CASPER—The Wyoming Game and Fish invites the public to attend open house meetings in Casper and Rawlins to discuss potential changes to fishing regulations in the North Platte River drainage. These meetings will allow the public to share their opinions and learn more about the proposals before the formal regulation process begins later this spring.

The meetings will focus on several potential changes, including:

• Increasing the limit for small walleye at Alcova, Pathfinder, and Seminoe Reservoirs.
• Requiring barbless hooks on the North Platte River between Kortes Dam and Highway 220 (excluding reservoirs and tributary streams).  
• Changing terminal tackle restrictions to artificial flies only at Fremont Canyon and Gray Reef.
• Creating an additional seasonal spawning closure near Ledge Creek on the North Platte River below Gray Reef Dam.

• Limiting watercraft use upstream of the Seminoe Road bridge at the Miracle Mile.

   

During the meetings, fisheries biologists will provide background information on the rationale for these potential regulation changes. They will also present findings from a large-scale angler survey conducted in 2024, which gathered input from the fishing community on these and other management topics.

The Casper open house will be held on Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. at the Casper Regional Game and Fish Office, 3030 Energy Lane. The Rawlins open house will be held on Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. at the Jeffrey Memorial Community Center, 315 W. Pine St.

“We value comments by our angling community and want to ensure their voices are heard before formalizing any proposed regulatory changes,” said Matt Hahn, Casper Region Fisheries Supervisor. “These discussions are essential to maintaining the health and sustainability of the North Platte River drainage fisheries for future generations.”