Spoonbill Snagging

[36Tango]

The Spoonbill season goes from March 15th through the end of April. I have no idea how to go about doing it, but Jr. and I want to learn the ropes, so we hired a guide to take us out with on April 11th. With any luck, we will have some luck and we will share some pics. I also understand that this is the season that all of the rednecks come out of the hills. Most of the snagging is done above the 60MM. I hear that the meat is awesome.

I do know that the reason they are snagged is that they are a "filter fish". They swim around mouths wide open taking in gallons of water and somehow straining off the plankton. They will not actually "bite" on anything.

[Reggie]

Sounds like fun, I've talked to peeps that do this, and after a day they said your arms are burning like crazy, it's pretty hard work.
Keep us posted, and I hope you do have some good luck.

[livinglife2]

My brother goes all the time, just have a Big Pole and a Big Hook and a Big Weight and 75-100 lb line and cast as far as you can possible throw it and jerk and real like no tomarrow and when you snag that 100lber in the side you will go for a ride.. we normally go to Miami OK along the Neosho River. When there running the river its like shooting fish in a barrel to get one.

http://www.visitmiamiok.com/

[MAKESMEHAPPY]

You heard right about the meat, I've never snagged but have eaten spoonbill. The meat was cubed and deep fried. Very good

[Butt Cheese]

Me and my grandpa did this on the Osage River when I was little and had some luck. Sometimes we ate the fish and sometimes he would use it as bait for his trot lines. Wish I could be more help.

[Caincando1]

I'm assuming a spoonbill is the same as a paddle fish? They are protected here and you can be fined HEAVILY for being in possession of one. Interesting that you can fish for them down there.

[BDM]

Edit: Stupid IE.

[BDM]

I'm assuming a spoonbill is the same as a paddle fish? They are protected here and you can be fined HEAVILY for being in possession of one. Interesting that you can fish for them down there.

First one is a spoonbill, second is a paddlefish.

[Caincando1]

I looked it up and Spoonbill and Paddlefish are the same thing. BDM that's some kind of a Gar in the picture on the right.

Spoonbill Catfish (Polyodon spathula) The spoonbill catfish, also known as the paddle fish, is one of most ancient fish around. They are also one of the oddest looking fish species. Spoonbill catfish are not actually catfish at all as the name implies. Spoonbill Catfish were once endangered but are making a comeback. Spoonbill catfish or paddlefish may have been around for at least 300 million years. Adult spoonbill catfish grow to seven feet long and can weigh as 200 pounds.
Spoonbill catfish are plankton eaters, they filter zooplankton (microscopic animal life) from fresh waters. To do this Spoonbill catfish swim with their mouths open. Some states allow the harvest of Spoonbill catfish and others don't!

[MAKESMEHAPPY]

You are right Brian that second pic is a gar

[joey]

You are right Brian that second pic is a gar

That thing sure looks like a GAR and it must have it's mouth taped or it's dead, because they'll bite your damn arm off. :shock:

[36Tango]

Sounds like fun, I've talked to peeps that do this, and after a day they said your arms are burning like crazy, it's pretty hard work.
Keep us posted, and I hope you do have some good luck.

I have heard the same thing. With todays electronics, though, they will wait until they see fish below the boat before you start pulling. We will be fishing out of a specially equipped pontoon boat that supposedly has the right stuff on it.

Either way, it will be a great time. The only thing that I really hope for is decent weather at least.

[BDM]

My bad... I just looked on google images for each, and posted it.

I thought they were seperate... sorry. :oops:

[MAKESMEHAPPY]

That thing sure looks like a GAR and it must have it's mouth taped or it's dead, because they'll bite your damn arm off. :shock:


Ahh, come on Joey, haven't you ever had one of them swim up to you at LOTO. It can get interesting VERY fast

[joey]

Ahh, come on Joey, haven't you ever had one of them swim up to you at LOTO. It can get interesting VERY fast

Yea, I actually have and I want to keep all my fingers and toes, they'll like mini alligators with no feet. YIKES, snakes I don't care about, but GARS I can do without.

[meyerwrench]

A couple of underwater pic of Spoonbills.

[duckcommander]

Great time, I usually "fish" between the oar house and warsaw. Speaking of the oar house check it out, good food and folk. Cant get any more classic than this place. If you go durring one of the tournments its a people watchers dream.

"Spoonbill world headquarters"--http://www.oldoarhouseinn.com/

[DeSimulacra]

When I was a kid skiing on Kentucky Lake it was amazing watching these fish jump! They would almost leave the water. It was common to see 5 footers then because no one fished/snaglined for them. Then the Russian Sturgeon almost died off and the Russies developed a taste for our spoonbill eggs. We would see spoonbill heads laying on the banks and I swear some heads/bills looked to be 4 foot long. So spoonbills almost died off here. However last summer I saw two small 3-4 footers jumping.
Ohh yea and there were a few close calls between skiers and spoonbills but personally I don't know of anyone getting hit.:shock:

[ckmansell]

There are two ways to hook a spoonbill. Manpower and boat power. The one thing you won’t need is a lure of any kind. Your right they do feed on microscopic plankton and will not bite a lure.

Most people, especially when fishing the moving water of rivers, prefer to cast out and reel the hook back in. The key to this technique is to make long sweeps with your rod away from your hook and then reel the slack line up as you point your rod tip back towards your hook. Herky-jerky action will only make you tired and sore. The more time your hook is moving through the water, the better chance you have of hooking a fish.

Others, find success by trolling. If you see a boat driving back and forth or in lazy circles early in the spring, there is a good chance they are dragging a line, hook and weight behind the boat. Anglers that use this method watch for their rod tip to thump, grab the rod and reel and then hang on for a fight.

If you are new to this, don’t be afraid to ask questions of other fishermen you see on the water or at the bait shop. Most are more than happy to pass on a few tips.

Rules vary in Missouri from lake to lake so do check the size limits. If they are not very big, most times you will have to release them. And with spoonbill, a 30 pounder is nothing to write home about. LOL... The daily limit is only 2. DO NOT get caught with more.[smilie=011.gif]

If you really want to see a sight. Go down below Bagnell on the Osage on the 14th. People will be setting up camp everywhere. Usually around 10-11pm they boats will begin to hit the water. You can almost walk acoss the river on them.LOL..

Then at about 1 second after midnight, (as soon as it is the 15th) you can hear the rods casting. zzzzzzz........

It is down right scary to know there is that much lead flying through the darkness.:( Sinkers can be as much as one pound.

You will hear all kinds of bull on eating them too. Some folks will tell you the whole fish is inedible. Others will say only the white meat is edible.

Fact is the whole thing is good to eat. But then there is preference. I do prefer the white to the red. But I will eat it all. In my opinion it is the best fish fry meat you can have.

If you and a couple buddies go for a three day weekend and everybody gets their daily limit of two with an average weight of 60-70 pounds, you will have enough meat in the freezer to have fish fry's at family & friend gatherings all summer and even into the fall. Good Luck

[baditude]

Went out on the deck Saturday at midnight and saw about fifteen boats out to open the season went out all day sunday but didnt have any luck i snag between the 85- 88 mm only saw about 12 fish on boats all day they don't start moving much till they start running water by the first week of April it should start getting good.

my fish from last year
73037

[livinglife2]

My brother got this one last night right under 50lb it is one ulgy sob

[36Tango]

Here is a pic of a 50 pounder that Jr. caught. He also caught a 40 and a 45. I caught a 35 and a couple of "too small to keep".

[Rockstar42]

I used to see them all the time when I was a kid in the lake. I didnt even know they were still around its been so long since I have seen or heard about one. Good luck. Post some pics if you get any

[momike]

When prepared the right way, spoonbill is very tastey.

[Swede]

I had never even heard of these until I was out there for the shootout. I something huge jump and assumed being from NC that you guys had striper but someone corrected me and said it was probably one of these.

[36Tango]

I had never even heard of these until I was out there for the shootout. I something huge jump and assumed being from NC that you guys had striper but someone corrected me and said it was probably one of these.

You got big stripers out there? I've been looking for a place to try to catch some. Any links to info?

[Swede]

You got big stripers out there? I've been looking for a place to try to catch some. Any links to info?

I grew up on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia and they used to catch a few over 40lbs each year. I think 10 to 20 is still pretty normal up there. It is a good vacation lake too. This forum wont let me put a normal link up but search "spike prime time fishing smith mountain lake"

I live on Lake Norman in NC now and the ones on this lake are small(6 to 10lbs) .

[36Tango]

I grew up on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia and they used to catch a few over 40lbs each year. I think 10 to 20 is still pretty normal up there. It is a good vacation lake too. This forum wont let me put a normal link up but search "spike prime time fishing smith mountain lake"

I live on Lake Norman in NC now and the ones on this lake are small(6 to 10lbs) .

Will do! Thanks.

[Blacktop Bandit]

Where can you buy equipment for spoonbill fishing around Lake of the ozarks? Any tips on the rod, the reel, line, sinkers, etc.?

Thanks in advance........I'm a total newbie at this snaggin' business.

[36Tango]

We went with a guide last year to kind of learn the ropes and this is what I think that I figured out.

The rod is basically a pool stick

The reel is a trolling type reel with a line counter, The reason for this is that you want to make sure that you do not spend too much time on the bottom, or you will snag up. We would look at the depth finder to see the depth to go to.

Line- the line we used was that braided "spiderwire" type stuff. Don't remeber the weight, but heavy.

Treble hook. Dont remeber the size, but they are bigger than I thought was legal. Part of the key is how you tie them, as the weight is behind the treble hook. After you tie to the eye of the hook, you also tie to one of the individual hooks so that the hook sits right in the water.

Weight- I think they were 2 or 3 oz lead weights

Electronics. The most important part. The humminbird full color with GPS is the hot setup. You can see the fish on the bottom, along with other snags. Set up a "racetrack" and keep circling. When you see the fish coming up from the bottom when the day wears on, they are alot tougher to catch.

Snagging movement- Take long steading "pulls" and then back off until you feel the "thud" on the bottom, and then do it again. The pull is alot slower than what I thought. When you feel a fish, set the hook.

This all being said, we saw folks from the bank with regular gear and no electronics also snagging. I don't know if they had any luck or not, but it can be done.

There is a special way to clean them, as they have no bones, just cartiledge. Make sure that you cut out ALL of the red meat. I was pleasantly suprised how good it tasted.

There is tons of stuff on the net about it. Tony The Pony over on Terry Summers forum knows a ton about it and he is willing to share.

[Blacktop Bandit]

Thanks much, Tango.......You've given me some useful information.

I did read somewhere that if you hire a guide, he supplies all the gear, so that was part of my problem, not much info about heaviness or length on the rod........some guys say the longer the rod the farther you can cast and recommended anything from 6 to 10 feet long (wow).

I did read 80 lb. braid line with a 16 ounce (heavy) sinker and two #10 treble hooks with no barbs. Some people have said baitcast reels are better for spooning and some say spincast reels ( a matter of personal preference rather than fact?)

So you can see why I'm totally in the dark.......I just thought someone could give me an idea for a rod/reel combo I could buy which I could still use as a heavy catfishing rig for the rest of the year........I may not like spooning at all, then I'd have the money tied up in something I wouldn't use again, you know?

Any other suggestions, anyone?

[SHIP4BRAINS]

Have you guys seen these jump out of the water? I'm assuming it is a spoonbill...not sure what else would have that long beak. At 70, they would put a hell of a dent in a boat!

[36Tango]

[QUOTE=know?

Any other suggestions, anyone?[/QUOTE]

On march 7th and 8th, there is a seminar on paddlefishing at the Bass Pro Shop in Columbia.

[baditude]

i would go with 100 pound test minimum and use 14 or 16 ounce sinkers depending on the current you can buy a good rod reel combo for about 125 dollars or so Minnesota bait and tackle in kansas city is a good place to buy or any place that sells fishing supplies around warsaw. Its all about luck but its a lot of fun when you finally snag one. oh and make sure you take plenty of beer [smilie=trink39]

[Blacktop Bandit]

Thanks again for all your help, guys. I really appreciate it.

[36Tango]

The talk of spoonbill got me hungry, so I pulled out a big fillet the other day and have been eating a piece a day till its gone. Chunck of fillet, some butter, some spices, and 7 minutes on the Foreman grill on the countertop. Great fish to eat.

[baditude]

i have the snagin wagon and the gear if anyone wants a guided trip all they have to do is buy the beer[smilie=trink39]

[baditude]

[QUOTE=36Tango;434836]The talk of spoonbill got me hungry, so I pulled out a big fillet the other day and have been eating a piece a day till its gone. Chunck of fillet, some butter, some spices, and 7 minutes on the Foreman grill on the countertop. Great fish to eat.

y in the word did you fillet it unless you caught a bunch of them

[36Tango]

i have the snagin wagon and the gear if anyone wants a guided trip all they have to do is buy the beer[smilie=trink39]

I'd prolly take you up on that! are you down there quite a bit during season?

[baditude]

i go down almost every weekend from now till november

[JohnnyZ]

Can anyone confirm the Bass Pro seminar? I don't see it on the website.
Thanks,
JZ

[36Tango]

http://www.catfishingguide.com/

Scroll down a bit on the right side.

[baditude]

i have never seen anyone clean a bill like that before looks like a lot of waste and the meat he kept had a lot of red in it in my jmo. $150 a day per person? im in the wrong buisness Any one have any idea what they go over in that seminar kinda of interested to know.
Do they tell you what bait to use [smilie=hah] hahaha im hoping to beat this one this year

83019

[JohnnyZ]

FYI, I emailed the guy from the catfishingguide.com about the seminar because I thought it was odd that it was 7th&8th (Sun. & Mon.) and it wasn't listed on the Bass Pro website. That seminar was last year. Bummer.

[baditude]

Season opened today!!!!!!