Spoonbill Below Lake Springfield Dam?

[Prestone]

I have a friend who caught a REALLY nice one down there a few years ago. Is it typically a good place to catch spoonbill? I am a bank fisherman, and don't plan on traveling much until closer to summer. Any information would be greatly appreciated! I have never tried spoonbill fishing before, so this will be a first.

Oh, and when I talked to a conservationist the other day, he said the higher the water level the better since they travel up from Table Rock. I know it's flooded below the dam right now, so I wondered how good of a chance I would have.

[duckydoty]

I've found that they usually make their big push up the James right around the 1st of April. Any rise in water around that time and they will make their run. The higher the water, the better the chances of them making it all the way up to the dam. I have caught them there before.

[Seth]

During really high water years you can catch the snot out of them up there. I'm not sure if the water was high enough last year to hold them up river though. I know we never did get in to them up by Nixa last year because the water wasn't quite high enough. The year before was a high water year and I heard they caught quite a few spoons up by the Springfield Dam right when season opened though. They were probably leftovers from the year before that just stayed up river all year long if I had to guess.

I wouldn't be surprised if a few fish made it up that far with this recent high water but I wouldn't be there would be very many.

[Prestone]

Well, a guy caught one early the other day down below the dam. I didn't get to see it, but heard the stories when I went down by there. I think the water is definitely higher this season than it was last year. Not much precipitation last winter!

Thanks for the info guys!

[plexlove]

Lol, ummm spoonbill snaggin is GREAT below the darn...on the right years though! Last year I snagged from day 1 to the end of season and didnt get a single one nor did i see anyone get one...But the year before, well lets just say i stopped counting after I caught 100 of them, got to the point where I absolutely hated spoonbill, they ruined all the fishing because there were so many of them and they were trapped up there all the way til next season. Opening day i saw i believe 15 pulled in within minutes then no one else got any!

Anyways, the year they were all up there, they came in round mid to end april and the water was about 55, last year the water warmed fairly quick yet none came up.

My average size was about 70lbs, I only caught maybe 3 out of (if i had to guess) close to 250 that weighed less than 30lbs. I caught a 119lber off the island out there while catfishing in august...so obviously couldnt keep it but took a pic of it and got ticketed lol. Im posting the pic below...hard to tell because his body is bent but im 6'2" and me and a buddy lifted him to weigh him he was a good 9" taller than me!

Im also posting a few more of them i caught, all good sized ones!

[exiledguide]

Wow.............Gigantius Slobosris Rex

[Seth]

Those high water years ruin the normal years for us snaggers lol. My buddy caught a silly amount of spoonbill up there towards the dam during his last few years at college down there a few years ago. A little birdy told me that a bunch of them have ran above Galena already but they are stalling out due to water levels. If it makes another big rise then they should be catchable in any decent hole from Springfield darn on down to Galena.