3/5/24 MDC offers free paddlefish snagging clinic April 13 in Warsaw

Beginners can learn about paddlefish and go snagging for them

Kansas City, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will offer a free paddlefish snagging clinic on Saturday, April 13, in Warsaw. Two sessions will be offered, but space is limited. Registration is required. This clinic is for newcomers to learn about paddlefish, snagging gear and techniques, how to clean paddlefish, and then go snagging for two hours on the upper end of Lake of the Ozarks.

Session 1 will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Session 2 will be from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants are encouraged to register in groups of two to four. This program is offered to first-time participants only. MDC will provide boats and equipment.

Paddlefish are a prehistoric fish and one of Missouri’s largest. They filter feed on plankton and other small organisms. Paddlefish make spring spawning runs upstream. At Warsaw, their upstream migration out of Lake of the Ozarks is blocked by the dam for Truman Lake. The paddlefish fishery that anglers enjoy is sustained by MDC stockings of hatchery-reared paddlefish.

Participants must have a valid Missouri fishing permit unless they fall in an exemption category. Life jackets are required when on the water. Life jackets will be available, or participants can bring their own.  Youths age 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Attendees will meet in the Harbor Room in the lakeside Warsaw Community Building.

Registration is required. To register, visit http://short.mdc.mo.gov/48h. For more information, call 660-530-5500, or contact Mark Miller, MDC conservation educator, at mark.miller@mdc.mo.gov. For more information about paddlefish in Missouri, visit https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZTC.

Photo: MDC will offer a free paddlefish snagging clinic April 13 at Warsaw. Space is limited.