Missouri and Big Sioux rivers paddlefish fishing season opens Feb. 1 in Iowa

Iowa’s paddlefish snagging season on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers opens Feb. 1 and goes through April 30, from sunrise to sunset each day.

Anglers fishing for paddlefish must have a valid Iowa fishing license, along with a special paddlefish license and unused transportation tag(s).

Paddlefish anglers are asked to keep track of effort and catch throughout the paddlefish season and to complete the electronic survey when the season ends whether harvesting a fish or not. The information collected will help the Iowa DNR evaluate the success of the season and determine potential changes or modifications.

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If an angler catches a jaw-tagged fish (numbered band in the lower jaw), call the phone number on the tag to report the tag number, date of capture, capture location and eye-to-fork length. The Iowa DNR and other state fisheries agencies tag paddlefish to better understand and manage populations. Tagging provides valuable information to estimate population size, fish movement and growth.

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For more information about Iowa’s special paddlefish season regulations, visit the DNR website.