Little Rock, Arkansas – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is inviting anglers, paddlers, landowners, and others who enjoy the state’s waterways to help shape the future of stream fishing by participating in a public survey aimed at updating its Stream Black Bass Management Plan.
The survey is now available and will remain open through Aug. 9. Information gathered from participants will help guide the agency as it develops a revised strategy for managing black bass populations in Arkansas’s wadable and floatable warmwater streams. Officials say the updated plan will focus on four species—smallmouth, Neosho, largemouth, and spotted bass—while recognizing the unique needs of stream environments across the state.
According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the revised plan is intended to work alongside the existing Reservoir Black Bass Management Plan, allowing each type of fishery to be managed with approaches designed specifically for its habitat and conditions.
Agency leaders say public participation will play an important role in the planning process. By gathering opinions from people who regularly fish, paddle, or spend time on Arkansas streams, officials hope to create a management strategy that supports healthy fish populations while also meeting the expectations of those who rely on these natural resources for recreation.
“Our number one priority is always to maintain healthy habitats for the state’s fish and wildlife, but the real science of conservation is working within those parameters set by nature to allow for responsible use of those resources,” Black Bass Program Biologist Eric Naas said. “A critical component of that work is to gauge the preferences of the people using the resource to ensure we’re fulfilling their expectations as best we can with what the resource allows.”
The commission’s current Stream Smallmouth Bass Management Plan was most recently updated in 2021. Since then, fisheries staff say stream bass management has continued to evolve, prompting the agency to expand the plan beyond smallmouth bass alone. The revised document will address all black bass species found in Arkansas streams, providing a broader framework for future management efforts.
The updated plan will not include several of the state’s largest river systems. Those excluded areas include the Mississippi, Arkansas, Red, and St. Francis rivers, along with the lower portions of the White and Ouachita rivers. Instead, the focus will remain on smaller streams where management needs differ from those of larger waterways.
To develop the new plan, the AGFC Fisheries Division will work closely with a Stakeholder Advisory Committee made up of volunteers representing a wide range of interests. The committee will include anglers, paddling enthusiasts, fishing outfitters, landowners, and local businesses that depend on stream recreation and tourism.
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Survey responses will provide valuable information as the advisory committee drafts recommendations for the updated management plan. Once a draft has been completed, the commission will open a public comment period, giving Arkansans another opportunity to review the proposal and offer feedback before a final version is presented to commissioners for approval.
Officials encourage anyone with an interest in Arkansas’s streams and fisheries to complete the survey before the Aug. 9 deadline. The questionnaire is available through the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s website, and the agency hopes broad participation will help ensure the updated management plan reflects both conservation goals and the needs of the people who enjoy the state’s waterways.
