Paddlefish Snagging Report

Below is a paddlefish snagging report for Truman, Lake Ozark and the Osage River. This is the last Snagging Report for 2009. The last day of the paddlefish snagging season is Thursday 30 April 09 - the snagging season will NOT be extended.

Please note that there is a new public access now open on Lake Ozark – Wigwam School Access (see below for directions).

While out working both the Agents and I have gotten reports and noticed many people snagging small (1-2 year old) sublegal paddlefish. These fish need to be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught. Please take care when removing hooks from these fish and get them back into the water as quickly as possible. Please avoid handling the fish excessively and be sure your hands are wet before handling it. Hold the fish firmly to prevent it from being dropped. Never put your fingers in the gills or eyes. It is important to release these fish unharmed immediately and gently as these are the fish that you will be harvesting in 6-8 years!

You will need to check the code book for paddlefish regulations. Remember that snaggers will need to possess a valid fishing permit if you are snagging or driving the boat being snagged from. On Lake of the Ozarks and its tributaries, Osage River below U.S. Highway 54 and Truman Lake and its tributaries, no person shall continue to snag, snare or grab for any species after taking a daily limit of two (2) paddlefish.

Many snaggers use gaffs to assist with landing fish. A few snaggers, Agents and I have seen a few very small dead paddlefish that have been severely gaffed. Before using a gaff please look at your fish to see if it is large enough to keep, when in doubt please try to avoid using a gaff to keep from seriously injuring sublegal fish. Also keep in mind, the regulations states that sublegal fish must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught. Remember that every fish that dies before reaching legal size is one less fish for you to catch in the future!

Rain, rain, rain! With all of the rain we got this past weekend, and even more that is expected, we once again have high flows and flooding on upper Truman. Prior to all of the rain they were harvesting a few fish on Truman, around Osceola and up the Marais des Cygnes. Water conditions, high flows and flooding, are continuing to make snagging very difficult and poor to say the least. On Lake Ozark is another story, snagging is very good and continuing to improve! The water temperatures are near 60°F and with the water releases from the dam flows continue to be good. Snagging is very good; we are seeing more fish being harvested – we are even seeing some limits and a few more of the larger females! Please be careful, watch for changing water conditions especially with additional rains, high flows and all of the logs and debris. Use caution when launching and snagging – especially on Truman. Your best bet for snagging right now is on Lake Ozark.

I hope that you've found these snagging reports helpful and you've had a good snagging season.

If you have any questions call 660/530-5500 or e-mail me at: Trish.Yasger@mdc.mo.gov

Thanks.

Trish

Truman Lake:

Snaggers need to be reminded of the 34‑inch length limit (eye to fork‑of‑tail) AND after they have snagged their second paddlefish they are done snagging for the day on Truman Lake and its tributaries. Remember that people driving the boat need to be legally licensed anglers. And sublegal fish must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught.
Just prior to snagging season I went out and sampled and jaw tagged several paddlefish. These jaw tagged paddlefish have metal bands/tags located toward the back on their lower jaw. These fish were tagged to monitor their movement. There is no reward for returning these tags. If you harvest a paddlefish with a jaw tag, please contact me with the following information: Jaw tag number, body of water harvested and general location fish was harvested and the length and sex of the fish. I will then provide you with information on when and where your fish was tagged.
Water levels and flow are still up, especially in the upper lake after all of the rain since Sunday. Water temperatures are continuing to slowly warm up and flows continue to be very high. A few snaggers have managed to harvest the occasional paddlefish. Water conditions – flooding and high flows, are making snagging difficult to say the least. They are predicting even more rain – please use caution.
As of early this morning, Tuesday 28 April, the Truman Lake/Osage Arm is up slightly (709.36’ msl) and is projected to come up even higher (1+ feet per day for the next few days, or longer depending on how much rain we get this week). They are releasing water at Truman Dam. The lake is muddy and there is a lot of flow and debris so snaggers need to be careful and watch for the logs and debris. Water levels above Taberville, Schell Osage and in the Marais des Cygnes are really high and currently out of its banks. Water levels are projected to continue going up over the next few days, additional rain will cause even more flooding. The water temperature is around 58/60°F at the surface, up slightly from last week. Please be careful, flows are very high and there are a lot of logs and debris.
There were a few snaggers out this past weekend. They did harvest a few fish in the Osceola area and up on the Marais des Cygnes. Water conditions continue to make snagging very difficult and poor. Your best bets are:
- Between Osceola and the Taberville Access and above, as well as, the lower couple of miles of the Sac River.
- Marais des Cygnes in Bates County – Old Town Access.
They are harvesting a few fish. We are seeing a few fish harvested around Osceola and on up to Taberville and above. Some fish are making a run and they are harvesting several in the Marais des Cygnes River. We are starting to see a few more females being harvested especially up in the Marais des Cygnes. However, with all of the rain and water still rising it is making snagging very difficult, please use caution – remember safety first.
Water temperatures are still cold (58/60°F at the surface) for this time of the year. The water is coming back up; flows continue to be very high, so please continue to use caution when launching and snagging
Ramps to launch — from down to upstream:
- Talley Bend Access - go upstream towards Horseshoe Bend and up to Weaubleau Creek and above to Brush Creek Access and the Osceola area.
- Brush Creek Access - go downstream towards Horseshoe Bend OR go upstream towards Osceola and above.
- Crowe's Crossing - go upstream towards Roscoe and above/or go up the Sac River a couple of miles OR go downstream towards Brush Creek Access and down to Horseshoe Bend.
- City of Osceola ‑ go upstream from the ramp towards Roscoe and above/or go up the Sac River a couple of miles OR go downstream towards Brush Creek Access and down to Weaubleau Creek and Horseshoe Bend.
- Sac River Access/Hwy. 82 ‑ go down stream towards the Osage, snagging the last couple of miles of the Sac, then continue on toward Osceola and below OR go up towards the Roscoe Access and above.
- Roscoe ‑ go downstream to where the Sac and Osage meet, then go up the Sac River a couple of miles or continue downstream towards Osceola OR go upstream toward the Monegaw Springs area and even further above to Taberville.
- Taberville ‑ go downstream from the ramp towards the Clear Creek area on down to Monegaw Springs area and even further down to Roscoe Access and below OR go upstream towards the "cut" and above.
- Old Town Access (Bates County – Marais des Cygnes River/Bates County Drainage Ditch) – to upstream or downstream from the ramp. Be careful and watch for water conditions, as when the River is down it is difficult to boat very far from the ramp without having to portage! A lot of people will bank snag from this Access.

NOTE: when the lake level is normal pool (706' msl) some people find it difficult to launch at the City of Osceola and Crowe's Crossing ramps; especially the snaggers w/ the deeper V-bottom boats. They have done some dredging in the cove at the City of Osceola ramp, so this should help – still be sure use caution when the lake is at normal pool.

Lake Ozark:

Snaggers need to be reminded of the 34‑inch length limit (eye to fork‑of‑tail) AND after they have snagged their second paddlefish they are done snagging for the day on Lake Ozark and its tributaries. Remember that people driving the boat need to be legally licensed anglers. And sublegal fish must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught.
There is a new public access now open on Lake Ozark – Wigwam School Access. Wigwam School Access (MM66.2) – is located in Morgan County between Stover and Laurie off of Hwy 135. Highway 135 to Ivy Bend Road (Lake Road 135-12) south to Webb Loop, turn west (right) and follow Web Loop approximately 1.6 miles to the area signs.
After the snagging season start, I‘ve gone out and sampled and jaw tagged several paddlefish below Truman Dam. These jaw tagged paddlefish have metal bands/tags located toward the back on their lower jaw. These fish were tagged to monitor their movement. There is no reward for returning these tags. If you harvest a paddlefish with a jaw tag, please contact me with the following information: Jaw tag number, body of water harvested and general location fish was harvested and the length and sex of the fish. I will then provide you with information on when and where your fish was tagged.
Your best bet for snagging right now is on Lake Ozark! Snagging has continued to improve; we saw a lot more fish harvested this past weekend – including several limits!
As of early this morning, Tuesday 28 April, Lake Ozark is up (659.15’ msl) from last week. They are releasing water from both Truman and Bagnell Dams, so there is good flow. Snaggers still need to be careful not to get stuck on the mud bars/flats, and watch for logs and debris. The water temperature is around 58/60°F at the surface near Truman Dam. The rains haven’t affected water temperatures to much; and with the releases from the dams the flows have been about the same over the last week or so.
Most of the fish and snaggers and your best bets continue to be:
- Between MM66 and MM60 (Brown Bend area).
- Between MM 77 (below Cole Camp Creek) and MM89.5/Highway 65 bridge.
They are harvesting fish; snagging has continued to improve and we are seeing several limits! We are seeing fish harvested from below MM60 all the way up to Highway 65 Bridge. Fish are being harvested throughout this entire area; however it seems like we are seeing more fish between MM62-MM64, MM80-81 (Dome Hole/Old Oar House) and MM84-MM87 (between the power lines). Most of the fish being caught still seem to be males. We are continuing to seeing more fish in the 50-60 pound range, as well as, a few large female being harvested!
Water temperatures remain cold (58/60°F at the surface) for this time of year, however flows have remained good with releases from the dams.
Ramps to launch — Public — from down to upstream:
- Browns Bend (around MM61.5) ‑ I've been told when the water is low it can be difficult to get from the ramp to the lake since the cove is somewhat shallow ‑ this isn't a very large ramp, so not a lot of parking spaces. Go upstream between MM61 and MM65 and above OR downstream towards MM50.
- Wigwam School Access (MM66.2) – NEW PUBLIC ACCESS – go downstream between MM65 and MM62 and below OR upstream towards Big Buffalo and Cole Camp creeks and above.
- Warsaw Harbor Access (MM91) ‑ snaggers should be reminded that they have to go below the Hwy. 65 bridge before they start snagging. Go downstream and start snagging below the Hwy. 65 bridge (about MM89.5) and down.
- Bledsoe Ferry Access (below Truman Dam) ‑ snaggers should be reminded that they have to go below the Hwy. 65 bridge before they start snagging. Go downstream and start snagging below the Hwy. 65 bridge (about MM89.5) and down.
- There are numerous private ramps that you can pay to launch from.

Osage River:

Snaggers need to be reminded of the no snagging zone from Bagnell Dam to U.S. Hwy. 54 Bridge. The minimum length limit remains 24‑inch (eye to fork‑of‑tail) AND after they have snagged their second paddlefish they are done snagging for the day. Remember that people driving the boat need to be legally licensed anglers. And sublegal fish must be returned to the water unharmed immediately after being caught.
On the upper Osage River below Bagnell Dam most of the snaggers are between Hwy 54 to RM78.
The Upper Osage River has been up as they’ve been releasing a lot of water from Bagnell Dam and it is similar to previous weeks. Water levels are fluctuating – up and down depending on water releases. The water continues to be muddy and up.
Snagging has slowed down a lot.
Ramps to launch:
- Bagnell Dam Access ‑ snaggers need to be reminded that they have to go below the Hwy. 54 bridge before they start snagging.
- Snaggers can also pay to launch from River View Access (near Hwy. 54 bridge) or Lazy K (@ town of Bagnell ‑ however, there is a riffle between this ramp (Lazy K @ town of Bagnell) and MM78 where they are snagging (from here up to Hwy. 54), and it may be difficult to get to the snagging area depending on how much water there is and if they have a jet unit).
On the lower Osage River below Bagnell Dam snagging is primarily done from a couple of miles above Pikes Camp all the way down to the Missouri River; the lower 22 miles. In the past I’ve seen a couple of snaggers out in the Missouri River, however, I’m not sure if they’ve had any luck or not.
Water levels on the Lower Osage are up slightly from last week; high flows in the Missouri River are causing the Lower Osage to come up as well. The water temperature is above 57°F at the surface, near Bonnots Mill. The River is muddy and there is a lot of flow and debris so snaggers need to be careful and watch for the logs and debris
There have been a few snaggers on the lower river; Bonnets Mill and Mari-Osa areas and they are harvesting the occasional fish. Again, I’ve also had reports of snaggers in the Pikes Camp area; again no reports on their success.
Ramps to launch — from down to upstream:
- Bonnots Mill Access ‑ go up or down‑stream. In the past we’ve seen a few snaggers out in the Missouri River.
- Mari‑Osa Access ‑ go downstream below the Hwy. 63 bridge, towards Bonnot's Mill OR just above towards the lock and dam.
- Pikes Camp Access ‑ go upstream a couple of miles OR downstream towards the lock and dam above the Mari-Osa Access.

Missouri Department of Conservation