Osage Beach, Mo. ? A fish kill last June and unusually dry weather are causing fisheries biologists to hedge their bets about the outcome of Missouri’s paddlefish snagging season, which opens next Saturday.

Paddlefish season runs through April 30, with a daily limit of two paddlefish. In most waters, paddlefish must be released if they measure less than 24 inches from eye to fork of tail. The minimum length limit is 34 inches on Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake, Truman Lake and their tributaries.

Snagging paddlefish, which can reach weights of more than 100 pounds, is trickier than it seems. This year, it could be trickier than ever.

Since they won’t deliberately take any of anglers’ standard baits or lures, the only way to catch paddlefish with any regularity is to snag part of their bodies with large, triple hooks pulled through the water.

The only time paddlefish gather in large enough numbers to make snagging practical is in the spring. Obeying their spawning instinct, the big fish swim upstream until they meet obstacles.

In Missouri, the most popular places are below dams on the Osage and White rivers.

Paddlefish begin their mass spawning migration in response to increased stream flow following warm spring rains. In years when rain is scarce and the weather is cold, paddlefish spawning can happen late, and the number of the fish taking part can be sparse.

“So far this year, the water is cold, and there’s not much of it,” state biologist Greg Stoner said. “If we don’t get some pretty good rains in the next few weeks, then from an angler’s standpoint it could be a really bad season.”

Added to this natural variability is uncertainty about the effects of last year’s fish kill on the Osage River. The fish kill last June claimed more than 4,000 paddlefish above and below Bagnell Dam. Many of the fish were potential trophies weighing 50 to 70 pounds.