Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is closing segments of the Ruby, Big Hole and Beaverhead rivers starting October 1 to protect spawning trout during critical reproduction periods.

The closures aim to give fish populations the space they need to grow by protecting them during vulnerable spawning seasons. Only specific sections of these southwest Montana rivers will be off-limits to anglers, while other portions remain open for fishing.

"Brown trout are fall spawners, rainbow trout spawn in the spring and so these fishing closures really provide security for those fish during those spawning seasons," FWP spokesman Morgan Jacobsen. "So they [the closures] carry from October 1st into the spring until after the rainbow trout spawn has finished."

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