Low water levels and high temperatures are causing stress to fish in the Roaring Fork Valley, so experts are asking anglers to stop fishing in the mid-afternoon.
Data collected through the Roaring Fork Conservancy shows that temperatures on the lower Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers are reaching levels that can stress fish to the point where they can’t recover if anglers pull them out of the water. This happens as water warms through the mid-60s. Because of low flows during this drought, recent temperatures on the Colorado have been as high as 75 degrees.
So the Roaring Fork Conservancy has teamed up with local fishing groups and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to ask all anglers to stop fishing between 2 p.m. and midnight, when temperatures peak. If temperatures continue to rise, CPW could close fishing access to some streams and rivers.
