Fresno Reservoir Public Meeting April 9: What Hi-Line Anglers Need to Know

The open house will be held April 9 at the Best Western on the hill

HAVRE — Fresno Reservoir pulls in over 12,350 angler days every year and generates around $1 million in fishing-related revenue — numbers that put it firmly in the top five most popular fishing destinations in Northeast Montana. If you fish the Hi-Line, you already know this. If you don’t, it’s time to pay attention.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is hosting an open house in Havre on April 9, starting at 6 p.m., at the Best Western Plus Inn and Suites up on the hill at 1425 Highway 2 NW. Havre-area FWP fisheries biologist Cody Nagel will be there, along with Bureau of Reclamation staff, to give the public a real look at where things stand with the Fresno fishery.

Nagel will walk through the 10-year fisheries management plan — we’re currently in year four of the 2022–2031 cycle — and cover the 2025 netting results along with other ongoing projects. Bureau of Reclamation staff will bring Milk River Project updates and their 2026 water forecasts for both the Milk River and Fresno Reservoir itself. Honestly, after a few volatile water years on that end of the state, those forecasts alone are worth showing up for.

If you want to do your homework beforehand, the full Fresno fisheries management plan is posted at https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/fisheries-management/fresno-reservoir. Hard copies are also sitting at the FWP offices in both Havre and Glasgow if you’d rather flip through actual paper. Questions before the meeting? Call the Havre office at 406-265-6177 or Glasgow at 406-228-3700.

These open houses don’t always draw a crowd, but they should. The people managing Fresno are doing the work, and they’re asking for your input. Show up.