The ’14 Paddlefish season for the Upper Missouri River (white tag) area opens at 6:00 AM on Thursday May 1st. The river is nice and high with flows right now at 13,400 cfs. The fish are here and netting has been very successful. The water and fish are cooperating perfectly, now we just need the rain to hold off to allow people to get them!
Because of serious ice jams earlier this year, there is a ton of fresh silt deposited along the banks and in the campgrounds. Be careful treading in these areas if they get wet there will be a real mess! Anyways, the fish are here and moving beautifully so the season will be fast and furious!! I would advise getting here early and hitting it hard to get your fish before it’s too late.
All paddlefish anglers should obtain a copy of the Montana 2014 paddlefish regulations, which contain specific rules for each of the different seasons and river stretches.
There have been no changes in any of the regulations from last year’s rules.
For questions about the recreation area and other surrounding federal lands, contact Schaefer at 406-622-4015 or the BLM’s Lewistown office at BLM_MT_Central_DO@blm.gov or 406-538-1945. CMR officials can also be reached at cmr@fws.gov or by calling 406-538-8706.
