Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is stocking 12-inch rainbow trout into ponds and lakes across the state beginning in mid-February to enhance fishing opportunities. The agency is also seeking angler input through a survey to inform future trout management decisions.
The Gulf Council is accepting applications for its Red Drum Advisory Panel and Coastal Migratory Pelagic Advisory Panel. Advisory Panel members serve three-year terms and provide formal recommendations to decision makers. Applications must be received by March 3, 2026, at noon.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division will host two town hall meetings in February 2026 to discuss recreational Red Drum fishing regulation changes. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's 2024 stock assessment found the southern stock overfished and experiencing overfishing, necessitating management changes to ensure long-term sustainability.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will hold an informational fisheries meeting on February 24 in Plentywood. Regional fisheries technician Hayden Cody and manager Tyler Haddix will discuss Box Elder Reservoir sampling results, stocking changes, and northeast Montana fisheries management.
The Gulf Council is requesting fishermen to submit feedback on gag grouper trends in the Gulf through their Fisherman Feedback Tool to inform an upcoming scientific stock assessment. Responses are due by March 13, 2026.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources will temporarily close the recreational Bluefish fishery in state waters for March and April 2026 to ensure long-term sustainability. This closure aligns with Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission management measures and allows Georgia to maintain its 15-fish bag limit year-round.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Army Corps of Engineers completed a joint project deploying 77 fish attractor sites at Lake Ouachita. The operation involved 35 personnel removing invasive cedars to create habitats for walleye, bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish, and stripers.
The 2026 Arkansas Fishing Guidebook highlights refined trout harvest regulations for Norfork, Bull Shoals, Greers Ferry, and Beaver tailwaters due to stocking shortages from facility damage. Lake Monticello now allows harvest of bass and crappie after years of catch-and-release restrictions following its 2022 refilling and renovation by the AGFC and city of Monticello.
Michigan's Black Lake sturgeon season ended in just 48 minutes on February 7, 2026, after six fish were harvested by 679 registered anglers. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with tribal governments and organizations including the Black Lake Chapter of Sturgeon For Tomorrow and Michigan State University, managed the successful season.
The Gulf Council is accepting applications for its Red Drum Advisory Panel and Coastal Migratory Pelagic Advisory Panel. Advisory Panel members serve three-year terms and receive travel expense compensation. Applications must be submitted by March 3, 2026, at noon for consideration during the April Council meeting.
NOAA Fisheries reduced the 2026 Gulf commercial greater amberjack annual catch limit to 92,816 pounds effective January 5, 2026, due to 2025 landings exceeding the limit by 8,184 pounds. The reduction is required by Gulf Fishery Management Council accountability measures to protect the overfished greater amberjack population.
The Gulf Council will hold a meeting of its Standing and Shrimp Scientific and Statistical Committees on February 24-26, 2026, in Tampa, Florida. The SSC will review SEDAR 87 Gulf Penaeid Shrimp Stock Assessments, MRIP-FES recalibrations, greater amberjack interim analysis, and SEDAR 100 Gulf Gray Triggerfish assessment.
The Gulf Council will hold a virtual Ecosystem Technical Committee Meeting on March 3, 2026, from 1:00-4:00 PM EDT. The committee will receive updates on Inflation Reduction Act Projects and the Gulf Ecosystem Status Report, and review a draft Gulf Fishery Ecosystem Plan.
Twin brothers Trace and Levi Loe caught two trophy bass at DeGray Lake for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's Legacy Lunker Program. Trace's fish weighed 11.16 pounds and Levi's weighed 12.63 pounds. While only Trace's fish was donated for spawning, both brothers received recognition and prizes including reproduction mounts and banquet invitations.
The Gulf Council met in New Orleans from January 26-28, 2026, taking final action on Reef Fish Amendment 62 to increase red grouper catch limits and eliminate recreational shallow-water grouper closures. The Council also delayed action on shallow-water grouper complex amendments pending MRIP-FES data review, advanced for-hire electronic reporting requirements, and initiated work on recreational deep-water grouper reporting and lane snapper catch limit increases.
The Gulf Council delayed final action on Reef Fish Amendment 58A, which would split the shallow-water grouper complex into two separate complexes, due to uncertainty with MRIP-FES recreational landings estimates. A framework action finalized in June 2025 will set the annual catch limit for the other shallow-water grouper complex at 322,000 pounds gutted weight with a recreational season from July 1 through December 31.
The Gulf Council approved Reef Fish Amendment 62, phasing in red grouper catch limit increases over three years with 68.2% commercial and 31.8% recreational allocations. The Council also eliminated the February-March recreational shallow-water grouper closure beyond 20-fathoms, based on SEDAR 88 stock assessment findings that red grouper is not overfished.
Michigan Technological University and the Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division are conducting a survey and interviews with burbot anglers in the Lake Superior basin to understand angler awareness, values, and preferences for recreational burbot fishing. Contact Greyson Wolf at greysonw@mtu.edu for questions.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's Fisheries Division partnered with McAlpine Christmas Tree Farm to donate 200 Christmas trees for fish habitat in Lake Hamilton and Cox Creek Lake. Anglers can pick up trees on a first-come, first-served basis at designated boat ramps through the end of January.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife stocked over 36 million fish across eleven species at 233 locations statewide in 2025. Fish were distributed across five life stages to expand fishing opportunities for Ohio's 827,000 licensed anglers.