Paddlefish Snagging Season

2022 Season Information

Update (5/8/2022): The 2022 season is closed to additional harvest.

The state's 2022 paddlefish snagging season is closed to any additional harvest to provide long-term protection of the paddlefish population.  

An additional seven-day snag-and-release season will begin Monday, May 9 and run through Sunday, May 15.  Paddlefish snaggers with an unused paddlefish tag can continue snagging during the additional snag-and-release season but must release all fish immediately. If a snagger has already used their tag on a harvested paddlefish, they are not allowed to participate in the additional snag-and-release period.

Snag-and-release will be open only in that area of the Missouri River starting on the north shore from the Confluence boat ramp then east (downstream) to the pipeline crossing (river mile 1577), and on the south shore from the Confluence with the Yellowstone River then east (downstream) to the pipeline crossing (river mile 1577).

Paddlefish snagging is allowed only from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Central Time during each day of the additional seven-day season. The use or possession of a gaff on snag-and-release days is illegal.

Snagging Area Maps (updated prior to each season)

The open area includes the Yellowstone River in North Dakota, and the Missouri River west of the U.S. Highway 85 bridge to the Montana border, excluding that portion from the pipeline crossing (river mile 1,577) downstream to the upper end of the Lewis and Clark WMA (river mile 1,565). Paddlefish snagging is legal only from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Central Time) during each day of the paddlefish snagging season.

• Interactive Map
• Printable Map (pdf)

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Species Information

• Species Information
• Frequently Asked Questions

Tagging Paddlefish