Want 100-pound fish? Try snagging

The trout park anglers have had their day and now its spoonbill snagging time.

March doesn't just mean the opening of trout season, it also means snagging season for the growing number of anglers who don't use a lure.

The spoonbill or paddlefish as many call these prehistoric fish that traditionally opens on March 15, runs through the month of April.

Recently John Barker, Springfield, ran into a saltwater fishing friend that had moved to Missouri and brought his fishing gear along. Thinking he would never use this heavy gear, he gave it to Barker.

Barker could see right away that the heavy saltwater gear would be just the thing for snagging paddlefish. "He had several Penn reels that had 30 pound test line on them. I thought they would be perfect for snagging, but after my friend found out about snagging paddlefish, he hinted that he might want the saltwater gear back," Barker said.

When you are looking for fish that weigh more than 100 pounds, you need all the help you can get. The record Missouri paddlefish was taken a couple of years ago on the James River arm of Table Rock. The monster weighed more than 139 pounds.

Barker along with other snaggers are looking forward to a good season this spring as the water temps rise and the water flow is high, two ingredients needed to get the urge to spawn for these big fish.

Barker said, "I never thought I would be interested in snagging spoonbills until I hooked a 38 pounder on the James River and that started me looking forward to March 15 every year. Since that day, I have snagged for the monster fish on Truman, Lake of the Ozarks, the Osage River as well as Table Rock and have caught fish at each spot. My largest fish was a 59-pound lunker on Truman, but one day my fishing buddy hooked a 72 pounder. I always thought snagging was work, but after you get a 30-plus fish in the boat it keeps you coming back."

Barker said this season looks good, "The water is high and the water temperature has been climbing."

Missouri fisheries biologists are optimistic about the season saying we should have a very good season for snagging paddlefish with some really big ones hooked around Table Rock and Truman. We may not see another 139 pounder, but there are some big ones out there to be caught.

Robert Clark, Kansas City, is another paddlefish snagger and said, "This season looks good. We need the water temperature to rise a few degrees and I know there are some fish well over a hundred pounds swimming out there so maybe this will be the year I get one. So far, my largest was a 67 pounder and I have caught several more over 50 pounds fishing around Table Rock and Truman."

There are a lot of Missouri anglers who wouldn't walk across the street to catch a paddlefish, thinking it isn't worth the trouble and too much work. However, anglers like Clark love the challenge and so do many others who flock to the popular snagging spots just like the trout anglers do at the state trout parks.

Clark said "When I first started snagging it didn't seem that there were too many others, but now if you don't get to the boat ramp early, you might have to wait an hour before you can launch your boat because there are so many other snaggers after the paddlefish. I wouldn't miss the first part of the season for all the bass in the lake."

Larry Smith, Warrensburg, has been a paddlefish snagger for years and said, "A recent story in the Missouri Conservation Magazine would be great reading for the newcomers to the sport. It tells where to go, how to fish and even how to cook your catch. It makes good reading."