DENVER (AP) – Colorado wildlife officials are urging anglers to avoid fishing along a stretch of the Colorado River amid drought-induced low flows, critically warm water temperatures, and sediment runoff from wildfire burn scars that starve trout of oxygen. The voluntary fishing ban imposed Wednesday along a 120-mile stretch of the river is unusual so early in the summer. It’s another consequence of the record heat and drought that’s afflicted the U.S. West. Rainbow and brown trout in the river thrive in temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees. But officials say river temperatures have surpassed 70 degrees. Wildlife officials have seen evidence of trout dying in parts of the river.
