Critically low water in northwest Colorado forced the closure of one of the region’s most popular stretches of water to anglers.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife is closing the half-mile stretch of the Yampa River below Stagecoach Dam and the boundary of Stagecoach State Park.
"We are trying to be as proactive as possible to protect the outstanding catch and release trout fishery we have downstream of Stagecoach Reservoir," said Bill Atkinson, area aquatic biologist.
"This stretch of the river receives a tremendous amount of fishing pressure, especially in the spring when other resources might not be as accessible.
This emergency closure is an effort to protect the resource by giving the fish a bit of a reprieve when they are stressed like they are right now."
Citations will be issued to anyone fishing the stretch of water once it’s been closed.
Low water flows force fish to concentrate in residual pool habitat and become stressed as they compete for food.
Fish also become easier targets for anglers, an added stressor that can result in increased hooking mortality, the agency said.
It could take several years for fish populations to recover if the stretch is harmed by low flows, the agency said.
Should flows increase for a continuous period over the summer, authorities will reconsider the emergency fishing closure, said Lori Martin, senior aquatic biologist.