Spoonbill anyone?

[Stape]

Thought I'd share some Midwest fun. We have a 45 day season on paddlefish here in Missouri. After getting skunked Saturday, Sunday paid off.

Love this time of year, all the fish are spawning and summer is right around the corner.

 

[Dennis in MA]

Damn. Big fish. What do you catch them on? Looks like you are trolling.

My son got his first bass of the season in one of the ponds on-base yesterday. The b-word beat me b/c I've not had time to GET OUT AND FISH. He can just go on his lunch hour. So unfair. LOL

 

[Stape]

Damn. Big fish. What do you catch them on? Looks like you are trolling.

My son got his first bass of the season in one of the ponds on-base yesterday. The b-word beat me b/c I've not had time to GET OUT AND FISH. He can just go on his lunch hour. So unfair. LOL

We snag for them. The reel is spooled with 100lb braid and three 10/0 treble hooks are tied approx 3ft apart with a 1lb bank sinker(weight) on the end. Theres two methods for snagging, old school is to yank for them, in which trolling at a very slow speed, usually 1.5-2mph you let the line out until you feel bottom, then briskly yank the line up and then let it hit bottom again, and repeat this until you hit a fish. It wears you out pretty quick yanking pounds of weight up and down all day. The other method is to troll for them. You increase speed to 4-6mph and troll with a diver plane instead of a weight.

Everyone has their preferred method. Saturday we trolled all 5 lines with divers, all dang day and didn't hit a single fish despite marking them on Sonar. Went out Sunday and did it the old fashioned way and hit our limits pretty quick.

When you said "what did you catch them on?" I got a chuckle cause they wont take any bait, the fish feed by opending their huge bucket mouth and filter out plankton or whatnot from the water. You'll see a lot of jokes online where guys post pictures of a strawberry poptart , or a corndog on a hook and headed out snagging to "catch" spoonbill.

 

[Dennis in MA]

They good eatin? (Assuming they are. Otherwise. . . . )

My dad did treble-trolling for salmon in NY about 50+ years ago - when it was legal. I told a guy about it online about 15 years ago. "THAT'S ILLEGAL!" "Not in 1968 it wasn't." LOL

 

[Stape]

They are good eating. The meat is very white and firm, steak like. The key is to trim away all of the fat and red meat. The red meat isn't really meat per se, but a spongy red goo that needs to be trimmed completely out. They are a cartilaginous fish in that they don't have ribs or any bone structure, just cartilage for a spine that goes into forming a skull and their bill structure.

I cut them up in 1" cubes, roll them in Andys fish fry seasoning and fry them outside in this monster cast iron pot I have, toss in some fries, onions and hush puppies and its a crowd favorite.

I've heard of people smoking them also. I saved a big 3" thick section of fillet just for that purpose, I'll see how it goes.

 

[Chevy 2 65]

Nice !!

 

[Stape]

Went out today and I hit my limit in 20 minutes, crazy. My buddy hit his limit shortly thereafter. We hauled tail back to the ramp and the truck was still warm!

 

[Dennis in MA]

Well damn! I’ll be happy to catch a bass in the ponds of Whiteman. A quickie visit to my troops today-Tues. lol

 

[Stape]

Well damn! I’ll be happy to catch a bass in the ponds of Whiteman. A quickie visit to my troops today-Tues. lol

Don't you have family in MO? Plan a vacation around one of the fishing seasons we have here! Bowfishing is about to get hot here.

 

[Dennis in MA]

Yep. Sitting on the patio in Warrensburg with a cigar right now. 77 is so much nicer than 47. Lol. But 78 will be better than o2 in 60 days. Hahahahaha.

 

[Stape]

Yep. Sitting on the patio in Warrensburg with a cigar right now. 77 is so much nicer than 47. Lol. But 78 will be better than o2 in 60 days. Hahahahaha.

I'm heading out Saturday if you want to go. I've got all the gear, all you need is an $8 fishing license. Might skate on Friday and go also. This weekend is going to be busy with the snag-masters tournament and the crappie classic going on, but still, plenty of fish to be hooked. I launch from the Wigwam access.

 

[Dennis in MA]

Already home. . With your own small business, it's hard to get away. I'm not sure I'll be out there again before they come home in 2 years. Enjoy the fishing. I still don't even have my boat in teh water. (And it's going to rain tomorrow - so it won't be until Monday that I get it wet. Grrrr.)

 

[Stape]

Played hookie today
Got a fish sporting a little bling on him



State conservation bands spoonbill fish much like waterfowl get banded. I call it in and they send me a report on when and where it was banded along with length and weight info so I can see how much my fish has grown and traveled! And I get a free t shirt and entered for a $500 drawing.



My buddy got bragging rights for big fish of the day though. His personal best at 72lbs!