MILES CITY – The yellow and green tag paddlefish seasons closed June 15 with an estimated combined harvest of just under 500 fish, the low number due largely to generally low river flows.
A total of 416 fish were reported harvested from both the lower Yellowstone and Missouri River downstream of Fort Peck Dam (409 from Yellowstone, seven from Missouri). Forty years of data collection has shown that 20 percent of the harvest goes unreported, so the total estimated harvest was 497. For comparison, the years with less harvest were 2004 (205 fish), 1994 (278), and 2001 (360). All of these years, including 2026, experienced well-below-average river flows at Sidney.
Of all the fish caught in the Yellowstone, 349, or 85.3 percent, were harvested downstream of Intake (Sidney Bridge, State Line, Seven Sisters, Richland Park, Elk Island, Diamond Willow).
Intake accounted for 9.6 percent (39 fish). Twenty-one fish (5.2 percent) were harvested upstream of Intake, mostly in the Powder and Tongue confluence areas.
Most of the fish harvested were males (56.8 percent) versus females (39.8 percent). Gender was unknown for 3.4 percent. Fish weights ranged from 17 to 117 pounds. Males ranged 17-55 pounds, with an average of 35 pounds. Females ranged 45-117 pounds and averaged 71 pounds.
The Intake cleaning station processed 238 (58 percent) of the paddlefish. Jaw sections, gonad weights, fin clips for genetic aging, and jaw tag returns were collected for most of the fish processed. The annual harvest and biological data are fundamental tools to manage the paddlefish population and recreational opportunity for future generations.
For more information on the 2026 season, visit FWP’s new paddlefish dashboard at:
This content is sourced from
Montana Fish Wildlife parks
. It reflects the author's views and has not been edited by our newsroom. It may have been generated using AI assistance.
