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 of a crystal ball...but it’s looking like a pretty good year if we get the right water temperatures.”
The paddlefish have yet to migrate from North Dakota, which the rising water levels on the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers will determine. Historically the better the flow year the shorter the season, the shortest season on record being four days.
Sunday, Monday and Thursday will all be catch-and-release days, while Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are all harvest days. Prime locations for anglers would be Sidney Bridge, Richland Park, the Intake Diversion Dam near Glendive.
To get information on the harvest tally, please call the Glendive Chamber of Commerce. For other questions, call the FWP Region 7 Office at (406) 234-0900.
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