The Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) paddlefish program is getting help from anglers to keep the fishery healthy. The paddlefish snagging season opened March 15 and runs through April 30.

Several paddlefish tagged in Truman Lake or Lake of the Ozarks successfully passed through dams, went down the Osage River into the Missouri River, then traveled to other waters. Some fish made upstream runs.

Some angler-reported paddlefish treks from fish tagged in Truman Lake include:

  • 71 paddlefish passed through the dam and were caught in Lake of the Ozarks.
  • Three paddlefish passed through both dams for Truman Lake and Lake of the Ozarks, and were caught in the Osage River below Bagnell Dam.
  • 11 paddlefish went upstream from the lake into the Osage River, entered the Marais des Cygnes River tributary, and were caught just below the Osawatomie City Dam in eastern Kansas.

To report tagged fish, contact Trish Yasger by phone at 660-530-5500, or by at email at Trish.Yasger@mdc.mo.gov.

 

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