Fishing pros are applauding a first-of-its-kind request from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to pause afternoon fishing on the Snake River and Flat Creek as of July 29. The department’s voluntary closure aims to reduce the stress on the river dwellers during the hottest time of the day. The department has never placed a full closure on the Snake River, but regularly asks that anglers ease off fishing during hot periods on shallower creeks. Game and Fish recommended a full closure on part of the Bighorn River, near Thermopolis, on Aug. 3. “You need to be out there early if you want to catch fish,” Dawkins said.