GILLETTE, Wyo. — Wildlife managers could look to shorten one of the longest-standing seasonal fishing closures statewide west of Cody, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
The seasonal closure is for the North Fork of the Shoshone River and Buffalo Bill Reservoir, which support self-sustaining wild rainbow and Yellowstone cutthroat trout without stocking assistance from Game and Fish. Each year, fishing is banned on the North Fork from April to June and on a small portion of Buffalo Bill from April to mid-July.
A seasonal closure of some form has been in place for the fishery since 1884 and was a part of the oldest seasonal closures in Wyoming’s history. The results of a recently completed four-year study, however, could lead to change, per Game and Fish.
“As fisheries managers, we want to take a comprehensive approach to managing this unique fishery,” said Cody Region Fisheries Supervisor Sam Hochhalter in a statement. “This means collecting the biographical data necessary to understand the dynamics of the fish population and the social data from anglers on their preferences for future fishing opportunities, which will be done in part through an email survey this fall.”
The fishery’s wild rainbow and Yellowstone cutthroat trout species are highly migratory, spending the winter months in Buffalo Bill and migrating into the North Fork and all 26 major tributaries to spawn in the spring and early summer months, Game and Fish says. Some fish remain in the North Fork all summer long while others quickly return to the reservoir.
The study, however, showed the number of trout within the closed section of the North Fork was approximately double the number of those upstream of the closure regardless of the time of year, and trout abundance was by far the highest in the closed section during the closed period, per Game and Fish.
“These data indicate that the seasonal closure prevents anglers from fishing the section of the North Fork with the highest abundance of trout during the time of year that abundance is the highest,” Hochhalter said in a statement.
Angler harvest for the fishery is fairly high for a wild trout population, Game and Fish says. During the four years of the study, approximately half of the annual harvest occurred in the river portion, with the other half occurring in the reservoir portion.
Hochhalter said while annual harvest and catch-and-release-related mortality was high, it was still sustainable.
According to the results of the study, the dates of the seasonal fishing closure on the North Fork Shoshone River could be shortened to allow anglers more days to fish in the closed section. With that, however, daily bag limits and potential terminal tackle restrictions would be necessary to prevent increased mortality, Game and Fish says.
“The bottom line is the current regulations provide a sustainable fishery, as would a host of alternative regulations that wouldn’t increase harvest or catch-and-release mortality,” Hochhalter said in a statement. “We want to provide this information to anglers and let them weigh in as we prepare for the next regulation cycle in early 2025.”
Game and Fish will look to gather input from Cody-area anglers. The department intends to host an informational meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 11 at the Shreve Lodge at Buffalo Bill State Park, 4192 N. Fork Highway, Cody, Wyoming, for anyone interested in learning about the results of the study.
