MISSOULA — Rivers are a way of life for many in Western Montana, but when flows run low, like on the Blackfoot this year, it can dredge up problems and threaten lifestyles and even livelihoods.
Blackfoot River Outfitters owner John Herzer has been guiding on area rivers for more than three decades. But over the past two years, he encountered the lowest flows in his time on the Blackfoot River.
“It’s staggering,” he said. “I can't tell you, my wife gets kind of mad at me because I'm the grumpy old guy, and I'm like, ‘Oh my God, this and that.’ But if you've been on these rivers for hundreds of days every year for 35 years and then all of a sudden you go down a section you just can't fit? I’ve never not been able to fit a boat through.”
Watch to learn more about how low water levels are impacting businesses:
The 2024 season was a rough one for many on and along the Blackfoot. Flows were low, and the valley faced drought conditions. Herzer was hoping for the tide to turn in 2025. By mid-May, it was clear to him that it would not be the case.
“Typically, the Blackfoot's running about 10,000 cubic feet per second. It's starting to peak. It was running at 4,500 this year, which made for some great June fishing in the Blackfoot,” he said. “Then, by the end of June, it was over and the river just plummeted. It's super brutal.”
By July, some stretches were too low to float. In September, many days saw record low flows.
Clancy Jandreau, a water steward with non-profit Blackfoot Challenge, said it has been tough on life in the Blackfoot Valley.
“Anything that lives in the water, basically, the amount of water that there is there, that's their entire world. So, as that shrinks, their habitat just shrinks with it and there's all kinds of stressors that come with that. Especially when you have multiple years in a row like that, the impacts just kind of stack up,” Jandreau said. “Of course, if you're a recreational boater or if you're a fisherman or an outfitter, those impacts extend to you as well as you're trying to get out there and enjoy the river. You know, people were just scraping bottom this year.”
As the water recedes, stress increases across the river system, and for many who make a living within the watershed. With some spots too low to float, more outfitters and private recreators end up running the same stretches of river.
“The guides are all concentrated into one section, and then you get five, six, eight boats going through a section on a tiny little river,” Herzer said. “Then, a lot of those fish are pretty, pretty nervous.”
This year, low flows forced changes across Herzer’s business, from when and where the boats hit the water to the time it takes and the fish they catch. His clients are even getting used to hoot owl restrictions, a measure that prevents catch during the hottest hours to protect fisheries.
“Elevated water temperatures come up, it's bad for fish, so we’re all in on that,” he said. “They're kind of like ‘Are we on hoot owl?’ They just think that that's a thing that we do now, which is really unfortunate because for 20 years, that was not a thing. We just didn't ever have this low of water.”
Watch related coverage: Montana Ag Network: Blackfoot Valley ranchers destock amid drought
With restrictions now often in place in the afternoon, many guided trips are leaving earlier in the day.
“Sometimes fishing doesn't really kick in till about 11 or 12, and then we're done fishing at 2. Unfortunately, then people start catching fish and they're like ‘Oh, we're done,’” Herzer said.
The impacts of the low flows on the watershed and his business have Herzer worried for the future.
“I don't see this as a one-year return. This is going to be multiple years. From what we saw last year from 24 to 25, and it seemed like we had good snowpack, and the river was literally 20% lower than I'd ever seen it before,” Herzer said. “We're really concerned about going forward, you know, not only 2026, but 27, 28, who knows, down in the thirties.”
The effect of low flows and drought conditions has stretched far beyond one outfitter or even one river. The Bitterroot, the Clark Fork and other Western Montana rivers also saw below average flows. With river season wrapping up, Herzer plans to spend more time talking with other water users across the valley.
“Hopefully this winter we'll be able to sit down with those guys across the table and figure out how to make that a little better,” he said. “If Montana has anything, it's these amazing rivers and if we don't have water, we don't have amazing rivers. And all the billions of dollars that come into the state for recreation is gonna dry up.”
Despite dry conditions and concerns for the future, the Blackfoot River still has its hooks in many locals and visitors.
“I was surprised, to be honest, that we had a lot of great customer feedback. Everybody still had a good time. They still like coming here,” Herzer said. “That doesn't change the fact that we need some water in the river.”
Watch previous coverage: Blackfoot River in exceptional drought conditions, locals dealing with impacts
