For you guys that have never seen these...This is my second time trying to catch one of these. I gave it a shot in 84 which was the worst year ever in my opinion, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. Well, the last few years have been really good for high water and paddlefish running, so this year I figgured I'd give it a shot.

Our season only lasted 4 days till the quota was met, but catch and release is the way to go anyway since all the bigger fish are running later in the season anyway.

A big thanks to my fishing partners who took me out to do this, Dave and Cam. Hooking into one of these is just as addicting and calling in a coyote or blowing up prairie dogs.

I caught three...43, 42, and 33 inches respectively from eye to tail. The big ones were right around 50 pounds.

they are a strange looking fis
it looks like their head is a big bony plate
thanks for the pic Brad

They look like they could give a pretty good fight.
How are they for eating or are they just for something to do.
I've heard of them but know nothing about them.

Awesome, thanks for sharing it with us.  Dont see good pics of them often.  
I read once that they were in the Great Lakes but are now extinct from then  :(  

What do they eat mainly?  Good eating?  I know in some places they can be bowfished & those fish are usually considered the icky ones lol.

thank's for sharing the pic bradh . here in indiana the dnr busted some guy's catching them and they had over there limit and the guy's went to jail . they were catching them and cutting the egg's out and throwing the fish back in the water !! here is the link on the bust of paddlefish !!

http://www.in.gov/apps/utils/calendar/presscal?PF=dnr&Clist=11&Elist=88994

http://www.raghorn.com/Weekly%20news.html#cav

Well they got the book thrown at them,   good!  

I'm not much of a fish eater, but these are really good eating fish for someone who is.

They eat microscopic stuff similar to whales, so they can't be baited to the hook. A big treble hook, and a 4 ounce sinker about 18 inches below is all that's needed. A 50 or 60 yard cast, and four good yanks will hook you into one.

A tail hooked 80 or 90 pounde female can take a guy for a good 1/4 mile down the bank. It's Miller time after one of those. ;D

We caught 11 between the three of us in 6 hours, and 120 total were caught that day...less than half the previous amount at that time due to the smaller # of fishermen.

I'm surprised to hear about the bootleging of the eggs, though I shouldn't be. There's big money in the caviar they make out of these eggs. I'm glad they caught the guys.


A few more pics....

This guy from Wyoming was fun to watch. He wouldn't be denied, and didn't give a damn...if he thought the had a monster on that tangled into a snag somewhere out there, he went in after it. At one point him and his pole  were completely submerged trying to unhook his snag on bottom.


My partners....

WOW awesome pic's and facts Brad. That looks like it would be alotta fun. Really cool buddy, thanks for sharing with us!!!!

that looks like a lot of fun , it reminds my of the snagging days as a kids for the big old chinook

What a hoot - ya that type of fishing in Michigan conjours up visions of big fines!!

fine set of pictures thanks for sharing.

where was that at in wyoming if you dont mind me asking?