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Paddlefish
Information
PADDLEFISH,
one of America’s largest freshwater fish, are popular among many
Missouri anglers.
Paddlefish grow up to 87 inches long. They can weigh as much as 200 pounds, but most are usually between 10-15 pounds. Paddlefish have a gray, shark-like body with a deeply forked tail, and a long, flat blade-like snout almost one third of its body's entire length. Paddlefish resemble sharks not only by shape, but by their skeletons as well. Both paddlefish and sharks have skeletons made of cartilage, not bone. Paddlefish have no scales. Their gill cover is long and comes to a point, and they have tiny eyes.
Paddlefish have no teeth and eat by swimming through the water with its mouth held wide open, scooping up plankton. They filter out the food with their gill rakers, therefore it is impossible to fish for them without snagging. Paddlefish are sometimes called a spoonbill, spoonbill cat, or shovelnose cat because some have mistaken the paddlefish as a member of the Catfish family. Paddlefish like to live in slow moving water of large rivers or reservoirs, usually in water deeper than four feet. The native range of paddlefish includes the Mississippi River basin from New York to Montana and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Paddlefish are stocked yearly in Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Lake to ensure a healthy population and the tradition of snagging.
In Missouri, you may keep paddlefish over the 34 inch minimum body length, not including the paddle. No person shall continue to snag, snare or grab for any species after taking a daily limit of two paddlefish.
SPOONBILL,
one of Missouri's most interesting fish. *
One of the most
interesting fish found in the Truman Lake area is one of the most
unusual - the SPOONBILL. The sturgeon is its closest living relative.
The spoonbill is an ancient fish that has been cruising the rivers and
tributaries of the Osage River for several thousands of years.
The Spoonbill
has several nicknames such as the "spoonbill catfish", "paddlefish"
and "spoonbill sturgeon." These nicknames especially the name
"paddlefish" refers to the odd, paddle-shaped snout of this fish. The
spoonbill also has a cartilaginous skeleton, with only the jaw having
hard bone.
The spoonbill
is a filter feeder, a behavior which has earned it another nickname,
"freshwater whale." As the spoonbill swims along near the surface of
the water, it opens its mouth wide and uses its gill rakers to filter
out tiny plankton, closing its mouth only to swallow. The spoonbill is
covered with taste buds and numerous nerve endings which helps locate
concentrations of plankton. The paddled snout is also believed to act
as a stabilizer reducing drag when the spoonbill has its mouth open
for feeding.
Spoonbills have
excellent white meat and are prized for their valuable roe. They taste
similar to salmon or swordfish. The roe are important to the
commercial caviar business. In fact, much of the caviar that is sold
as sturgeon roe is actually paddlefish roe. The paddlefish has been
severely over fished and abused in recent years. Over-fishing,
combined with changing habitats, has caused the paddlefish numbers to
decline. Missouri has tough laws protecting the spoonbill from over
fishing and illegal roe collection. We should all hope that one day
the waters of the Osage River will find these unique natural treasures
restored to their original numbers.
It's Snaggin'
Season!
Snaggin' season is from March 15th through April 30th, so make sure you book your paddlefishing trip today!
*taken from trumaninfoguide.com |
