Paddle fish

[Cowboypirate]

Anyone chased paddle fish before? I have been putting togther a list of all the game fish ( fresh water) that call the States in the Rocky mts home to see how many species are not available in Utah ( thinking about future adventures) and paddle fish have just been fascinating to learn about.

If you are curious my list has about 46 species with over 20 that are not available in Utah. Still more work to finish the list and double check it

[stan55]

I have caught them in the Mississippi when I lived in Minnesota. It's a snagging thing. Closest place to us is Montana in the Missouri river drainage. Check the MT regs for the season dates. They are weird looking fish.

[meancuznalfy]

You can get them in the Yellowstone in Montana too, big trebles and weights required.

[BURLEY]

This is one, I think, that my dad caught in the Arkansas River on a set-line. Near Little Rock, Ark. ~1959



We always called it a shovel-bill catfish though.

[MWScott72]

I caught one once below Kaw Lake (Arkansas River system) outside of Ponca City, OK back in the 90s. We were fishing the tail race below the dam throwing big bucktail jigs with surf rods for stripers and I somehow snagged the thing right in the crook of his tail. That was an extremely fun battle! He drug me up and down the bank a couple times with me having to go over and under other people’s lines. Thought I had a tank of a striper and when I got him in, thought “what the hell”?? He ended up going 26 lbs, but they get ALOT bigger.

[Therapist]

Snagging season on the Mississippi around Alton Ill. Was a big deal when I was growing up. Never went, but used to see pictures in the Post Dispatch about it. Interesting fish, cartilage, no bones !!

[RockyRaab2]

Saw an Andrew Zimmern piece on them. IIRC, the roe was the desirable part, with the flesh being not so good. They "trolled" big weighted trebles, vigorously yanking the rod back every few seconds to try to snag one. Paddlefish are filter feeders and do not strike lures or bait.

[Cowboypirate]

Txs for the input. I find that when I cant get out to go fishing that I often enjoy researching and planning trips as much - well ok - almost as much

[joatmon]

I'd be interested in seeing your list of Utah species when you get it finished. Here is the State of Utah's list at R657-13-2 (2)(p)

"Game fish" means Bonneville cisco; bluegill; bullhead; channel catfish; crappie; green sunfish; largemouth bass; northern pike; Sacramento perch; smallmouth bass; striped bass, trout (rainbow, albino, cutthroat, brown, golden, brook, lake/mackinaw, kokanee salmon, and grayling or any hybrid of the foregoing); tiger muskellunge; walleye; white bass; whitefish; wiper; and yellow perch."

Interesting that they don't differentiate black/white crappie, the various species (subspecies?) of whitefish, etc. Also in the 2023 Guidebook, the State has now included Roundtail Chub. Other "nongame" fish include carp, burbot, suckers, chubs, etc.

Catchinon and I occasionally discuss trying to catch all of the Utah game fish species before we expire. I still need cisco, white crappie, Sacramento perch, striped bass, and tiger musky. And, now, I guess, Roundtail chub.

[RockyRaab2]

I don't think we have white crappie here in Utah, only black. The lighter ones we catch are usually females, especially in Spring, when the males get darker.

[TubeDude]

I don't think we have white crappie here in Utah, only black. The lighter ones we catch are usually females, especially in Spring, when the males get darker.

There has been a small population of white crappies in Gunnison Bend Reservoir...just west of Delta.  Not sure what the current status is after the drought and low water conditions.

[RockyRaab2]

There's always an exception, isn't there?

[TubeDude]

There's always an exception, isn't there?

I've never fished for them there.  Caught a bunch down south...and while I lived in Arizona.  But a couple of the DWR biologists from Utah have made some noise about them being in Gunnison Bend and I have heard a "fairly reliable" report from another BFTer about catching some a few years ago.

The white crappies we caught from a couple of lakes in Arizona coexisted with black crappies.  The whites seemed to grow slightly larger.  And in my opinion, fought a bit harder.  But as in most matters of fishing such things are always a matter of personal opinion.

Also, have never made a run to Garrison Reservoir (Pruess) to fish for the Sacramento perch.  Heard tell of locals catching good numbers of them on plain old worms in good years.  I caught lots of them while living in Sacramento and fishing some of the lakes and tributaries along the Sacramento River.  They were fun to catch and good eating.  And the young made good live bait for stripers (legal in California).