Fisheries experts urge caution this summer as temperatures rise and water levels fall | Open spaces

“People release them and in the end you have floating kokanee,” he added. “When you reach your three-fish limit, hold it and stop fishing or fish for lake trout pups or rainbow trout.”

When a river allows you to hold fish, catch your limit, put them in the cooler, and head out, said Nick Walrath, Green River Project coordinator for Trout Unlimited.

And remember to bring a thermometer with you so that you can check the temperature of the water if in doubt.

Try elsewhere

Just because the rivers are warm and lakes are dangerous for salmonid fishing doesn’t mean you have to stay home.

High mountain streams are likely still cool enough to catch and release them, Keith said. You can also consider fishing for fish like brown trout in high mountain streams and sticking to your limit for a fish meal or two.

Ten Sleep Creek meanders through Ten Sleep Canyon on the west side of the Bighorn Range. High mountain streams are likely still cool enough to catch and release without endangering the fish.

Ryan Dorgan File, Star Tribune

Or do you think about targeting other species, Walrath said. Visit places like Flaming Gorge and throw carp on the plains. They are big and fight hard.

Silver lining (if any)

As Keith worries about additional pressure on trout from anglers, the angling becomes more difficult. Moss has formed and is floating down the Green River under the Fontenelle Reservoir, making fishing difficult. Trout are also more likely to cower in deep, cooler pools of water with suppressed appetites.