TWRA opens a trout-plan survey through Nov. 6 for the 2028–37 strategy

Tennessee is starting the public half of its next trout plan. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said Oct. 8, 2026, that the 2028–37 Tennessee Trout Management Plan will be built the same way as the recent black bass plan: an online survey first, then a Stakeholder Advisory Committee, then a draft and a public review. The announcement came at the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission’s October meeting in Bristol. The current trout plan expires next year.

The survey opened Oct. 8 and runs through Nov. 6. After that, TWRA will form a volunteer committee of river guides, cold-water conservationists, fly-shop owners, and recreational trout anglers to draft the 10-year strategy with agency biologists. TWRA expects drafting to run at least through mid-2027, then a public review of the complete draft.

Trout program manager Jim Habera said the point of copying the bass-plan process is to put the people who fish and protect these waters into the foundation of long-term policy. The finished document is policy guidance for the commission. It does not replace the formal rulemaking required to change a trout regulation.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: TWRA — Stakeholder-driven process for the upcoming trout management plan (Oct. 8, 2026).