TROUT MANAGEMENT BY JOHN BERRY

Last Thursday I participated, in the Bull Shoals/Norfork Trout Management Plan Workshop. It was held at the Sheid Center, on the campus, of Arkansas State University Mountain Home, from 6:00 PM until 8:30 PM. The idea was, to update the Trout Management Plan that was first implemented about ten years ago. I participated, in that plan, and am interested, in the outcome, of this one. The meeting was designed, to get input, from the public.

There were over one hundred attendees at the meeting. They were mostly fishing guides, resort owners and other concerned parties. I knew most of them. There was also a large contingent from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission that included two commissioners.

We were seated at over a dozen round tables, in the room. We were asked, to list our likes and dislikes, on large sheets, of paper. We had a sheet titled Bull Shoals Likes, Bull Shoals Dislikes, Norfork Likes and Norfork Dislikes. We were then asked to indicate our top two items, on each sheet.

There was a lot of discussion at our table and I am sure that the same thing happened at every table. We had eight people and each had different opinions about what was a like or dislike. There was even more discussion, when we had to choose the two most important items, for each sheet. When there was a major disagreement, we took a simple vote and the item, with the most votes, won.

The moderator then went around the room and asked, for the top two likes and dislikes, for both tailwaters, which were then written down, on another set, of four sheets, configured just like the sheets, on each table. After completion those summary sheets were then hung, on the wall. All of the sheets, from the various tables, were collected for future reference.

We were the asked to vote, on what items interested us the most. We were giver six dots (stickers) and we were asked to put the dots, on the items listed, on the sheets, of paper hung, on the wall that we most cared about either likes or dislikes. They asked that we use three stickers, for each river. This took a little time because all, of the attendees, had to vote.

In looking and listening, I heard that the most generally approved like was the twenty four inch size limit, on Brown trout. This was a product, from the last Trout Management Plan, which requires that all brown trout below twenty four inches, in length, be released. The result, of this change, has been that we have more brown trout, in the below twenty four inch size, including many that are nineteen, twenty, twenty one, twenty two and twenty three inches long. This is a great fish anywhere and it is very popular here, with all anglers.

At the same time, the general consensus is that there is no protection for rainbow trout. As a result, we do not have many large rainbows, in our streams. Many groups suggested a protective slot limit. This would allow rainbow trout below a given length (say sixteen inches) and above a given length (say twenty four inches), to be harvested. The trout between the two sizes would be released resulting in more rainbows in the sixteen to twenty three inch slot. I really like this idea.

The follow up meeting will be August 24 where we will review the findings and see where to go from there. It will be held at the same time and place. I hope to attend.