KALISPELL — Anglers are being asked to keep an eye out for a certain type of fish when casting off in Northwest Montana.
State wildlife officials are asking anyone who sees or catches any northern pike in the Bull River in Sanders County to contact them.
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks report that the predatory, non-native fish was recently detected for the first time.
FWP is asking anglers who spot a northern pike to get in touch with fisheries biologist Travis Rehm at 406-382-3032 as the agency tries to determine how northern pike might be in the Bull River.
A news release notes FWP recently received a report of a northern pike being seen in the river south of Bull Lake near Noxon.
The Bull River — a tributary of the Clark Fork River — has populations of native bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout, mountain whitefish and others.
FWP previously confirmed non-native northern pike in Bull Lake and Cabinet Gorge Reservoir on the Clark Fork River, but barriers stopped them from getting into the Bull River.
The recent discovery is the first confirmed pike in the Bull River.
Anyone with information about an illegal introduction is asked to visit https://myfwp.mt.gov/fwpPub/tipmont or call the FWP violation reporting hotline at 1-800-TIP-MONT.
Callers may be eligible for a cash reward.
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