Beginners can learn about paddlefish and go snagging for them

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a free paddlefish snagging clinic on Saturday, April 15, in Warsaw. Two sessions will be offered, but space is limited. Registration is required and will open on March 8. This clinic is for newcomers to learn about paddlefish, snagging gear and techniques, how to clean paddlefish, and then go snagging for two hours on the upper end of Lake of the Ozarks.

Session 1 will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Session 2 will be from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. COVID-19 safety precautions will be followed. Participants are encouraged to register in groups of two to four. This program is offered to first-time participants only. MDC will provide boats and equipment.

Paddlefish are a prehistoric fish and one of Missouri’s largest. They filter feed on plankton and other small organisms. In the spring, they make spawning runs upstream. At Warsaw, their upstream migration out of Lake of the Ozarks is blocked by the dam for Truman Lake. The paddlefish fishery that anglers enjoy is sustained by MDC stockings of hatchery-reared paddlefish.

Participants must have a valid Missouri fishing permit unless they fall in an exemption category. Life jackets are required when on the water. Life jackets will be available, or participants can bring their own.  Youths 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Besides snagging tips, participants will learn how to clean paddlefish. Attendees will meet in the Harbor Room in the lakeside Warsaw Community Building.

Registration is required and will begin at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8. To register, call 660-530-5500. For more information, contact Trish Yasger, MDC fisheries management biologist, at [email protected].

For more information about paddlefish in Missouri, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZTC.