Fly Fisherman News Digest: After Shocking Vote, Menhaden Crisis Deepens

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Fall is turning to winter, and with Blue-Winged Olive hatches preparing to turn into midge-fishing opportunities, hardy fly anglers are looking to see where they stashed the Merino wool.

With the holidays looming in the upcoming weeks, here’s the latest edition of Fly Fisherman news briefs:

Maddening Menhaden Ruling

At its annual meeting recently in Delaware, the Menhaden Management Board of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) voted to reduce 2026 commercial catch by only 20 percent. 

That decision came despite revised models which indicate the need to cut the commercial quota by more than half to rebuilt the beleaguered striped bass population according to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP). According to TRCP, that need is there because a 2025 stock assessment indicated that the biomass of Atlantic menhaden is one-third lower than previously estimated.

Because of this decision, TRCP says that it is likely that striped bass and other predators that are largely reliant on menhaden like bluefish, weakfish, spiny dogfish, and ospreys will not have sufficient forage.

"Rebuilding the Atlantic striped bass population has always involved more than just regulating striped bass harvest," said Chris Macaluso, TRCP's director of the Center for Fisheries. "It’s also about ensuring that enough of their key food source, Atlantic menhaden, remains available in the water.” 

The decision is maddening given the fact that the revised model information came from the ASMFC itself in early October. The ASMFC suggested at that time that slashing the coastwide catch limit by more than half would be necessary to ensure sufficient forage for rebuilding striped bass populations. 

That all changed with its October 28 decision according to TRCP: "The Board’s decision, made at the agency’s annual meeting in Delaware, ignores its own management framework based on ‘ecological reference points’ (ERPs)–clear, science-based limits that tie menhaden harvest directly to predator health–and new estimates that show there are 37 percent fewer menhaden off the Atlantic coast than previously estimated. The Board also declined to vote for additional coastwide menhaden quota reductions beyond the 2026 fishing season, dodging additional quota cuts for 2027 and 2028 that could have collectively reached an ERP-based reduction that the recreational angling community called for after three years. The Board instead favored revisiting the issue in 2026 to determine if additional reductions are needed."

TRCP also noted: "The Board’s decision today is not expected to achieve the standard 50/50 probability of not exceeding the ERP fishing mortality target–the precautionary approach that would dictate risk-tolerant, science-based management–and instead results in a 100 percent chance of exceeding the target in 2026."

Needless to say, few outside of commercial interests were happy with the late October decision by ASMFC, which came despite robust comment from stakeholders like the American Saltwater Guides Association (ASGA) and its supporters.

"The cascading impacts of removing billions of forage fish from our oceans are still not fully understood," stated the ASGA in iits October 25 letter. "The ecosystem has needs and menhaden are a critical link between photosynthesis and protein for predatory animals. Fisheries managers tend to push fisheries too far and then

struggle to rebuild. Menhaden are a foundational component of the food web and outdated, reactive management approaches will have cascading effects throughout our oceans. We cannot afford any more mistakes and must take the reductions in the Atlantic while implementing guardrail management in the Gulf.”

Study seeks to Understand How Angler Harvest Behaviors Change Through Time at Tailwater Rainbow Trout Fishery

Last week, we told you about emergency trout regulations recently put into place at northern Arkansas' legendary White River and Norfork River fisheries.

In a region known for producing world-record caliber brown trout, it was big news. The White River and Norfork River trout fisheries contribute millions to the local economy annually–some of that from catch-and-release fly anglers and some of that from catch-and-keep anglers looking to supply an evening meal. 

Check out that coverage here. 

We mention this because this situation serves as a fascinating backdrop to a recent study that used some four decades worth of information.

That was noted in a recently published paper in the North American Journal of Fisheries Management that seeks to understand how angler harvest behaviors change through time and in relation to different management regulations essential to effective fisheries management. 

While admitting that the factors that influence an angler's decision to harvest fish are complex and likely poorly understood, the study relied on data collected from a long-term creel program that examines how angler harvest rates at a western tailwater trout fishery have changed over time as regulations have changed.

Relying on data gleaned from those creel surveys between 1977 and 2024, the fishery in the American Southwest actually found that angler harvest rates have declined through the length of the study. And some of that was in part due to the fishing gear that anglers utilized in their angling efforts.

"Significant differences in angler harvest rates were observed between angler groups using different gear," noted the results section in the paper's synopsis. "Anglers using fly-fishing gear were observed to have the lowest harvest rates, followed by anglers using spinning gear. Anglers using bait had the highest harvest rates over the course of the study."

But the type of gear used was only a part of the equation according to biologists.

"Additionally, differences in harvest rates were observed under different management regulations," said the paper's authors, John M. Fennell, Jan K. Boyer, and David L. Rogowski. "Anglers harvested less fish when restrictive maximum length limits were in place for harvested fish. A less pronounced difference was observed in harvest rates related to the number of fish anglers were allowed to harvest, with anglers more likely to harvest their entire limit when the allowable harvest limit was higher."

It's worth noting that the study also pinpoints a "significant shift" in predominant gear type during the course of the study, possibly because some anglers could have been displaced by changing management regs.

What are the conclusions of this study?

"A declining harvest rate over time at Lee's Ferry suggests angler’s attitudes towards harvest have changed, but harvest behavior still appeared to be related to management regulations and angler gear choices," reported the study's authors. "This change in harvest behavior was likely further increased by harvest-oriented anglers being displaced by restrictive harvest and gear regulations. Consideration of these factors may be beneficial for fisheries management decisions."

BTT Teams Up with Bajio

With Black Friday quickly approaching, it's time to start thinking about gifts for that special fly angler on Santa's list.

Bajio is partnering with Bonefish & Tarpon Trust (BTT) with limited-edition Bajio Vega and Rigolets models that will raise funds for conservation work in its Temples of Change Program. That will happen with the sale of every one of these special frames–which feature the eye-catching bonefish, tarpon, and permit artwork by artist Casey Anderson–because Bajio is using the Temple of Change lineup to donate $20 per frame sold to the ongoing work of BTT to conserve flats fisheries and the habitat so vital to it all. 

"Conservation is an essential part of the Bajío brand, and we are proud to partner on this creative initiative,” said Jim McDuffie, BTT President and CEO, in the news release. “Through Temples of Change, Bajío is helping to protect the flats ecosystems that sustain our fisheries, our communities, and the incredible experiences we share on the water.”

“We’re excited to use our Temples of Change program to support BTT and shine a light on the amazing work they’re doing to protect the places and the species we love,” added Al Perkinson, Founder and CEO of Bajío. “We fully support BTT’s approach of bringing science to the fight and providing much-needed data for advocacy efforts.”

The company is doing so with a limited-run edition of Bajio Mossy Oak Bottomland frames in the Rocas, Vega and Palometa frames. These could serve double duty for the fly angler who also likes to duck hunt, upland bird hunt, or big game hunt.

Bajio is also giving away a limited-edition Wood Duck Hat with Mossy Oak frame purchases through December 1, while supplies last. You can either give that as a stocking stuffer, or keep it as a little gift for yourself, which will be our little secret.

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