JULY 22, 2025 |
Photo – Miracle Mile – Bigfoot99 file photo
Starting next year, anglers will be required to use barbless hooks while fishing in specific sections of the North Platte River.
Beginning on January 1st, 2026, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will institute new fishing statutes for four special regulation sections of the North Platte River, downstream of the Seminoe Reservoir. Game and Fish Public Information Officer Amanda Fry explained that the agency will prohibit barbed hooks and pegged attractors due to their potential to seriously harm the fish.
Audio PlayerThe four special regulation sections in question are the Miracle Mile, Cardwell, Afterbay, and Gray Reef, all of which are located in Natrona and Carbon Counties.
Additionally, Fry said studies indicate that barbed hooks are contributing to a decline in fish populations. As a result, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department will require anglers to exclusively use barbless hooks in those four areas. Fry explained that these less damaging hooks help prevent the fish from becoming too injured to reproduce.
Audio PlayerThe Wyoming Game and Fish Department will not require anglers on other sections of the North Platte River to use barbless hooks. However, Fry said the agency is asking individuals in those areas to voluntarily switch to barbless hooks before the regulations go into effect. By protecting fish populations now, Fry said anglers are helping ensure the waters remain healthy and accessible for generations to come.
Audio PlayerThe Wyoming Game and Fish Department defines pegged attractors as materials that are fished on a line or leader above a hook, in which the hook embeds outside the mouth of the fish. Game and Fish stated that these types of hooks contribute to cheek and mouth injuries and deformities in catch-and-release fisheries.
The Game and Fish Commission approved the pegged attractor ban during last week’s meeting in Casper. If Governor Mark Gordon signs the regulation, it will go into effect on January 1st, 2026.
