Photo courtesy Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

 

The mandatory fishing closure on the Yampa River downstream of the Stagecoach Reservoir Dam has been lifted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

 

Here’s more from Colorado Parks and Wildlife; April 4, 2023.

 

CPW removes mandatory fishing closure on Yampa River downstream of Stagecoach Reservoir

 

Oak Creek, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife lifts the mandatory fishing closure on the 0.6-mile section of the Yampa River downstream of Stagecoach Reservoir dam. The mandatory closure was lifted on Saturday, April 1 in conjunction with opening County Road 18.

“We want to thank our anglers for their patience these past five months,” said Stagecoach State Park manager Craig Preston. “We know this is an amazing fishery. While these closures are not ideal, they are 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.”

The closure was initially put in place on Oct. 22, 2022 to protect fish as a result of sub-optimal flow conditions.

Park staff would like to remind you of the following if you are planning to fish this section of the Yampa.

• Rainbow Trout are or will be spawning soon.  Please do not fish for these fish while they are on their redds and not do wade through these areas
• This area is Catch and Release.  Use proper catch and release techniques such as don’t fight fish to exhaustion, use a net, handle fish as quickly and as little as possible, wet your hands before touching the fish, and allow fish to recover before fully releasing them.
• This is an amazing resource, please be thoughtful stewards; please pick up your trash, be respectful of other anglers and area users, and keep your dogs on a leash at all times.

If the parking lot is full, park staff encourage you to come back later. When the parking lot is full, it serves as an indicator that the river is also full, and the resource is getting strained. If you choose to stay, you must park in the Dam Parking Lot 1/4 mile up the road and walk down. Do not park on the County Road adjacent to the parking lot. Parking along the road prevents park staff and/or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from accessing the section of the river in the event of an emergency. Anyone parked along the road can be ticketed or towed.

This section of the river is within the park boundaries.  If you don’t have an current annual state parks pass or a Keep Colorado Wild pass you will need to use the (cash only) self serve station in the Tailwater Parking Lot, credit card kiosk at the entrance to the park, or come to the park office to purchase your $10 day pass.

Know before you go. To learn more about current conditions visit the Stagecoach State Park page on our website or call the park at 970-736-2436.