hoover25

The paddles are slippery things....most guys will grab them by the jaw...or gaff 'em

I was at Warsaw this weekend and I saw the same thing.....there are goobers everywhere I guess. They were even gaffing big gar which they threw back anyway.

....I am honestly not trying to get your undies in a bunch...and I am certainly not a fish-hugger. Paddlefish are an artificially propagated species and the hatcheries can make all they want. All I was questioning was the legal issue...not anything about ethics. Your post made it sound like you kept 30 fish. To answer your question: I keep the first two keepers that I catch and stop snagging and try to release any shorts unharmed.

Thats great I guess. However....isn't the limit two paddlefish daily and overall possession limit of four fish for the season. I always thought that one must cease snagging once you have reached your daily limit. I don't think that Missouri has a "snag and release" program. I caught two paddlefish in 30 minutes this weekend and was then the "designated boat driver" for the rest of the day. Just my two pesos.

I am so jealous...I am not visiting Florida this New Years due to schedule conflicts. I usually vacation farther up the Gulf Coast, but I am assuming the fishing down there should be awesome. Anyway, I would bring four setups: Decent fly-rod; Light (6-10) spinning; Med Spinning (20-30); and a heavy Spinning or Conventional (80-100). That should give you a chance a basically everything that swims (within reason). I would also bring along a cast-net, some sort of bait-well, waders (if its cold), boga grip (everything has teeth), lots of fluorocarbon leader material in appropriate strengths, terminal tackle, etc. Good luck...wish I was going with you!

Hey D.C. Glad to hear your heading my way. I haven't been out in 3 weeks. Other stuff going on. I don't even know what to tell you. Last time out a White Spinner bait was working well. The lake is turning over, and the water is pretty stained. Anyway, Glad to hear about your ebay treasures. I don't know if I'll be out this weekend or not, have to see what the weathers doin. Anyway Good Luck and Good Turkeyday. The Hoov

I would try up the pomme river the turn-over does'nt seem to effect it as much as the main lake area. Good Luck

Hey there, From what I have heard the lake is fixin' to turn over....good luck. I would go look for shad and troll through them. Or maybe throw a jig in deeper water. Also, you could always troll for the toothy critters over the flats.

Had a great day fishing today, but couldn't hook into any toothy critters. We caught everything but muskies. Pomme Geezer did snag a pretty nice 4lb 10oz bass though. Img_0990.jpg

Here are the pics. The Geeze is the best muskie guide I have ever fished with!

They little turds are also bad news for native critters as well. I have seen native freshwater mussels completely covered with thousands of tiny zebras. I used to have to scrape them off wearing thick leather gloves. They will/can also attach themselves to any slow-moving animal. http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/biology/a_zm.html This article is pretty good and has some pics......and it does talk about the not-so-bad things about zebras. I still hate them though.

Its very unfortunate that Zebra mussels are in Taney. I used to be biologist that specialized in freshwater mussel research. I have seen them first-hand and have killed thousands (a drop in the bucket). Their biology is unlike any of our native mussels. One female can produce about 1,000,000 eggs per year. Yes, the water in Lake Erie is clearer than before. But think for a minute....the material removed from the water consists of zooplankton and phytoplankton that supply food for larval fish and other invertebrates....thats not a good thing. I wouldn't worry too much about the trout in upper Taney though.....the hatchery can always make you more fish. I worry more about the lower end of the Lake....and Bull Shoals, and the White River, etc. For those of you that have not seen these critters, let me give you an informed and highly-opinionated description. They suck! The result is similar to barnacles in a saltwater environment. They are sharp as hell and the bissel threads that hold them to the substrate are stronger than superglue. I am hopeful that there is some unknown environmental factor that will limit the infestation. For now, its going to be "wait and see." P.S. If any of you guys are fishing in areas where there are known Zebra infestations, please dry out your stuff (bleach is better) before you visit another body of water.

It was slow for us. We landed one decent male, but that was it. Hopefully, the rains will come and the big girls will start moving up. My stomach is rumbling for some caviar. We did see a crappie fisherman hooked up to a spoonie on his ultalite.....he was having a bit of trouble with it.

Good job!! Call me stupid but is Ashercane bottom above or below Fall Creek? Apparently, I should bring a map with me this weekend. We'll be hitting the Rock early Saturday....hope its not too crowded.

Hello all, I have snagged the last several years, but this is going to be my first attempt to go out opening weekend. I will be down there Saturday. What I am not sure of is....where to start? Do you go right above Cape Fair or should I motor up the river a couple miles? Any tips appeciated.