Voluntary fishing closure in place in the ‘toilet bowl’ along the Fryingpan River

Rachael Gonzales
Northwest Region Public Information Officer
970-773-8587 / [email protected]
Twitter: @CPW_NW

Voluntary fishing closure in place in the ‘toilet bowl’ along the Fryingpan River

 

BASALT, Colo. - The City of Aspen has scheduled their annual maintenance of the hydroelectric plant on the dam at Ruedi Reservoir this coming week. Due to lack of flow-through water, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has implemented a voluntary fishing closure in the 'toilet bowl,' a popular fishing hole located on the Fryingpan River at the base of the dam's outlet. The closure, in effect on Oct. 16, will continue until reservoir releases resume through the dam pool. Maintenance work is scheduled to continue for about a week.

To facilitate the work, water that normally feeds the toilet bowl will be re-routed, leaving the large fish in the pool isolated and stressed while the work is ongoing. Additional stress from fishing, catching, handling, releasing, and wading may result in the onset of disease and/or fish mortality.

"In previous years, anglers have been very cooperative in helping us protect this resource when the water has been rerouted," said Area Aquatic Biologist Kendall Bakich. "We anticipate that cooperation will occur again this year and we are grateful for everyone's patience."

Bakich says signage advising of the closure will be posted and remain in place until the voluntary closure is lifted.

For more information about the voluntary fishing closure, contact Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Glenwood Springs office at 970-947-2920.

For more information about fishing in Colorado visit the CPW website.