Meetings to gather bass angler input

Fishing rod, spinning reel on the background pier river bank. Sunrise. Fog against the backdrop of lake. Misty morning. wild nature. The concept of rural getaway. Article about fishing day. fishing tile / Getty Images
Fishing rod, spinning reel on the background pier river bank. Sunrise. Fog against the backdrop of lake. Misty morning. wild nature. The concept of rural getaway. Article about fishing day. fishing tile / Getty Images

Anglers interested in improving black bass fishing in Arkansas are invited to provide input on the state's latest Reservoir Black Bass Management Plan at events the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will hold in August and September.

Eleven public forums will be held in locations throughout Arkansas to ensure anglers and other stakeholders have an opportunity to review the status of fisheries management, to ask questions and to provide input on the future of bass management in Arkansas.

A meeting in Northwest Arkansas is set for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Aug. 17 at the J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center, 3400 N. 40th St. in Springdale.

Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass are the most popular species of fish for Arkansas anglers, Game and Fish data shows.

Vic DiCenzo, Game and Fish black bass program coordinator, said Game and Fish fisheries biologists have been working with professional bass anglers, tournament directors, outfitters and other key stakeholders in the angling community to build upon previous Arkansas bass management plans to incorporate the values of all black bass stakeholders.

An additional public survey was developed last November to assess the values of a broader, more general bass-angling community. Biologists then combined and used those values to create goals and objectives to address the complex management challenges and problems related to producing desirable fishing experiences for black bass in Arkansas.


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