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The 2020 paddlefish seasons on the Yellowstone and Lower Missouri rivers (yellow tag) are canceled in response to Gov. Steve Bullock’s extension of the directives for social distancing and non-resident quarantine to help stop the spread of COVID-19. As of now, paddlefish season on the Upper Missouri River from Fort Benton downstream to Fort Peck Dam (white tag) will remain in place and the drawing for these limited tags occurred April 6. The fishery opens May 1 and is conducted in a more dispersed manner. There are also no proposed changes t...
The North Dakota 2020-22 fishing proclamation has been amended and the state Game and Fish Department is canceling the upcoming paddlefish snagging harvest season due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the amendment does allow for the possibility of a one-week snag-and-release season May 15-21, which is two weeks later than the normal opening day. Fisheries chief Greg Power said safety of snaggers, caviar processors and data collection staff are a major concern. “Paddlefish snaggers concentrate in large numbers in a small area, and often p...
The MonDak region has lost a newspaper icon. Russ Wells, born Dec. 5, 1945, passed away on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019 just a few months shy of his 74th birthday. Wells exhibited a talent for newspaper work from the outset. He participated in the publication of his high school paper and when he attended Dickinson College, he joined the college newspaper staff. He and a friend collaborated on the Me & Mrachek column, a feature that proved so popular everyone on campus knew Wells and his friend Don,...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on tentative changes to Montana’s fishing regulations for the 2020 season. The Fish and Wildlife Commission will review the tentative regulations for public comment on August 15. Tentative Changes for Eastern Montana Fishing Regulations include: • Increased Sauger daily & possession limit on the Yellowstone River, upstream of Forsyth, from one daily and two in possession to two daily and four in possession. • Reorganize Paddlefish regulations for simplicity, clarity and compr...
The 2019 paddlefishing harvest season on the Yellowstone and Lower Missouri rivers wrapped up on June 1, condensing the harvest into a two-week window. High catch rates on May 31 heading into Memorial Day weekend prompted FWP to give notice of the harvest season closure on June 1 at 9 p.m. This accommodated paddlefishing the entire Saturday of the holiday weekend, which proved to be a busy harvest day. Following the harvest season closure, anglers were allowed to catch and release paddlefish...
Opening day of the Montana paddle fishing season was a great one for Bloomfield resident Anna Hill. She caught her first ever paddlefish, estimated at about 40 pounds, within 20 minutes of fishing at the Sidney Bridge. Last year, she fished all season and came up empty handed, even though her companions all managed to snag one. It was also her 8th anniversary on May 15 and she was excited to spend it with her husband, fishing. "It's a great anniversary present!" she said of the...
North Dakota's 2019 paddlefish snagging season opens May 1 and is scheduled to continue through May 21. However, depending on the overall harvest, an early in-season closure may occur with a 24-hour notice issued by the state Game and Fish Department. Legal snagging hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. One tag per snagger will be issued. Snagging is legal in all areas of the Yellowstone River in North Dakota, and in the area of the Missouri River lying west of the U.S. Highway 85 bridge to the...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will host a "Prairie Ecosystems" educator workshop on Thursday, Oct. 18 in Miles City at Miles Community College Room 106 from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. There is no fee for the workshop, an information-packed Project WILD training designed to provide K-12 educators and others who work with youths instructional tools and resources to assist in teaching about Montana's Prairie Ecosystems. Project WILD is a curriculum designed by FWP's Montana Wild educational facility in...
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The 2018 paddlefish season on the Yellowstone River and the Missouri River downstream of Fort Peck Dam (yellow tags) has been under way for over a week, and as of Saturday, 284 paddlefish have been processed at the Intake Fishing Access Site station near Glendive. The estimated harvest for the entire basin was 265 fish. The high volume of water and rapid flows continue to challenge angler success. By comparison, last year’s harvest season closed in just over three days, when it was anticipated that the harvest cap of 1,000 fish would be met. M...
Ally Harris, of Sidney, snagged a 75 pound paddlefish at the MDU bridge last week. (Photo submitted)...
Ever wander around a sugar beet factory? Want to learn about the controversy surrounding the Lower Yellowstone Intake Diversion Dam? Plan to take part in the Montana Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Regional Ag Tour June 1-2 in Sidney. The tour, which departs from the Best Western Golden Prairie Inn, kicks off mid-Friday afternoon with a stop at the Sidney Sugar Beet Factory followed by a tour, social and dinner at Meadowlark Brewing. Saturday’s first tour stop is Safflower Technologies, which grows seed for farmers in Montana and N...
The annual Montana and North Dakota paddlefish season begins soon, with the Missouri River harvest starting on May 1 and ending on June 15, and the Yellowstone River harvest starting on May 15 and ending on June 30. Depending upon harvest numbers, however, the season is subject to immediate early closure by announcement of the Montana or North Dakota Game and Fish departments, respective to the area to be closed. Paddlefish anglers must obtain a paddlefish tag, a conservation license and state...
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A surge of water is heading downstream, just in time for the opening of paddlefish season on the Yellowstone River Monday. That's according to Mike Backes, fisheries manager for Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 7. "There's a pulse of water that's projected to peak Tuesday or Wednesday" at Intake Fishing Access Site near Glendive, Backes said. Increasing river flows tend to stimulate paddlefish migrations and concentrate fish below the Intake Dam area as they are attempting to swim upstream to...
It’s about that time of year for anglers to dust off their fishing rods and go down to their prime locations to try their hand at snagging paddlefish. The paddlefish season this year is from May 15th to June 30. However, the season will close early if the harvest cap of 1000 fish is met, according to Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 7 fisheries manager Mike Backes. May 15th, though opening day, will be catch-and-release only at the intake dam, and harvest will begin May 16th. Speaking upon the prospects of this season, said Backes, “It’s a bit...
Williston, ND, April 12, 2017: North Star Caviar regrets to announce the plant closure for the 2017 season. The change in the caviar market price and supply in 2016 due to the Chinese farm raised product flooding the market has critically affected North Star Caviar operations. This past year, North Star Caviar experienced a drastic decrease in the sale of its well-known paddlefish caviar from the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri River. As a non-profit joint venture, North Star Caviar relies on the sale of its caviar each year in...
Paddlefishing is an interest that brings people to the area from all over the country as the waters here are ideal, providing the appropriate temperature, water flow, and clean gravel and cobble which make up the fish's habitat. The North American paddlefish, one of only two species in the world, are found in the Missouri, Mississippi, and Yellowstone drainage systems and are only present in twenty-two states. Paddlefishing season starts May 1 in North Dakota and May 15 in Montana. Paddlefish...
Paddlefish anglers planning to fish in the Upper Missouri River (From Fort Peck Dam to Fort Benton) will need to apply for an Upper Missouri River Paddlefish Tag. Applications are available to apply by mail, online at fwp.mt.gov, or by stopping by any regional or area FWP offices. Applications must be received no later than March 30, 2017. For 2017, a total of 1,000 tags will be available for the drawing. Successful applicants may harvest a fish anytime during the season, from May 1 through June 15. The season will not be shortened if more...
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Paddlefish anglers with a yellow harvest tag that are anxious to fish on the Yellowstone River or Missouri River downstream of Fort Peck Reservoir in 2016 need to be aware of two issues. First, for anglers with a yellow paddlefish harvest tag, opening day of paddlefish season is Sunday May 15; however the first harvest day is Tuesday May 17. This oddity of opening day results from designated Catch and Release days (Sunday, Monday, and Thursday) and mandatory Catch and Harvest days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday). Thus, in 2016, the...
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department closed the state’s 2016 regular paddlefish snagging season, effective at 9 p.m. Central Daylight Time, on Monday, May 9. Snaggers are reminded that Sunday and Monday are snag-and-release only. The 2016-18 fishing proclamation allows for the Game and Fish director to close the snagging season early if it appears the harvest will exceed 1,000 paddlefish. “Snaggers this year have been extremely successful,” said Greg Power, fisheries chief. “In addition, similar to last year, a high proportion of this ye...
Before hitting the river, paddlefish anglers should be aware of a new requirement this year. Anglers harvesting a paddlefish anywhere in Montana are now required to report their harvest within 48 hours. Anglers not reporting a harvested paddlefish will not be eligible to purchase a paddlefish tag the following year. Options for reporting a harvested paddlefish include on-site where the fish was harvested (like the fish cleaning station at Intake Fishing Access Site) or a phone hotline. Those wishing to report their harvest by phone must call 1-...
A paddlefish tag is required to participate in North Dakota’s paddlefish snagging season, which opens May. 1 and is scheduled to continue through the end of May. However, depending on the overall harvest, an early in-season closure may occur with a 24-hour notice issued by the state Game and Fish Department. Snag-and-release of all paddlefish is required on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays; therefore, the first two days of the 2016 snagging season will be snag-and-release only. Mandatory harvest of all snagged paddlefish is required on T...
A paddlefish tag is required to participate in North Dakota’s paddlefish snagging season, which opens May 1 and is scheduled to continue through the end of May. However, depending on the overall harvest, an early in-season closure may occur with a 24-hour notice issued by the state Game and Fish Department. Snag-and-release of all paddlefish is required on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays; therefore, the first two days of the 2016 snagging season will be snag-and-release only. Mandatory harvest of all snagged paddlefish is required on T...
