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Yellowstone closes more rivers to daytime fishing as warm water and low flows persist

A map of Yellowstone National Park outlines the areas closed to fishing.
Yellowstone National Park

This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.

Yellowstone National Park is closing more areas to fishing due to continued warm water temperatures and unprecedented low river flows to protect its native and wild trout fisheries.

The new closures go into effect Friday, July 26. Fishing will be closed daily from 2 p.m. to sunrise the following day.

Areas affected by the closure include:

  • Lamar River downstream of Cache Creek to its confluence with the Yellowstone River.
  • Soda Butte Creek (the entire creek).
  • Slough Creek (the entire creek).
  • Yellowstone River from Tower Junction north to the park boundary.
  • Gardner River downstream of Osprey Falls north to the park boundary.
  • Snake River from Forest Creek south to the park boundary.

The park says water temperatures on these rivers and creeks cool off enough at night to allow for morning fishing.

Full fishing closures are in effect on:

  • Madison River and all associated tributaries.
  • Firehole River and all associated tributaries.
  • Gibbon River and all associated tributaries downstream of Norris Campground.

These waters are heavily influenced by geothermal features and don’t cool down overnight.

Yellowstone and other lakes remain open for daytime fishing, along with some other rivers and streams.

The park asks anglers to fish during the coolest times of the day and to land fish quickly, handling them gently in the water as much as possible.

The last time the park closed all rivers and streams to afternoon and evening fishing due to heat was in 2021.

Nicky has reported and edited for public radio stations in Montana and produced episodes for NPR's The Indicator podcast and Apple News In Conversation. Her award-winning series, SubSurface, dug into the economic, environmental and social impacts of a potential invasion of freshwater mussels in Montana's waterbodies. She traded New Hampshire's relatively short but rugged White Mountains for the Rockies over a decade ago. The skiing here is much better.

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