Colorado Parks and Wildlife is enforcing a mandatory full-day fishing closure on a 0.6-mile stretch of the Yampa River from the Stagecoach Reservoir dam downstream to the lower boundary of Stagecoach State Park starting Thursday, Oct. 2 through spring 2026, according to a statement released on Tuesday. 

This action responds to very low water flow from Stagecoach Reservoir, which concentrates fish in shrinking pools, raising stress and vulnerability. 

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

The Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District, which manages the reservoir, noted in the statement that late-season inflows are low and recent flow maintenance releases have ended, limiting water availability for the river. Stagecoach State Park Manager Craig Preston urges public cooperation to help preserve this unique fishery not only for now, but for future seasons as well.

This closure differs from the upcoming Oct. 1-Nov. 15 fishing closure near the Fish Creek confluence on the Yampa River, designed to protect spawning mountain whitefish, a native species facing population declines. 

CPW also continues full-day voluntary fishing closures on the Crystal River near Carbondale and partial-day voluntary closures on portions of the White River, related to low flows and water quality concerns from recent wildfires.

These regulatory measures reflect CPW’s efforts to balance recreational fishing with fish population conservation amid ongoing drought and environmental challenges affecting western Colorado rivers.

For more information, visit the CPW website at CPW.State.CO.us/Activities/Learn-Fish.