Colorado And Oregon Lift Fishing Restrictions, Drought Will Kill Fish Anyway | Cowboy State Daily

Colorado and Oregon eased some fishing restrictions as extreme drought after an unusually mild winter pushed reservoir conditions toward collapse. In Colorado, officials allowed unlimited angling at Antero Reservoir on the South Platte River and at Nee Noshe Reservoir in the southeast. In northeastern Oregon, fishing limits were lifted on three reservoirs along the Powder River, a Snake River tributary originating in Wyoming. The article reports that Wyoming is not pursuing similar emergency liberalization yet: limits remain in place at Flaming Gorge in Sweetwater County and Boysen in Fremont County, which are expected to keep fishing good through summer. Wyoming Game and Fish Department coordinator Mark Smith said emergency creel changes are not planned but could occur if conditions worsen, with “tipping points” monitored. The department noted stored water has limits and smaller fisheries have already declined, including some in the 33 Mile country north of Casper this May.