The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is requesting that anglers voluntarily pause trout fishing on the upper North Platte River due to unseasonably warm temperatures and low-flow conditions. The department is concerned that the warm water temperatures, which are regularly exceeding 70 degrees in the afternoon and evening, are causing stress to the trout population.

Voluntary Closure

Anglers are being asked to voluntarily quit fishing on the stretch of the North Platte River that flows from the Colorado/Wyoming State Line to the Dugway Campground, north of Interstate 80. The department will be monitoring the river and will switch to catch-and-release angling from noon to sunrise if temperatures moderate and early morning conditions become cool enough to limit impacts to trout.

In addition to the North Platte River, anglers are also being asked to voluntarily quit catch-and-release fishing from the Riverside Bridge to the North Platte River Confluence on the Encampment River, from noon until sunrise, when water temperatures are at their highest.

Best Practices

The Game and Fish Department encourages anglers to adjust their fishing practices as water temperatures increase throughout the summer. Carrying a pocket thermometer and periodically checking water temperatures is one of the easiest ways to determine when conditions become stressful for fish. When temperatures reach 65 degrees, anglers are encouraged to harvest fish in accordance with established regulations, rather than practice catch-and-release. Once water temperatures reach 70 degrees, anglers should discontinue catch-and-release fishing altogether.

Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.