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3/5/2007

Thousands of Paddlefish Await Missouri Snaggers Beginning March 15

The Conservation Department has stocked more than half a million fingerlings in the three lakes over the past 15 years.

JEFFERSON CITY-When done properly, paddlefish snagging has a rhythm. Pull back on the line with its treble hook, then let it sink. Reel in a little, then heave back on the stout rod again, let it sink and reel in again. Mirroring that rhythm is the Missouri Department of Conservation's paddlefish stocking - 33,000 fingerlings annually, with pulses of up to 66,000 fish every third year. The result is a fishery that lures paddlefish fanciers to lakes and streams warmed by spring freshets.

Paddlefish live in the Missouri, Mississippi and Osage Rivers. However, most fishing for the big, odd-looking, but delicious fish takes place on three lakes - Truman Reservoir, Lake of the Ozarks and Table Rock Lake - where the Conservation Department maintains paddlefish populations through annual stocking.

Paddlefish are nearly impossible to catch on conventional tackle. This is partly because they strain tiny plants and animals from the water for food. They don't take baits or lures. As a result, the only effective way to hook paddlefish is to jerk lines with large three-pointed hooks through the water in hopes of striking a passing fish

The only time paddlefish are found in sufficient concentrations to be snagged effectively is in the early spring, when they swim upstream in search of suitable spawning habitat. Paddlefish in the lower Osage River and in Lake of the Ozarks congregate in large numbers when they reach Bagnell and Truman dams. Anglers at Truman and Table Rock lakes find spawn-driven paddlefish concentrated in the lakes' narrow upper arms

Paddlefish begin migrating upstream when spring rains increase stream flows and raise water temperatures to 50 degrees. The snagging season, which runs from March 15 through April 30, is set to coincide with spring spawning runs. However, the intensity of the spawning urge - and therefore the quality of paddlefishing - depends on warm spring rains. A dry or cold spring reduces snagging action.

Rest assured, however, that Missouri's primary snagging waters have plenty of paddlefish. The Conservation Department's stocking goals call for putting 15,000 fingerlings each in Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake every year and stocking a "pulse" of up to 30,000 paddlefish in each lake every third year. At Table Rock Lake, the goals are 3,000 fingerlings annually and a pulse of 6,000 every third year. The agency also aims to stock 750 paddlefish fingerlings in the Black River each year.

Over the past 15 years, Blind Pony Hatchery near Sweet Springs has supplied more than 500,000 paddlefish for these waters. Paddlefish are long-lived, with large fish reaching ages of 20 to 30 years. Paddlefish 17 years old average over 50 pounds.

Both snaggers and people piloting boats for snaggers must have valid fishing permits. Paddlefish must be 34 inches from their eyes to the forks of their tails to be kept at Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake, Table Rock Lake and their tributaries. In other waters, the minimum length limit is 24 inches.

On Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake and their tributaries, and on the Osage River below Bagnell Dam, anglers must stop snagging once they have two legal paddlefish in their possession. For more details about paddlefish snagging regulations, get a copy of the 2007 Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations, available from permit vendors statewide or at www.mdc.mo.gov/2115.

The Conservation Department posts paddlefish snagging reports for Truman Lake, Lake of the Ozarks and the lower Osage River online at www.mdc.mo.gov/7253. For more information about paddlefish, visit www.mdc.mo.gov/7251.

-Jim Low-