• Red cliffs descend into the water of Bighorn Canyon

    Bighorn Canyon

    National Recreation Area MT,WY

  • Bighorn Canyon Alerts

    Build fires in designated fire pits. High winds can cause fires to get out of control. There is remodeling work going on at the Trail Creek Campground near Barry's Landing. Some camp sites may be closed while this work is completed. Some sites are open. More »

Fishing Licenses for Montana or Wyoming

The Afterbay and Bighorn River on a fall day

NPS

The blue waters of the Afterbay and Big Horn River beckon anglers from all over the country

Fishing Licenses
Since Bighorn Lake extends into both Wyoming and Montana. Anglers should obtain the appropriate license for the state in which they are fishing. Fishing regulations may vary between the two states. Keep in mind that these change from time to time so check the appropriate regulations for the state where you fish.

To see the fishing regulations for Wyoming click here...

To see the fishing regulations for Montana click here...

State fishing regulations apply everywhere in Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. The state line is signed on both shores of the lake between Day Boards 47 and 49 (click here for Bighorn Lake map). There is no reciprocal agreement between Montana and Wyoming regarding fishing licenses.

Did You Know?

Fort Smith Monument, photo by S. Dalby

Fort C.F. Smith, was the most isolated of the posts which guarded the Bozeman Trail. Active from August 1866 to July 1868, it was under constant threat from the Sioux and Northern Cheyenne tribes during Red Cloud’s War. The U.S. government was forced to abandon the fort and trail. Some historians have called this conflict, “the first war the United States ever lost.” More...