Fly Fisherman News Digest: No Targeting Striped Bass?

Fall is almost here with the autumnal equinox days away as of this writing. And with the arrival of the fall season, there’s no shortage of things a fly angler can do.

And that includes making a difference in regard to some critical recreational fishing decisions ahead.

October 3 Deadline Looms as ASA and ASGA Sounds Call to Action for Striped Bass

As if the striped bass news on the East Coast can't get any more dire, the American Sportfishing Association has issued a call to action to help protect recreational access to striped bass and bring opposition to unnecessary fishing closures that are being proposed. And with the approach of an October 3 comment deadline, time is of the essence here.

That closure potential stems from the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, which the ASA and others say is considering new restrictions on striped bass in 2026, including the proposal of a 12 percent reduction for the recreational angling sector of the fishery. To do so could require additional seasonal closures to achieve such reductions, including unenforceable "no targeting" potential.

And that's not a potential college football rule, since "no targeting" would prohibit anglers from fishing for striped bass, whether they intend to harvest one for the table or strictly practice catch-and-release.

"Additional seasonal closures are not needed," notes the ASA Call to Action internet portal. "Strict recreational fishery management using a narrow slot limit has effectively lowered fishing mortality to a 30-year low which is well below both the target and threshold needed for rebuilding.

"So why push new restrictions? ASMFC is reacting to short-term swings in recreational catch estimates from MRIP (NOAA's Marine Recreational Information Program), a survey NOAA Fisheries has already acknowledged overestimates fishing effort due to design flaws. In fact, the entire case for the proposed 12% reduction is based on a difference of 0.01 in fishing mortality – well within the margin of error and scientifically indistinguishable from the current management approach."

The American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA) agrees, stating: "ASGA completely rejects any attempts to implement no-target closures at scale. Furthermore, this is an exercise in reducing impact on paper. The 12 percent reductions needed will never be realized, therefore delaying rebuilding even longer."

ASA, ASGA, and others note that this is a "lose-lose" proposition if ASMFC pushes ahead with the proposal, forcing recreational anglers to accept closures that would either ban recreational fishing altogether or would put an unfair burden on anglers who legally harvest fish for the table. 

And that's not to mention more division potential within the angling community, or the huge economic risks that would be possible.

"The recreational striped bass fishery drives billions of dollars in economic activity, supports tens of thousands of jobs, and sustains countless small businesses up and down the Atlantic coast," said the ASA. "An additional 12% reduction would devastate the recreational fishing economy while doing very little to improve the health of the fishery.

"The message is clear: New restrictions based on unreliable data, that are not scientifically distinguishable from status quo, threaten both angler access and the economy.

"Tell ASMFC to reject new closures and maintain status quo management. Comments are due no later than October 3."

If you'd like to make your opinion known and your voice heard, please visit here.

Missouri Spotted Bass Roundup

One thing that fly anglers can do right away in the fall season—and help the Show Me State’s native smallmouth bass fishery in the process—is to participate in a unique catch, keep and pass the tartar sauce event.

According to the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance (MSA): "This fun catch-and-keep fishing tournament promotes the legal harvest of non-native spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) across the Meramec River Basin. These oftentimes slow-growing fish do provide great sport but their expanding presence in the Meramec, Bourbeuse and Big Rivers can make life more difficult for native smallmouth bass."

Because of that, the MSA notes that the Missouri Department of Conservation liberalized the harvest limit for spotted bass across the Meramec basin several years back. The current regulations feature no minimum length limit and a daily creel limit of up to 12 spotted bass. 

Those regulations now encourage anglers to harvest these non-native fish, which will help to "...protect and improve the affected native smallmouth fisheries."

Interested in participating in a tourney that will help Missouri’s Mr. Smalljaws? Then please note that the event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 20.

"Anglers can fish anywhere on these three rivers that day but our weigh-in, awards ceremony and fish fry will be held at Pavillion B at Robertsville State Park located off Highway 0 near Catawissa," said the MSA news release. "We ask that any participating fishermen be done fishing for the day to convene at the site no later than 5 PM that day so we have sufficient time to get everything taken care of by sundown.

To learn more about fly fishing for smallmouth bass in moving water, check out this article by Dave Whitlock. 

More information about the Spotted Bass Roundup is available here.

Florida FWC Votes to Protect Bonefish Pre-Spawning Aggregation Site

On the surface, 1.74 square miles might not seem like a lot in an ocean setting. But then again, there’s always that old real estate adage, “Location, location, location,” right?

Because when it's the right 1.74 square miles for an iconic saltwater fishery, and it's a highly important location for the successful spawning efforts of bonefish southeastern Florida, you go to work and do what you need to do to protect it, no matter the size.

That protection has come to pass thanks to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) voting to pass a measure that targets and closes a pre-spawning aggregation (PSA) site for bonefish in Biscayne Bay National Park. 

As Fly Fisherman reported earlier this year, the PSA was documented back in April 2023 by scientists with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT). After the recent FWC decision, the agency's move will close the critical PSA area to all fishing from March through May for the next five years according to a BTT news release.

That's huge since the Biscayne Bay PSA is the first to ever be scientifically documented in Florida waters, that identification coming after three years of research between BTT, FWC, and BNP scientists. The discovery came after tracking data found that migrating bonefish returned to the 1.74 square mile patch-reef location annually, forming large schools prior to going offshore to spawn in deep water.

“Protecting this site during peak spawning season is critical to the continued recovery of Florida’s bonefish population,” said BTT President and CEO Jim McDuffie, in the news release. “We thank FWC Commissioners for their leadership and commitment as well as the guides, anglers, partner organizations, and fishing industry leaders for raising their voices in support of this science-based conservation measure.”

"This aggregation discovery is a milestone in the recovery of this iconic fishery,” added FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “We recognize this site’s importance and are committed to continuing the protection for this significant species.”

Following this five year closure, and trying to ensure that the resource and conservation measures are balanced, biologists will be monitoring the PSA over this five year period. At the end of the five-year window, the data will then be reviewed.

Idaho Steelhead Returns Bring Good News

While news headlines are far too often on the negative side of the ledger, both in the regular world and the outdoors world, sometimes, there's some good news to deliver.

The latter includes the wild steelhead numbers in Idaho, where the Idaho Fish & Game is reporting that this year's return has already exceeded the preseason forecast numbers.

Before the run started, Fish & Game anadromous fisheries managers–after working with federal and tribal fisheries managers–had predicted a total of 67,500 steelhead would return to the Columbia River, including some 55,600 A-run fish and 11,900 B-run fish. But as of August 6, there had already been 76,000 A-run steelhead being counted as they passed Bonneville Dam.

Amazingly, the IDFG 10-year average for the same period is only about 30,000, although biologists admit that the 10-year average has a low average bar to top since there are some very poor steelhead years in that 10-year average. That includes September 2021 when the returns were the lowest ever recorded.

So, suffice it to say that this year's steelhead run is a bit of a surprise. And that includes the wild steelhead figures, since about half of the fish that have passed Bonneville Dam are unclipped, or wild.

"The majority of this year’s returning steelhead only spent one year in the ocean, so it’s similar to forecasting jack Chinook salmon where we don’t have any good indicators to predict returns,” said Chris Sullivan, Idaho Fish & Game Anadromous Fisheries Coordinator, in a news release.

So if the A-run is looking A+, how about the B-run? Sullivan says it’s too early to determine as of this writing, since biologists will need about another month to get a clearer picture. 

To stay abreast of the latest steelhead news in Idaho, visit the Fish & Game steelhead page.

Cutthroat Trout Conservation Project Underway in Elk Creek Southwest of Montana's Gallatin Valley

After a recent discovery of native westslope cutthroat trout in southwestern Montana, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is embarking upon a project that aims to protect and expand the trout situated in the Madison River tributary of Elk Creek.

According to an FWP news release, the westslope cutties are isolated in a small headwater section, while most of the rest of the stream is populated by non-native brook trout. 

Because of that, the project hopes to expand the distribution of westslope cutthroat trout by about eight miles, with that serving as an additional source of Aboriginal trout available for future introductions. According to FWP, Elk Creek and the Madison River–a part of the upper Missouri River basin–has miniscule populations of non-hybridized westslope cutthroats, a species estimated by biologists to remain in less than 6 percent of their historically occupied habitat.

To see the environmental assessment for this project in early 2025, along with solicited public comments that were generally supportive, see FWP's website.

Dave Matthews Band and Wildlands Raise Record-Breaking $1.3M for Conservation

As summertime lightning bolts flashed miles and miles away, there was an unexpected surge of electricity in concertgoers as Grammy award winning artist Dave Matthews provided some energy of his own.

Matthews did so when he unexpectedly said to a crowd of some 6,000 a few weeks ago that in his mind, the Big Sky State of Montana is a special land indeed.

"This is a magic part of the world," Matthews is quoted by the explorebigsky.com news website. 

And then Matthews put his money where his mouth was. In fact, some very big money had already been raised by the Dave Matthews Band—who performed on August 1-2 with Lukas Nelson and Molly Tuttle, along with a charity auction being held on July 31—as he played for the Wildlands weekend at sold-out Big Sky Events Arena in Big Sky, Montana to the south-southwest of Bozeman.  

All told, more than $600,000 had already been raised for American Rivers and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation. But according to ExploreBigSky.com, that figure was doubled just minutes before the check presentation when Dave Matthews and his musical team matched the money already raised by the auction, ticket sales, and individual donations. 

All told, Matthews contributed some $650,000 from his foundation, Bama Works.

“We knew we were getting about ($600K),” said Deb Kmon Davidson, the chief strategy officer for CLLC, in the explorebigsky.com story, after receiving the check. “The big surprise was that Dave Matthews and his foundation doubled it, which is huge and shocking and also a testimony to who he is as a person and what he cares about. I think he was really inspired by all the people here and the energy and the landscape and our work.”

PG&E Makes it Official–Submits Plan to Remove Potter Valley Project Dams and Modernize Water Infrastructure

There’s big news out of California where the state's third largest watershed, Eel River, is about to see a dam removal take place.

The process began back in 2019 when Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) announced that it would not renew its federal license to renew the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project, which consists of two dams, Scott and Cape Horn, that block access to a 300sq/mi areas in the Eel River headwaters. According to CalTrout, the decision also affects the diversion tunnel which takes Eel River water and transfers it to the Russian River.

While PG&E announced its decision in 2019, the plan was made official a few weeks ago on July 25, 2025 when PG&E officially submitted its License Surrender Application and Decommissioning Plan for the project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERD). That filing begins the formal process to actually remove the Scott and Cape Horn dams, which will ultimately be very beneficial for both salmon and steelhead recovery in the Eel River, in addition to a modern, reliable water supply for the Russian River.

Following the announcement in 2019, a broad and unprecedented coalition formed to forge ahead towards this summer's big filing, a coalition made up of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, Sonoma Water, Mendocino County, Humboldt County, Trout Unlimited, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and CalTrout.

All of these tribal, government, and wildlife conservation entities rallied behind the shared vision of restoring the Eel River and securing a reliable water supply for the future in the Russian River Basin.

"PG&E's license surrender filing marks a historic step toward reconnecting the upper Eel River with the Pacific Ocean for the first time in over a century," said Curtis Knight, Executive Director of California Trout, in a news release. "This moment is the result of years of dedicated work by Tribes, local communities, and conservation groups to restore salmon runs while maintaining a secure water future for the region." 

To learn more about PG&E's surrender application, visit here.

Reclaiming Resilient Michigan Streams: Over 140 miles of Streams Reconnected So Far in Grant Project

Call it halftime, without the two minute warning and the Gatorade break. Because that might be a good way to describe the big news out of the upper Midwest where the state of Michigan has announced that more than 140 miles of streams across the state have been reconnected thus far in the state's grant project.

That's effectively halftime for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources project, along with help from numerous conservation partners, to complete the $5 million grant project that will eventually remove 27 stream barriers that include 16 DNR-managed dams.

So far, a Michigan DNR news release indicates that Hulbert Road Dam has been removed in Crawford County. Other dam removals that are completed or within the process include the Portage Creek Trout Pond Dam in Jackson County, the Spring Creek Trout Pond Dam in Luce County, the McAlpine Trout Pond Dam in Mackinac County, the Altona Dam in Mecosta County, the Marshville Dam in Oceana County, and the Mio Walleye Pond Dam in Oscoda County.

These and future project works will help yield positive ecological and community effects, including a restoration of normal stream function, the reintroduction of native grasses and shrubs, the reintroduction of native shade trees, improved river access and even a new kayak launch site. There's also helping native fish reach spawning grounds, mitigation for sediment efforts, and more.

Looking ahead into 2026, an additional 11 projects are scheduled in the coming year. And according to Michigan DNR, the outcomes from those forthcoming works will serve to address public safety, protect natural resources, and improve the ability of the DNR to focus its management efforts and resources on dams in places that will provide high-quality resource benefits and recreational public usage.

Infinite Outdoors, RareWaters Merge

While there can certainly be some great public lands fly fishing opportunity, most fly anglers love the no-crowds and less pressured angling options that private waters can bring.

To help make that possibility a realistic and more affordable one, the Wyoming-based Infinite Outdoors, the nation’s fastest-growing private land access platform for outdoors recreation (also known as the Airbnb for Outdoorsmen according to the company), has acquired Colorado-based RareWaters, the nation’s largest fly fishing marketplace-turned-fishing club. 

In bringing together these two companies, the merger helps to create a robust access platform for hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts by expanding access to thousands of acres of prime fishing land across America in an Airbnb-like approach.

A news release indicates that RareWaters’ extensive portfolio of over 100 miles of exclusive river and lake access will now be available on the Infinite Outdoors platform. That will aid in unlocking even more fishing opportunities for members. 

And simultaneously, RareWaters members will gain access to Infinite Outdoors’ 500-plus premier hunting and fishing properties across California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, and beyond.

“Acquiring RareWaters was a natural evolution for Infinite Outdoors,” said Sam Seeton, co-founder and chief executive officer of Infinite Outdoors, in an e-mailed news release. “Their team shares our core values of conservation, access, and land stewardship. Together, we’re not just increasing opportunities for sportsmen and women - we’re making sure those opportunities are sustainable for generations to come.”

For more information and to visit new sites opened up by this acquisition, please visit here.

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