Drought conditions may be eased by shorter days

HELENA — Fishing restrictions due to drought will remain in place on three Montana trout streams for the foreseeable future, but state fisheries officials are cautiously optimistic that they won't need to make any other closures.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials last month imposed "hoot-owl" restrictions on the Smith, Dearborn and Sun rivers, meaning that fishing isn't allowed on those central Montana streams in the afternoons and evenings, when the water temperatures are too high.

AP Photo/Matt Volz

Ethan Stratton casts a line into the Missouri River near Helena, near his grandfather Lloyd...