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News Brief

March 5, 2025Jefferson City, Mo. |  By: Jeremy Werner

MO paddlefish season to kick-off soon

paddlefish

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri’s spring paddlefish snagging season kicks off Saturday, March 15, drawing thousands of anglers hoping to catch one of the state’s prehistoric giants. The season runs through April 30 on major lakes.

Paddlefish, known for their large, paddle-shaped snouts, can grow over seven feet long and weigh more than 100 pounds. Because they don’t bite traditional hooks, anglers use snagging techniques to catch them.

This year, the Missouri Department of Conservation has launched a tagging project to study paddlefish populations. Anglers who catch a tagged fish could receive a $25 or $75 reward by reporting it to MDC.

Snaggers are reminded that the daily limit is two paddlefish, with a minimum length of 34 inches on designated lakes. Catch-and-release of legal-sized fish is prohibited.