Nebraska paddlefish snagging opens Oct. 1 on the Missouri River

Nebraska’s fall paddlefish snagging season is open. Nebraskaland Magazine, carrying a Game and Parks note dated Sept. 28, 2026, says the Missouri River season opened Oct. 1 and runs through Oct. 31. Anglers may snag paddlefish and nongame fish from Gavins Point Dam downstream to the mouth of the Big Sioux River at mile marker 734. Legal hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Snagging is closed off the north wall and in the area immediately below the Gavins Point Dam powerhouse discharge canal. Inland waters stay closed to paddlefish harvest. Snaggers need an unfilled paddlefish tag and a valid fishing permit, if a permit is required, while they are fishing. From the dam downstream 0.6 miles, anglers need a Nebraska resident or nonresident snagging permit, or a South Dakota resident permit. South Dakota nonresident permits are valid only downstream of that stretch. The state authorized 1,600 tags, 1,530 of them for residents.

Only one hook may be used, and the gap can be no wider than one-half inch. Paddlefish from 35 to 45 inches, eye to fork, must be released immediately. Daily bag and possession equal the number of tags issued to that angler. Each angler must cast for and hook their own fish. Gaffs and other penetrating landing devices are prohibited. A harvested fish must be tagged immediately in the dorsal fin, and the tag must not be altered or locked before it is attached. Fillets — two whole fillets only — wait until the trip is over and the angler has left the river, and the tag and permit stay with the fillets. Dumping nongame fish on the bank is unlawful. This is the snagging opener, not the fall rainbow stocking schedule already filed.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Nebraskaland Magazine — Paddlefish Snagging, 2026 (Daryl Bauer, Nebraska Game and Parks, Sept. 28, 2026).