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Milk River is a public river in Phillips County, Valley County, Blaine County, Hill County and Glacier County, Montana, managed by State of Montana (public / navigable water). You can fish it on a Montana fishing licence; bank access is at bridge crossings, MTFWP access points and public parks. Montana riverbeds are private property up to the ordinary high-water mark except on a few federally-declared-navigable reaches, so wading or bank fishing away from a public access point needs the landowner's permission. Public access confirmed via public-trust river.
A Montana trout stream — rainbow, brown, brook and westslope cutthroat trout plus mountain whitefish, in clear, cold, freestone or spring-fed water typical of the western two-thirds of the state.
It runs roughly 578 miles through the Northeast Montana region. Anglers here mostly fish for rainbow trout, brown trout, brook trout, westslope cutthroat trout; mountain whitefish are also on record. Live flow and gauge height come from the Milk River at Nashua MT USGS station shown below. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are White Bear Creek and Savoy Creek.
Species from PiscaMaps water-type profiles, MTFWP trout designations and hand research.
Night fishing: No statewide night-fishing closure in Montana, though many Blue Ribbon trout rivers have seasonal 'hoot owl' restrictions (afternoon/evening closures) during hot, low-water summer conditions to protect stressed trout — check current FWP drought restrictions before an evening trip.
Boats: Most Montana trout rivers (the Madison, Big Hole, Beaverhead, Bitterroot, Gallatin) are floated by drift boat, raft, canoe or kayak; the Missouri, Yellowstone and Flathead/Clark Fork system take full-size boats in their lower, wider reaches.
Bank & bivvy camping: Montana has one of the most angler-friendly access laws in the country: the 1985 Stream Access Law grants the public the right to use any river or stream capable of recreational use for recreation up to the ordinary high-water mark, regardless of who owns the streambed. You can wade, fish and portage between MTFWP Fishing Access Sites and bridge rights-of-way without needing separate landowner permission on the water itself — just don't cross private land to reach the water away from a public access point.
Boat ramps: 1 mapped — Put-in.
Camping: 2 sites mapped nearby — Pack It In & Pack It Out Camping, Fort Belknap.
Source: OpenStreetMap contributors.
Loading live flow & gauge height…
Live from USGS gauge 06174500 — Milk River at Nashua MT. Full gauge data →
Anyone 12 or older needs a Montana fishing licence — the resident annual (Conservation License + fishing) is about $34, the non-resident annual about $150, with non-resident 2-day (~$35) and 10-day (~$75) licences also sold. A separate Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) prevention pass fee applies to residents and non-residents alike. Montana residents 62 and older, and legally blind residents, pay a reduced fee. Buy from FWP at fwp.mt.gov. A Montana fishing licence covers this river under the state's stream access law, which grants the public the right to use rivers and streams for recreation up to the ordinary high-water mark on any water capable of recreational use, regardless of who owns the streambed — one of the most angler-friendly access laws in the country.
Every water carries species, bank & boat access, current regulations and live water conditions — and members get Swim Mapper, Catch Logger and Trip Planner. It's the only US map with a dedicated carp-water layer.
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