harm to our environment and economy.
AIS are introduced accidentally or intentionally outside of their native range. AIS populations can reproduce quickly and spread rapidly because there are no natural predators or competitors to keep them in check. AIS can displace native species, clog waterways, impact irrigation and power systems, degrade ecosystems, threaten recreational fishing opportunities, and can cause wildlife and public health problems.
Prevention is our best defense.
Once established, there are few if any means to control AIS in natural water bodies. Control efforts are very expensive and total eradication is very unlikely. You are the first line of defense in preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species.
Watercraft Inspections
If you are hauling watercraft of any kind, you must stop. It’s the law.
Montana law requires everyone transporting motorized or non-motorized watercraft to stop at all inspections stations.This includes rafts, drift boats, canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, personal pontoons, and sail boats.
Your watercraft must be inspected if:
- You encounter an open inspection station.
- You are coming into Montana from out-of-state.
- You are traveling west over the Continental Divide into western Montana (the Columbia River Basin).
- You are coming off Tiber or Canyon Ferry Reservoirs.
- You are launching anywhere within the Flathead Basin and your watercraft last launched on waters outside of the Flathead Basin.
Certified Boaters
- The Certified Boater program was created to ease the inspection process for boat owners and decrease the volume of boats at decontamination stations at Canyon Ferry and Tiber Reservoirs. It allows watercraft inspectors to focus on boats traveling between many different waterbodies.
- A Certified Boater can depart from the reservoir without going through a full inspection and hot wash if their next boating trip is on this reservoir.
- A Certified Boater can access all OPEN boat ramps within their designated reservoir.
- Boaters must register each year to be in the Certified Boater Program.