Lateral H

Seasonal creel limit is one paddlefish. It is illegal to take paddlefish with underwater spearfishing gear. Paddlefish may only be gaffed on snag and harvest days. Snagging of paddlefish is legal May 1 through May 21 for those with a valid paddlefish tag. Paddlefish snagging is legal only from 7 am to 7 pm (central time) during each day of the paddlefish snagging season. Select days are set aside for harvest and release only. Harvest-Only Days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. All paddlefish snagged and tagged must be removed from the river by 7 pm of each snagging day. The release of paddlefish (on harvest-only days) after snagging is illegal. Snag-and-Release-Only Days are Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays. Snaggers that possess their own unused and current paddlefish tag may snag but must release immediately any and all paddlefish snagged on each Sunday, Monday, and Thursday throughout the open season. No harvest of any paddlefish is allowed during these days. The use or possession of a gaff on a snag-and-release day is illegal. The open area includes the Yellowstone River in North Dakota, and the Missouri River west of the U.S. Highway 85 bridge to the Montana border, excluding that portion from the pipeline crossing (river mile 1,577) downstream to the upper end of the Lewis and Clark WMA (river mile 1,565). The use of more than one snag hook per line is illegal. Snagging from a boat is illegal. Each paddlefish snagger must cast for, hook, and reel in (retrieve) his/her own fish.