Emergency Order for Trout Tailwaters - AGFC

[eknapp]

This was announced today....


https://www.agfc.com/news/commission-approves-emergency-order-for-trout-tailwaters-limits-temporarily-curtailed/

 

[netboy]

AGFC finally got the signs printed and posted at the boat ramps earlier this week.

 

 

[Flysmallie]

I heard “UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE” might be May. This can’t be good for the businesses there. 

[netboy]

1 hour ago, Flysmallie said:

I heard “UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE” might be May. This can’t be good for the businesses there. 

That may very well be the case. Here is a response to an email I sent to Christy Graham (AGFC) with a couple of suggestions to expand the C&R areas. I think they are doing their best to conserve the current trout population. 

Thanks for your email. We are planning to revisit the Bull Shoals and Norfork management plans in 2026 and will be considering multiple options on revising regulations  at that time. We also have no idea yet how long we will have to maintain the temporary catch-and-release regulations for the fishery- that is, whether they can be lifted after 120 days or need to be extended. We will have a better idea when water quality improves and Norfork Hatchery can inventory how many fish they have left.  I 100% agree with you that the C-R regs at the dam are confusing and need to be simplified. One thing that will help inform that decision is results from a telemetry project we are getting ready to start. We will put transmitters in Brown Trout and track them for a year to see what areas they use and when, in addition to determining how far they move.  It will be a really great study to see if we need to alter our C-R areas or provide additional regulations.

Thanks again and have a great weekend.

Thanks, Christy

[netboy]

Well on second thought from the response from AGFC, we need to ask this question...

Why are you spending all this money to track brown trout movements in the White River when that has absolutely nothing to do with the current problem with the water quality issues in our hatcheries. Maybe they need to re-allocate those funds to find a solution to the water quality issues.

[Quillback]

13 hours ago, netboy said:

Well on second thought from the response from AGFC, we need to ask this question...

Why are you spending all this money to track brown trout movements in the White River when that has absolutely nothing to do with the current problem with the water quality issues in our hatcheries. Maybe they need to re-allocate those funds to find a solution to the water quality issues.

I agree to a certain extent, but Norfork is a federal hatchery and should get funding from the feds.  I'm wondering if the plan for now, is to hope the issues solve themselves, or if there is a plan to remedy the situation?  This is now the 2nd year of water issues, last year they lost about a million trout.  

May not hurt to get info on brown movement and spawning locations just in case the days of dumping mass quantities of rainbows in the White are over.

[netboy]

The water quality issues at the hatchery stem from problems in Lake Norfork. This past summer a number of stripers were found dead in the lake due to the problem.

I think AGFC has a responsibility to investigate the true cause and possible solutions for the lake. 

[netboy]

Here is a good article by Clay Henry about the current problems.

 Commentary: Keep an open mind during state’s emergency trout regulations | Whole Hog Sports

[tjm]

On 11/1/2025 at 6:49 PM, netboy said:

Maybe they need to re-allocate those funds to find a solution to the water quality issues.

The water quality issues belong to a different branch of the government,  Department of Energy and Environment, DEQ.  Asking AGFC to fix the water problem is like asking your dentist to overhaul your car engine or asking the mechanic to remove you appendix. I'm sure AGFC is just as frustrated as you are with the situation, but even knowing exactly what went wrong and why, there is nothing AGFC can do about it. 

In general the low DO2 in reservoirs type situation comes from rain and generation. Rain  effectively reduces the oxygen levels in lakes through a few actions, and generation sucks the cool water oxygenated out of the reservoirs and when combined the result is low dissolved oxygen in the remaining lake water. Happens to some extent every year in every reservoir  as far as I can find out. Did that area get more than usual early summer rain over a  longer than normal time period? 

[gotmuddy]

On 11/2/2025 at 1:26 PM, tjm said:

The water quality issues belong to a different branch of the government,  Department of Energy and Environment, DEQ.  Asking AGFC to fix the water problem is like asking your dentist to overhaul your car engine or asking the mechanic to remove you appendix. I'm sure AGFC is just as frustrated as you are with the situation, but even knowing exactly what went wrong and why, there is nothing AGFC can do about it. 

In general the low DO2 in reservoirs type situation comes from rain and generation. Rain  effectively reduces the oxygen levels in lakes through a few actions, and generation sucks the cool water oxygenated out of the reservoirs and when combined the result is low dissolved oxygen in the remaining lake water. Happens to some extent every year in every reservoir  as far as I can find out. Did that area get more than usual early summer rain over a  longer than normal time period? 

absolutely. the lake was at flood stage all spring/summer