The Gulf Council will hold a three-day meeting April 7-9, 2026, at The Battle House Renaissance in Mobile, Alabama. The Council will take final action on lane snapper catch limits and red grouper quota measures, review shrimp assessments, and discuss recreational fishing seasons and management updates.
Texas A&M AgriLife's Aquatic Diagnostics Laboratory, supported by AgriLife Extension Service and AgriLife Research, serves as the state's only public laboratory dedicated to private pond and aquaculture diagnostics. In 2025, the lab completed 149 diagnostic cases across Texas and 14 states, supporting nearly 10,000 acres of private waters valued at over $26 million. Director Todd Sink and specialist Brittany Chesser provide comprehensive water quality analysis, fish disease diagnostics, and cyanotoxin testing with actionable management recommendations.
MassWildlife will stock over 400,000 trout across 450 lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams in 264 Massachusetts towns beginning mid-March. This year's fish are larger than ever, with over 80% measuring over 12 inches, including retired brood trout and tiger trout.
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife will release more than 80,000 rainbow trout at 93 locations beginning March 11 across the state. New release locations include Meadow Ridge Metro Park's Mirror Pond, Restoration Park Pond, East Palestine Park Pond, and others, with youth-only fishing opportunities at select sites.
The Gulf Council will hold five Ecosystem Working Group meetings across the Gulf region from March to April 2026 to discuss Fishery Ecosystem Issues of Concern and inform the Gulf Fishery Ecosystem Plan. Meetings will feature facilitated discussions on key factors affecting Gulf fisheries and sector-specific breakout sessions.
Join the DNR research vessel R/V Lake Char on a Lake Superior expedition to Klondike Reef in a short film documenting lake trout research. The crew studies this important native species, which has recently met recovery goals after facing challenges from invasive species, pollution, and overharvest. The expedition led by research biologist Shawn Sitar provides insights applicable to managing fish populations at other offshore reef locations.
Rod Martinez caught a 10.22-pound bass at Lake Monticello that qualified as Arkansas Legacy Lunker Number Nine. The fish will be bred at Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery with eight other donated lunkers through the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's program to increase trophy bass potential in Arkansas waters.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will hold its annual update meeting on March 16 at the Montana WILD Education Center in Helena to discuss population trends for game fish in Canyon Ferry, Hauser, and Holter reservoirs and the Missouri River system.
Two Rivers State Recreation Area Trout Lake in Douglas County opens March 14, offering anglers higher catch rates of rainbow trout. Daily trout tags cost $6 with a four-trout bag limit, and catch-and-release is now permitted. Nebraska fishing licenses required for adults; call 402-359-5165 for tag availability.
Vermont Fish and Wildlife certified a 28.5-pound Freshwater Drum caught by 10-year-old Grayson Carey in the Lake Champlain International Father's Day Derby as a new state record. The catch also earned Carey over $26,000 in prize winnings and recognition for under-appreciated native fish species.
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will host six virtual fisheries management discussions March 9-11 via Zoom, featuring 30-minute presentations and Q&A sessions for each of the five Fisheries districts plus a statewide and Aquatic Habitat Program session. Registration is required at Calendar.OutdoorNebraska.gov, and all sessions will be recorded for later viewing on YouTube.
The Gulf Council will hold a virtual meeting of its Shrimp Advisory Panel on March 9, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM EST. The panel will review shrimp stock assessments, pricing, landings data, and the 2025 Texas Closure to make recommendations for 2026, plus receive updates on Congressional funding for vessel position data collection.
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.