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Flat Creek on the National Elk Refuge is set to open to anglers tomorrow. But, the state of fishing there — and around the region — could be in flux if July’s warm water temperatures continue into August.
That’s because popular fishing areas in the region have approached 70 degrees, with Flat Creek reaching that benchmark last week according to Wyoming Game and Fish.
Nearly every local river or tributary of the Snake River drainage hit dangerously warm temperatures in July — something David Lee at the Teton Conservation District found concerning.
“This year we did get a bunch of high elevation snow in May, and some valley rain in May, and then the faucet really kind of turned off in June — which is unseasonal compared to what’s expected for the region,” Lee, a local water resources specialist, said.
When water temperatures surpass 65 degrees, as they have in the Snake River, Gros Ventre River, Flat Creek and Pacific Creek, catch-and-release becomes particularly stressful on fish.
At the 70 degree threshold, Wyoming Game and Fish begins considering whether or not to place closures on certain rivers and creeks.
Darren Rhea, a regional fisheries supervisor for Game and Fish based in Jackson, said his department had plans to issue a voluntary fishing closure of Flat Creek. However, last weekend’s cooler temperatures were encouraging enough to reverse those plans, at least for the time being.
“Conditions were trending towards issuing that formal closure. We were ready to pull the trigger on it leading up to this week’s opening of Flat Creek,” Rhea said.
A voluntary closure wouldn’t prohibit fishing but would strongly recommend against it during peak temperatures. It’s a step below an emergency closure which would shut down fishing altogether.
Yellowstone National Park has already implemented mandatory fishing closures in several waterways, including parts of the Snake, Lamar and Yellowstone Rivers.
While issuing one isn’t entirely off the table, Rhea said doing so would be a big deal. He says there’s never been a closure of the sort in the Snake River drainage.
He added that this summer’s heat is “historically different” and may signal a new trend of hotter summer temperatures and less precipitation.
As unseasonably warm conditions become more common, Game and Fish have a few recommendations for anglers to protect fish and local river ecosystems.
