See every public fishing venue in Montana on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.
Rawhide Creek is a public river in Beaverhead 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 warmwater river or large creek — smallmouth bass, channel catfish, northern pike and carp. Wade or float; access at FWP Fishing Access Sites and bridge crossings.
It runs roughly 6 miles through the Southwest Montana region. Anglers here mostly fish for smallmouth bass, channel catfish, northern pike, common carp. The nearest other mapped waters on PiscaMaps are Painter Creek and Coyote 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.
Tackle: Trout limits vary widely by water and are often catch-and-release or reduced-limit on the famous Blue Ribbon rivers; walleye/northern pike/bass limits on the reservoirs are more generous. Always check the current MTFWP fishing regulations for this specific water — Montana's regs are unusually water-specific.
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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