PADDLEFISH

[TubeDude]

[cool]Thought I'd put this on a separate thread. I mentioned paddlefish on Xman's Montana report, and had a couple of emails and PM's asking "WHUT THE HECK'S A PADDLEFISH?"

Like sharks, rays and sturgeon, paddles are "old timers" in the developmental scheme of things. They are primitive in several of their body systems, compared to the more modern "bony fishies". For one thing, they do not have true bone in their skeletal structure...but cartilage.

They used to be common throughout the length of the Mississippi drainage. Today they are available only in a few of the large rivers, and then mostly when they congregate to spawn below dams and other natural obstructions. They feed on plankton and are not taken with bait or lures...but with a large "treble hackle"...a snag rig. It may not be sporting, but it is challenging and tough. Even more than heavy tackle, you need strength and stamina to work the big rods all day...and then to battle the big fish.

Here's a pic sent to me by Justin H.


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[southernman]

i heard of him, kinda like a fresh water swordfish!

sm
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[Kent]

Not to totally change the subject, but I have read that Kokanee live on Plankton and hit lures as a reaction only; however, I have also caught a kokanee trolling a night crawler, and corn is highly recommended as an enticement for kokanee (I know it is illegal to fish with corn in Utah, and I don't fish with it).
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[Xman]

paddlefish are not reactive to lures or baits unlike other species that may feed on plankton as well. cool pic tube. i have watched several shows on these guys and talk about pulling like a mule. that would be the biggest kick in the pants to real one in that way. i know they have harvest objectives on them but sure seems to me such a ancient fish belongs in the water just like sturgeon and other fish alike. ever caught one tube?
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[TubeDude]

[cool]Yeah, love those kooky kokes. There are usually a few of the regulars on any body of water they live that have some wild and crazy sure-fire bait and system for catching the local pets. But, the principle is usually the same...small, colorful and on a small hook and light leader.

As most koke fans know, these tasty little critters are "landlocked" sockeye salmon from the ocean...also known as reds...both for their bright spawning colors and the bright red of their meat. And, almost all salmon seem to have an instinct for munching anything that can be perceived as an egg laid by a competitor. Virtually all Pacific Coast salmon and most steelhead quit actively feeding once they enter fresh water to spawn. But, they will still take a whack at many different flies and lures...expecially ones with bright colors. And, single or cluster salmon eggs are a productive bait, even for those fish that aren't eating. Again, their instincts are to pick up the eggs and crush them, even if they do not swallow them.

Kokanee feed on several different kinds of small critters. One of their favorite snacks are the hordes of visible sized zooplankton, which often mass up in thick layers at certain depths. All they have to do is swim through the soup and keep swallowing. But, as most of us have found, they also like to raid the nests of rainbows in the early part of the year, and add some "fish berries" to their menus.

The rainbows in Deer Creek, and other suitable waters, also feed on the little zooplankton. These tiny morsels are rich in vitamin A, which helps produce the rich red meat on both the kokanee and on rainbows that feed on the critter soup too. I have taken fat rainbows out of Deer Creek, on a wide range of lures, that regurgitated a green soup when handled during the hook removal. Even though they were visibly full, they still munched something large for desert.

Paddlefish are a different matter. I have read several studies that claim these ancient beasts eat nothing but aquatic microbits...algae and plankton. They open their big mouths wide and strain the water through specially designed gill rakers, to gather large quantities of the nutrients as they swim through the water. Like many people, paddlefish are downright ugly when they go around with their mouths open.

I wonder if any fly tier has ever tried to tie a size 100 zooplankton emerger. Can you imagine the tippet size you would have to use to even be able to tie one on?

TubeDude
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[Xman]

interestingly enough the paddle on the paddlefish, aptly named, is a sonar detecting the schools of plankton making them a excellent predator and a perfecrt bully for the small folk of the lakes and rivers.
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[fishboy2]

now that is one strange looking fish, strange way to catch them too.
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