Image by Robert Haase
As of January 1, 2026, Wyoming anglers face the most significant overhaul of fishing regulations in decades. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department’s new rules mandate barbless hooks on the legendary North Platte River tailwaters while simultaneously expanding opportunities in the Jackson Region—a regulatory balancing act that responds to both conservation crisis and evolving angler behavior.
A River “Being Loved to Death”
The North Platte River changes stem from a troubling discovery. A multi-year Wyoming Game and Fish study found alarming rates of hook-related injuries among trout in the river’s most heavily fished sections. As WGFD fisheries biologist Jeff Glaid told Wyoming Wildlife Magazine: “It’s being loved to death.”
The numbers were stark. According to WGFD research, more than 70 percent of the fish sampled at the Miracle Mile had some sort of hooking scar. A 2023 study revealed that 21.4 percent of trout in the Miracle Mile showed visible hooking injuries, while 12.2 percent at Gray Reef bore similar scars. When considering all fish showing any signs of previous capture, the numbers jumped dramatically to 72.6 percent at Miracle Mile and 64.6 percent at Gray Reef.
Between 20 and 25 percent of trout in the most popular stretches displayed injuries severe enough to be potentially lethal, including damaged gills, destroyed eyes, and deformed jaws. “Some of them were so mangled, you really have to wonder how were they even able to feed?” Trent Tatum, co-owner of North Platte Lodge and The Reef Fly Shop Cottages, told Cowboy State Daily.
The explosion of angling pressure drove the damage. No boats floated the Miracle Mile in 2001, according to WGFD surveys. By 2022, nearly 2,000 watercraft used the section, with an estimated 95 percent involving non-resident commercial guided trips. Combined boat numbers across the Miracle Mile and Gray Reef reached roughly 6,500 trips by 2022.
The math was grim: biologists estimate anglers catch approximately 50,000 trout annually between Gray Reef and Robertson Road in water that holds roughly 30,000 fish—meaning the same fish are being caught repeatedly, compounding the injury problem even when released.
New Tackle Requirements
Effective immediately, single-point barbless hooks are mandatory across four North Platte sections downstream of Seminoe Reservoir: the Miracle Mile, Cardwell, Alcova Afterbay, and Gray Reef/Fremont Canyon areas.
The regulations vary by section:
Miracle Mile and Afterbay: Anglers may use single-point barbless hooks with any bait, lures, or flies.
Gray Reef and Cardwell: Only single-point barbless hooks with artificial flies and lures are permitted.
Additionally, pegged attractors—rigs where plastic beads or egg patterns are fixed above a bare hook—are now banned on Fremont Canyon and Gray Reef. These setups, popular for mimicking salmon eggs, often result in fish being snagged in the head, side, or stomach rather than properly hooked in the mouth.
The artificial-flies-and-lures-only zone at Gray Reef has been extended downstream to Government Bridge, and a new spawning closure runs April 1 through May 15 on Gray Reef below Ledge Creek to protect spawning rainbow trout.
The changes align the North Platte with conservation standards already enforced in Yellowstone National Park, where barbless hooks have been mandatory for years.
Jackson Region: Expanded Opportunity
While the North Platte sees tighter restrictions, the Jackson Region is opening up.
For the first time since the 1930s, Jackson Lake will remain open to anglers through October. The historic closure was established to protect newly introduced lake trout when most anglers harvested their catch. According to WGFD Fisheries Management Coordinator Mark Smith, the restriction no longer serves its purpose: “We believe keeping the lake open will provide increased opportunity with no substantive consequences.” Modern angler surveys show most people now fish with the intent to catch and release.
To address aquatic invasive species concerns raised during public comment, Grand Teton National Park will extend boat inspection station operations through October 2026 to coincide with the extended fishing season. WGFD and the National Park Service collaborated on this arrangement after locals voiced concern that opening the lake might increase AIS risks.
On the Snake River, the daily trout limit has doubled from three to six fish on the 1,500-foot stretch from Jackson Lake Dam to the gauging station, with length restrictions removed. According to WGFD, “this section is favored by bait anglers and those looking to harvest fish.” The expanded limits reflect the agency’s broader effort to encourage harvest of abundant non-native trout while maintaining protections for native cutthroat populations elsewhere.
Commercial Guide Registration
A new statewide requirement now mandates all commercial fishing guides register their vessels annually for a $325 fee and display a registration sticker or dashboard slip while operating. The regulation emerged from years of effort to better track and potentially limit commercial pressure on Wyoming’s waters—pressure that has contributed to the North Platte’s hooking injury crisis.
Looking Ahead
WGFD biologists will continue annual population monitoring on the North Platte, tracking hooking injury rates to determine whether the new regulations achieve their conservation goals. “We’ll continue to be tracking that. Over time, hopefully we’ll begin to see some improvements here in the next few years as the new regulations are adopted,” WGFD Fisheries Management Coordinator Mark Smith told WyoFile.
Local guides have largely supported the changes, viewing them as necessary to protect the fishery that sustains their livelihoods. But enforcement begins immediately, and anglers should check their tackle boxes before heading to the water.
Complete 2026 fishing regulations are available at wgfd.wyo.gov.
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