Colorado Parks and Wildlife lifted the mandatory fishing closure on the 0.6-mile stretch of the Yampa River downstream of Stagecoach Reservoir Dam on Thursday. 

The closure went into effect May 19 to protect fish within the tailwater fishery during times of low water flows. 

“We want to thank our anglers for their patience during the closure,” said Stagecoach State Park Manager Craig Preston, in a news release. “While these closures are not ideal, they were put into place to protect the resource by giving the fish a bit of a reprieve as they are prone to increased stressors related to these extreme low-flow conditions.”

While conditions have improved below Stagecoach Reservoir Dam, river temperatures near downtown Steamboat Springs have exceeded the 71-degree mark for consecutive days. 

Due to these conditions, CPW implemented a voluntary fishing closure on the Yampa River from the Chuck Lewis State Wildlife Area to the western border of Steamboat Springs city limits.

The closure began Wednesday and will remain in place until further notice. 

“CPW takes implementing fishing closures very seriously,” said Northwest Region Senior Aquatic Biologist Ben Felt, in the release. “Closures, voluntary or mandatory, are implemented once river conditions meet a threshold where fish health is impacted. Typically, these closures are implemented when water temperatures are high and stream or river flows are low.”

Anglers are encouraged to visit CPW.state.co.us/fishing to learn about destination water conditions before traveling.