Total Trout Kill Expected in Dolores River

The Dolores River, located near Durango, Colorado, is a trout fishery many of us anglers are familiar with here in the West. But it’s also increasingly likely every angler will know of the Dolores for a less-than-fortunate reason.

Projections from Colorado’s Department of Parks and Wildlife show that the entire trout population in the 12-mile section of the Dolores River below McPhee Reservoir – which is managed as a catch-and-release fishery – will die this year. Base flows out of McPhee Reservoir are between five and nine cubic feet per second, well below the usual 70cfs for this time of year.

You can read more about the plight of the Dolores River here.