This hot and dry summer is taking a toll on fisheries around the West, and in Yellowstone things are getting so dire that officials are implementing restrictions on when you can fish the park's streams. Beginning tomorrow, July 21, a number of streams will be closed to fishing between 2 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the foreseeable future.

The problem is that these waters are running unusually low, and with the high air temperatures they're getting pretty warm. The Firehole River near West Yellowstone has actually topped 80 degrees for several days, and the Gibbon River at Madison Junction and Soda Butte Creek near the Lamar Ranger Station both have reached 78 degrees.

Streams affected by the closure are:

Northern Yellowstone

Gardner River below Osprey Falls
Lava Creek below Undine Falls
Lamar River below Cache Creek
All of Slough Creek
Soda Butte Creek below Amphitheater Creek
The Yellowstone River below Seven Mile Hole.

West side of the park

Madison River
Firehole River below Keppler Cascades
The Gibbon River below Gibbon Falls

Southern portion of Yellowstone

Bechler River below Ouzel Creek
Falls River below Rainbow Falls
Mountain Ash Creek below Union Falls
Proposition Creek
Boundary Creek below Dunanda Falls
Robinson Creek
The Snake River below Six Mile Ford.

According to park officials, these waters will remain open to fishing between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and
2:00 p.m.

The extended forecast for Yellowstone calls for continued hot and dry conditions with a slight chance of isolated afternoon thunderstorms. These conditions contribute to continued low stream flows and high water temperatures.

A map of the closures is attached.