JACKSON, Wyo. — The Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) issued a first-of-its-kind voluntary fishing closure of the Snake River and Flat Creek on Wednesday amid prolonged high temperatures and waning river flows.
WGFD’s Jackson Region Fisheries Supervisor Darren Rhea told Buckrail that the agency has issued a voluntary closure of Flat Creek once before, but that Wednesday’s Snake River guidelines are “pretty unprecedented.” The closure asks anglers to quit catch-and-release fishing on the two waterways between noon and sunrise each day. The Snake River from the boundary of Yellowstone National Park (YNP) to Palisades Reservoir, as well as all of Flat Creek, are covered by the guidance. Signs detailing the afternoon closure will be posted at major public access points.
“When we’re dealing with trout … the primary concern is that there’s just less oxygen in the water when it’s warmer,” Rhea told Buckrail. “So they’re already stressed, they’re already dealing with marginal conditions, and then you hook one and fight one and try to release it. And it just takes a much longer period of time to recover.”
According to monitoring data from the Snake River in Moose, the water temperature has regularly reached highs above 65°F in the afternoons since July 11. Even at night, the low temps have increasingly remained above 60°F over the last two weeks at that monitoring station. The Snake River below Flat Creek has hit 70°F or higher eight times since July 19. The temperature in Flat Creek below Cache Creek hit a season high of 73.6°F on July 20 at 5:45 p.m.
Snake River Fund (SRF) Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator Boots Allen told Buckrail that news of the closure didn’t come as a surprise. Allen also works as a fishing guide for Snake River Anglers, where he regularly puts out fly fishing reports for the region. WGFD has implemented similar voluntary closures on segments of the Green River, New Fork River and North Horse Creek in the Pinedale Region, and on parts of the North Platte River and Deer Creek in the Casper Region. An afternoon fishing closure in YNP rivers went into effect on July 29.
“Snake River Fund would urge anglers to really heed this,” Allen said. “The biologists at Wyoming Game and Fish do a lot of work on this. They don’t take these types of announcements and closures and advisories lightly at all. And they do know what they’re talking about. Prior to this, most anglers in the area were already being very proactive about this, and many were stopping fishing very early.”
Rhea is fairly certain that most anglers will adhere to the guidelines. He noted that WGFD has the regulatory authority to implement a full fishing closure, though he said it is the last thing he wants to do. That would likely only happen if conditions continue to worsen or if people don’t practice ethical fishing behavior.
“Most of the locals, especially the professional guides are real particular about adjusting their behavior and their practices to conform with conditions,” Rhea said. “You know, they recognize the value of the resource, and they don’t want to impact it.”
WGFD will continue to monitor water temperatures to determine if further action is required. Meanwhile, follow these practices from WGFD for a humane fishing trip:
- Water temperatures are coolest in the morning, which gives trout the best chance of survival. Pause catch-and-release fishing after noon daily.
- Anglers who prefer to harvest fish within the standard daily limits can continue to fish, as this does not require releasing fish back into the water.
- Carry a pocket stream thermometer and check water temps periodically. Catch-and-release fishing should be stopped for the day if temperatures rise to 70°F or higher.
- Land fish fast and minimize fight time to prevent fish exhaustion.
- Keep fish submerged in the water while removing hooks. Barbless hooks are ideal for this. Use wet hands when holding fish out of the water.
- If a fish is exhausted or deeply hooked, and if regulations allow, consider harvesting the fish and cooking it for dinner.
