Colorado Parks and Wildlife will implement a mandatory full-day fishing closure on a 0.6-mile segment of the Yampa River due to decreased water flow from Stagecoach Reservoir. 

The closure will be implemented Monday, May 19, until further notice between the dam at Stagecoach State Park downstream to the lowermost park boundary. The goal is to avoid and minimize fish mortality within the fishery. 

“We are trying to be proactive in protecting the outstanding catch-and-release fishery we have downstream of Stagecoach Reservoir,” said Marisa Eley, CPW Steamboat Springs Area Aquatic Biologist, in a news release. 

“This closure is an effort to protect the resource by giving the fish a bit of a reprieve as they are prone to increased stressors related to these low-flow conditions.”

At minimal water flows, fish begin to concentrate in residual pool habitats and can become stressed from increased competition for food and other resources. 

Stuck in these pockets, fish would therefore become easier targets for anglers, resulting in “increased hooking mortality,” the news release states. 

CPW works with the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District, which owns and operates Stagecoach Reservoir, to stay informed on reservoir releases.

“We will continue to closely monitor the inflow at Stagecoach Reservoir,” said Andy Rossi, the district’s general manager, in the release. “If we see increased inflow, we can respond quickly to adjust outflow and work with CPW to determine if the closure could be lifted.” 

For more information or current fishing conditions at Stagecoach State Park, call 970-736-2436.