Last snagging report for the season

by Trish Yasger

We’re continuing to get rain, so flows remain good and the fish have moved up. Snagging is good on both Truman and Lake of the Ozarks and we’re continuing to see the large females. However, it’s starting to slow down which is typical at the end of the season as people move on to turkey hunting and other activities.

We’ve got good water temperatures, if flows stay good, snagging will stay good. As the flows go down the fish may start to move back down and you may want to consider moving back down a little. With the high water levels on upper Truman, we’re seeing a lot of lots and debris – please be careful and stay safe.

Snaggers are continuing to catch several sublegal fish (30-34 inches), please get these fish back into the water unharmed immediately as these are the fish you will be harvesting in the future.

Please remember that no person shall continue to snag, snare, or grab for any species after taking a daily limit of two (2) paddlefish. Once two legal paddlefish are caught they are to be retained by the angler and included in their daily limit. Be sure to check the Wildlife Code of Missouri for paddlefish regulations.

Thanks to all of the snaggers who reported harvesting tagged paddlefish and have returned transmitters. Returning transmitters allows us to implant them in fish next year. Thank you for all your help with the tagging project – together we can keep snagging great.

As always, thanks to those who have shared their snagging stories – keep them coming, I really enjoy hearing from you.

This is the last snagging report for 2017. Hard to believe another season is almost over. It’s been a good year. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Good luck snagging and until next year stay safe.