The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is asking anglers, paddlers and other stream users to help shape the future of black bass management in Arkansas by participating in a statewide survey.
The survey is part of the agency’s effort to update its Stream Black Bass Management Plan.
The revised plan will guide management of smallmouth, Neosho, largemouth and spotted bass in Arkansas’s wadable and floatable warmwater streams.
According to the AGFC, the updated plan is intended to complement the agency’s existing Reservoir Black Bass Management Plan by establishing management strategies tailored specifically to stream fisheries, which differ significantly from reservoirs.
The current Stream Smallmouth Bass Management Plan was last updated in 2021.
The new plan will expand its focus to include all black bass species found in Arkansas streams, excluding major river systems such as the Mississippi, Arkansas, Red, St. Francis and the lower sections of the White and Ouachita rivers.
As part of the planning process, AGFC Fisheries Division staff will work with a Stakeholder Advisory Committee made up of volunteers representing a variety of interests, including anglers, paddlers, outfitters, landowners and businesses that rely on stream recreation.
Survey responses will be used to help develop management goals, objectives and strategies for the updated plan.
Once a draft is completed, it will be released for public comment before being presented to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for consideration and adoption.
The survey will remain available through Aug. 9 at agfc.com.
Additional information is available by contacting Black Bass Program Biologist Eric Naas at [email protected] or Black Bass Program Coordinator Jeremy Risley at [email protected].
