YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Yellowstone National Park is lifting fishing restrictions on most of its rivers and streams starting today.
The park put the rules in place late last month after low water levels and high temperatures created deadly conditions for fish. Cooler weather is now in the forecast, and water temperatures are dropping.
Fishing is allowed every day from sunrise to sunset on most park rivers and lakes.
Some full closures remain in effect. Anglers cannot fish on the Madison or Firehole rivers. The Gibbon River is also closed downstream from the Norris Campground. Those closures have been in place since mid-July. Those rivers run warmer because they are close to geothermal areas and will remain closed until conditions improve to protect native and wild trout.
Park officials are asking anglers to fish during the coolest times of the day, land their catch quickly, and avoid playing a hooked trout to exhaustion. Anglers should keep fish in the water as much as possible and allow them to recover before releasing them.
Cooperation from anglers will protect the fisheries and could prevent the need for more fishing bans if conditions worsen.
Staff members will continue monitoring water temperatures. They could lift the remaining closures if the water cools down, or add new restrictions if temperatures rise again.
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