Bull Shoals/Norfork Tailwaters Trout Plan Process

The Bull Shoals/Norfork Tailwaters Trout Management Plan process is underway. A series of meetings was held in 2007. Continue to watch here for updates.

A draft management plan document was released by AGFC on December 7, 2007. There will be a review workshop January 7, 2008, at the Ramada Inn in Mountain Home at 6:30. It will provide the public an opportunity to comment on the draft management plan.

A meeting was held in Mountain Home on November 6, 2007 for public feedback on the draft options document. Here is the official tabulated results of the meeting which Scott attended. Eight of eighteen tables recommended no change in the regulations for Bull Shoals tailwater for differing reasons. Some of the resorts and guides favored no change because they did not want to see more restrictions (slot limits) on more of the tailwaters. Some of those from Trout Unlimited favored no change until the research projects which local TU chapters and FFF clubs had helped fund were finished (research conclusions due the end of 2008). A determination of the effectiveness of the catch and release areas could then assessed more accurately and regulation changes recommended at that time. One or two tables favored eliminating the catch and release areas altogether. The rest of the tables recommended various options of the slot limit options proposed by AGFC mixed with their own recommendations.

AGFC released its draft management options document for Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters September 6, 2007. Read Scott's September 14th Morning News column addressing the document.

Read Scott's Morning News column on the trout management meetings held in May of 2007.

See the official public input results.