For 2025, the AGFC established a new paddlefish snagging season above Beaver Lake, running from April 15 to June 15. This special season, occurring on the White River from the Arkansas Highway 45 bridge upstream to Lake Sequoyah, will offer 150 permits to resident anglers. The permit application period has begun and will run through March 30. The draw will be held on March 31.

Each permit allows the harvest of two paddlefish. Successful anglers must report their catch via the AGFC app or by calling the AGFC's game check hotline. This reporting is crucial for biologists to gather valuable data on the Beaver Lake paddlefish population.

Beaver Lake's paddlefish population, established through stocking by the AGFC in the early 1990s to 2000 to provide for a paddlefish population in case numbers of the species in rivers fell, consists of fish ranging from 25 to 35 years old. Natural reproduction has not been documented. These long-lived fish have grown to impressive sizes; a particularly large individual that was struck by a boat in 2023 weighed in at over 160 pounds.

The paddlefish in the photo above was collected in recent years above the Highway 45 bridge on the White River above Beaver Lake.