The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission heard the first reading of proposed changes to trout fishing regulations on the Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters to meet shifting perceptions and desires of anglers on those fisheries. At a briefing held last Wednesday, Christy Graham, AGFC Trout Program coordinator, explained the extensive public input process that went into the formation of the proposals.Graham says regulations are only a part of the Bull Shoals and Norfork Tailwaters Fisheries Management Plans reviewed and adapted every few years. The process has gone on since 2004, and includes creel surveys, angler interviews, mail surveys and focus groups to determine what the fishing public wants.
The latest review of the plans included two public workshops in Mountain Home which were advertised via social media, online newsletters and radio ads. More than 100 participants attended the workshops to speak about changes they would like to see in the fishery. The responses were then combined with public input from mail-in surveys and creel surveys and compared to biological data to determine what regulations and management strategies would yield the best result of what is biologically sustainable and matches the publics interests.
Recommendations have been presented to the Commission for consideration and include restricting the harvest of trout on Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters to five trout, but only one fish per day being longer than 14 inches.
Other proposed restrictions include:
o Reducing the daily limit on cutthroat trout on Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters from two fish to one and increase the minimum length of cutthroats from 16 inches to 24 inches.
o Reducing the daily limit on brook trout on Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters from two fish to one.
o Enacting a five-fish limit on rainbow trout with only one of those being longer than 14 inches.
o Restricting the number of hooking points when using bait on Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters to a single hooking point.
o Removing the Monkey Island Catch-and-Release Area on Bull Shoals Tailwater.
o Extending the length of Rim Shoals Catch-and-Release Area approximately two miles downstream on Bull Shoals.
The trout and commercial fishing season regulations are available for public comment on a survey at https://survey.agfc.com/index.php?r=survey/index&sid=189717&lang=en
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