"Critically low" flows on the North Fork of the Blackfoot River have prompted state wildlife officials to close a portion of it to fishing. Meanwhile, cooler seasonal temperatures have prompted a reopening of fishing on the upper Bitterroot River.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks Fisheries Manager Pat Saffel said he's only seen the North Fork Blackfoot River closed due to low flows once before in his more than 20 years with the agency.

Typically, fishing restrictions come in the form of "hoot owl" closures based on high water temperatures in the afternoons and evenings.

A gauge on the river dropped below the agency's threshold of 5 cubic feet per second, he said, in an area where the river branches out into multiple channels and loses water.

"It becomes a braided section of the North Fork; we

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