Snagging paddlefish on the James River was an annual event for me until a few years ago when they posted the river’s fish as unfit to eat. I think it was a mercury scare, but really can’t remember. Now, when the snagging season starts, I go after slab crappie. The crappie run seems to be about the same time as the snagging season, so I replaced paddlefish for crappie... a much better trade. There is probably a bunch of folks that can answer any questions on snapping paddlefish