CHRISTY GRAHAM

“The balance is always, how [to] manage these important fisheries.”—Christy Graham, AGFC Trout Program Coordinator

Growing up in Kansas, a state not generally thought of for trout fishing, Christy Graham was an unlikely candidate to become Arkansas’s First Lady of flies. But her love for being on the water and angling was there from the start.

“I grew up by a small lake and went fishing with my mom and grandparents a lot when I was a kid,” she said. “So, I started out loving the outdoors.”

Graham graduated from Kansas State University in her hometown of Manhattan. She then earned a master’s degree in biology at Tennessee Tech University. She landed in Arkansas as an assistant trout biologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in 2009 and made her way steadily upstream to become Trout Program Coordinator in 2014.

Improving and maintaining trout fishing in Arkansas is a multispoked effort, all connecting in the center with AGFC and Graham. During her tenure, coordination of and communication with various stakeholders has improved, and with that has come healthier fish, better streams and a burnished reputation among anglers.

“The trout program has always been, since it was created in 1985, a really important part of Game and Fish, and lots of good steps have been taken to establish baseline information we need about the fisheries,” she said. “One of the biggest challenges for us is the diversity of the trout fisheries in the state, meaning we deal with a lot of different types of stakeholders. You get the folks that are 100 percent catch-and-release, whereas then you get to work with people who are more harvest-oriented. For us, the balance is always, how do you manage these important fisheries for multiple user groups?

“Since I’ve been with the Commission, our program has become a lot better at communicating with the public and balancing those interests, and having a supportive administration in Little Rock has been really key to that as well.”

Graham has also proven adept at tending to and growing various partnerships that contribute to the efficacy and sustainability of trout fishing in Arkansas. Entities such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Southwestern Power Administration are critical to fish survival, as strategic release from these entities’ dams maintains optimal water temperature and quality.

“Those agencies have started focusing more on the recreational aspect of the fishery,” Graham said. “They’re typically functioning as hydropower facilities or flood control reservoirs, but they recognize the importance of the trout fisheries recreationally as well. Continuing to work with these partners is really important to make sure that we’re continuing to meet the standards required of the trout fisheries. The actions that they take are equally important to the fisheries as what we do as biologists.”

Graham’s goal one year to the next is the same — provide the best trout fishing of which the state is capable — but the challenges in accomplishing this task will vary each year. One looming issue on the horizon is the age and capacity of AGFC’s fish hatcheries, namely the Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery, which is being renovated and paid for as a direct result of the quality of fishing that’s increased both angler interest and permit revenue on Graham’s watch.

“Stocking facilities are really important to our program keeping up with the demand for trout and to meet our management objectives for all the fisheries,” she said. “I can’t do any one thing by myself, but the thing I have strived for in all aspects of what we do is improving the relationships we have with other agencies and stakeholder groups. I think we’re at a good place for that.”