Fisheries managers are asking trout anglers to change fishing habits because of warm water temperatures.

Fish stress quicker in warmer water because it holds less oxygen, which greatly hampers a fish’s ability to recover from the rigors of being caught. As water temperatures approach 70 degrees the chance for any fish species to survive being caught and released is greatly reduced.

Jeff Courier, at Jack Dennis Outdoor Shop, offered the following advice for handling valley cutthroat.

“Land them as quick as you can, use heavier tippet than normal so you can get them to the boat quickly and don’t even take them out of the water,” Courier said. “Also, everybody should use barbless hooks, or knock the barbs down.”

In the morning on the Snake, water temperatures run around 60 degrees but in the afternoons there have been reports of 68-degree water. Friday at the Snake River Bridge in Wilson the water was 65 degrees.

Water temperature is particularly important for anglers practicing catch and release or where regulations require fish to be released. Wyoming Game and Fish Department asks all anglers to consider the following practices during the dog days of summer:

Fish early in the morning while water temperature is cooler; carry a pocket thermometer and monitor the water temperature; if the water temperature is 70 degrees or higher, do not attempt to catch and release trout.

As water temperature increases, using the proper techniques to catch and release a fish become increasingly more important to help ensure the fish has a chance to survive:

“These are not new regulations, just recommendations to assist with the conservation of the fishery resource,” Game and Fish stated in a press release.

While water temperatures on the Snake approach dangerous levels, river temperatures in Yellowstone National Park are so hot that fish are dying and managers have asked anglers to stop fishing some rivers altogether.

Water temperatures of up to 82 degrees killed hundreds of rainbow and brown trout on the Firehole River in early July.

Officials noticed the kill after they issued a fishing advisory for a number of waterways in the park, asking anglers to avoid fishing low elevation waters between noon and 6:00 p.m. The partial fishing closure is voluntary, but could become mandatory if warm conditions persist. According to Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash, water temperatures in a number of waterways have exceeded 73 degrees, which can be stressful or even fatal for trout.

In years past, Yellowstone officials would normally only close rivers such as the Firehole, the Madison, and the Gibbon if temperatures got too high. This year, however, officials decided to have a voluntary advisory in order to maintain fishing opportunities for Yellowstone anglers.

In northern Yellowstone, the advisory applies to; Gardner River below Osprey Falls, Lava Creek below Undine Falls, Lamar River below Cache Creek, all of Slough Creek, Soda Creek below Amphitheater Creek, and Yellowstone River below Seven Mile Hole.

On the west side of the park, the advisory applies to; Madison River, Firehole River, and Gibbon River below Gibbon Falls.

In the southern part of Yellowstone, the advisory applies to Bechler River below Ouzel Creek, Fall River below Rainbow Falls, Mountain Ash Creek below Union Falls, Proposition Creek, Boundary Creek below Dunanda Falls, Robinson Creek, and Snake River below Six Mile Ford.