More than 50 miles of the Missouri River from its headwaters 

 to the Smith River received a Class I in the sport fishery value 

 including the 15 miles from Toston Dam to Canyon Ferry Reservoir, 

 the one mile below Canyon Ferry Dam, the 2.5 miles below Hauser 

 Dam and the 36 miles from Holter Dam to Cascade. The 26-mile 



stretch from Cascade to the Smith River, meandering through flat 

 prairie and ranch country, was rated as a Class II sport fishery. 

 Only the the upper 25 miles from Three Forks to Toston was rated 

 less than a Class II sport fishery. Although fish populations and 

 size are equal to many of the lower reaches, the remote nature of 

 this stretch with limited public access and a lower aesthetics 

 rating resulted in a Class III rating. 



The fishery that attracts one out of every seven angler days 

 in the state, and had an estimated fishing pressure in 1985 second 

 only to the Madison River, is the 61-mile reach of the Missouri 

 from Holter Dam to the Smith River. Twenty species of fish in 

 eight families are found in this reach but the fishery of 

 importance to the angler is the cold-water salmonid population 

 below Holter Dam. Catchable rainbow and brown trout populations 

 average 2,000 to 4,000 fish per mile with 40 to 60 trophy-size 

 trout (18 inches or longer) included in that estimate. At 3,500 

 pounds of trout per mile, the Missouri River below Holter is 

 ranked second in the state in trout production. 



What the main stem contributed to the sport fishery value in 

 the upper Missouri, the Prickly Pear Creek drainage has 

 contributed in the habitat and species value. Of the 10 reaches 

 receiving a Class I or II habitat and species value, nine received 

 this rating as a result of their pure or potentially pure 

 populations of westslope cutthroat trout, and all were located 

 within the Prickly Pear Creek drainage. The upper drainage is 

 located entirely on U.S. Forest Service land within the Elkhorn 

 Mountains Special Management Area. A reach of Prickly Pear itself 

 as well as reaches of Dutchman, McClellan and Warm Springs creeks 

 all sustain westslope cutthroat populations. 



Although mitigation for fisheries losses was not required at 

 the time of construction of any of the upper Missouri dams, 

 operating guidelines developed by the Montana Department of Fish, 

 Wildlife & Parks and the dam operators have been developed to 

 ensure the protection of fishing opportunities as well as 

 reproductive success of main stem and tributary spawners. 

 Extensive data have been collected on essential spawning streams 

 to the reservoirs. 



Wildlife 



The remaining free-flowing portions of the Missouri main stem 

 from its headwaters to the Smith River earned Class I values in 

 habitat and species categories in spite of agricultural and home 

 development along portions of these reaches. Outstanding habitat 



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